Exploitation of religion must be stopped: Zardari

ISLAMABAD: The best way to pay homage to Allama Muhammad Iqbal is to reiterate the resolve not to allow anyone to exploit religion for foisting their own political agenda or for perpetrating violence, said former president Asif Ali Zardari in a message on the occasion of the national poet's 138th birth anniversary.

"Allama Iqbal believed that nobody held monopoly over interpretation of religion, which was a living and dynamic force that needed to be continuously interpreted," Zardari said, adding "let us not fear in reinterpreting religious thought in the light of teachings of Allama Iqbal". He called upon the people to forge unity in their ranks and resist those who seek to foist their political agenda on the people through force behind the façade of religion. Paying tributes to the philosopher, he said Iqbal not only gave the vision of a separate homeland for the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent but also gave courage to the people to hold free and critical inquiry to understand the true message of religion instead of blindly following the dogmas. "On his birth anniversary today we rejoice and celebrate the life and teachings of Allam Iqbal," he said, adding that the message of Islam has been ruthlessly distorted by the extremists and militants and called for correcting the distortions by drawing inspiration from the teachings and philosophy of Iqbal.

Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk

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