FRANCE-SHOOTING/PAKISTAN INTERIOR MINISTER Cartoons "insulting religion" are fuelling terrorism - Pakistan minister
Record ID:
324438
FRANCE-SHOOTING/PAKISTAN INTERIOR MINISTER Cartoons "insulting religion" are fuelling terrorism - Pakistan minister
- Title: FRANCE-SHOOTING/PAKISTAN INTERIOR MINISTER Cartoons "insulting religion" are fuelling terrorism - Pakistan minister
- Date: 17th January 2015
- Summary: KARACHI, PAKISTAN (JANUARY 17, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS LISTENING TO RECITATION OF KORANIC VERSES BANNER READING (English): "YOU CANNOT PROVOKE, YOU CANNOT INSULT OTHER PEOPLE'S FAITH, YOU CANNOT MOCK IT (POPE FRANCIS)" PROTESTERS RELIGIOUS LEADER ADDRESSING CROWD VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (JANUARY 17, 2015) (REUTERS) PAKISTAN'S INTERIOR MINISTER CHAUDHRY NISAR ALI KHAN ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE NEWS CONFERENCE JOURNALISTS NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) PAKISTAN'S INTERIOR MINISTER, CHAUDHRY NISAR ALI KHAN, SAYING: "As long as there is no respect for religions, no respect for one another's beliefs, terrorists will take advantage of the situation to create chaos. I can say with conviction that these people who are insulting our religion in the name of freedom of expression are performing the same role that terrorists are performing at gunpoint, and are causing as much destruction as the terrorists. We can even say that they are collaborating with the terrorists because they are adding fuel to the spate of terrorism." REPORTERS TAKING NOTES (SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) PAKISTAN'S INTERIOR MINISTER, CHAUDHRY NISAR ALI KHAN, SAYING: "On this occasion, on behalf of the government of Pakistan, and on behalf of the people of Pakistan, I want to pay my compliments to Pope Francis, the topmost religious and spiritual leader of another great religion, Christianity, for his comments on the subject." PHOTOGRAPHER TAKING PICTURES NEWS CONFERENCE ENDING
- Embargoed: 1st February 2015 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Pakistan
- Country: Pakistan
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA9JRSBG2SQOO87VYY6CHZJ2GFR
- Story Text: Pakistan's interior minister condemned the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, as protests against them continued across Pakistan on Saturday (January 17).
Over 200 activists belonging to the religious group Tanzeem-e-Islam gathered in a market square in the port city of Karachi to condemn French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, which published a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad on its front page a week after its offices were attacked by Islamist gunmen.
Some also cited the words of Pope Francis, who said it was wrong to provoke others by insulting their religion and that one could "expect" a reaction to such abuse.
Meanwhile, Pakistani Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, told a news conference that the act of publishing the cartoons was akin to an act of terrorism.
"As long as there is no respect for religions, no respect for one another's beliefs, terrorists will take advantage of the situation to create chaos. I can say with conviction that these people who are insulting our religion in the name of freedom of expression are performing the same role that terrorists are performing at gunpoint, and are causing as much destruction as the terrorists. We can even say that they are collaborating with the terrorists because they are adding fuel to the spate of terrorism," he said.
He told journalists that Pakistani religious leaders belonging to all schools of thought had vowed to cooperate with the government against terrorism.
Khan also paid tribute to Pope Francis for his stand on the cartoon.
"On this occasion, on behalf of the government of Pakistan, and on behalf of the people of Pakistan, I want to pay my compliments to Pope Francis, the topmost religious and spiritual leader of another great religion, Christianity, for his comments on the subject," he said.
Pakistan police fired tear gas and water cannon at about 200 protesters outside the French consulate in the southern port city of Karachi on Friday (January 16) when a demonstration against the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo turned violent.
It was the first time people's anger over the cartoons lampooning Islam's Prophet Mohammad spilled into violence in deeply conservative Pakistan. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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