KARACHI: The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has passed a resolution urging all electronic, print and digital media platforms to establish robust editorial oversight mechanisms to prevent the dissemination of content that injures public religious sentiments.
The CII passed the resolution at a meeting chaired by its chairman, Allama Muhammad Raghib Hussain Naeemi.
The CII drew the attention of all electronic, print and digital media platforms to the fact that all Muslims hold profound love and reverence for all Prophets (peace be upon them), The Final Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAW), the Rightly Guided Caliphs (may Allah be pleased with them all), the Ahl al-Bayt (may Allah be pleased with them all), the Mothers of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with them all), and the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all), adding this reverence is a fundamental part of the Islamic faith.
The CII said the publication of images, pictorial depictions, or any visual material representing the sacred personalities is impermissible under Sharia. The CII has previously made this recommendation clear. Therefore, such practices should be completely avoided so that public sentiments are not hurt and the sanctity of these revered personalities and their exalted status is preserved.
In the present age of modern digital media and artificial intelligence (AI), when information spreads with great speed, merely removing controversial or religiously impermissible content after it has been published (post-publication correction) is no longer sufficient.
The CII said the notice taken by Pemra is a welcome step; however, there is a need for further improvement in this regard. Legal action should also be taken against those responsible for the incident.
The CII strongly urged Pemra, other regulatory bodies, and all media organisations to maintain a responsible balance between the legal limits of freedom of expression and religious sensitivities. In this regard, instead of relying only on action after publication, a system of pre-publication review and comprehensive, effective editorial oversight should be established to permanently prevent such incidents.
