The Foreign Office spokesperson said on Monday that announcement made by Minister for Railways Ghulam Ahmed Bilour does not represent government policy.
Responding to the press conference conducted by Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, Minister for Railways, in which he announced a bounty on the head of anti-Islam filmmaker, the Foreign Office spokesperson said that it was Bilour s personal view and has nothing to do with the official policy of the Government of Pakistan.
Pakistan`s Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmed Bilour on Saturday offered the “prize” for killing the filmmaker of “Innocence of Muslims” and invited the Taliban and Al-Qaeda to take part in the “noble deed.”
On Sunday, the United States denounced the $100,000 bounty offered by the minister.
It is becoming increasingly clear that Islam has been intertwined with government for so long that Muslims cannot fathom their countries without it.
Though this may be difficult for the rest of us to understand, we should still recognize it as a distinguishing fact of most Muslim countries.
But it is their fact not ours. We should not set our clock back centuries to accommodate the Muslim mindset or lack of understanding of basic concepts of individual freedom.
It is they who should bring their ideas up to speed and in pace with the modern world.
The Muslim leaders should, therefore, continue to educate their citizens on the ways of other countries; that people elsewhere are free from their government to worship the God they want, and are also free to offend the God that others worship; that this is how it must be if religious freedom is to have meaning since protection is not needed when others agree with you.
Moreover, Muslim leaders should explain that forcing others to honor Prophet Mohamed can be deemed as forcing them to some extent to adopt the Muslim religion itself. As others cannot impose foreign religious etiquette on Muslims, neither should they impose their reverence of Prophet Mohamed.
It is imperative that Muslims learn the workings of individual freedoms so that they can harmoniously play their rightful role in the 21st Century. Reading the First Amendment might be a good place to start:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
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