The desecration of the Holy Quran by an American pastor in Florida sparked wide spread protests in the country, where protestors demanding the government to take up the issue with US administration.
Scores of protesters belonging to various religious and political parties, traders' representatives and members of the civil society organisations took to the streets on Friday against the desecration of the Holy Quran by American pastor Terry Jones.
Angry activists of Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F, Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamat-e-Ahle-Sunnat and Traders Organising Committee of Islamabad held protest rallies at various venues of the Capital including G-9 Markaz and Blue Area after the Juma prayers. The protesters also set ablaze the effigies of Terry Jones besides chanting slogans against the UN for not taking concrete measures to stop the repeated blasphemous acts in the US and some Western states.
Addressing a protest rally in G-9 Markaz, deputy chief of the JI for the Federal Capital, Kashif Chaudhry said the act of desecration was not only condemnable, but also poses a challenge for the Islamic world.
Kashif, who is also secretary-general of the traders' action committee, said the international community particularly the UN and the OIC should undertake serious measures to stop the recurrence of such acts to respect the sentiments of Muslims. He further said that such acts would fuel extremism and harm the on-going efforts of interfaith harmony. The rally was participated by activists of the PTI and members of the civil society organisations.
A protest rally of the JUI-F was led by Senator Mohammad Azam Swati at Blue Area where protesters strongly condemned the desecration of the Holy Quran. Swati speaking on the occasion called upon the government to take up the issue with the US authorities.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Q women wing President Farrukh Khan, while terming the desecration of the Holy Quran as inhuman act of an insane person, called for a national strategy to register strong protest against the US government at the highest level. Addressing party's workers, she said the act was a serious effort to ignite the sentiments of billions of Muslims as well as people from other beliefs. She said that burning a holy book was actually an effort to destabilise the world peace.
She urged political parties to join hands and register a strong protest against the US government on the act of madness by the pastor who wanted to get the fanatics re-surge and harm the efforts for peace and brotherhood.
All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) of the former president Pervez Musharraf also condemned the incident and stated that the fanatic act has posed a serious threat to religious harmony and urged the government of Pakistan to force the US government to punish Jones for the heinous crime that harmed the sentiments of the Muslim Ummah.
According to APML media office, a special meeting was held here at the Central Secretariat to denounce the desecration of Holy Quran. The APML leadership in their condemnation message stated that the Florida Pastor Terry Jones committed a heinous crime and he should be awarded due penalty for this unforgivable evil doing.
Former Minister for Minorities Affairs Mushtaq Victor said the Christian community here also condemned the heinous crime of Terry Jones and stood by their Muslim brothers to denounce the blasphemous act.
APML office-bearers including Federal Capital general secretary Dr Hasan Sahrosh, youth wing general secretary Raja Shahid and APML Islamabad chapter vice president Rai Abid Ali also attended the meeting.