LAHORE: The Milli Yakjehti Council (MYC) has decided to monitor Friday sermons in mosques to limit clerics or prayer leaders to deliver speeches on the subject of morality and humanity alone as explained in the religion of Islam.

The MYC is an alliance of various religio-political parties, including the Jamaat-i-Islami and the JUI-F. The decision to observe Friday sermons was taken at an important MYC meeting held here on Tuesday.

According to plan, the participants of the meeting constituted four committees namely Jumma (Friday) Commission, Masalehti (Reconciliation) Commi­ssion, Ilmi wa Tehqeeqi (Educational and Research) Commission and Islami Nazriati (Islamic Ideology) Council Commission.

“We have started this work under a mission to promote sectarian and religious harmony through giving purposeful messages to Friday prayers’ gatherings on morality, humanity, civilisation, family system, culture and public rights,” MYC and JI’s senior leader Liaqat Baloch told Dawn.

Talking about working mechanism of the Jumma Commission, which would be headed by Maulana Abdul Jaleel Naqshbandi, Mr Baloch said its members would visit mosques to offer Friday prayers during which they would particularly observe the speeches delivered by clerics. “If it is observed that the clerics are delivering speeches on matters which may lead towards some problem, the commission members will immediately limit them on speaking about the morality, humanity etc,” he added.

Besides this, the members, in advance, would also brief the prayer leaders about some selected subjects that were required to be discussed in sermons to avoid religious and sectarian conflicts. He said the participants also sought protection of all minorities, including Muslim minorities and their religious/worship places in the country by monitoring activities of mischief mongers.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2015

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