Date: January 18, 2025
LAHORE: Lahore’s Jamia Naeemia has issued a religious decree condemning the use of illegal means for traveling abroad, declaring it both unlawful and a violation of Islamic Shariah.
The fatwa, issued by Dr. Mufti Raghib Hussain Naeemi and Mufti Imran Hanfi, states that illegal migration endangers lives and contradicts Islamic principles.
It explicitly denounces suicide or any action risking one’s life as impermissible under any circumstances. The fatwa urges individuals to opt for legal and safe methods for traveling abroad.
Additionally, it condemns agents or middlemen who facilitate illegal migration, labeling their actions as unlawful, and calls upon the government to legislate against such agents who endanger innocent lives.
The decree follows the recent capsizing of a migrant boat off the Moroccan coast that killed at least 50 people, including 44 Pakistanis.
The tragedy occurred when the boat, carrying 86 migrants, departed from Mauritania on January 2. Moroccan authorities rescued 36 passengers, while the remaining are presumed dead.
Frequent human trafficking incidents have led to numerous deaths of Pakistani nationals, including the Greek boat tragedy in 2023, which remains one of the deadliest, claiming hundreds of lives, including 262 Pakistanis.
