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Pope's comments on Islam: MMA, JD to launch protest campaign
Leaders of various religious parties have demanded the immediate removal of Pope Benedict XVI and announced they will launch a countrywide protest campaign to condemn the pope's remarks against Jihad and Prophet Muhammad (PTUI PBUH).
[consults calendar] Yup, must be Wednesday, the kidz're getting ready for the Friday prayer festivities
The announcement was made after a meeting of 21 representatives of various seminaries and organisations at Jamia Qadsia on Tuesday. Addressing a press conference, Jamaatud Daawa (JD) Punjab chief Maulana Ameer Hamza said the meeting had passed a joint declaration demanding the pope's immediate removal. He said that leaders and scholars of prominent religious parties and organisations had considered Pope Benedict's clarification for the insulting words he had used against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his demeaning portrayal of Jihad.

He said that after a thorough discussion on the pope’s statement, the meeting had unanimously decided that Pope Benedict had not actually apologised for his insulting words and his clarification meant to promote his idea. He said that the religious parties and organisations had unanimously rejected the pope’s clarification. “Figuratively speaking, the pope’s clarification amounts to a reaffirmation of the proverb ‘justification of a sin is worse than the sin’. The pope has not apologised really and his statement was only a clarification,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) also announced it would stage countrywide protests on Friday (September 22) to condemn the pope’s remarks. The MMA’s protest coincides with an identical call for worldwide protests given by Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who heads the Qatar-based International Forum of Ulema. MMA President Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Secretary General Maulana Fazlur Rehman and other leaders including Prof Sajid Mir, Allama Sajid Naqvi, Shah Ahmad Anas Noorani and Pir Abdur Rehman Naqashbandi appealed to the nation to protest peacefully against the “sacrilegious activities” of the West now joined by the pope.
Posted by: Fred 2006-09-20
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=166405