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The Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) is a
Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
umbrella group and organization in
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
whose members include Islamic clerics and legal scholars from a range of Islamic traditions. Maulana Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi is its current chief of the organization. It was established initially to support a Christian girl who was charged with blasphemy. Pakistan Ulema Council was established in 1990. The fundamental reason for establishing the PUC was to put an end to the growing
sectarian violence Sectarian violence or sectarian strife is a form of communal violence which is inspired by sectarianism, that is, discrimination, hatred or prejudice between different sects of a particular mode of an ideology or different sects of a religion wi ...
and interfaith confrontation in the country, and to spread Islam's true message of peace, love, forbearance, harmony and services to mankind throughout the world. Keeping this objective in mind, the PUC chose the following Quranic commandment as its manifesto: "Co-operate with each other in 'righteousness' and 'piety', not in 'sin' and 'hostility'".


Views


Protection of minorities in Pakistan

Pakistan Ulema Council joined hands with the Pakistan Interfaith League, which includes
Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...
,
Sikhs Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Sikh'' ...
and other religions called for justice for the Christian girl who is accused of
blasphemy Blasphemy refers to an insult that shows contempt, disrespect or lack of Reverence (emotion), reverence concerning a deity, an object considered sacred, or something considered Sanctity of life, inviolable. Some religions, especially Abrahamic o ...
. In views, If a woman is thought to have brought shame to her family, male family members may feel pressure to take strict steps to protect the family's honour. Worries about marriage proposals and dowry can also affect how honour is seen. Society often expects families to follow traditional values, and sometimes supports harsh actions. However, giving women access to education and jobs is helping to challenge these old ways of thinking. People at the event asked for a fair investigation and also said that anyone making false accusations should be punished. In 2020, the Pakistan Ulema Council also supported the construction of Hindu temple in Islamabad stating that "To have their own place of worship and offer a life as per their faith and tradition are the right given to all non-muslims in the Constitution and as well as in
Sharia Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...
".


''Fatwa'' denouncing honour killings

The council issued a ''
fatwa A fatwa (; ; ; ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (sharia) given by a qualified Islamic jurist ('' faqih'') in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist issuing fatwas is called a ''mufti'', ...
'' (religious edict) denouncing and prohibiting
honour killing An honor killing (American English), ''honour killing'' (Commonwealth English), or ''shame killing'' is a type of murder in which a person, usually a woman or girl, is killed by or at the behest of male members of their family or their male ...
s and said that honour killings are "un-Islamic" and "inhuman". The Islamic clergy elaborated that " daughter is a gift by
Allah Allah ( ; , ) is an Arabic term for God, specifically the God in Abrahamic religions, God of Abraham. Outside of the Middle East, it is principally associated with God in Islam, Islam (in which it is also considered the proper name), althoug ...
" and that "Daughter is a gift not a problem". One woman protester held up a sign saying, "There is no honor in killing." All Pakistan Ulema Council further stated that it was the responsibility of the
Pakistani government The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia ...
and the court system to punish those guilty of this crime with the harshest possible sentences.Pakistan Ulema Council Declares ‘Honor Killing’ Un-Islamic
Newsweek, Published 30 May 2014, Retrieved 15 October 2019


Fatwa denouncing the ''kafir'' declaration

The council issued a fatwa which said that declaring other Islamic sects such as
Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...
as ''
kafir ''Kāfir'' (; , , or ; ; or ) is an Arabic-language term used by Muslims to refer to a non-Muslim, more specifically referring to someone who disbelieves in the Islamic God, denies his authority, and rejects the message of Islam as ...
'' (non-believers) was against Islam. The fatwa was announced to promote inter-sectarian tolerance by acknowledging that there was diversity in the way in which Islam is practised by different sects such as
Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...
, Shia and different expressions of religion such as
Sufism Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
which was targeted by extremists. The use of loudspeakers except for the ''
adhan The (, ) is the Islamic call to prayer, usually recited by a muezzin, traditionally from the minaret of a mosque, shortly before each of the five obligatory daily prayers. The adhan is also the first phrase said in the ear of a newborn baby, ...
'' (call to prayer) and the
Friday sermon Friday prayer, or congregational prayer (), is the meeting together of Muslims for communal prayer and service at midday every Friday. In Islam, the day itself is called ''Yawm al-Jum'ah'' (shortened to ''Jum'ah''), which translated from Arabic me ...
was also banned. No Islamic sect to be declared 'kaafir': Ulema Council
Dunya News, Published 5 June 2014, Retrieved 15 October 2019
All Pakistan Ulema Council also decided that printing and distribution of material promoting hatred and violence would be banned from social networking websites and the internet. At this conference, Sardar Muhammad Yousuf, Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony stated that the
Constitution of Pakistan The Constitution of Pakistan ( ; ISO 15919, ISO: '' Āīn-ē-Pākistān''), also known as the 1973 Constitution, is the supreme law of Pakistan. The document guides Pakistan's law, political culture, and system. It sets out the state's outlin ...
protects the minorities, gives equal rights to all Pakistani citizens regardless of their religion.


Denouncing ISIL activities

The council denounced the activities of
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signi ...
(known as ISIL, ISIS, IS, and Daesh), in a statement the council said, "Islam and Muslims cannot support the killing of innocent people and destruction of their properties at the hands of ISIS", it asked "people and youth in
Islamic countries The terms Islamic world and Muslim world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs, politics, and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is p ...
to not cooperate with any violent group whose teachings or actions are against the teachings of Islam and
Mohammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monotheistic teachings of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Mose ...
."


References

{{Reflist Islamic organisations based in Pakistan Pakistani clergy