Gujranwala police arrested a man for mocking and disrespecting the Islamic prayer. This is the second arrest made by the authorities ever since videos of people ridiculing Namaz surfaced on social media.
Earlier, a video of the recently arrested culprit went viral on Twitter. The video shows the man dancing while offering prayers. Many people shared the video and urged the authorities to take strict action against the man.
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Shortly after, the official Twitter account of City Police Officer Gujranwala revealed that the man has been arrested.
“Accused of insulting prayers by dancing in the style of prayers is in the custody of Wahndo police station,” the post said.
نمازکے انداز میں رقص کرکے نماز کی توہین کرنے والا ملزم تھانہ واہنڈو پولیس کی حراست میں۔ pic.twitter.com/N1Fi7za3Wa
— CPO Gujranwala (@cpogujranwala) November 10, 2021
Reacting to the news, many people expressed shock and concern at the incident. They urged the authorities to look into the root cause of such incidents.
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Prior to this arrest, police authorities arrested another man in South Punjab for the same crime. A man, identified as Asif Gopang also disrespected Namaz while dancing in between the acts of worship. His video sparked anger among Pakistanis.
The police sought the public’s help to trace the whereabouts of the man.
پنجاب پولیس نے اس حوالے سے تمام اضلاع میں اس شخص کو ٹریس کرنے کی ہدایات جاری کر دی ہیں ۔ یہ شخص جلد قانون کی گرفت میں ہو گا۔ اگر آپ کے پاس اس حوالے سے معلومات ہیں تو ہمیں فراہم کریں شکریہ۔۔ https://t.co/847n2am6oA
— Punjab Police Official (@OfficialDPRPP) November 9, 2021
Arrests spark debate among the public
Such incidents raised concern among the Twitteratis as disrespecting Islam in any way is a major sin for Muslims. Moreover, it is also against the law of Pakistan.
Many people demanded strict punishment for the men. They also raised calls for the death penalty.
“Hang this man. Then no one will dare to do such an act,” one Twitter user said.
اس کوپھانسی کرو۔پہر مجاز ہے۔کویی بھی ایسا کریں
— Gul Afzal Parwana (@parwana_gul) November 11, 2021
Amid calls for the death penalty, there were also people who stated that taking strict measures is not the solution. The accused should be taught the correct way of Islam. Moreover, if he is a non-muslim, then authorities should teach him the law of Pakistan and give him a warning against such future acts.
https://twitter.com/MubarakDynasty/status/1458428379661733893?s=20