Religious persecution of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community continues worldwide. In Pakistan, Blasphemy Laws are being used specially against Ahmadis to harass them. Millions of religious minority are under threat to be falsely implicated in any such case on the basis of personal enmity with a punishment from 3 years RI to death. This blog was created to update Pakistani visitors of www.thepersecution.org, access to which was blocked by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority without any reason.
Relief denied to the four Ahmadi children incarcerated for months on false accusation of blasphemy
Layyah: Four Ahmadi school children and an adult were arrested in January 2009 in District Layyah in a fabricated case of blasphemy. There is no evidence, and no witness to the involvement of the accused in the incident.
Extremist mullas made it an issue and threatened agitation. Self-seeking politicians decided to support them. The police found it convenient to arrest the accused despite absence of evidence against them. Well-known human rights NGOs acted fast, made on-the-spot inquiries and found no substance in accusation against the five Ahmadis. They said that in their published reports.
The children remained behind bars for months. On every court appearance, the police requested extension in Judicial Remand which the court granted. The accused thought that this was perhaps to let the extremists’ temperature cool down.
It is now learnt that Mr. Sadaqat Ullah Niazi, the Additional Session Judge Layyah, on June 12, 2009, finally decided to refuse the accused’s plea for release on bail.
The children will now continue to suffer in prison for a crime they did not commit. In their tender age they have to endure severe hardship of Pakistani prison in extreme hot summer, even when they have not been tried and found guilty. Obviously the state continues to sustain and nourish extremism, despite its own suffering and agony at the hand of extremists.
The children need help in this environment of suicidal dissolution.
By Kunwar Idris Sunday, 03 May, 2009 | 08:30 AM PST |
Is Pakistan a failing or a failed state? This question is being asked the world over. Folks at home contemplate the same question in more direct terms: is the country going to break up once again?
A non-committal answer, somewhat like ‘teetering on the brink’, makes everyone get on with business as usual as best as they can. The interests of those abroad and those at home, however, are poles apart.
On behalf of the world, Hillary Clinton is worried about Pakistan’s nuclear weapons falling into the hands of advancing terrorists. The worry at home is less grim but more poignant. People running away from violence in Swat, Dir, Buner and other battlegrounds wait and wonder when they will be able to return home and send their children to school.
The American fear and the misery of the displaced families at home both arise from the inefficiency and indifference of the institutions of the state. Individual ambition and wrong policies have diminished our institutions but they still exist and sometimes make their existence felt as they are deeply rooted in history. Pakistan, therefore, can still pull back from the brink if our political leaders and parties even now concede the fundamental truth that countries are sustained by institutions, howsoever weak, and not by individuals, howsoever strong.
It is for reasons of institutional support that the world at large and the people at home draw comfort from Gen Kayani’s promise of ‘victory against terror and militancy at all costs’ but cynically dismiss the debate in parliament as mere bluff and bluster. The army as an institution has suffered the least damage and has also been able to withstand political onslaught and recover from the humiliation of defeat.
Unlike the armed forces, the political, legislative administrative and judicial institutions are no longer feared or respected. When Prime Minister Gilani feels persuaded to declare that ‘we in parliament are no puppets’ he surely knows that the people think they are. And when an outraged minister, Babar Awan, asserts that the law of Pakistan reigns supreme in Swat despite the special regulation, he knows full well that it does not. Gunmen do not read the law; they see it enforced — but nobody is doing that.
Pakistan remains exposed to all kinds of internal stresses and foreign blackmail because its political leadership has not been able to make certain essential decisions relating to the structure of the government and its policies. All institutions, the Supreme Court included, appear transitory and divided. For more than a year we had a chief justice in office and another riding the crest on the streets.After a long and costly tussle it was agreed by all to restore the parliamentary character of the constitution but the National Assembly after a long, desultory session adjourned without forming an all-party committee which was to review Musharraf’s 17th Amendment that had made it presidential in all but name.
Thus while the parliament is said to be supreme and the prime minister, so to say, is the chief executive, to the people at home and governments abroad it is President Zardari who really matters.
It has also been agreed among all parties that the provinces must get greater autonomy and a new formula is said to have been devised for the distribution of federal revenues among the provinces. But in more than a year not even a tentative move has been seen in that direction. The future shape of the local government and the restoration of the district/divisional administration as it stood before Musharraf disbanded it also remain subject to speculation or haphazard action.
Greater provincial autonomy will surely have a calming effect on the anger and insurgency in Balochistan where time is running out and in fact has run out if Governor Magsi is not being an alarmist. And the political agents in the tribal areas with their enhanced power and prestige can revive the hierarchy of the elders that has broken down under the pressure of armed militants and their doctrinal patrons. The best chance of bringing peace back to the tribal areas and Malakand Division (Swat, Dir, Buner, Chitral, etc.) lies in dealing with the tribes through their own elders following their own traditional codes and treaties with the government — not under special regulations.
The puritanical social values imposed by the militant clerics would give way to normal conservative but tolerant and hospitable behaviour once the tribal hierarchy regains its lost authority. The army can kill or drive away the infiltrating fighters but only an autonomous political service would be able to organise the tribes to exclude the fanatical mullahs from the power structure.
Besides reinstating the rule of power vesting in institutions and not in individuals, parliament and the Supreme Court must undertake a review of the relationship between state and religion. It is hard to deny that violent campaigns for Sharia directly flow from the constitutional provisions that make Islam the state religion and also bind the state to bring all laws ‘in conformity with the injunctions of Islam’. Maulana Sufi Mohammad can justifiably claim to be fulfilling a responsibility that is imposed by the constitution on all citizens.
The path to terror in Swat and elsewhere is blazed by the constitution of Pakistan itself. In Khyber Agency, rival lashkars are pitched against each other with their competing interpretations of Islamic injunctions. Some 35 years ago the parliament of Pakistan determined that the Ahmadiyya community was not Muslim. Is it not poetic justice that Sufi Mohammad should now determine that the lawmakers of Pakistan, one and all, are infidels?
Come to think of it, all parties claiming to be religious are, in fact, sectarian and the Taliban is the most violent manifestation of this. In Pakistan’s political context, faith has proved more divisive than unifying. It is a different matter though of not much concern to Sufi Mohammad that the vast majority does not agree with him on what those injunctions are. Sunnis belonging to what is commonly known as the Barelvi school and Shias (who are believed to be one-fifth of the population) openly denounce Sufi Mohammad’s campaign and accuse the government of abject surrender to his blackmail.
As fanatics make a desperate bid to capture state power and Pakistan’s religious parties and divines watch helplessly, can Hillary Clinton be faulted for imagining that one day, and soon, men like Fazlullah, Baitullah Mehsud and Mullah Omar might be controlling Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal? kunwaridris @ hotmail.com
Priority Fax Human Rights update April 22, 2009 Extremism and sectarianism is promoted officially at public expense in Lahore
Lahore; April 11, 2009: A Khatme Nabuwwat (end of prophethood) conference was held at the central Badshahi Mosque on April 11, 2009 at Lahore. This mosque is directly under the management of the government of the Punjab; its Khatib (the chief cleric) is appointed officially by the Auqaf Department. This historic royal mosque is maintained at a huge expense from the public exchequer. The conference was mostly devoted to anti-Ahmadiyya theme. Extremists’ demands like imposition of Sharia, support to the Swat deal etc were also vigorously made by the speakers. Maulana Hamid Saeed Kazmi, the Federal Minister of Religious Affairs addressed the conference. The main banner displayed unabashedly that the conference was the handiwork of Aalami Majlis Tahaffuz Khatme Nabuwwat which is a sectarian anti-Ahmadiyya organization, led primarily by Deobandi and Wahabi ulama.
The daily Jang, Lahore, of April 12, 2009 reported the statements of the clerics in some detail. Excerpts:
At present Muslims are pitted against the Infidel; all Muslims should unite to fight the Kufr (Disbelief).
Israel, India and the U.S. are jointly committed to erase Pakistan from the world map.
The government should happily implement the agreements made with the free tribes (of FATA) and should stop the massacre undertaken by American drones in these areas.
A criminal case should be registered against all the handlers of the Red Mosque tragedy, including Pervez Musharraf, and they should be dispatched accordingly.
Pakistan’s future lies in Nizam Adal (now implemented in Swat). … The U.S. does not support a ‘solution’ to the issue of Khatme Nabuwwat. The Swat agreement should be implemented, and that system should be imposed all over the country.
The 1973 Constitution of Pakistan should be restored along with the (Anti-Ahmadiyya) 1974 Amendment regarding End of Prophethood.
We shall have to implement the Sharia in Pakistan that will deliver the eradication of Qadianiat.
We are ready for total destruction of Qadianis in the country.
We are ready to spare the last drop of blood for the sake of ‘end of prophethood’
Qadianism has neither come to an end nor has it been weakened. Qadianis want to finish off all the Muslims all over the world.
The daily Nawa-i-Waqt, Lahore of April 12, 2009 and other Urdu newspapers reported the various ‘resolutions’ passed at the conference and demands made by the gathering. Excerpts:
The massacre resulting from the American drone attacks should be put to stop.
The anti-Qadiani law and the Blasphemy law should be vigorously implemented.
A criminal case should be registered against all involved in the Lal Masjid tragedy including Pervez Musharraf, and they should be dispatched accordingly.
All the ulema should devote at least one Friday sermon every month on the issue of End of Prophethood.
Vote of thanks to the Government of the Punjab and its Auqaf Department for their patronage and support.
The conference is deeply concerned over the production of bed-sheets with blasphemous or dubious prints by Kamal Spinning Mills Faisalabad and demands the government to direct all the mills to desist from manufacturing such controversial products.
Following information is also material and relevant to the conference:
Propaganda boards for the conference were also set up by the Auqaf Department. One of these carried the exhortation: “Friendship with Mirzais is tantamount to rebellion against Huzur SAW ( The Holy Prophet Muhammad).” The ruling Peoples Party also put up a huge board with its tricolor and a statement of Ms Benazir Bhutto affirming religious discrimination against Ahmadis.
A large number of madrassah students were transported to the conference site.
The mullas urged a boycott of all the products form industries owned by Ahmadis, like Shezan drinks etc. However the clerics were treated with Shezan fruit juices by the management, and they consumed them eagerly.
A mulla proposed that minarets of all the Ahmadiyya mosques should be demolished, and a ban be imposed on all ‘Qadiani’ activities in Rabwah.
Approximately 200 policemen were employed to provide security cover to the conference.
A mulla demanded that Ahmadis should be removed from all key posts; also they should be eliminated from defense services.
150 stalls were set up there. Provocative slogan and stickers were pasted on them.
A derogatory sketch of the holy founder of the Ahmadiyya community was displayed in the background of the central stage.
The Badshahi Mosque was profusely illuminated for the occasion at public expense.
A great deal of publicity was given to the conference in other cities and people were urged to travel to Lahore and participate in it.
Special articles on anti-Ahmadiyya theme were written and published in the Urdu press for the occasion.
PML (Nawaz) is at the helm in the Punjab.
It was announced from the stage that the next such conference would be held at Islamabad.
In short, the speakers at this conference, held in the name of a religious belief, urged violation of human rights, spoke against freedom of religion, promoted sectarian strife, indulged in controversial national and international politics and propagated hatred and violence.
Is it not incredible that the government which is facing severe problems of internal security from extremist and sectarian clerics should itself sponsor, arrange and fund a conference where speakers promote the extremists’ agenda to tens of thousand of the participants? And this happened at Lahore. New York Times did not miss to report a solemn view regarding the Punjab:
“I do not think a lot of people understand the gravity of the issue”, said a senior police official in Punjab. “If you want to destabilize Pakistan, you have to destabilize Punjab”.
NYT report from the daily Dawn of April 15, 2009
The Government of the Punjab appears to be making the same mistake that it made in 1953, and came to great harm at the hand of the mulla. ‘Report of THE COURT OF INQUIRY constituted under Punjab Act II of 1954 to enquire into the PUNJAB DISTURBANCES OF 1953’ refers.
Four Ahmadi school children and an adult frivolously booked and arrested by the police on false accusation of Blasphemy by extremist elements The applied clause PPC 295-C carries death penalty
Kot Sultan, District Layyah (Punjab): The police charged four school-going Ahmadi children aged 14 – 19 and an adult on a false charge of blasphemy, under section PPC 295-C on January 28, 2009 with FIR 46/09 at police station Kot Sultan. The accused children are Muhammad Irfan, Tahir Imran, Tahir Mahmud and Naseeb Ahmad. Mr. Mubashir Ahmad, an adult is also on the list of the accused. Although the complaint was made by one, Liaquat Ali, the fabricated accusation was pushed by Shahbaz, a school teacher, and one N.E. Kulachi who belongs to the extremist group Jamaat Ud Daawa banned recently by the UN for promoting terrorism.
The police arrested the accused without establishing a prima facie case. They charged the innocent without evidence and before any investigation. The applied blasphemy clause carries death penalty.
According to the accusation, graffiti defiling the name of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) was found on the toilet walls of a local mosque. According to the accuser, it must have been undertaken by the four boys under instructions from Mr. Mubashir Ahmad. The complainant has provided no evidence. In fact, the accusation is false and smacks of conspiracy. The police will do well to look for the blasphemer among the group that is making the most noise.
For weeks in the recent past, the anti-Ahmadiyya lobby had been fomenting agitation. In the blasphemy accusation they appear to have found a convenient weapon to strike the final blow. Simultaneously, they threatened bloodshed, arson and processions. This provided excuse to the police to register the case and make immediate arrests. It makes no sense that the police arrest innocent persons to forestall a threat to law and order. This amounts to playing in the hands of religious extremists.
Inspector Khalid Rauf told AHRC (Asian Human Rights Commission) that “the gravity of the case against Islam justified arresting the children first. He said the police do not know of any substantial evidence that links the four students with the crime.”
According to the AHRC “Family members were told (by the district police officer) that the police were under pressure from the fundamentalists to act against the children.” According to the law, an officer of the rank of superintendent of police is required to investigate the blasphemy cases. As this law was deliberately worded to make it ineffective, it provides no relief to innocent accused, as it happened in this case and has happened often before. This law is essentially mala fide as the blasphemy law. It is a hoax.
The BBC reports that according to the police no one saw the named boys writing the (blasphemous) words. “Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (was) alarmed over four children’s detention on blasphemy charges”, reported the Daily Times, Lahore of January 30, 2009. “Victimizing children with false accusations is the most condemnable use of the blasphemy law”, said the Ahmadiyya community spokesman. The AHRC urged “the government of President Asif Zardari to immediately release the illegally detained prisoners. Instead they should turn their attention to the dependence of Punjab Police on fundamentalist Islamic groups and the implementation of the rule of law in the province …”.
Hundreds of Ahmadis have faced charges and accusations under the blasphemy laws and many have suffered in prisons for years. One is now undergoing a life sentence in Faisalabad prison, although he is innocent. This is his fifth year in prison. A few months ago, a venerable old Ahmadi Dr Asghar was booked on a false accusation of blasphemy, and arrested. The lower courts denied his release on bail. A few days ago a high court judge also rejected his plea for bail, observing reportedly, “We can provide no relief to those who defile the name of great divines.” This observation by the judge based on presumption of guilt of the accused was unbecoming and callous on his part. The gentleman remains behind bars and has to knock at the door of the Supreme Court now to get relief against the fabricated charge.
If the government is serious about fighting the evil of terrorism and sectarianism, it must take effective action against religious extremists by at least withdrawing support to them in the use of the blasphemy law, a convenient tool available to them. As a first step, the state should immediately withdraw all the false blasphemy charges against all the accused, to make its declared intentions credible.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Ever Merciful International Press and Media Desk Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat International 22 Deer Park, London, SW19 3TL Tel / Fax (44) 020 8544 7613 Mobile (44) 077954 90682 Email: press@ahmadiyya.org.uk Web: Alislam.org
30 January 2009
PRESS RELEASE
AHMADI CHILDREN ARRESTED ON FALSE CHARGE IN PAKISTAN
It is with great regret that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat confirms that five members of its community residing in Chak 172/TDA, District Layyah, Pakistan have been arrested and charged under Section 295-C of the Pakistani Penal Code. In a grave blow to any standards of decency, four of the accused are children studying at the English language ‘Superior Academy’ private school. Under the terms of Section 295-C any person found guilty is subject to either the death penalty or life imprisonment.
The arrests have been formally condemned by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), whilst Asma Jahangir the chairwoman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights has also condemned the arrests of the children as ‘heinous’.
The four accused children are Muhammad Irfan, Tahir Imran, Tahir Mahmood and Naseeb Ahmad. There are conflicting reports regarding the exact age of the children however according to both the ‘AHRC’ and ‘The Daily Times’ their ages range between 14 and 16. Mr Mubashar Ahmad, aged 50, has also been arrested under section 295-C.
All five were taken into custody on 28 January 2009 by virtue of a police raid on each of their homes. After four hours in custody each of the accused was charged under the terms of section 295-C on the completely false grounds that they had written the name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) on the walls of a toilet at the Jamia Gulzar-e-Medina Mosque.
Mr Salim-ud-Din, Spokesperson for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat in Pakistan said:
“These allegations are completely false and baseless. The police have no evidence whatsoever and have merely succumbed to the pressure of those who spread religious hatred in the region.”
It is of note that none of the persons arrested have any connection to the Gulzar-e-Medina Mosque and they do not live anywhere near it.
The Asian Human Rights Commission has stated:
“Family members were told (by the District Police Officer) that the police were under pressure from fundamentalists to act against the children. If he did not arrest them, the group had threatened to close down the whole city and attack the houses of Ahmadi sect members… The AHRC urges the government of President Asif Zardari to immediately release the illegally detained prisoners.”
The charge laid against the five Ahmadis is completely without foundation. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat reveres the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as the final law bearing prophet, who brought with him a universal teaching. No disrespect towards him could ever be tolerated by any Ahmadi; man, woman or child. The Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad wrote:
The charge laid against the five Ahmadis is completely without foundation. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat reveres the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as the final law bearing prophet, who brought with him a universal teaching. No disrespect towards him could ever be tolerated by any Ahmadi; man, woman or child. The Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad wrote:
“The man who in his being and his attributes and his actions and through his spiritual and holy faculties set an example of perfection and was called the perfect man was Muhammad (peace be upon him).”
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat urges the immediate release of the five persons imprisoned and for all charges to be dropped. In a country which seeks to promote an image of tolerance to the Western world, it speaks volumes that peace loving children have been charged with an offence that sanctions the death penalty as a sentence.
The International Community, Media and Human Rights organisations are all urged to take action to secure the release of all of the accused in this matter. In an era where freedom of religion and belief is accepted as a basic human right throughout the world it is of disbelief that anti-Ahmadiyya legislation is still active and indeed still being so cruelly enforced in Pakistan.
End of Release
Further info: Abid Khan, (press@ahmadiyya.org.uk / (44) 07795490682)
Burewala, District Vehari; November 18, 2008: Unknown pillion riders murdered Mr. Muhammad Ghazanfar Chattha, Ahmadi, in Burewala on November 18, 2008.
Mr. Chattha was an Inspector Finance in the community organization. He was visiting the district president of the Ahmadiyya community when unknown assailants fired at him. He died on the spot. The assassins fled after the attack.
He is survived by his wife, one teen-aged son and three daughters. Two of the daughters are college students, while the third suffers from a mental illness.
This is the sixth Ahmadi death for their faith this year. Since the promulgation of anti-Ahmadi Ordinance XX in 1984 Mr. Chattha has become the 96th Ahmadi to die at the hands of violent extremists and criminals. Rawalpindi; November 8, 2008: The police of R.A. Bazaar, Rawalpindi registered a case under law PPC 298-C that is specific to Ahmadis, on November 8, 2008 against two Ahmadis with FIR 691/2008. They arrested Mr. Abdul Hameed Ghani and Mr. Habib Ahmad. The former is the president of the local Ahmadi community, while the latter attends to Ahmadis’ moral and religious education.
The two Ahmadis were accused of using a house for community worship; this allegedly hurt the sentiments of Muslims. The accusation is mala fide as the building is used for various community functions including worship. This is because no mosque is available to Ahmadis to offer regular prayers; also, it is not true that the practice hurt the sentiments of Muslims. No Muslim came forward to have his complaint registered; the police registered the case on its own initiative. It was their own undertaking. It is noteworthy that in the same week Mr. Zardari the President of Pakistan was at the United Nations to participate in the High-Level meeting where it was declared inter alia: “The meeting further recalled that all States have pledged themselves under the Charter to promote respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all including freedoms of belief and expression without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion.” Mr. Ban Ki-moon rightly advised: “The challenge now is to go beyond the powerful, positive words we have heard these past two days.”
The Government of Pakistan should take note that the authorities have not formally allowed Ahmadis to build a single mosque in Pakistan for years. In June this year the authorities tore down an under-construction Ahmadiyya mosque in Bhabhra Heelan in Kotli, Azad Kashmir. They also registered a police case against the Ahmadis of Kotli city for undertaking repairs and improvements to their place of worship. At Barali, in the same district, the authorities forcibly stopped construction of an Ahmadiyya mosque. These were enormous crimes committed by the law-enforcing body. If Ahmadis do not have a proper place to worship, and they are not allowed to build one, they have to pray somewhere – so why not in their own house? The Rawalpindi police is not even 20 kilometers away from the capital from where those that govern announce routinely ‘powerful, positive words’ in support of freedom of religion and faith.
The two arrested Ahmadi men, who otherwise are law-abiding citizens, were locked up by the police. Two days later when they applied to the magistrate for release on bail, he rejected their plea. The police, administration and judiciary in the twin city, that is faced with the mega-problem of terrorism, are farcical (Marriott Hotel, Lal Masjid etc), and waste their time and energy in detaining peaceful citizens who pray in their private property.
Ten days later, the Session Court heard the bail applications. The judge decided to release them against surety. They will however face the unnecessary and futile trial, where, if declared guilty (for offering prayers at home) they could be sent to prison for three years. Would Quaid-i-Azam recognize the present-day Pakistan as his legacy? The politicians and authorities pay no attention to what the great man told the Assembly on 11th August 1947 in his speech, that is on record. A glaring discrimination in the field of education
Rabwah: The daily Dawn of November 26, 2008 published a letter to the editor. It is self-explanatory and is reproduced below:
Glaring discrimination
We are a strange society, and have developed a rather freakish state. We hurry to implement ill-considered plans, and even when their futility becomes obvious, we are slow, very slow to throw them out. Our ability to undertake dishonest discrimination is enormous. Let me mention here a proof, if one is needed.
In 1972, the socialist government nationalized privately owned schools and colleges, including 10 which belonged to the Sadar Anjuman Ahmadiyya Pakistan. Twenty-four years later, when great damage had been done to education, the government was ‘pleased’ to offer denationalization to the owners, conditionally. The Anjuman Ahmadiyya met all those conditions of the government to get its own schools back. Since then the government of Punjab has returned numerous institutions to their owners, but for unstated reasons have not returned the schools of the Anjuman Ahmadiyya. The authorities concerned have failed to respond to various reminders, or even to acknowledge their receipt during the last eleven years. Their discrimination and political and administrative grossness is mind-boggling.
Recently in the in-camera extraordinary joint session of the Parliament, “It was recalled that in the past the dictatorial regimes pursued policies aimed at perpetuating their own power at the cost of national interest”. Well, it is more than six months now that the new democratic regime has prevailed in the provinces and the centre. One expects them to return the Ahmadiyya schools in accordance with the government’s own policy, and not regress from doing that “to perpetuate their own power at the cost of national interest.”
I hope the weekly Time of U.S. was not correct in its recent comment: “It takes a big bomb to make a point in Pakistan these days.”
SYED TAHIR AHMAD Rabwah
The Kunri Case — a targeted Ahmadi’s bail rejected
Kunri, Sindh; November 19, 2008: It should be recalled that in the month of September 2008, two Ahmadi presidents of district communities in Sindh were murdered, one after the other, in broad daylight. While Ahmadis were facing such attacks from religious thugs, the Sindh Police, rather than protecting them, was busy in supporting the mulla. On September 14, 2008 they accused Rana Khalil Ahmad, Ahmadi of writing a ‘blasphemous’ letter to the Khatib of Jame Masjid, Kunri. Mr. Rashid Iqbal was accused of writing something religious on the road with chalk.
Both these gentlemen were charged under the blasphemy clauses 295A and 295C, under the cover of the anti-terrorism law. Rana Khalil Ahmad was arrested. Since then he has been in prison. He applied for release on bail. On November 19, the judge rejected his plea. He remains in prison.
Rana Khalil Ahmad is an old man and earns his living from a small retail store. He lost a leg in an accident, and walks with the help of crutches.
This is the response of the administration, police and judiciary to terrorism in Pakistan! Ahmadi subjected to arson
Chakral, District Chakwal: Mr. Mansur Ahmad’s family is the only Ahmadi family in Chakral. On October 12, 2008 extremist elements set fire to his house.
Mansur had gone away earlier with his family, but on the day of the incident, he alone had come back home. At the time they set his house on fire he was sleeping inside. It was approximately 2 A.M. One of the rooms was destroyed while the other was partially damaged.
Mr. Mansur escaped unhurt, fortunately. The perpetrators of the crime collected his religious literature including the Holy Quran and set it on fire along with other combustible household items. The damage amounted to approximately Rs. 100,000. They also took his computer and printer.
It is noteworthy that the local mulla recently initiated a vilification campaign against Mr. Mansur.
Mr. Mansur reported the incident to the police. No arrests have since been made, as yet.
Ahmadis — no job for them in the state sector!
Since the promulgation of Amendment No. II to the Constitution in 1974, the authorities have implemented the policy of reducing to the minimum the availability of state jobs to Ahmadis. Prior to 1974, Ahmadis joined government service in great numbers, as the literacy rate in their community was among the highest. However, with the passing of Amendment No. II to the Constitution, that declared Ahmadis as non-Muslims, a message was sent to one and all that Ahmadis could be discriminated against with impunity. As a result, the intake of Ahmadis in the military and the civil service, as officers, was reduced to a trickle.
Prior to 1974, there were many Ahmadis who served as pilots in the Pakistan Air Force. One of them, Zafar Chaudhry, an ace pilot, rose to the rank of Air Marshal and was appointed Chief of the Air Staff. However, after that, the intake of Ahmadi pilots was reduced significantly.
One exception occurred two years ago when one, Saeed Ahmad Nazir, an Ahmadi youth was selected in the GD Pilot branch of the PAF. He was doing well in his training. In the aircraft technical tests (ATTs) he scored 96% marks. In flying he did 17 missions, of which four were solo. At that stage, his instructor turned sectarian and failed him in flying missions. When Nazir protested, he said: “(Do not forget) Air Force is very small and I’ll always be your senior.” Later, in one of the gatherings when asked by other trainees, he replied that nothing was wrong with Nazir’s flying but because of “reasons that could not be stated,” they had to suspend him.
Thus only a few days before the graduation, Nazir was rejected. He left the PAF with a heavy heart. They offered him a post in a secondary branch of the air force. However, his friends advised him that there was no point in staying in an organization where he would face discrimination throughout his career.
Ahmadi forced to dislocate
District Sargodha: Dr Shafqatullah, an Ahmadi in government service was forced by scheming and violent extremists to shift his home to another town recently.
Dr Shafqatullah has been Incharge of the government hospital at Sobagha, district Sargodha for the last 15 years. He is a conscientious, hard working professional and his hospital is doing well. He also has good reputation. His superiors have often praised his work.
Permitted by his department, he has a house and a clinic inside the hospital. The public also finds this arrangement useful. The doctor is a practicing Ahmadi, and in his off-time he undertakes community service. He shares a farm with his uncle at Chak 152 North in the same district.
Anti-Ahmadiyya activists do not like Dr Shafqatullah’s good reputation and standing in the society. Over the past 5-6 years they opposed him in public, and fomented agitation against him. They threatened both his person and property. They even mentioned murder and abduction of his children. They sent applications and made frivolous complaints against him with the district authorities.
In the month of September this year, these miscreants added poison to the drinking water tank meant for the doctor’s farm buffalos kept for milk. Eight of those died within 2 to 3 hours. This was a heavy financial loss to him.
The doctor, sensing that threats were now turning into material harm, consulted his friends. They advised him that to remain relatively safe, he should shift residence. He has moved as advised. A press report on Rabwah
Rabwah; November 29, 2008: The daily Jang, Lahore published a story on the civic situation of Rabwah in its issue of November 29, 2008. Its translation is produced below:
Chenab Nagar turns into a heap of problems. Representatives fall short of expectations.
Bad drainage results in pools of sewage water in streets and bazaars. Most primary schools have no boundary walls. Three neighborhoods have no water in pipes.
Chenab Nagar (Report by Rana Nadeem Ahmad): Roads have become narrow due to crowding by parking of motorcycle rickshaws and vendors’ carts. Chenab Nagar has become a problem-prone city.
Public representatives have fallen short of people’s expectations. The neighborhoods and suburbs within the jurisdiction of Union Council 41 & 42 have become problems areas. There is apparently no one responsible for this population that exceeds a hundred thousand people. The elected representatives appear helpless in the face of numerous civic problems.
On account of the damaged drainage system, main streets and bazaars get flooded with dirty water. Overflowing gutters cause great inconvenience to pedestrians. Since long the neighborhoods of Darul Ulum West, East and Central have been denied water supply, so their people have to drink brackish underground water.
The fault-prone telephone exchange causes failures of phones. Residents pay heavy line-rent to PTCL but in turn receive unsatisfactory service.
Traffic is problematic on the Aqsa Road; there is always a risk of an accident thereby. Pedestrians find it difficult to walk on the Railway Road, Aqsa Road and the Gol Bazaar on account of encroachments. Aqsa Road has been almost occupied by rickshaw drivers and vendors. Roads that are 60-feet wide have thus become narrow passages. Educational institutions are also faced with problems.
Residents of Chenab Nagar have requested the Chief Minister to give priority attention to the problems of Darul Ulum West, Darul Futuh, Nasirabad and other neighborhoods. Sometimes ago when Mr. Muhammad Khalid, the Divisional Superintendent Railways came here on tour, he issued instructions that encroachments near the railway line should be removed; however no follow-up action has been taken. These encroachment cause great difficulty to traffic and pedestrians.
A fatwa from South Africa
South African Sunni mullas have a fairly long history of hostility towards Ahmadis. They went to the courts in 1986 to seek a verdict in a case regarding one burial of a (Lahori) Ahmadi in a Muslim graveyard. The court verdict was not to the satisfaction of these mullas, although they were provided legal and theological help from as far as Pakistan. Pakistani government and clerics (including Dr Ghazi, later a member of General Musharraf’s National Security Council) went out of their way to oppose Ahmadis in South Africa.
Recently, the so-called Muslim Judicial Council of South Africa published a Fatwa against “Ahmadis Qadianis”. It is interesting to note that immediately prior to the issue of this Fatwa, mulla Ilyas Chinioti (a resident of Chiniot in Punjab, Pakistan) had gone all the way to South Africa to participate in various functions and meetings of the Khatme Nabuwwat organization there. It is obvious from this that Pakistan mullas fly oversees to spread their mischief in distant lands. A story titled Disinformation campaign appears elsewhere in this News Report, regarding Chinioti.
The fatwa carries the stamp of Majlis Ifta and is signed by its acting-president and the head of the fatwa department. Its contents and tone display extreme of religious bigotry and intolerance. It is a model of what a tolerant religious dispensation should not do. A few excerpts from the fatwa are reproduced below (sic):
They (Ahmadis) should NOT BE ALLOWED to enter the Masjids (Mosques) as well as All other prayer, religious and educational facilities of Muslims.
No Sheikh, Maulana, Imam or Muslim should officiate at ANY of their marriage ceremonies.
Intermarriages between Qadianis, Ahmadies/Lahories and a Muslim MUST NEVER BE ALLOWED. Such marriages are INVALID in terms of Shariah (Islamic Law).
Qadianis, Ahmadis/Lahories are NOT ALLOWED to serve as Legal Representative (Wakil) or witnesses in any religious matter.
A Muslim should not pray FOR OR ON Qadianis’ alias Ahmadis’/Lahories’ dead.
Anything slaughtered by Qadianis, Ahmadies/Lahories CANNOT be eaten NOR can WE eat from them.
etc., etc.
Note the use of capitals and bold letters. The wording and scope of the fatwa are amazing. It is this kind of thinking and action that brings disrepute to religion in general and Islam in particular. Sectarian drive in District Khushab
Mitha Tiwana, District Khushab: The activists of Majlis Tahaffuz Khatme Nabuwwat have targeted District Khushab for years. The notorious mulla Athar Shah who precipitated the Takht Hazara massacre in November 2000, was later appointed in District Khushab where he continued to spread hatred and unrest against Ahmadis.
Activists of the Aalami Majlis Tahaffuz Khatme Nabuwwat have recently been very active in Mitha Tiwana. They distributed hate literature against Ahmadis. They agitated against an Ahmadi teacher in the local Government High School, and distributed pamphlets and write-ups among the staff and school children.
One of these pamphlets is titled: “Qadiani masnuat ka boycott — Ek jazbati Naara ya Imani taqaza” i.e. Boycott of Ahmadiyya products — a mere agitational slogan or a genuine demand of faith? The pamphlet describes the case of some political rebels in the early days of Islam as apostates and reminds the reader that they were put to death for their claims to Prophethood. The founder of Ahmadiyyat is included in the pamphlet in the same tradition. The pamphlet is scandalous and provocative and is written in foul language. It mentions all the well-known Ahmadiyya houses of business in the country and urges the reader to boycott their products.
It calls all Ahmadis ‘robbers’, and urges termination of all interaction and social relations with them. In turn, the pamphlet offers the glad tidings that, “Allah will grant you the bliss of the holy drink from the fountain of Kauther in the paradise from the blessed hand of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) and you will also receive his recommendation to be saved.” It reminds the reader that: “The first sign of one’s love for the Holy Prophet (pbuh) of Allah is to hate his enemies.”
The publishers have boldly printed their address on the pamphlet as below:
Callers to Goodness: Aalami Majlis Tahaffuz Khatme Nabuwwat, District Office: Jame Masjid Abu Bakr Siddique alias Mian Bagar Wali, Lahori Gate, Jehlum Nagar, Purana Chowk, Khushab. Ph. No. 0333-9824871
Is the state prepared to act against these agents of ill-will and hatred, or will it suffice that its President attend the high level meeting at the UN, where finally the Secretary General had to say: “The challenge now is to go beyond the powerful, words…”.
Foul language in the outskirts of Rabwah
Ahmad Nagar, September 28, 2008: Ahmad Nagar is a large village on the north-western outskirts of Rabwah. It has a mixed population, Ahmadis and non-Ahmadis.
Ramadan is a lunar month of fasting, and Muslim are expected to be more mild, tolerant and good in this holy month. The twenty-seventh of Ramadan has a special significance with most Muslims, and they tend to be more charitable and pious on this date. However, the anti-Ahmadi mullas of Ahmad Nagar, Chenab Nagar and Chiniot have a different perception and set of priorities.
On 27th Ramadan this year, these mullas organized a big anti-Ahmadiyya event at Masjid Bilal in Ahmad Nagar. They indulged in slander and badmouthing against Ahmadis throughout the night. Their language was highly provocative and hurtful.
In addition, these mullas declared that members of the Ahmadiyya Community were apostates and deserved to be put to death (Wajab-ul-Qatl). One of them said that this kind of murder was a pious duty (Muqaddas freezah). This exhortation could lead some of their flock to commit heinous crime. It is this kind of ‘preaching’ that led to the assassination of three Ahmadis in Sindh in the month of September.
Ahmadiyya headquarters informed the authorities of this. We do not know if they took any concrete action. Disinformation campaign
Chiniot; November 16, 2008: Mulla Ilyas Chinioti is the son of the late Mulla Manzur Ahmad Chinioti who spent his entire life in opposition to Ahmadiyyat. The senior Chinioti claimed all the credit for success in persuading Mian Brothers of Lahore to change the name of Rabwah to Chenab Nagar. He used to boast that this change was the fruit of 30 years of efforts. Not all his efforts were, of course, bloodless. He died a few years ago, and now mulla Ilyas Chinioti has inherited his father’s mission which he performs in the same manner and style. Disinformation is an important element of this. We quote below only the headlines of his statement that was published by the daily ‘Amn’ of Faisalabad on 16 November, 2008:
American Zionists and Qadiani monsters spread tampered versions of the Quran all over the world. Alterations done to the Holy Quran. 44 chapters removed, as also various verses regarding Jihad and Faith. Corrupted version of the Quran was published in the US, then delivered to the government of Kuwait for distribution. The title of this corrupted version is Furqanul Haq. Chapters concerning Jihad and Faith have not been included in it. — Maulana Ilyas Chinioti
We are not in a position to comment on the authenticity of Chinioti’s statement, but it can be firmly asserted that ‘Qadiani monsters’ have played no part in it. His accusation is another one of his numerous lies.
The Amn reported that ‘Member of the Punjab Assembly, Maulana Muhammad Ilyas Chinioti disclosed all this to our correspondent on telephone, on return from his successful moralizing tour (Tablighee Daurah) of South Africa.”
The King and We
United Nations: According to a press report in the Daily Times of November 13, 2008 King Abdullah, the initiator of the global dialogue on interfaith, told the gathering of over 60 representatives from around the world that roots of all global crises could be found in human denial of eternal principles of justice. The paper reported the event under the following headline:
Abdullah preaches peace, tolerance at interfaith moot
(Excerpts): Advocating peace, justice and tolerance as the key Islamic values, King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday said religions should not be used as ‘instruments to cause misery.’
“Human beings were created as equals and partners, either they live in peace and harmony, or they will inevitably be consumed by the flames of misunderstandings, malice and hatred,” he said in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly, APP reported.
The king is right. But one is immediately reminded of the sad state of religious intolerance in his own country that became manifest in an incident two years ago when the Saudi religious police raided the Ahmadiyya center at Jeddah at about 2.00 P.M. on December 29, 2006. The police detained all the Ahmadis present there including women, children and an 8 month old infant. Some of the arrested were handcuffed and even shackled. All these innocent prisoners were maltreated for reasons not stated. They were then put on expulsion notice, although Amnesty International appealed to the Saudi Arabian authorities to halt the expulsion of all those targeted solely for their actual or suspected connection with the Ahmadiyya religious community. The Daily Times made an editorial comment on the incident in its issue of January 11, 2007 and gave it the title: Islamic cleansing. The Saudi authorities however persisted in their persecution drive and expelled almost all these Ahmadis. All of these had been legally working in the kingdom for years. None has been allowed to come back.
In these circumstances, all concerned, but more than others the good Saudi monarch should think over the advice of the UN Secretary general Ban ki-moon offered at the same forum: “The challenge now is to go beyond the powerful, positive words we have heard these past two days”, and proceed with the implementation of his own advice.
Ahmadis behind bars
Mr. Muhammad Iqbal was imprisoned for life in a fabricated case of blasphemy. He was arrested in March 2004, and is now incarcerated in the Central Jail, Faisalabad. An appeal lies with the Lahore High Court against the decision of the Sessions Court. It is registered as Criminal Appeal No 89/2005. He is now in the fifth year of his imprisonment.
Three Ahmadis namely Messrs, Basharat, Nasir Ahmad and Muhammad Idrees along with 7 others of Chak Sikandar were arrested in September 2003 on a false charge of murder of a cleric, alleged by opponents of the Jamaat. The police, after due investigation found no evidence against the accused. Yet these men still faced ‘complaint trial’ for a crime they did not commit. Based on the unreliable testimony of the two alleged eye-witnesses (who were proven false in the court) the court acquitted seven of the accused, but on the evidence of the same two liars the court sentenced these three innocent Ahmadis to death. They are being held in a death cell at a prison in Jehlum, while their appeal lies with the Lahore High Court. These innocent are now in the sixth year of their incarceration. Their appeal to the Lahore High Court is registered as Criminal Appeal No. 616/2005 dated 26 April 2005.
Dr. Muhammad Asghar was arrested on a fabricated charge of blasphemy. The judge rejected his plea for bail.
Rana Khalil Ahmad, an elderly and disabled gentleman, is detained for allegedly writing a letter to a cleric.
From the press
Two motorcycle riders fired at and assassinated Mr. Ghazanfar Ahmad Chattha, an Ahmadi divisional inspector and missionary.
The daily Nawa-i-Waqt, Lahore; November 19, 2008
We will resist construction of Qadiani house of worship in Dipalpur.
The daily Nawa-i-Waqt, Lahore; November 11, 2008
CM (Chief Minister) dismisses threat of Talibanisation (in Sindh)
The daily Dawn, Lahore; November 30, 2008
Religions should not be used to create misery. — King Abdullah (of S.A.)
The daily Dawn, Lahore; November 13, 2008
(Reminds one of maltreatment of Ahmadis in Jeddah in 2006. Ed.)
The challenge now is to go beyond the powerful, positive words we have heard these past two days. — Remarks of Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon at press conference after the Culture of Peace meeting held at UN headquarters on 12, 13 November, 2008 at the initiative of Saudi King Abdullah
www.un.org/apps/news/infocus
The conduct of extremist mullas is entirely un-Islamic. — (Governor) Salman Tasir Our highest priority is to promote peace in Pakistan. To achieve that, inculcate tolerance, patience and forbearance as a part of your syllabus. Inform the new generation candidly that what the extremist ulama do in the name of Islam, has nothing to do with Islam.
The daily Ausaf, Lahore; November 28, 2008
Black man in White House
The daily News, Lahore; November 06, 2008
Chenab Nagar: A depot of (civic) problems
The daily Jang, Lahore; November 29, 2008
False claimant to ‘Prophethood’ should be hanged in public. — Maulana Rabnawaz Farooqi
The daily Jinnah, Lahore; November 29, 2008
Suicide attack in Bajaur mosque. Nine including the leader of the Lashkar killed.
The daily Nawa-i-Waqt, Lahore; November 21, 2008
Suicide attack in Hangu mosque; 5 dead
The daily Jang, Lahore; November 23, 2008
Violence breaks out after blast kills 10 in DIK (at funeral). Death toll in Khar mosque suicide attack rises to 12
The Daily Times, Lahore; November 22, 2008
Bomber strikes Salarzai Jirga in Bajaur, kills 22
The Daily Times, Lahore; November 7, 2008
Suicide bomber kills eight soldiers
The Daily Times, Lahore; November 03, 2008
Eight killed in Kohat, Hangu Six men, a woman and a child were killed in Kohat and Hangu districts in incidents of sectarian violence on Tuesday.
The daily Dawn, Lahore; November 26, 2008
Maulana Abdul Aziz set free on condition not to visit the Lal Masjid
The daily Ausaf, Lahore; November 06, 2008
JUI (F) gets huge military land Durrani admits, JUI spokesman denies allotment; Qazi Hussain Ahmad shocked
The daily News, Lahore; November 02, 2008
Maulana Muhammad Khan Shirani [of JUI(F)] appointed (new) Chairman of Islamic Ideological Council Dr Khalid Masood (who recently proposed women-friendly amendments to marriage laws) is relieved of his post (as chairman)
The daily Jinnah, Lahore; November 30, 2008
Dawat-i-Islami congregation concludes (at Multan) Three-day congregation……concluded……attended by one million faithful
The daily Frontier Post, Lahore; November 03, 2008
(Why deny the same privilege to Ahmadis in Rabwah? — Ed.)
Alternate site designated for reconstruction of Jamia Hafsa Lal Masjid administration has also given its consent. Madrassah will be built in Sector H-8. The decision to free Maulana Abdul Aziz and reconstruction of the Jamia at alternate site was taken during Ramadan.
The daily Ausaf, Lahore; November 19, 2008
Anti-Christian violence claimed 100 lives in India
The daily Dawn, Lahore; November 26, 2008
Crack down against moneychangers. 12 arrested including Munaf Kalia. 10 billion dollars sent abroad illegally
The daily Nawa-i-Waqt, Lahore; November 9, 2008
Firing in Karachi; 8 dead, dozen of vehicles set on fire; shoot on sight order against armed persons.
The daily Jinnah, Lahore; November 30, 2008
Two constables booked for robbery (in Rawalpindi)
The daily Dawn, Lahore; November 22, 2008
Mumbai under attack Over 80 killed in series of gun and grenade attack in India’s financial hub.
The Daily Times, Lahore; November 19, 2008
Op-eds
Without honour in his own land — Prof Salam
…Salam stands as the excellent physicist of the Islamic world for a 1000 years. Not since the 11th century polymath Ibn al-Heytham has there been a more influential figure in the field… (In modern times) not since Einstein has any one scientist been so influential on the world stage. It is to Pakistan’s eternal shame that its greatest scientist was not acknowledged because of a narrow-minded intolerance towards his brand of religion. I believe that until Salam is given the respect he deserves there can be no true Islamic renaissance in science.
Jim al-Khalil’s review in the New Scientist of 5 July 2008 of Gordon Fraser’s book “Cosmic Anger: The first Muslim Nobel Scientist” published by Oxford University Press
Pak TV channels — from medium to tedium
If the anchor is bringing in ads and money he can actually cause people to be killed after declaring them defective in faith, and get away with it.
Khalid Ahmad in The Friday Times of November 7, 2008
Zia-ul-Haq
One needs to point out that before Zia-ul-Haq, people refrained from wearing their Islam on their sleeve. Much changed with him and there are no signs of recovery or any lessening of the hypocrisy that passes for belief.
Khalid Hasan in The Friday Times of November 28, 2008
The President’s speech at the UN
…… During Ms Bhutto’s two stints in office, she was unable to stand up to religious extremists in Pakistan and did nothing to repeal the discriminatory laws against Ahmadi Muslims. While her husband’s rhetoric on Thursday was a step in the right direction, it rings hollow. If Mr. Zardari really wants to be an example of Muslim tolerance, he needs to repeal the amendments and ordinances in Pakistani constitution that disenfranchise millions of voters and ban religious freedom for an entire population. Ironically, at the end of his speech, Mr. Zardari said, “Injustice and discrimination on the mere basis of one’s faith must be discouraged – not only in words but through meaningful actions.” Here’s hoping he finds the courage to follow his own advice.
Posted by Ismat Mangla in the Washington Post on November 29, 2008
Footage shot by the ABC shows Indonesian military and police officers meeting with Muslim clerics to plan persecution of an Islamic sect.
Official Blasphemy by Pakistani Authorities
Pakistani authorities removed Kalima and Names of Allah from Ahmadiyya Mosque in Lathianwala near Faisalabad, Punjab. Approximately 300 Policemen and Elite Force commandos raided Ahmadiyya houses on 10th August, 2009 to commit the shameless act of Official Blasphemy having “NO FEAR” of Allah, the Almighty.
Mob attack on Ahmadiyah Muslims in Umbulan Village, Indonesia
A Mob comprising of 1,500 religious fanatics, chanting slogans to destroy Ahmadiyah, attacked a house used by Ahmadiyah members for prayers in Umbulan Village, Cikeusik Sub district, Pandeglang District, Indonesia. About 20 Ahmadiyah followers were present in house when attackers started destroying the house, put various vehicles on fire. Three Ahmadis were brutally beaten to death after they were stripped while five sustained serious injuries. An Ahmadi who managed to save his life by showing his press card recorded this tragic incident. WARNING: This video contains some scenes of extreme violence, not fit for viewing by children or persons with weak hearts. Viewer discretion is strongly advised. ________________________
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