Fatwa against unlawful overseas travel

The Lahore-based Jamia Naeemia has issued a religious decree against using illegal channels for travelling outside Pakistan.

A religious decree has been issued by Dr. Mufti Raghib Hussain Naeemi and Mufti Imran Hanfi, condemning illegal migration and suicide as forbidden in Islam. The decree stresses that using illegal methods to travel abroad goes against both the law and Shariah principles. It also clarifies that suicide or any actions that endanger one’s life are prohibited in Islam and urges individuals to avoid such dangerous actions.

The decree also condemns the exploitation of individuals by agents or intermediaries who profit from facilitating illegal migration. It calls on the government to introduce laws to hold accountable those who put people’s lives at risk. 

This religious declaration comes after a tragic boat incident off the Moroccan coast, in which a boat carrying migrants, including 66 Pakistanis, capsized, resulting in at least 50 deaths. The boat, which had departed from Mauritania on January 2 with 86 passengers, capsized upon reaching Morocco. 

Authorities were able to rescue 36 survivors, but the rest of the passengers, most of whom were Pakistani nationals, tragically lost their lives. This incident is part of a growing number of migrant boat tragedies. On December 13-14, 2024, around 80 Pakistanis died in a similar boat incident near Greece. The deadliest incident occurred in 2023 when a fishing trawler carrying hundreds of migrants capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, claiming the lives of 262 Pakistanis.

The religious decree urges Pakistanis to pursue legal and safe means for traveling abroad and emphasizes the dangers of illegal migration, calling for urgent action to prevent further loss of life.