# Was the arrest of Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza justified?

*Disappointment at Pakistan's arrest of Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/etwstncmgza/s/1/
- Date: 2020-05-29 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Pakistan arresting Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza | Mufti Abu Layth (0:00–3:07)
- Status: a more recent answer exists: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/dnueakqqzxy/s/1/; general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETWstnCMgZA&t=0s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/etwstncmgza/

**Topics:** Pakistan; Views on contemporary scholars; Sects, sectarianism and takfir

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** No: Mufti Abu Layth calls the arrest unacceptable and the product of jealousy and sectarianism, praising Engineer Mirza as an open-minded scholar.

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth says he is utterly disappointed to hear that the Pakistani authorities have arrested Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza, whom he calls a great person and an independent, free-thinking scholar, far less rigid than the sectarian groups, though shaped by his Pakistani background. Mufti calls the arrest unacceptable and nothing but jealousy and sectarianism, and prays that Allah makes things easy for him. He mentions a social media post by a Pakistani public figure likening the country's rigid religious groups to the Pharisees of Jesus' time. Mufti says Engineer Mirza has a huge following, questions group mentality and is open-minded, and that he rates anyone prepared to think outside the box and challenge the narrative of the age, whether or not he agrees with their conclusions.

## Sources and names cited

- Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza
- the arrest of Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza (2020)
- the Pharisees

## Transcript (machine tier, 0:00–3:07)

[0:00] right speaking of Pakistan people I'm utterly disappointed to hear that the Pakistani authorities had arrested Mirza engineer Mirza Ali engineer sir who is an I think he's a you know he's a great person he's a a scholar from Pakistan and I think he's from Lahore or somewhere in Pakistan but he's independent he has his own thoughts he's free kind of thinking and he's not as rigid nowhere near as rigid as these are the groups naturally he is from Pakistan

[0:39] born and raised so his views will still to some extent reflect that backdrop you know he's not gonna be like at the end of the day he's not gonna look like me or maybe permit I mean forget him most people don't permit what I say but you know but that's because is that because is that because I've lost the plot or is that because I can see away the site does not reach Allah see is it because

[1:18] of a perspective but that said I mean let me I get distracted sorry I'm totally disappointed to hear that the Pakistani authorities have arrested him may design engineer Saab you know may Allah make things easy for him this is unacceptable seriously it's nothing but jealousy nothing but sectarianism I think Homs Ali Abbas see I saw a tweet by Homs Ali Abbas it was a tweet I think or it was a Facebook post where he was saying these Pharisees the Pharisees of

[1:56] the Pakistanis of Pakistan today you know cotton likening them to the Pharisees of the time of Jesus who were this kind of rigid group of Jews so you had the Sadducees and the fire seized and yet different people so and this is what it is people it's just sectarianism you know and because he's got such a huge following of you know millions of views he gets on YouTube and he's very open-minded he questions things he he questions group mentality he'll question these kind of things so

[2:35] that's what so I I'm anybody who's prepared to think out of a box I've rate them just for that ability whether I agree with the outcome or not is momentary irrelevant but I've rate the fact that they are open-minded that they are prepared to kind of think out of the box they are prepared to kind of to challenge the psychosocial narrative of the age

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment ETWstnCMgZA/s/1. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/etwstncmgza/s/1/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.