Pakistani Christians call on Interior Minister to apologize for inflammatory remarks

January 18, 2013 - Pakistani Christians have called for Interior Minister, Rehman Malik to apologize for his “provocative” remarks they say have offended the Pope, comparing him to firebrand cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri. “The Pope has a larger hat, Tahir-ul-Qadri’s hat is smaller. Please ask him why he’s acting like a semi-Pope,” Malik told reporters earlier this week, shortly before the cleric marched into Islamabad with thousands of supporters to launch an anti-corruption protest aimed at pressuring the government to quit and dissolve the national and provincial assemblies. "The link is useless and wrong: the Pope has no political ambitions," said Fr. Emmanuel Yousaf, director of the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) of Pakistan Catholic Bishops Conference. He told Vatican’s Fides news agency these statements defame the office of the Papacy. “We demand an official apology from Rehman Malik, who has a task of great institutional responsibility," Fr. Yousaf said. He also pointed out that "Christians in Pakistan have always been known for the support of democracy and human rights." Kamran Michael, a Christian minister of Pakistan’s Punjab Provincial government also sent a note to Fides, condemning the words of the Minister who, he said, "hurt the feelings of the Christian community" and asked for an immediate clarification. Such words "are disrespectful and can undermine efforts for religious harmony and brotherhood in the country," he added. On another occasion, Interior Minister Rehman said Qadri’s clothes made him look like a “Jewish padre.”