Source: The Express Tribune:
The head of the Ahmadi community said that anger of Muslims regarding the anti-Islam film is “fully justified, but violent reaction must be condemned,”………
Ahmad also called for limiting free speech so that the religious sentiments of people are protected……….
He condemned the violent response witnessed in a number of countries by Muslims and the killings of innocent people including ambassadors and diplomats.
He said, “Damaging property or burning buildings was completely wrong and benefited no party.”
Categories: Ahmadis And Pakistan, Asia, Pakistan
Watch and listen to the full sermon of The World Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the Fifth Khalifa, dated September 21, 2012:
http://www.alislam.org/archives/sermons/video/FSV20120921-UR.wmv
Read the Press Release 0f the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in this regard;
http://www.themuslimtimes.org/2012/09/religion/islam/world-muslim-leader-condemns-anti-islam-film
What ever has been said by supreme head of Ahmadiyya Community in fact is the real guideline if one has to achieve the peace in the world. Anti Islamic elements are there to instigate innocent Muslim on various sensitive issues. However then comes the role of leaders to guide the followers for logical, sensible and rational reaction. Since Ahamdiyya Community has one leader to whom all the followers obey as such a collective peaceful behaviour stems out from the community. While the phenomenon of film is still on the Slaman Rushdi in an interview with French paper has again instigated the sentiments of Muslims that to him there is some thing wrong “At the heart of Islam” and to support his view point he has taken the examples of illogical and violent behaviour of Muslims on various occasions. While the fact is that nothing is wrong at the heart of Islam rather it is the violent and Un-Islamic behaviour due to wrong interpretation of Islam by fanatics religious clerics which is bringing bad name to this beautiful religion.
The Muslim Times is all for the basic human rights of our Jewish brethren and sisters and their watchful eye over antisemitism, prevents prejudice and hatred against them, which in the last 17 centuries since Emperor Constantine had lead to their periodic massacre and even holocaust.
In a similar vein the Muslims should jealously guard any rise in anti-Islamism, hate speech. After all it was hate speech of Pope Urban II, which unleashed the monster of Crusades, which could not be managed for centuries, until the Church lost its influence on politics. Genuine criticism of Muslim extremists and their terror policies is well and good, but, when freedom of speech borders onto hate speech and promotes hatred against Islam and all Muslims and encourages stereotyping, the Muslims need to be vigilant.
There is always a gap between rhetoric and practice of any politician and sometimes there are glaring double standards. We were taught the virtues of democracy for decades, until it become well known that UNO is completely undemocratic with 15 countries in the UN Security Council running the show and 5 of them having veto powers. Similarly, democracy is good for the Muslim countries until an anti-West government is elected and then the West is unsure about the virtues of democracy. Likewise, we are being taught the virtues of freedom of speech and its virtues without any exception. This is the rhetoric! The practice is that adult pornographic movies cannot be shown on national media during the prime time. There are similarly several other limitations on free speech, including laws against hate speech. If free speech is given free reign against minority religions then there is no reason to believe that freedoms of minorities can be maintained. Sooner or later xenophobia will take hold and mayhem, murder and holocaust will rule against the abhorred minorities. This is why the Muslims are requesting protections for themselves that have ample precedence in laws against hate speech and denial of holocaust.