CALGARY – Police in Canada are investigating allegations of hate speech by a local cleric who called a publisher and its administration ‘devil’ and ‘kaafir’, and wants the publisher to be punished according to blasphemy laws.
Syed Badiuddin Soharwardy, an imam at a mosque, has been under investigation by the Calgary Police for spreading hate messages against Ghulam Mustafa, publisher of Weekly Pakistan Post Calgary, on a mass level through Internet.
A number of people reported to the police that Soharwardy, who is believed to be very influential, launched a malicious campaign against a local publisher with the support of his followers, provoking the public at large.
The National Press Council and the Canadian Journalists Association has also expressed serious concerns over the threats made to the publisher.
Sources say the publisher, who enjoys a good reputation as a local community volunteer among the South Asian communities, had published a news report about a lecture on Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) delivered by a reputable local scholar Kazi Shoaib, an imam at the Al-Hedaya Islamic Centre, North East Calgary.
Following the news, the publisher received threatening calls and emails from the cleric who warned him to be ready to “face consequences” after publishing the “blasphemous news report”.
The influential cleric also asserted they would not allow the newspaper to be distributed at Friday prayers in mosques.
Mosques are generally taken as public places for Muslim congregations even in Canada (one of the countries with most freedom of speech); however, in this case, they (mosques) are being used as private property owned by the cleric to launch a campaign against the publisher.
Soharwardy, accusing the publisher of committing “blasphemy”, started provoking hate among Muslim community in Calgary to punish the publisher according to strict Islamic laws.
According to Pakistani laws blasphemy is punishable act. The punishment for a blasphemous person is death.
According to the sources, his followers have launched a campaign through social media pages, Google email groups, Facebook, and live messages on WhataApp groups, provoking the masses by saying, “what’s punishment of “Gustakh (blasphemous), ‘devil’ and ‘kaafir (Infidel)’”.
One of the posts on social media reads: “How to kill or punish a person who commits blasphemy.”
Also in his Friday sermons, the preacher has been mentioning the publisher as an “infidel”. He has also issued a fatwa (Islamic decree) against the publisher (unnamed due to obvious reasons).
The publisher, fearing for his life, took up the issue with Calgary Police who are investigating the matter.
Soharwardy was born in Karachi, Pakistan. His father, Allama Syed Muhammad Riazuddin Soharwardy was a famous Islamic scholar and the Imam of Jamia Bughdadi Masjid, Martin Road, Karachi where he established Dar-ul-Aloom Soharwardia.
He is also the founder of three Muslim organizations: Almadina Islamic Assembly in Calgary; Gunbad Khizra Mosque, (80 Ave North East Calgary); and Islamic Supreme Council of Canada (ISCC).
A renowned Naat Khawan, Syed Fasihuddin Soharwardi is his real brother, who is also in hot water as the Canadian government has also launched investigation against him for not paying tax on the account of money earned from reciting Naats in Canada. Fasihuddin is currently in Canada on a visit.
