Pakistan’s Religious Body Faces Backlash Over ‘Un-Islamic’ VPN Edict

Pakistan’s Council of Islamic Ideology faced backlash after declaring the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to access blocked content as ‘un-Islamic’. The edict, led by CII chief Raghib Naeemi, criticized VPN use for accessing “immoral or illegal content.” Digital rights activists and some religious scholars, including Maulana Tariq Jameel, condemned the proclamation, questioning its implications.