The Senate Monday unanimously passed a resolution against holding a blasphemous cartoon competition by a Dutch party in the Netherlands and asked the government to lodge a formal protest with the Dutch government. The resolution moved by Leader of the House Shibili Faraz was unanimously passed by the House in the presence of Prime Minister Imran Khan who made his first appearance in the House after becoming the Prime Minister.
"This House strongly condemns the venomous, vicious and contemptuous decision of Geert Wilders, the notorious Islamophobe, belonging to the Dutch Party of Freedom, to hold a "Draw Muhammad Cartoon Competition" to be held later this year in the Netherlands," the resolution read.
It stated: "The House considers that the proposed competition is tantamount to inciting hatred, racial prejudice, unrest, conflict and insecurity in a world that has already seen much bloodshed, racism, extremism, intolerance and Islamophobia and badly needs peace, interfaith harmony, mutual respect and tolerance.
"The Senate of Pakistan records that several countries have anti-blasphemy laws and a number of instruments of international law are in field including Article 20 and the paragraph 3 of Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil & Political Rights of the UNO, UNHCR's Rabat Plan of Action, The European Court of Human Rights and the European Guidelines on Freedom of Religion and Belief.
"The Senate of Pakistan reaffirms that the love for our beloved Prophet (SAW) is beyond any doubt and a part of our faith and no Muslim can tolerate any such vicious, contemptuous and calculated insult of our beloved Prophet (SAW)," it stated, adding: "Since under the Constitution of Pakistan, 1973, Islam is the state religion and it is the responsibility of the State to preserve, protect and promote Islam, therefore, it must stand up and articulate the general will of the Muslims of Pakistan against the proposed competition."
The House also recommended that a formal protest should be lodged with the Dutch government through its embassy in Islamabad and that a special session of the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) should be convened to formally engage the EU, United Nations and individual states to chalk out limits of freedom of expression to maintain global peace, harmony, and tolerance while ensuring freedom of expression within reasonable, and lawful limitations dictated by the common good of humanity at large.
The House also asked the government to agitate the issue at the UN General Assembly for developing global consensus against such blasphemous initiatives by a handful of mischief mongers whose sole aim seems to be creating communal discord and social unrest.
It further recommended that the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Inter-Faith Harmony should constitute a committee of Muslim intellectuals and experts to deliberate on the issue and frame workable proposals for preventing such blasphemous movies, cartoons, books and other such contents.
Speaking after the resolution was passed, Imran Khan said that the government will raise the matter at the UN, adding that the Muslim world should wage united efforts and convey their sentiments to the world community that how sensitive they are over the matter.
He said that a consensus should be reached at the OIC level that Muslims are very sensitive when it comes to their love for the Holy Prophet. "The world needs to realize if any interpretation of the Holocaust is not allowed in the West despite so-called freedom of expression, how insult to Muslims' prophet can be tolerated in the name of freedom of expression," he added.
The senators also strongly condemned the proposed competition of the blasphemous cartoons in the Dutch parliament and called for practical measures to prevent such acts on the name of freedom of expression.
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