Maulana Tariq Masood is currently doing an Online Blasphemy Apology Tour on social media! Why? Because his ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ mob has backfired on him! This popular Pakistani cleric is caught in a maelstrom of his own making. A man who once ardently supported the “Sar Tan Se Juda” slogan for blasphemy offenders now finds himself running for cover as the same mob he emboldened turns on him.
In the viral video Maulana Tariq speaks out about grammatical errors in the Quran! Yes, only talking about the grammatical errors in the Holy Quran, not the content or its veracity! Now, he’s on the run, churning out apology videos faster than a politician after a scandal. Four apology videos in 48 hours, to be precise, pleading for his words to be “understood in context.”
Ah, context! The same context that hate-mongers like Maulana Tariq conveniently overlooked for Ramgiri Maharaj and BJP’s Nupur Sharma when they incited violence in the name of Islam. However, this time, Karma comes full circle as a form of poetic justice! Maulana Tariq Masood is now reaping what he has sown – a raging mob thirsting for his head. And it’s happening in Pakistan, where blasphemy accusations are legal and as volatile as a match in a fireworks factory!
Maulana Tariq Masood: A Misstep That Lit the Fuse
So what exactly did Maulana Tariq Masood say? In a speech at the Surrey Jamea Majid in Canada, Masood made a controversial statement that has set off the zealots. He suggested that some of the Prophet’s companions (Sahabah) made grammatical errors while transcribing Quranic verses.
And he pointed out that these “errors” remained in the text because the Prophet Muhammad, being unlettered, didn’t correct them.
Pakistani Mufti Tariq Masood says Muhammad was:
“Totally illiterate.”
“Made grammatical blunders in Quran.”
“His culture does not align with ours.”
“Then why are we following him?”
~ I admire the mufti’s guts. Surprised that STSJ calls have not been raised yet. #MuftiTariqMasood pic.twitter.com/SQFjk03p3M— Abhijit Majumder (@abhijitmajumder) September 22, 2024
This statement was proof stated by Maulana Tariq Masood framed as an example of the Quran’s preservation. However, non-Muslims are enjoying this section of the speech as it opens up the possibility of the fact that the Quran may have sections that Prophet Muhammed was unaware of. Additionally, it may also mean that what is written in the Quran is a man’s work, not divine deliverance! However, this nuanced understanding was lost on the Jamat! Instead, before the world could gid deeper into the issue, blasphemy allegations came pouring in, accusing Masood of undermining the Quran and the Prophet.
Hence Proved: “Peaceful” Zealots Can’t Handle Critique!
"Prophet Muhammad was illiterate, the Quran contains faulty text, & Allah did not correct it either. So, why do we follow him, as he was neither educated nor do his culture or language align with ours."
– Pak Mufti Tariq Masoodpic.twitter.com/6VkfoARmZ9
— Pakistan Untold (@pakistan_untold) September 22, 2024
Here’s where the irony lies. Maulana Tariq Masood, like many other hardline preachers, has for years cultivated a fervor within his followers. These hotheads can’t handle even the mildest critique of Islam, the Quran, or Prophet Muhammad. For decades, Islamic clerics across the Indian Subcontinent created their rabid pack of zealots, whose first response to perceived offense is the infamous “Sar Tan Se Juda” chant. They used social media platforms to create groups that would rally extremist crowds demanding beheading for blasphemy.
Maulana Tariq Masood himself on several occasions has preached the necessity of Sar Tan Se Juda for blasphemy!
Tariq masood has opened a door for Islamophobs to mock Quran and now they started their job by raising questions on Quran’s authenticity.
But alhamdulillah They will never be successful in their mission because Quran is not like their changed and modified scriptures. pic.twitter.com/1dh8LyPS1j— Farman Farooqui (@FarmanFarooqui4) September 24, 2024
Now, the mob he once encouraged is coming for him. He’s facing the very same ferocity and lack of tolerance that he instilled in his followers. Instead of understanding his argument as a theological point, about the human element of Quran’s transcription, they have labeled him a blasphemer.
Rot of Rabid Rhetoric: Maulana Tariq Masood Faces the Monsters He Created
This debacle isn’t just a personal failure for Maulana Tariq Masood. It’s a symptom of a larger problem. Preachers like Maulana Tariq Masood have spent years filling Muslim minds with fire and brimstone. Additionally, they convince Indian Subcontinental Muslims to follow the literalist interpretation of the Quran. Almost as if doing otherwise is an affront to Islam itself. Today, that same fury is being turned back on them.
Mai Mazrat Chahta Hon میں معذرت چاہتا ہوں #muftitariqmasood pic.twitter.com/inFXFqRZlU
— Mufti Tariq Masood (@Muftitm) September 21, 2024
In Pakistan, where blasphemy laws carry the death penalty, mobs don’t wait for courts.
The street becomes judge, jury, and executioner.
Mai mazrat chahta hon #muftitariqmasood pic.twitter.com/IsFLtzKsCu
— Mufti Tariq Masood (@Muftitm) September 22, 2024
Now Maulana Tariq is frantically backpedaling, issuing multiple videos to “clarify” his statement. He insists he wasn’t challenging the divine nature of the Quran. Rather, he was pointing out the humanity involved in its transmission. However, for the little monster fed on hate by his ilk; it was too little, too late!! Masood’s words have been seized upon by radicals, much like he himself has done to others in the past.
Legal Grounds and Religious Sensitivity
Hypocrisy of Maulana Tariq Masood is glaring. He calls for extrajudicial killings for #blasphemy.
When accused of blasphemy himself, he trembled in fear, hiding from the very punishment he prescribes. 1/2@MulakhilSAMII @niazbeen93 #Pakistan pic.twitter.com/FilkuxqqMP
— Sohrab Abbas (@abbas_sohrab) September 23, 2024
Maulana Tariq’s initial claim was a theological one, which Non-Muslism can use to showcase how the Quran was written by humans for other humans! However, it is a dangerous game in a place like Pakistan, where the blasphemy laws are not just a legal weapon but a cultural hammer. Sections 295C and 295B of Pakistan’s Penal Code are strict enough to punish even mild critiques of Islamic teachings with death or life imprisonment.
Thus, Tariq’s use of the phrase “grammatical errors” was enough to whip the zealots into a frenzy.
Thus, these Islamists ignore the fact that Tariq’s argument was intended to highlight the “beauty” and “miracle” of the Quran’s preservation. And just focus on the human transcription error bit!! Of course, Pakistan’s blasphemy laws do not account for context or intent, and the accusations against Tariq Masood show just how quickly things can spiral out of control. Radical preachers have created a culture where dissent, critique, or even scholarly discussion is viewed as treason against God.
Paki Maulana Reaps What He Sowed
Sar Tan Se Juda backfires!
A popular Pakistani Maulana, Tariq Masood, who preached "death for blasphemy" is now running for cover, begging for his own words to be "understood in context" even as mobs are now after him
Will he escape the flames of the very fire he so eagerly… pic.twitter.com/vXhhhTezrK
— Swati Goel Sharma (@swati_gs) September 23, 2024
Maulana Tariq Masood is now facing the consequences of the very zealotry he encouraged. He wanted people to get riled up over religious offenses. Thus, today he himself pays the price of his ideology. His multiple apology videos, all filled with pleas for understanding and nuance, won’t easily calm the storm he started.
Masood’s situation exposes a deeper issue within the Muslim world, especially in South Asia: the inability to handle theological complexity or critique without resorting to violence.
For too long, people like him have stirred up fervor against anyone perceived as blasphemy. And these zealots cannot stand anyone stepping out of line with religious orthodoxy. However, as Masood himself is now learning, when you raise a generation on rage, you shouldn’t be surprised when that rage turns on you. And as for his latest attempt to keep his head firmly on his shoulders? Well, that’s up to the same mob that demanded heads to roll following his every word as divine commandment!!