President General Pervez Musharraf will speak his mind in a rare face-to-face encounter with nearly 100 leading Ulema on his "enlightened moderation" and worldview for the Ummah on December 4. No fireworks are in store during the heart-to-heart talk as the list of clerics has been carefully drawn from all over the country. A predominant majority of the Ulema, attending the conference, is expected to share the president’s views on the enlightened moderation while adhering to the sacred religion of Islam and will feel no hesitation in publicly supporting him on this count.
| I guess Qazi, Fazl and Sami aren't invited... |
The president will be trying to give a message to the religious lobby in particular that the Ulema should not preach radicalism and extremism as this has damaged the Muslims as well as Islam, an official indicated to The News.
| Going to get a few regimes changed, too... |
Musharraf will attempt to impress upon the religious leaders and scholars to follow and teach a moderate image of Islam. He will once again make it clear that his policies are not targeted against the religion or Muslims. Rather his advocacy of enlightened moderation at domestic and world forums have been appreciated by the Muslim countries. The president would lay stress on curbing elements, bringing a bad name to Islam and the Muslims. The president will allocate a substantial chunk of his discourse with the clerics to the reforms the government is pursuing in bringing the "Madaris" in the mainstream educational system so that those who have studied at these institutions could compete with those who have been educated at other educational organisations. |