Tahaffuz Bunyad-e-Islam Bill

[Cherub786]

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله
I more or less agree with Fawad Chaudhry's remarks on the irresponsibility of the Punjab Assembly in passing this bill. I should make it crystal clear that I have nothing but contempt for Fawad Chaudhry, but in this instance he is correct.
However, the background for why this bill was drafted and hastily legislated by the Punjab Assembly concerns the shocking, blasphemous remarks of a certain zakir from Khushab named Hamid Raza Sultani made several weeks ago. This individual outright cursed our first Khalifah, sayyidina Abi Bakr as-Siddiq رضى الله عنه from the pulpit in a video that has gone viral, and naturally hurt the religious sentiments of us Sunni Muslims. Taking advantage of this toxic atmosphere, the Sipahe Sahaba leader, Mu'awiyah Tariq, who is the son of slain A'zam Tariq and a member of the Punjab Assembly, was the main force behind drafting and introducing this controversial bill.
I have several problems with this piece of legislation. Firstly, it is against the spirit of religious freedom. This is why I am likewise quite critical of 298-B and 298-C of the PPC. Secondly, this bill has no basis in the Shari'ah of Islam either. It requires that whenever the name of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم is spoken or written, the title Khatam an-Nabiyyeen has to be mentioned alongside. Such a law has no basis whatsoever in the Shari'ah. The Prophet has numerous titles and descriptive names in addition to Khatam an-Nabiyyeen. There is no such law in our Religion which requires that this specific title be added to the name of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم whenever it is spoken or written. Next, the bill requires that invocation of radi Allahu anhu be added to the name of every one of the Prophet's companions رضى الله عنهم. This has been strongly objected to be the Shi'ah community. According to their doctrine, they do not add this invocation to many if not most of the Prophet's companions, and furthermore use the invocation alaihis-salam for the esteemed members of the Ahl al-Bayt عليهم السلام. I am certainly not a Shi'i, but I believe they have an inalienable right to practice their religion. All in all, this legislation is deeply flawed. It was passed without consulting the learned Fuqaha of our Religion, by members of a provincial assembly who themselves are highly illiterate in religious matters and are not known to act according to principle in politics.

 

[PakFactor]

First of all, this whole thing is retarded from the very beginning starting from the local scholars going up, who start swearing at the Sahaba's, etc. Who are we to curse any of them be it Sunni or Shia neither of these sects have any right to do this or question their actions. If they were bad or evil our beloved Prophet Muhammad PBUH wouldn't have elevated those individuals to where they are.

I don't want to get into a religious debate as time doesn't permit me right now, but their are limits to religious freedoms along with the acceptance of certain dogma's of religion. Those who curse the companions aren't any better Muslims than those who left this earth. Neither has the Prophet or Sahaba's used colorful language like certain mulla's use.

 

[Cherub786]

I don't want to get into a religious debate as time doesn't permit me right now, but their are limits to religious freedoms along with the acceptance of certain dogma's of religion. Those who curse the companions aren't any better Muslims than those who left this earth. Neither has the Prophet or Sahaba's used colorful language like certain mulla's use.

My friend, your statement "their [SIC] are limits to religious freedoms" is deeply problematic for me. Religious freedom is a universally recognized human right. The Pakistani State is a signatory to certain human rights declarations and conventions which have instituted the universal, basic and fundamental right to believe in and practice religion.

Nonetheless, I tend to agree that in the interest of maintaining social harmony in Pakistan, outright cursing and blasphemy against personalities considered sacred in Islam ought to be a criminal offense. However, the penalty of imprisonment (according to the Tahaffuz Bunyad-e-Islam bill it will be up to five years imprisonment) is a Draconian measure and not only is it against the spirit of human rights, but against the Shari'ah too. The Shari'ah has not instituted any hadd for cursing the Sahabah رضى الله عنهم. But a punishment known as Ta'zir (discretionary punishment) can be applied to in this situation. There seems to be a disagreement among the schools of law on the maximum punishment that can be executed on someone guilty of an offense that falls under this discretionary category. According to a Hadith it is ten stripes. Imprisonment for a number of years certainly exceeds in harshness the maximum Ta'zir punishment that can be given according to the schools of law. It certainly exceeds in harshness the punishment of ten stripes.

 

[Psychic]

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله
I more or less agree with Fawad Chaudhry's remarks on the irresponsibility of the Punjab Assembly in passing this bill. I should make it crystal clear that I have nothing but contempt for Fawad Chaudhry, but in this instance he is correct.
However, the background for why this bill was drafted and hastily legislated by the Punjab Assembly concerns the shocking, blasphemous remarks of a certain zakir from Khushab named Hamid Raza Sultani made several weeks ago. This individual outright cursed our first Khalifah, sayyidina Abi Bakr as-Siddiq رضى الله عنه from the pulpit in a video that has gone viral, and naturally hurt the religious sentiments of us Sunni Muslims. Taking advantage of this toxic atmosphere, the Sipahe Sahaba leader, Mu'awiyah Tariq, who is the son of slain A'zam Tariq and a member of the Punjab Assembly, was the main force behind drafting and introducing this controversial bill.
I have several problems with this piece of legislation. Firstly, it is against the spirit of religious freedom. This is why I am likewise quite critical of 298-B and 298-C of the PPC. Secondly, this bill has no basis in the Shari'ah of Islam either. It requires that whenever the name of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم is spoken or written, the title Khatam an-Nabiyyeen has to be mentioned alongside. Such a law has no basis whatsoever in the Shari'ah. The Prophet has numerous titles and descriptive names in addition to Khatam an-Nabiyyeen. There is no such law in our Religion which requires that this specific title be added to the name of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم whenever it is spoken or written. Next, the bill requires that invocation of radi Allahu anhu be added to the name of every one of the Prophet's companions رضى الله عنهم. This has been strongly objected to be the Shi'ah community. According to their doctrine, they do not add this invocation to many if not most of the Prophet's companions, and furthermore use the invocation alaihis-salam for the esteemed members of the Ahl al-Bayt عليهم السلام. I am certainly not a Shi'i, but I believe they have an inalienable right to practice their religion. All in all, this legislation is deeply flawed. It was passed without consulting the learned Fuqaha of our Religion, by members of a provincial assembly who themselves are highly illiterate in religious matters and are not known to act according to principle in politics.

Kindly use normal font. It is difficult to read.

 

[airmarshal]

As a nation, we have been through a sea of fire. Sectarian strife took lives of so many of our brothers. Mostly were Shias.

When one has gone through so tragedy, we tend to introspect. We look back and promise not to repeat things that could offend others religious or sectarian sentiments. But this is not us. We keep repeating our mistakes and provocations from us are like some act of bravery.

As sectarian terrorism has subsided and now its becoming more safe, I see a lot of provocations from Sunnis about Shia beliefs. At the same time, I see a lot of incendiary claims and deliberate insulting of Sahaba e Karaam from Shias. Prophet PBUH and his closest associates had nothing to do with Shia or Sunni rubbish. They were all of Islam.

Before someone goes on the tangent of 'foreign mischief' to set this fire, please look at your self. Introspect and stop this ugly behavior.

 

[Cherub786]

As a nation, we have been through a sea of fire. Sectarian strife took lives of so many of our brothers. Mostly were Shias.

When one has gone through so tragedy, we tend to introspect. We look back and promise not to repeat things that could offend others religious or sectarian sentiments. But this is not us. We keep repeating our mistakes and provocations from us are like some act of bravery.

As sectarian terrorism has subsided and now its becoming more safe, I see a lot of provocations from Sunnis about Shia beliefs. At the same time, I see a lot of incendiary claims and deliberate insulting of Sahaba e Karaam from Shias. Prophet PBUH and his closest associates had nothing to do with Shia or Sunni rubbish. They were all of Islam.

Before someone goes on the tangent of 'foreign mischief' to set this fire, please look at your self. Introspect and stop this ugly behavior.

Sir, the ultimate solution is complete religious freedom and to get the State out of religious matters. I'm certainly not a liberal secularist (especially not in terms of lifestyle), but politically, I am opposed to the State interfering in religious matters and legislating these kind of laws which dictate to people how they should practice their Religion or what they should believe. The fact of the matter is the Pakistani State is in no position to dictate to her Muslim citizenry how to approach Islam. The State itself is run by elements that are irreligious in lifestyle. Instead of Islamic laws and Shari'ah, we are still perpetuating the old British legal system. Therefore, the State should either completely Islamize or else stay out of religious affairs altogether.
This means that all religions and sects should be completely free to practice their Religion, offer their rituals, organize their gatherings, publish their literature, etc., without any interference from the State. Even the Ahmadis and Qadianis must have their basic religious rights restored in this respect (298-B and 298-C ought to be repealed). All religious institutions like mosques and madaris should have complete freedom from the State, including allowance for foreign funding, and teaching whatever they want to their students. The government should concentrate on improving its own dismal public education system rather than dictating how Madaris are administered and the content of their curricula.

 

[Musalman]

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله
I more or less agree with Fawad Chaudhry's remarks on the irresponsibility of the Punjab Assembly in passing this bill. I should make it crystal clear that I have nothing but contempt for Fawad Chaudhry, but in this instance he is correct.
However, the background for why this bill was drafted and hastily legislated by the Punjab Assembly concerns the shocking, blasphemous remarks of a certain zakir from Khushab named Hamid Raza Sultani made several weeks ago. This individual outright cursed our first Khalifah, sayyidina Abi Bakr as-Siddiq رضى الله عنه from the pulpit in a video that has gone viral, and naturally hurt the religious sentiments of us Sunni Muslims. Taking advantage of this toxic atmosphere, the Sipahe Sahaba leader, Mu'awiyah Tariq, who is the son of slain A'zam Tariq and a member of the Punjab Assembly, was the main force behind drafting and introducing this controversial bill.
I have several problems with this piece of legislation. Firstly, it is against the spirit of religious freedom. This is why I am likewise quite critical of 298-B and 298-C of the PPC. Secondly, this bill has no basis in the Shari'ah of Islam either. It requires that whenever the name of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم is spoken or written, the title Khatam an-Nabiyyeen has to be mentioned alongside. Such a law has no basis whatsoever in the Shari'ah. The Prophet has numerous titles and descriptive names in addition to Khatam an-Nabiyyeen. There is no such law in our Religion which requires that this specific title be added to the name of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم whenever it is spoken or written. Next, the bill requires that invocation of radi Allahu anhu be added to the name of every one of the Prophet's companions رضى الله عنهم. This has been strongly objected to be the Shi'ah community. According to their doctrine, they do not add this invocation to many if not most of the Prophet's companions, and furthermore use the invocation alaihis-salam for the esteemed members of the Ahl al-Bayt عليهم السلام. I am certainly not a Shi'i, but I believe they have an inalienable right to practice their religion. All in all, this legislation is deeply flawed. It was passed without consulting the learned Fuqaha of our Religion, by members of a provincial assembly who themselves are highly illiterate in religious matters and are not known to act according to principle in politics.

Yes, I totally agree with you.

 

[Iltutmish]

It should be possible for the Shiites not to curse the Sahaba publicly or is it a human right to curse the best friends and most loyal companions of the prophet (PBUH)?

The most funny thing is that our beloved Ali (ra.) had sons names after his predecessors. But the SHIAT ALI curses them? This is beyond me!

 

[cocomo]

If this bill is enforced, about cursing and banning books of other sects. (other than Sunnis). You will see other sects bring Sunni books to court which are littered with blasphemy about the Prophet. The same books that were used by Arya Samaj to write "Rangila Rasool" Nauzubillah. Better not get into this gutter game, it will lead only to sectarian strife. The man/group who put forth this bill is a Saudi paid well known anti Shia terrorist who wants sectarian fight in Pakistan.
Shia ulama are doing their best to end cursing of Sunni sacred figures from their pulpits, and it is working but any coercion by the Sunnis will throw spanner in the works. And this is exactly what terrorist organizations like Sipah e Sahaba DO NOT want, a peaceful coexistence of Sunnis and Shias.

 

[cocomo]

This individual outright cursed our first Khalifah, sayyidina Abi Bakr as-Siddiq رضى الله عنه from the pulpit in a video that has gone viral

That was a reaction to Ashraf Asif Jalali Blasphemy against Ahlul Bayt, you failed to mention that.

 

[TNT]

No sect should be allowed to use harsh or abusive language against another. This is the main body of the bill and i totally agree with it. Be it any sect, u cannot abuse others and if ur religious belief is based on abusing others then sorry bt thats not a belief sustainable in a society.
Also thanks to the mods for banning this idiot troll who doznt know what font to use.