Islamabad: (PPF) The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has issued a resolution calling for enhanced editorial oversight across all media platforms to prevent the dissemination of content that could offend religious sentiments. The resolution was passed during a meeting chaired by CII Chairman Allama Muhammad Raghib Hussain Naeemi. 

During the session, the CII highlighted the importance of the reverence Muslims hold for all Prophets (peace be upon them), the Final Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAW), the Rightly Guided Caliphs (may Allah be pleased with them all), the Ahl al-Bayt (may Allah be pleased with them all), the Mothers of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with them all), and the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) . It stressed that such reverence is integral to the Islamic faith and that depicting these sacred personalities through images, pictorial depictions, or any visual material is impermissible under Sharia. 

The council underscored the challenges posed by modern digital media and artificial intelligence, where content can spread rapidly and widely, making post-publication corrections insufficient. The CII welcomed the notice issued by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) but called for further improvements and for legal action to be taken against those responsible for the incident. 

To uphold the sanctity and respect of revered religious figures, the CII urged media organisations to implement pre-publication screening and strengthen editorial oversight. They urged Pemra, other regulatory bodies and the media to maintain a balance between the legal limits of free expression and religious sensitivities.