Jamia Ashrafia on Tuesday termed the construction of the first ever temple in Islamabad as un-Islamic and issued a fatwa (religious decree), days after Prime Minister Imran Khan approved a grant of Rs 100 million for the structure.
According to Mufti Ziauddin of the seminary's Lahore chapter, it is Islamic to retain and maintain the already existing places of worship of the minorities, so they can fulfill the religious obligations. However, in a Islamic state, permitting them to build new places of worship or to rebuild an abandoned place of worship is un-Islamic as it is equivalent to aiding in a bad deed, which isn't permissible.
Meanwhile, Islamabad High Court has issued a notice to the Capital Development Authority (CDA) on a plea against the temple. According to the petitioner, the plan does not come under the master plan devised for the federal capital.
On June 27, the premier approved the grant following a meeting with Minister for Religious Affairs Pir Noorul Haq Qadri. Those who met the premier included MNAs from minorities, namely Lal Chand Malhi, Shunila Ruth, James Thomas, Dr Ramesh Vankwani, and Jai Prakash Ukrani.
They had maintained the stance that the population of the community in the federal capital had increased to 3,000. According to them, many members of the community decided to move to the capital after a spike in attacks against the faith in Sindh and Balochistan. With the building of the temple, they hoped that they would have a safe place to practice their faith and carry out rituals.
According to Mufti Ziauddin of the seminary's Lahore chapter, it is Islamic to retain and maintain the already existing places of worship of the minorities, so they can fulfill the religious obligations. However, in a Islamic state, permitting them to build new places of worship or to rebuild an abandoned place of worship is un-Islamic as it is equivalent to aiding in a bad deed, which isn't permissible.
Meanwhile, Islamabad High Court has issued a notice to the Capital Development Authority (CDA) on a plea against the temple. According to the petitioner, the plan does not come under the master plan devised for the federal capital.
On June 27, the premier approved the grant following a meeting with Minister for Religious Affairs Pir Noorul Haq Qadri. Those who met the premier included MNAs from minorities, namely Lal Chand Malhi, Shunila Ruth, James Thomas, Dr Ramesh Vankwani, and Jai Prakash Ukrani.
They had maintained the stance that the population of the community in the federal capital had increased to 3,000. According to them, many members of the community decided to move to the capital after a spike in attacks against the faith in Sindh and Balochistan. With the building of the temple, they hoped that they would have a safe place to practice their faith and carry out rituals.