KARACHI - Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain said on Monday that the message of peace, love and brotherhood should be spread during the holy month of Rabiul Awal. Addressing a large gathering of clerics from different schools of thought at Lal Qila Ground, Azizabad, by telephone from the MQM London Secretariat, Altaf said that his party had been making efforts for harmony and unity among the Muslims. The MQM chief said that Islam is the religion of peace and security, but there were certain hard-hearted people propagating hatred from the pulpit of mosques. He said that conspiracies were being hatched to ignite Shia-Sunni sectarian strife in which lives of innocent people were being lost. He said that this was being done to undermine the environment of peace and unity, for which the MQM had worked so hard. The MQM chief said that whether the murdered person belonged to a Shia family or a Sunni family, the grief of the mourning families was alike. He said that it was the time that the people boldly denounced the preachers of hate and spoke clearly that such elements had nothing to do with Islam. He said that those conspiring to kill innocent people were, in fact, ‘munafiqeen’, who wanted to undermine the unity among Muslims. Altaf condemned the murders of doctors, lawyers and Ulema of different schools of thought, and said that it was being done to create Shia-Sunni tension in the city. Citing the killing Dr Mohsin, who was the trustee of an imambargah, he said that such senseless killing should be condemned by Shia and Sunni Ulema alike.He said that targeting and killing innocent people on the basis of sectarian differences was barbaric and such persons did not deserve any leniency. He said that the government must provide adequate security to the people and bring killers to justice. Altaf further said that the holy Quran clearly says that there is no compulsion in the matter of religion yet some elements always want to force their version of Islam on others. He said that there was no room for jabr (compulsion) in Islam. He said the MQM had always been working for a society based on the social justice and freedom, where everyone was free to follow his religion without any fear.Altaf asked the Ulema to educate the younger generation about the life of the holy Prophet (PBUH) and the traits of his (PBUH) noble character in simple language.Ulema present on the occasion included Maulana Tanvirul Haque Thanvi, Allama Akram Hussain Tirmizi, Allama Azhar Hussain Naqvi, Allama Ameer Abdullah Farooqi, Maulana Murtaza Rehman, Allama Abbas Kumaili, Maulana Hafiz Qadir, Maulana Saeed Qamar Qasmi, Allama Waqar Hassan Taqvi, Maulana Faisal Aziz, Mufti Abdul Aleem Qadri and many others. MQM Coordination Committee Deputy Convener Anis Ahmed Qaimkhani, other members and office-bearers of different wings of the MQM were also present.The ulema commended the efforts being made by the MQM and Altaf Hussain for promoting religious harmony, peace and brotherhood.