Bible offends Muslims; So ban it – demand Pakistani Maulavis

JUI-S leaders demand ban on Bible
http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=50016&Cat=2&dt=5/31/2011

LAHORE: A group of Muslim clerics have demanded banning the Christians’ holy book, the Bible, alleging that several stories have been inserted into it charging various prophets with a variety of moral crimes, which undermine sanctity of the holy figures.

Addressing a press conference at the Masjid-e-Khizra, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Samiul Haq) leader Maulana Abdul Rauf Farooqi and others appealed to the Supreme Court of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of the “blasphemous” materials added to the Bible otherwise they would move the court for banning the book, for which a panel of lawyers was already working.

Farooqi said his colleagues wanted to pay the blasphemers in the same coin but they would not follow in the footsteps of Terry Jones, and would not burn the holy book. However, they added, they would devise some other mode of punishment to pre-empt future desecrations.

Farooqi cited a number of scriptures from the Bible, saying such “insertions” strongly offend the Muslims, who hold all prophets and holy books in high esteem, as part of religious belief and never even think of committing any blasphemy against them. He rejected the possibility of a clash between the two religions, saying that as long as the courts are functioning according to the law, there were no chances of any clash between the two religions.

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