B’ismAllaah’ir’Rahmaan’ir’Raheem
With the Name of Allaah, The Most Compassionate, The Repeatedly Merciful

February 10, 2010

Joseph Ratzinger
Pope Benedict XVI
Apostolic Palace
Vatican City State, 00120
Italy
Email: benedictxvi@vatican.va
Fax: +39 06 6988 5863

Peace be upon those who follow Guidance.

Sir, Pakistan’s religious and political parties and organizations established a united platform ‘Hurmat-e-Rasool, sallAllaah hu alaihi wasallam’ (Sanctity of the Prophet, peace be upon him) when your followers had sketched offensive caricatures of our beloved Prophet, peace be upon him. We had vociferously protested that transgression, and you had taken notice too, yet a Norwegian newspaper, Aften-Posten, has now repeated that insolent misdeed once again. Member Pakistani parties and organizations of Hurmat-e-Rasool, sallAllaah hu alaihi wasallam, have been protesting their re-publication ever since. We believe it is your religious duty under these circumstances to move beyond mere condemnation and take concrete measures in order to head off a clash between religions. Unfortunately, such a clash seems imminent because of the persistent insolence of some of your followers whose actions are completely contrary to the requirements of tolerance and dialogue between faiths.

Sir, those in Norway and Denmark who sketch caricatures of our beloved Prophet, peace be upon him, should know that the name of our beloved Prophet, peace be upon him, has been mentioned four times in the Quraan which was revealed to Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. In fact, one of these references mentions the name ‘Ahmad’ of a prophet, the glad tidings of whose arrival Eessa (Jesus), peace be upon him, had given. On the other hand Eessa’s, peace be upon him, name has been mentioned thirty-five times in the Quraan, while his, peace be upon him, mother, Meryam’s, peace be upon her, name has been mentioned thirty-four times, while the title ‘Maseeh’ (Messiah) has been mentioned eleven times in the Quraan in reference to Eessa, peace be upon him. All these references of the mother and son, peace be upon them, add up to a total of seventy times. Moreover, each of these references is mentioned in the most courteous and loving manner, and are based on a backdrop of verity.

Sir, the most revered books for us Muslims after the Quraan are the compilations of Ahadeeth (mannerisms and traditions of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him) by Imams Bukhari and Muslim. Imam Muslim’s book, Saheeh Muslim, relates the following saying of the Prophet, peace be upon him:

Abu Hurairah, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported Allaah's Messenger (peace be upon him) as having said: “No infant is born but it is jabbed by Satan, and the infant begins to wail because of the jab of the Satan. Satan touches every son of Adam on the day when his mother gives birth to him with the exception of Mary and her son. (Muslim; Kitaab al-Fadhaail)

Consider, sir, how our last messenger of Allaah has emphasized the esteem of the mother and the son, peace be upon them. Human nature would have expected that your people should have thanked Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, for these fond references, yet, regrettably, some of your people are determined in insulting the Prophet, peace be upon him, which is inexplicable and entirely contrary to human nature. In comparison, people of your faith who claim to believe in Eessa and his mother, peace be upon them, persist on insulting the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. This attitude is completely uncivilized, unacceptable for the civilized world, and extremely abhorrent.

Being the spiritual leader of the Christian world, we urge you to play a constructive role in these circumstances and send a strong message to your nation by censuring all those who have been responsible for insulting the Prophet, peace be upon him. We urge you to issue special instructions regarding these people, as well as by pressing the European Union to enact relevant legislation in this regard, so that those responsible for such acts can be given the maximum punishment possible.

Furthermore, the publication license of Aften-Posten should be revoked; the government of Norway should apologize to Muslims for this insolent act, and it must assure Muslims that such a coarse and offensive act will not be repeated in the future. The United Nations too, must enact legislation whereby an act of disrespect against any religious personality or entity must be deemed a punishable crime, and for anyone who commits such a crime to be arrested and presented before the International Court of Justice for due process.

Since the United States, Britain, and the European Union have more influence in these international bodies, we request you, therefore, to play a vital role in this matter. We shall await a positive response from your side in this regard.

Sincerely,



Ameer Hamza
Convener
Tehreek-e-Hurmat-e-Rasool, sallAllaahhu alaihi wasallam, Pakistan



Cc: Rowan Williams
Archbishop of Canterbury
Lambeth Palace
London, SE1 7JU
Tel:  +44 020 7898 1200
Fax: + 44 020 7401 9886
Email: contact@lambethpalace.org.uk