On the 30th of November 2018, Deeni News, broadcast this interview with a number of religious leaders based in the United Kingdom. What is so distressing about this interview is that these UK based individuals are demanding the release of violent extremism promoter, Khadim Hussain Rizvi, who leads the extremist Tehreek-e-Labaik party in Pakistan. This is not so much a political party, as a group of religious zealots who use force and intimidation against people they regard as ‘blasphemers’.
One of the speakers says the following which is chilling:
“The decision around Asia Masih (Christian), has not only been rejected by the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), but all the religious circles in Pakistan and the entire Muslim Ummah has rejected it”.
“Secondly, we strongly condemn the torture and arrest of the leaders of TLP and all other religious leaders. We would like to clarify this to the Government of Pakistan that such acts are disgracing the country and would be damaging for the safety and security of the country.”
What the religious leaders fail to even consider is that the safety of the country has been damaged on numerous occasions by Khadim Hussain Rizvi and the TLP. Their ‘sit-ins‘ have been intimidating, led to the deaths of people and targeted minorities in Pakistan.
They go onto add:
“The issues surrounding Namoos -e-Risalaat, (the honour of the Prophet Muhammad), is not just a problem of one sect or group but a problem of the entire Ummah. Also, because it is a religious issue so it has to be resolved in the Shariah courts.”
So, just to summarise the nature of the public conversation. UK based religious leaders have asked for the release of a violence promoting extremist, said that his incarceration is a threat to the security of Pakistan and that the ‘honour’ of the Prophet Muhammad is something that is of global and worldwide concern. They then bring in the need for ‘Shariah’ courts to determine such matters. No doubt, any Shariah court would gleefully let of this extremist.