ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser said that blasphemy does not count as freedom of expression and urged Muslim unity against Islamophobia.

Speaker Qaiser expressed these views in a meeting with Prof Dr Ali Erbas, President Religious Affairs, Turkish Republic (Diyanet) who called on him in Parliament House on Monday.

The speaker said that Muslim-majority countries should act in unison to counter the growing scourge of Islamophobia. He said that blasphemy does not count as freedom of expression.

While talking to the visiting dignitary, the speaker said that Pakistan attaches immense importance to its relations with Turkey since both the countries were intertwined in eternal religious, historic, and cultural bonds. He said that Islam is religion of peace and abhors violence in all its forms and manifestations.

He said that Muslims and their attire around the globe was subjected to discrimination and portrayed negatively. He called for a joint strategy to counter such abhorrent attitudes. He appreciated leading role of Turkish President against Islamophobia.

Qaiser, while mentioning the atrocities faced by Muslims in Palestine and Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir, said that tyrant forces have not deterred their determination for a separate homeland. He called for peaceful resolution of both the outstanding issues as per international commitments. He appreciated Turkish support for the Palestine and Kashmir issues.

The speaker referring to the role of Turkish Ulema and religious scholars in conveying the message of Islam said that they preached Islam as a religion of peace, harmony and conveyed the true image of Islam across the world.

He called for collaboration between Turkish and Pakistani universities in faculties of religious and scientific education.

He appreciated the idea of establishment of a joint forum of Turkish and Pakistani Ulema.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022