The Hypocrisy of Imran Khan

Pakistan's prime minister is vocal about the West's satirical cartoons but silent on China's persecution of Muslims

Few get more use out of religion than political leaders. Theirs is a cynical usage, sure. But nobody unlocks religion’s power quite like politicians can. Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Imran Khan, is a master at precisely this—at leveraging religion toward his political aims.

The latest example is Khan’s endorsement of Vladimir Putin’s belief that artistic freedom cannot provide a justification for mocking religious figures. The context here is cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. On Twitter, Khan was enthusiastically receptive to Putin’s statement:

I welcome President Putin’s statement which reaffirms my message that insulting our Holy Prophet PBUH is not “freedom of expression.” We Muslims, esp Muslim leaders, must spread this message to leaders of the non-Muslim world to counter Islamophobia.