Hamza Ali Abbasi has said the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) approving the construction of the Hindu temple in Islamabad is a sign of hope. Sharing the news on Twitter, the actor said: “Shukar Allah…hope”.
When a social media user commented that he should go and worship there, Hamza said: “It’s a temple for our Hindu Pakistani brothers and sisters who are equal human beings and equal citizens of Pakistan.”
The CII, a top constitutional body responsible for giving legal advice on Islamic issues to the government, has ruled that there are no constitutional or shariah constraints against constructing a Hindu temple in Islamabad or any other place in the country.
The CII, in a meeting on Wednesday, also allowed the government to hand over the temple site as well as its adjoining Dharamshala (community centre) in Saidpur village of Islamabad to the Hindu community “so that it can offer religious rites as per their beliefs”.
However, briefing media about the recommendations of the three-day CII meeting, council chairman Dr Qibla Ayaz said that there was no tradition of constructing places of worship with public money so the Hindu temple could not be constructed with public money.
The CII recommended to the government to establish a ‘special welfare fund’ for minorities which they can utilise without any outside hindrance.
Meanwhile, the actor also put to rest rumours that he has left the country and settled abroad. Hamza said that since he is “contributing to the Ghamidi Centre”, he will be frequently visiting the United States. The Ghamidi Center of Islamic Learning is located in Carrollton, Texas.
He also said that he will be visiting Pakistan next month.
Earlier, the actor had also condemned blasphemous caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), which have been republished by the Charlie Hebdo magazine in France.
