“Those who harassed the woman in the name of blasphemy should apologise,” Tahir Ashrafi
The harassment incident occurred in Lahore’s Ichhra bazar on Sunday
Chairman Pakistan Ulema Council Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Ashrafi strongly condemned the harassment of the woman on the pretext of blasphemy in Lahore.
As reported, last year’s dress fashion arrived in Pakistan with “Halwa” written on it in Arabic script, a Pakistani woman bought it from the market and wore it, without realising it then that an ignorant group would rush to kill her for insulting Halwa.
A Pakistani woman faced a violent mob fury as Arabic printed on her dress was mistaken for Quran verses.
According to the eyewitnesses, most of the individuals in the charged mob were either customers, visitors, or passersby at the Ichra Bazaar, Lahore on Sunda, who harassed the woman accusing her of wearing a dress with ‘blasphemous’ text.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Ashrafi in a statement said: “On this occasion, the best efforts of the Ichra police are commendable. But asking the woman to apologise was unjustified. The harassers should have instead apologised.”
The cleric added that those who harassed the woman in the name of blasphemy should apologise, terming the act “unacceptable”.
“The Pakistan Ulema Council strongly condemns the harassment of a woman in Lahore for wearing a dress with Arabic calligraphy. The timely intervention of the Lahore police is commendable, but it was unjustified to ask the woman for an apology. The perpetrators of the harassment should be the ones to apologise,” his post read.
پاكستان علماء كونسل لاهور اچهره مين ايك خاتون كےلباس پر عربى كےالفاظ كى وجہ سے اس كو هراسان كرنےكى شديد مذمت كرتى هے اس موقعہ پر اچهره پوليس كى بهترين كوشش قابل تعريف هے ليكن خاتون سےمعافى كا كهنا بلا جواز تهامعافى تو هراسان كرنے والون كو مانگنى چاهے pic.twitter.com/ppamEQ5Z0y
— TahirMahmoodAshrafi حافظ محمد طاهراشرفى (@TahirAshrafi) February 25, 2024
The harassment incident came to light after videos surfaced on social media, showing a policewoman, ASP Syeda Shehrbano Naqvi, addressing an angry mob to remain calm as she safely rescued a woman accused of blasphemy for wearing a dress with Arabic calligraphy.
Lahore Ichra Incident.
Woman Apologized Despite The Fact That She Didn't Committed Any Crime.#Pakistan #Lahore #Pakistani pic.twitter.com/2vVk94HCiE— The Pakistan Frontier (@PakFrontier) February 25, 2024
