Council of Islamic Ideology Chairman Allama Dr Raghib Naeemi on Wednesday downplayed his last week’s proclamation of virtual private networks (VPNs) as being un-Islamic as the result of a “typo” error.
In an unprecedented proclamation on Friday, Naeemi said using VPNs to access “immoral or illegal content” was against Sharia. The council advised parliament on aligning legislation with Islamic teachings.
A CII member had told Dawn that the statement was Naeemi’s “personal views” and not the council’s decision. The remarks generated heated criticism as politicians, digital rights activists and religious scholars alike questioned the decree calling the use of VPNs un-Islamic.
The under-fire Naeemi clarified on Monday that the misuse of VPNs, and not the technology itself, was “un-Islamic”.
The CII chief was again questioned about his proclamation in a press conference today after a council meeting that it was being thought that it was allegedly issued in haste due to pressure from the establishment to which he said: “My Friday sermon is issued on the council letterhead. It is a typo mistake.”
He reiterated that it was a “typo mistake” in the Friday proclamation that caused the fuss and it was “basically my personal opinion which is based on the council’s past decisions”.
Reading out a press release issued after the council’s meeting, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, he said regarding VPNs being against Sharia or not: “It is a common observation that VPN apps are used to achieve various purposes while using the internet. No VPN, software or any app is illegal or un-Islamic in itself, but rather their correct and incorrect use is governed by Islamic rulings.
“If there is any content that is insulting, blasphemous, disruptive, offensive, or against national security, then undoubtedly such use will be considered unlawful in terms of Sharia and the government of the day will have the authority to take steps to prevent such unlawful use.”
More to follow.
