ISLAMABAD: On Wednesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to assisting international efforts to eradicate Islamophobia. “Pakistan joins the world community in seeking an end to all forms of hatred, profiling and discrimination against Muslims on the basis of faith,” he said in a tweet on International Day to Combat Islamophobia. Islam, like other religions, stands for tolerance, respect, peace, and the advancement of humanity, according to Sharif.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Interfaith Harmony and Middle East Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi on Wednesday said the world should devise a combined strategy and plan of action against Islamophobia.
Addressing a gathering of religious scholars and leaders in connection with International Day to Combat Islamophobia, he urged the international community to take serious notice of burgeoning incidents of Islamophobia particularly in European countries, Canada, Great Britain, the United States, Australia and India to maintain peace and tranquility in the comity of nations on this planet.
Ashrafi who is also the chairman of Pakistan Ulema Council said Islam was free of all kinds of terrorism and extremism and made it clear that the Islamic concept on the ‘call of Jihad’ was particularly meant to fight against the evil forces and help the helpless people in the society.
Emphasizing on the certain parameters of Jihad, he mentioned that Islam did not permit killing of any innocent as “the murder of a human being is to be considered the murder of all humanity”.
He expressed his fear that there were certain elements who were trying to disrepute Islam and Muslims by distorting the actual meaning of Jihad.
Ashrafi, the sensitizing need of the hour, urged the Muslim community to portray the soft image of Islam with its sound character as its loud and clear message was ‘to do good and to be good’.
“Keeping in view the significance of this day, let’s pledge to eradicate the Islamophobia and disseminate the true teachings of Islam at every nook and cranny of the world,” he maintained.
