PM Imran asks Western govts to outlaw disrespect for Prophet on lines of Holocaust

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday asked the governments of Western countries to "penalise those deliberately spreading their message of hate against Muslims" by disrespecting Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in the same way that they had "outlawed any negative comment against the Holocaust".

In a series of tweets, Prime Minister Imran clarified that his government had only taken action against the recently proscribed Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) after members of the party "challenged the writ of the state, used street violence and attacked the public and law enforcers".

"No one can be above the law and the Constitution," he emphasised.

Addressing the "extremists abroad who indulge in Islamophobia and racist slurs to hurt and cause pain" to the international Muslim community, the prime minister said that Muslims "have the greatest love and respect for our Prophet PBUH" and cannot tolerate any disrespect and abuse.

He added that the "extremists" who sought to hurt Muslim sentiments by deliberately indulging in abuse and hate under the guise of freedom of speech "clearly lack moral sense and courage" to apologise to the 1.3 billion Muslims they hurt.

The prime minister demanded an apology from such people.

Turning to governments in the West, he called on them to "use the same standards to penalise those deliberately spreading their message of hate against Muslims by abusing our Prophet PBUH" as they did regarding comments made about the Holocaust.

TLP protest and ban

Earlier this week, the TLP had taken to the streets across the country especially in Punjab after its chief Saad Hussain Rizvi was detained by security forces in Lahore.

Starting on Monday, charged TLP activists blocked roads across the country, damaged public properties, clashed with police, and even held some law-enforcement personnel hostage, videos of which were widely shared on social media. Expulsion of the French ambassador to Pakistan was one of the key demands of the protesters.

The clashes saw authorities use water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets to hold back crowds. This was followed by the police launching a crackdown against the protesters and getting roads cleared of protest camps.

In September 2020, French magazine Charlie Hebdo had republished blasphemous sketches of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) that triggered protests across the Muslim world. TLP was among the parties and groups that mounted protests in Pakistan over the issue.

However, it had later ended the protests after reaching an agreement with the government.

After the latest violent protests, the government on Thursday slapped a ban on the TLP. A notification declaring it as a proscribed organisation was issued by the Ministry of Interior shortly after the federal cabinet approved a summary to ban the party.