London: British lawmaker Naz Shah on Monday urged the UK Parliament to bring a law criminalising all acts that are insulting, blasphemous and defamatory to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Participating in a debate on a proposed law that aims to criminalize vandalism of statues, Naz Shah, a Labour party MP, highlighted the emotional pain and stress caused to Muslims in UK and across the world by blasphemous acts, and the offensive cartoons and caricatures repeatedly published in Europe.
"If people can understand the emotional connections to statues, then they can understand the connection Muslims have with the Prophet Muhammad", she said.
“We cannot pretend that a Western liberal democracy like Britain does not consider feelings when it comes to such situations, while at the same time today passing a law through parliament giving such importance to protecting statues based upon commemorative feelings”, she said while addressing the British Parliament.
“As a Muslim, for me and millions of Muslims across this country and the quarter of the world's population that is Muslim too, with each day and each breath, there is not a single thing in the world that we commemorate and honour more than our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)”, she said.
“But when bigots and racist defame, slander or abuse our Prophet (PBUH), just like some people do to the likes of Churchill, the emotional harm caused upon our hearts is unbearable”, she said.
“It is because Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is the leader for two billion Muslims who commemorate Him in their hearts, honour Him in their lives”, she said.
“For us, the Muslims, Prophet Muhammad (PUHM) is every thing. He forms the basis of our identity and our very existence”, she said.
"While this law will now protect civil order and emotional harm when it comes to secular and political figures such as Oliver Cromwell and Churchill and does not necessarily for other figures that many people in modern Britain, hold close to their heart such as Jesus, The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Moses, Raam, Buddha, Guru Nanak and many others – it does show that we recognise there is such a thing as emotional harm", she said.
"We must ask ourselves, when striking the careful balance to protect such emotional harms – can there, should there be a hierarchy of sentiments?" she asked wrapping her speech.
Naz Shah’s speech in the UK parliament came amidst rising cases of hate crimes against Muslims, Islam and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Europe and other parts of the world.
Raising the issue during a meeting with the ambassadors of countries belonging to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had earlier equated Islamophobia with anti-semitism.
“Islamophobia exists just like anti-semitism", Imran Khan said while addressing the ambassadors of OIC countries last month.
"However, it has become a political tool to silence the critics of Islam. Criticism of any religion is not the same as discrimination against its followers”, he said and urged the Muslim nations to vehemently counter Islamophobia, and the false equation of Islam with radicalisation and terrorism.
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