Unity among religious scholars key to fighting terrorism, extremism: Minhaj Ulama Council

Allama Asif Akbar Mir, central General Secretary of Minhaj-ul-Quran Ulama Council, has said that the Council has made a programme of imparting educational training to 10,000 Imams, religious scholars, and lecturers in connection with Islamic Curriculum for peace and counter-extremism as part of Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri’s peace and knowledge initiatives. He said that our armed forces are doing Jihad with the guns by eliminating terrorists and Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri is doing the same with the power of the pen.

Allama Asif Akbar Mir stated this while addressing a monthly consultative meeting here at the central secretariat. Allama Muhammad Hussain Azad, Allama Asghar Saddiqi, Allama Usman Sialvi, Allama Abdul Majeed Sialvi, Allama Mufti Muhammad Khalil, Allama Fayyaz Bashir, Allama Ijaz Malik, Allama Mufti Yaseen Qadri, Mufti Tanvir ul Qadri, Allama Ashfaq Naqashbandi, Allama Sabir Wattoo, Allama Sharif-ul-Qadri, Maulana Hafeez Raza, Qari Azhar Naqashbandi, Maulana Younis Jamati and others were also present in the meeting.

Ulama Council Secretary General said that we would bring religious scholars of all schools of thought on the same platform and defeat the forces of terrorism and extremism through unity in our ranks. He said that unifying the religious scholars belonging to all schools of thought is the mission of Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri and MQI. He said that Dr Qadri has unmasked today’s Khawarij and terrorists in the light of teachings of the Holy Quran and Sunna. He said that it is now responsibility of every peace loving individual to become part of the peace and knowledge initiatives to protect the Islamic faith and promote its peaceful message in the world.

Allama Mir Asif Akbar said that it is our demand before the government that they should implement the NAP in letter and spirit. He said that last one year was lost to expediencies in our struggle to eliminate the scourge of extremism. He said that we are employing the power of tolerance, moderation, respect, and peace so that the thought of love could be promoted in the society. He said that it is responsibility of the religious scholars to highlight convergences by overlooking divergences, adding that we should forget petty differences and sit together in larger national interest. He said that we would have to explore new paths to national development together.