The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has declared Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza a blasphemer, it emerged on Wednesday.
Religious scholar was initially taken into custody last month by the Jhelum police under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO). He was later shifted to jail, before being handed over to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) after the registration of a formal complaint.
The FIR, filed at the Jhelum City Police Station, alleges that a video circulating online—originally posted to Mirza’s YouTube channel—contains blasphemous remarks about the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and a misinterpretation of Surah al-Nisa. The complainant claims the video is offensive and in violation of Pakistan’s stringent blasphemy laws.
According to media reports, in its 243rd meeting, the Council reviewed the FIR filed against Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza under Section 295-C, as well as a letter from the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (Rawalpindi).
After deliberation, the Council concluded that blasphemous or heretical words mentioned in the Qur’an and Sunnah are only quoted for refutation and warning, and therefore, repeating such words unnecessarily is impermissible.
In Engineer Mirza’s statements, certain phrases were found that served no valid religious purpose, thus making his behavior deserving of strict punitive action.
The session also referenced a video clip of Engineer Mirza, in which his words were deemed to be accusations against the Qur’an and a form of interpretive distortion (taḥrīf). The Council recommended that a charge of blasphemy against the Qur’an also be applied.
Furthermore, the Council noted that the NCCIA’s letter appeared biased, as it did not include the complainant’s arguments. The Council deemed the statements as potentially causing “fasād fil-arḍ” (corruption on earth) and demanded a written clarification from Pakistan’s Christian community.
During the meeting, a message from Father J.M. Channan was presented, in which he strongly denied the allegations and stated that the views attributed to Engineer Mirza do not reflect the beliefs of the Christian faith. The Council announced that further decisions would be made after receiving a response from the Christian community.
It should be noted that Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), mandates the death penalty for defiling the name of the Prophet (PBUH), and Section 11 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016, which targets content inciting sectarian or interfaith hatred.
