Ulema convention calls for dissolution of CII, removal of chief justice of federal Shariat court

ISLAMABAD: Ulema and Mashaikh convention has announced in unequivocal terms that Hudood laws will be protected at every cost as all Hudoods including zana, qazaf and liquor are proved categorically from Quran and Sunnah.

This was said in joint declaration released on the conclusion of Ulema convention held here Thursday in Ahl-e-Hadith mosque in G/6-1. Ulema from across the country attended the convention.

The declaration said punishments of flogging the unmarried couple with 100 stripes, stoning to death for married couple in adultery case, 80 lashes for slanderer, 80 lashes for liquor user, amputation of thief’s hand, amputation of left or right hand of robber according to nature of robbery, public hanging and jail terms are proved in unequivocal terms from the Holy Quran and Sunnah. These punishments are incorporated as such in the Hudood laws as are prescribed in Quran and Sunnah.

The Hudood punishments are aimed at providing justice to the oppressed and eliminating the oppressor and tyranny and protecting the honor and dignity of women folk. The westernized NGOs and so called intellectuals are involved in issuing derogatory statements against the Hudood laws. Government is encouraging them, declaration alleged.

Certain media cells are backing and patronizing them. The present Council of Islamic Ideology is being used to promote this anti Islam cause. Some imprudent people are committing blasphemous act by terming Islamic punishment brutal. While announcing to resist Islamic law on the evidence of four witnesses these elements have said they will not allow any law to remain in force under which the accused can not be brought to trial court. " We warn all these blasphemers that they should hold their tongues and keep their pens under check, otherwise they will have to face eventuality in the world for their wrong doings besides suffering humiliation and degradation on the day of judgment.

Ulema urged the government to abide by Islamic norms and make such people bound to adhere to the Islamic way of life rather than encouraging them. " We demanded of the two daily newspapers through correspondence and telephone that they should publish regret and repentance on behalf of blasphemers. But regrettably they have not paid heed to our demand. Instead they changed the statement secretly to some extent on June, 28, 2006 terming it their regret. " We demand of these dailies to publish regret prominently on the blasphemous act otherwise we will be constrained to bring them to court for trial.

Declaration added that as per convention the incumbent Council of Islamic Ideology is controversial and it be dissolved. A new council representing Ulema from all school of thoughts be framed. Chief Justice of Federal Shariat court is a controversial person. He sees Islam and Islamic laws from the eye of West. He should be replaced by some one who is impartial and sees Islam from the eyes of Muslim.

Declaration accused that the rulers are playing the role of US stooge in both the wars. They have become allies of US in military strikes against Pakistan rather than defending the borders.

By introducing English from the primary class it has been given message to the Britons that " we are your slaves. In derogation of Islamic teachings, the subject of Islamiyat has been deleted from the syllabus of class one and two.

General Musharraf has landed the country in series of miseries and tribulations. He wants to stay in power through massacre and blood shed. We demand that general Musharraf should forthwith resign from both the offices and an interim government be set up under the chairman senate.

President Musharraf had promised to Ittehad-e-Tanzeemat-e- Madaris that facilities of visas would be provided to foreign students for studying in the seminaries in Pakistan but as per new visa policy such facility for foreign students has been withdrawn.

Ulema convention demands of government to change the visa policy and issue visas to foreign students for attaining religious education in Pakistan. The certificates issued by all the five Tanzeemat be recognized as degrees equal to BA, MA and the Tanzeemat be accorded status of education board.

Earlier in their addresses Members of the National Assembly, Senators and Ulemas from different schools of thought challenged the government to prove any anomaly in the Hudood Ordinance, according to which it should be ever annulled.

They said Islam itself was the biggest upholder of rights and dignity of women, and accused the government of making the decision working on foreign instigation.

Addressing the convention, MNA Maulana Rehmat ullah Khalil strongly, resisted any kind of amendment whatsoever in the Hudood Ordinance. He also berated the government for misrepresenting the rights of women since they were more powerfully ordained by Islam itself.

He said that government should hold a dialogue with opposition on the matter, and it would gladly clarify all the myths and misunderstood concepts about Hudood.

Maulana Ilyas Chinioti also berated the government endeavors for fomenting open licentious behavior, and said that stay order against Qadianees exposing them and promulgation of Qadianee Ordinance was also due to collective and selfless struggle of Ulema. The Qadianees have recently reverted to the technique of buying real estate in bulk and causing artificial rise in land prices vowing to resist their latest plot.

Maulana Ghulam Rasool Rashidi, president of the Ittehad Ulema Pakistan also criticized the government of trying to challenge limits ordained by God Almighty, on American behest.

He also condemned the Islamic Ideological Council for supporting the Government in its shameful endeavors, and stressed on establishment of a Council, which works in accordance with truest of Islamic principals and precepts.

Maulana Ahmad Ali Kasuri, president Ulema Ahle Sunnat, alleged that forces alienated to the concept of Islam were trying to encourage licentious and immoral behavior. He also berated the NGOs for their anti-Islamic endeavors, and condemned media elements for Public discussion on taboo subjects.

Karachi MNA, Maulana Gul Rahman pledged to keep the spirit of seminaries alive, since it were mostly persons from these seminaries who had laid their precious lives for the independence of the Country, and expressed his total resistance to any endeavors of interference in Hudood Allah (limits set by God Almighty).

Maulana Mufti Muhammad Zahid Faisalabadi said that some smaller courts did give their verdict based on Hudood laws, and these have been exploited by some forces, in misrepresentation of actual spirit of Hudood laws.

He confessed that Ulema and religious elements failed to keep a vigil on such petty verdicts, at the opportune times but failed masses. He also said that western males have been trying to champion "rights of English womenfolk" for the past half centuries, despite the fact that Western females have been allotted much severe punishments than males.

Among other notable Ulema who strongly condemned and vowed to resist any amendment and dissolution of Hudood laws, Syed Maulana Nafees Shah, lauded the full support of media and press for their cause, while all others which included, Allama Abdul Jaleel Naqvi of Tehrik -e-Nafaz Fiqah Jafaria Pir Shafiq Jahangiri, Maulana Abdul Rauf Farooqi, Maulana Ismail Shujah Abadi, Maulana Saeed-ur-Rahman Ahmad and MNA Syed Naseeb Ali Shah strongly condemned the anti-Hudood bill tabled by PPPP and PML(Q) , and labeling it as un-constitutional and unislamic move vowed to resist any such move.