Maulana Ajmal Qadri has insisted that he led a Pakistani delegation to Israel last week.
| "Really! I wuz there! I seen it with my own eyes!" |
Talking to ARY Television on Thursday, Qadri dismissed claims that he had concocted his Israel visit to gain publicity. He said that he had travelled from Lahore to Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and then to Jordan, from where he entered Israel on a white paper issued to him by the Israel Embassy there. He said that the delegation, consisting of overseas Pakistanis, reached Israel on its own. He said that the purpose of his visit was to prepare grounds for an inter-faith dialogue between Islam, Judaism and Christianity. âWe are against religious extremism and were cementing ground in Israel for inter-faith dialogue, which will result in religious harmony and tolerance.â
Qadri said that the Quranic verse forbidding Muslims from befriending Jews and Christians was in a certain context and time. He said that Muslims can have trade and commerce relations with Jews and Christians, but cannot trust them. He said that his delegation had asked the Israeli and Palestinian administrations to arrange meetings with Prime Minister Sharon and President Mahmood Abbas. âBut these meetings did not materialise.â |