Muhammad Ali Mirza
Muhammad Ali Mirza (Urdu: محمد علی مرزا; born 4 October 1977) also known as Engineer Ali Mirza, is a Pakistani Islamic cleric. A mechanical engineer by profession, he is known for his lectures on religious topics, which have attracted numerous controversies, including a blasphemy attempt in 2023.
Mirza’s views on Mu’awiya I, the first caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, had made him a controversial figure among the traditionalist Sunni Muslim scholars of Pakistan. He has had a long rivalry with Deobandi scholar Tariq Masood over Mu’awiya. Mirza challenged Masood to arrive in Jhelum and have a debate face to face. In May 2021, the debate was postponed since Masood didn’t come in. After many months, Masood finally accepted the challenge and went to Jhelum for the debate. However, Masood claimed that he had tried to make contacts with Mirza, but there was no answer. Masood claimed that he took a very long journey from Karachi to Jhelum for discussion. As a result, Mufti Tariq Masood declared victory against Muhammad Ali Mirza and numerous netizens/social media users called the drop scene of this whole saga as Mirza’s defeat.
In November 2023, Mirza and Barelvi scholar Mufti Hanif Qureshi were scheduled to have a munazra (face-to-face debate). On 26 November, Qureshi arrived in Jhelum and went outside of the Mirza Academy of Jhelum, however, he was declined entrance inside by security. Mirza then declined to have a munazra. Qureshi subsequently then left Jhelum and his “victory” was celebrated by his supporters.
Nupur Sharma case
In June 2022, Ali Mirza criticized Taslim Rehmani for badmouthing Hindu gods in front of BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma on Times Now. He said Nupur Sharma abused Muhammad in reaction to that. Rubika Liaquat praised Ali Mirza for his stand with Nupur Sharma on her Twitter account. Many Indian and Pakistani Ulemas were furious with Ali Mirza for this comment.
2023 blasphemy charges
In April 2023, a case of blasphemy was registered against Ali Mirza under section 295C of the Pakistan Penal Code. The accusations against Mirza include mocking Muhammad and downplaying the Pakistani legal ruling that considers Ahmadis to have non-Muslim status. His critics claim that he uses derogatory language when referring to Muslim saints and present clips from his lectures to support their arguments. Pir Afzal Qadri, a deceased religious cleric, had offered a reward of Rs.500,000 for the assassination of Ali Mirza in 2023, stating that he deserves to be killed. The accusations of blasphemy are considered serious in Pakistan, if convicted, Mirza could face severe punishment under the blasphemy laws.