Lucknow: Senior Indian Muslim clerics on Sunday welcomed Pope Benedict XVI's statement of regret that Muslims had been offended by his recent remarks on Islam, and asked their supporters to call off planned protests.
The statement "will help in building good relations between Muslims and Christians", Maulana Khalid Rashid, a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, said in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh.
The board is the highest body representing Indian Muslims, and outlines rules governing their lives based on Sharia.
"Religious leaders should exercise restraint while commenting on matters relating to faith," Rashid said. Maulana Hasnan Farooqui, a Shiite cleric, said the pope's expression of regret came at the right time.
