Muslim Ummah needs to stand united to end Blasphemous acts: PM

Islamabad: Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf Friday said the and seek a permanent solution to ban hate speech, that sows seeds of discord.

The Prime Minister said the Muslim world needs to work together with other countries towards a mechanism that ensures respect of the sentiments of people of all religions.He was addressing a large gathering to mark the Youm-e-Ishq-e-Rasool (Peace Be Upon Him) here at the PM Secretariat. The day was being observed in reaction to the making of a blasphemous film about the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him), that has sparked widespread unrest across the Muslim world.

The Prime Minister said there was a need to translate the strong sentiments into a unified policy, in coordination with other Muslim countries, so that the Muslim Ummah speaks with one voice on this issue.He said the President of Pakistan will convey the emotions and views of the people when he addresses the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week.

The Prime Minister said Pakistan was coordinating with other Muslim countries in this regard.”Our demand is simple: blasphemy of the kind witnessed in this case is nothing short of hate speech, equal to the worst kind of anti-Semitism or other kinds of bigotry.”

“We are demanding that the United Nations and other international organizations seek a law that bans such hate speech aimed at fomenting hatred and sowing the seeds of discord.”

The Prime Minister termed the film a grave violation of all basic norms of humanity, international law, interfaith harmony and UN Conventions on religious freedom, tolerance and civilized conduct.