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Religion should be banned from politics in Pakistan as it now is in Bangladesh, Church leaders say.
“Religion, when mixed with politics, can only bring anarchy,” said Fr Aftab James Paul, director of Faisalabad diocese’s Commission for Interfaith Dialogue, UCA News reports.
“Pakistan should draw a lesson from Bangladesh. The business of state and politics must be conducted independently, not under the banner of religion,” said the Catholic bishops’ National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), in a statement.
The organization also called for the repeal of controversial blasphemy laws that punish vaguely defined insults to Prophet Muhammad or the Qur’an. These insults can include innuendo.
Abuse of religion had helped worsen the security situation, the NJCP added.
“Religion is the main pretext in the hands of religio-political parties, who played a major role in bringing the country to this edge,” the organization said in the statement signed by Archbishop Lawrence John Saldanha of Lahore, the commission’s chairman, and executive secretary Peter Jacob.
“Education, economy and the political system are suffering, preventing Pakistan from competing with the world outside,” said Mehboob Sada, director of the ecumenical Christian Study Center in Rawalpindi.
He added that religious sentiments are the main driving force behind the string of suicide bombings in the country.
Bangladesh’s original constitution removed religion from politics but that was overturned in 1988 when Islam was made the state religion.
However, the ban was reinstated this month by the Supreme Court of Bangladesh.
The court upheld a 2005 high court decision to ban religion-based parties from using the word Islam in their names and to stop using religion in election campaigns.
The Pakistani Church leaders want a return to the inclusive spirit of the country’s founding father Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
“You may belong to any religion or caste or creed - that has nothing to do with the business of the state,” Jinnah said.
Pakistan became an Islamic republic, with the constitution of 1956.
“An Islamic state can never overcome religious extremism,” said Sada. “Rising fundamentalism is even increasing intra-religious hatred and causing target killing of Ahmadis and Shi’ites.”
Analysts say Sunni militants, who regard the Ahmadi sect and Shi’ite Muslims as heretics, have become inspired by al-Qaeda ideology. Sunnis are the major Islamic group in the country.
Over the past several years hundreds of Shi’ites have been killed in sectarian violence, while Ahmadis say they have been subjected to murder and religious persecution.
SOURCE
‘Ban religion from Pakistani politics’ (UCA News)
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