Minority rights: Silence, increasing intolerance make for another grim year

Pakistan

Minority rights: Silence, increasing intolerance make for another grim year

By Ali Usman
Published: December 29, 2011

Minority communities, activists suffered huge setbacks in 2011, beginning with the deaths of Taseer and Bhatti. DESIGN: FAIZAN DAWOOD

LAHORE: Silence became the biggest atrocity against minorities in Pakistan this year. With the rise of the phenomenon of crushing the voice of minority advocates and increasing intolerance, 2011 remained a grim year for minorities in the country.

The year opened with the assassination of then Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer by his own security guard Mumtaz Qadri in Islamabad on January 4. Taseer was killed for speaking against the blasphemy law and raising a voice in favour of Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death on charges of blasphemy.

Minority rights activists believe that the incident was a huge setback as not only did they lose a supporter, but the PPP-led government also distanced itself from those who supported amendments in the blasphemy law.

What was equally tragic, if not more, was the fact that Qadri was hailed as a hero by many. “The assassin of the governor who happened to be his guard was garlanded by a group of people. This raised many questions about the protection of minorities,” said Executive Council member of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Nadeem Anthony.

The second major setback followed closely, with the murder of late minister for minorities Shahbaz Bhatti on March 2 in Islamabad.

Bhatti also supported Aasia Bibi and had been playing a role in bringing amendments to the blasphemy law.

“The interior minister has said that the extremist group Sipah-e-Sahaba is behind his murder, yet they are still at large,” said Anthony.

Another tragic incident occurred in Mastung, Balochistan on September 20, when 29 people, mostly from the Hazara Shia community, were killed in two separate targeted incidents.

According to data gathered by The Express Tribune, from 1986 to 2011, at least 39 people booked under the blasphemy law have been killed before or during their trial. Of these, 18 were Christians, 16 were Muslims, two were Ahmadis, one was Hindu and two were unidentified.

Less killings, increasing Intolerance

“The situation of religious minorities in Pakistan progressively worsened,” stated the Working Group on Communities Vulnerable, established by the HRCP.

The group referred not only to violence against members of religious communities but also against the growing intolerance in society.

The group, in its report ‘Life at Risk’, noted that threats to religious minority communities have grown in direct proportion to a rise in militancy. “The factors for the rise in excesses against religious minority communities include not only the advance of militants and religious extremists but also the government’s failure to protect the basic human rights of these communities. No law can make anyone like a person, but if the law and the textbook label a citizen as inferior and another as superior, feelings of dislike increases,” the group maintained.

National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) Executive Head Peter Jacob told The Express Tribune, “The number of discrimination cases against minorities in Pakistan in 2011 isn’t as much as it used to be in previous years; however the scale is larger this year. The phenomenon to silence the voices that speak for minorities is more dangerous and terrible and this is what happened this year”.

Positive steps for minorities

In 2011, several positive laws for minorities were also made. The Hindu Marriage Act has been submitted in the National Assembly and the government is considering making it a treasury bill, Jacob said.

The draft of Christian Marriage and Divorce Act has also been reviewed and is likely to be tabled in parliament.

“For the first time, four seats have been reserved in the Senate for minorities for which election will be held in March,” said Napoleon Qayyum, a Christian rights activist.

Way Forward

The working group further suggested that the quota reserved for minorities must be strictly observed. The group suggests that the lack of tolerance for religious minorities stems from textbooks, which should impart knowledge about all religions in Pakistan.

It suggests that all discriminatory laws against minorities should also be abolished and the National Commission for Minorities should be developed into a body that is independent and powerful.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29th, 2011.

Copyrighted © 2011 The Express Tribune News Network
URL: http://tribune.com.pk/?p=313492

Harassment: Three Ahmedis accused under blasphemy laws

Pakistan Punjab

Harassment: Three Ahmedis accused under blasphemy laws

By Rana Tanveer
Published: December 24, 2011

“298 Ahmedis had been charged under the blasphemy laws since 1984,” a spokesman for the Jamaat-i-Ahmediya.

LAHORE: The police have registered cases under the blasphemy laws against a student and his father in Khushab and a headmaster in Gujrat, all three of them Ahmedis.

Sajeel Ahmed, 18, of Khushab was accused of making derogatory remarks about the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) in a first information report (FIR) registered under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), which carries the death penalty. The complainant is his classmate Waqas Nadeem, who said that Sajeel had tried to convert other students and made remarks that hurt their religious sentiments.

Sajeel’s father Hakim Jameel was accused of describing his son as a Muslim in his school admission form, an offence under Section 298-C of the PPC with a penalty of up to three years in prison. The complainant in the case is Qari Saeed Ahmed, who submitted that “the Muslims of Khushab are worried about the increasing number and activities of Qadianis in the city”.

Mujahid Ahmed, Sajeel’s brother, said that the police had registered the cases under pressure from religious leaders. “They have been making announcements at local mosques against Ahmedis and taking out protest rallies,” he said. He said that Qari Saeed had a long-term dispute with his father over property. He said that Saeed’s own son, a former teacher of Sajeel, had given police a statement in support of Sajeel. Previously, Jameel had said the charges against them were baseless.

Meanwhile in Gujrat, the police registered a case against Basharat Ahmed, headmaster at Government High Schools Kang Chanan, Gujrat, under Section 295-B of the PPC. He is accused of defiling the Holy Quran, an offence that can be punished with life imprisonment.

Ahmed allegedly snatched Arabic books from students who were cheating during exams at his school and threw the books in a pond. The complainant, Qari Mazhar Zargar, accused him of defiling Quranic verses written in those books.

Mubarik Ahmed Chaudhry, the brother of the accused headmaster, said that no one from the school had joined the case against his brother. He said that Zargar was being directed by people who had a property dispute with his brother.

“The teachers have all given statements to the police backing my brother. The police have been put under pressure by clerics here. The case has been registered six days after the alleged incident,” he said.

Sub Inspector Akhtar Shah, the investigation officer for the case, said that the headmaster had been arrested and investigations were ongoing.

A spokesman for the Jamaat-i-Ahmediya said that the community faced “an organised campaign of hatred and persecution” in Pakistan. “The campaign of hatred has reached new heights where even educational institutions are not safe for Ahmedi students and teachers,” he said.

“Such baseless cases against Ahmedis will not deter us,” he said. “This is not the first time that such cases have been registered against Ahmedis and will not be the last one. As in the past, these cases will also be proven false.”

He said that since 1984, 298 Ahmedis had been charged under the blasphemy laws.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 24th, 2011.

Copyrighted © 2011 The Express Tribune News Network
URL: http://tribune.com.pk/?p=311084

W. Java the ‘least tolerant province’

NATIONALTue, 12/20/2011 11:25 PM

W. Java the ‘least tolerant province’

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A survey by human rights watchdog Setara Institute has found that West Java was the least tolerant province in 2011, registering the largest number of religious violence cases.

Throughout 2011, West Java saw 57 incidents involving government-endorsed discriminatory policies, instances in which government officials condoned acts of violence against minority groups, the closure of places of worship and religiously motivated killings.

In the survey, South Sulawesi ranked second place with 45 incidents, followed by East Java and North Sumatra in the third and fourth position with 31 and 24 incidents, respectively.

Banten, which saw the Cikeusik Ahmadiyah lynching in April, and West Nusa Tenggara were both in fifth position with 12 cases each. Bali and West Kalimantan were found to be the most tolerant provinces.

“This high number of violence and discrimination indicates that the government has done little to mitigate religious acrimony. The numbers remain high compared to last year’s,” Setara Institute chairman Hendardi said Monday.

Hendardi attributed the violence to President Susilo Bambang Yu-dhoyono’s lack of leadership.

“The President is even powerless in the face of opposition from Bogor Mayor Diani Budiarto, who refuses to obey the Supreme Court’s ruling to reopen GKI Yasmin Church and let its members practice their faith freely,” he said.

The survey also found correlation between religious conflicts and the level of urban spread.

“We found that the more urban an area, the more likely religious conflicts will occur,” Setara Institute deputy chairman Bonar Tigor Naipospos said.

The Setara Institute recorded 244 incidents in which religion was cited as the cause.

The survey also found that government officials owned the biggest share of the blame in allowing religious conflict to happen. A total of 105 incidents were initiated by government officials.

Members of the National Police were responsible for 40 cases, the Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel for 22 cases, regents and mayors 18 violations, governors 10 violations and the Religious Affairs Ministry nine violations.

Setara also cited the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) and the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) as non-governmental organizations that registered the highest number of discrimination cases.

Setara researcher Ismail Hasani said religious conflicts peaked between February and March, when locals in Cikeusik attacked members of the Ahmadiyah sect.

“Following the incident, two churches were burned down in the same month, which heightened tension between the majority Muslim and minorities groups for the rest of the year,” he said.

Ismail added that the increasing religious conflict could indicate hypocrisy on the part of the government.

“We recorded that the President made at least 19 public statements encouraging religious harmony. However, change could hardly happen in the coming years because those around the President include people from several political parties who oppose religious freedom,” Ismail told The Jakarta Post.

According to the Setara Institute, the Ahmadiyah suffered the worst type of discrimination in 2011.

It recorded 22 policies, including 15 ordinances, issued by local governments that promoted animosity toward the sect. The policies include the Religious Affairs Ministry’s decision to prohibit Ahmadiyah members from performing the haj pilgrimage to Mecca. (msa)

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved
URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/...province.html

Bleak prospects for Ahmadis

ARCHIPELAGOMon, 12/19/2011 11:50 PM

Bleak prospects for Ahmadis

Panca Nugraha, The Jakarta Post, Mataram

Hopeful eyes: Children pose at an Ahmadiyah shelter in Mataram, Lombok. Members of the religious community have been largely shunned by society, and their future as part of Indonesia’s workforce and as citizens is looking bleak. The 33 families of the community have lived in the shelters since they were evicted from their homes six years ago. JP/Panca Nugraha

The Ahamdiyah community comprises about 140 people and 33 families who have been forced to take shelter in Wisma Transito in Mataram after they were evicted from their homes six years ago.

The outreach program provided by the NTB provincial administration, involving the NTB Agency for Political Affairs and National Unity and a number of clerics, has not been effective, the Ahmadis say, while the West Lombok regency administration has backtracked from its promise to compensate assets they were forced to leave behind in their village.

An early estimation revealed that their assets, comprising 21 houses and land, were valued at Rp 1.4 billion (US$155,000).

“The outreach program, they said, would last for six months from June until December was in fact carried out for only two months. It began early on in the month of Ramadhan and ended just after Idul Fitri,” Nasiruddin, one of the Ahmadis, said recently when interviewed at Wisma Transito.

He is a respected member of the Ahmadiyah community, often playing the role of advisor.

Nasiruddin accused the government of not being serious about resolving their problem.

The condition of the Ahmadiyah refugees in Wisma Transito, which is located around 2 kilometers from the NTB gubernatorial office, has not improved. The community still lives in makeshift quarters made of cloth and used banners.

Two infants were in the community in November, bringing the total number of babies born in the community since they were evicted to 18.

“I gave birth at Mataram General Hospital for free, thanks to the Delivery Assurance program, but we faced difficulties in applying for the Jamkesmas and Jamkesmasda health insurance because we don’t have identity cards,” said Maemunah, 25.

She was carrying her baby, Noval Syaif Irfan, who was born on Nov. 15, while eight pre-school-aged children were cheerfully playing around her.

Ahmadiyah is considered by mainstream Muslims as heretical. Ahmadiyah communities across the country have been persecuted by their fellow Muslims, and in some severe instances have had members seriously injured or killed.

In a number of provinces, local administrations have banned the sect citing security concerns.

Ahmadiyah members in West Lombok say they continue to be persecuted.

Amaq Marsudin, 52, who suffers from kidney failure and requires regular dialysis, was rejected by the NTB General Hospital because he did not have an identity card.

“He was admitted to the hospital for two weeks but did not receive dialysis because he is not covered by Jamkesmasda as he doesn’t have an identity card. Finally, we brought him back to Wisma Transito and he has resigned his fate to God,” Nasiruddin said.

According to Nasiruddin, during the e-ID card campaign program in Mataram in October, the Ahmadiyah refugees tried to apply for ID cards at the Mataram Population Agency.

However, they were turned down on the grounds that they were only temporary residents.

“The West Lombok regency administration also refused to issue us ID cards. Actually, we only requested residence identity permits. It doesn’t matter if we don’t live in West Lombok, but owning an ID card is important for access to healthcare and education programs, especially as an ID card proves citizenship status,” he said.

The Ahmadiyah refugees endure living at the shelter despite that most of the families are in dire financial straits. In general, the men seek a living as construction workers, ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers, barbers and hawkers.

Sarim Ahmad, 45, for instance, owns a chicken noodle cart now. He had worked for a fritter seller earlier.

“I saved up my salary to make a cart to sell noodles, and the proceeds are not bad,” he said.

The NTB provincial administration had initially promised that the outreach program provide startup capital for the refugees.

However, for Sarin, it was all just talk and no action.

“They promised to provide startup capital, but have failed to do so as of now. Furthermore, we prefer to be independent because the assistance is a loan in nature and we have to pay installments,” he said.

West Lombok spokesman Ispan Junaedi said the administration would never compensate the assets of Ahmadiyah members in Ketapang because funds set aside for that purpose in 2010 and 2011 had not been realized “because the refugees raised the amount”.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved
URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/12/19/bleak-prospects-ahmadis.html

Blasphemy charges: Out of fear, Ahmadi family on the run

Pakistan Punjab

Blasphemy charges: Out of fear, Ahmadi family on the run

By Rana Tanveer
Published: December 15, 2011

Teenager accused of making derogatory remarks against Holy Prophet (PBUH).

LAHORE: Blasphemy allegations continue to haunt minorities in Pakistan.

Aalmi Majlis Tahafuz Khatm-e-Nabuwat (AMTKN) activists alleged that 16-year-old Sajeel committed blasphemy by making derogatory remarks against the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and his father, Rana Hakim Jameel, had done the same by portraying Sajeel as a Muslim in his school admission form.

Denying that he ever put down Islam as Sajeel’s religion and all other allegations levelled against his son, Jameel’s was a different tale.

According to him, the allegations stemmed from a school fight.

The school principal overheard some students abusing Sajeel and beat them up. The students later accused Sajeel of telling on them and beat him up. When Sajeel actually went to the principal to complain, he learnt that the students had “made up a story, telling the principal they had attacked him because he had made blasphemous remarks”.

Later, Haji Aslam, the school principal, expelled Sajeel.

Fearing their safety, the two have been on the run ever since the charges emerged.

While the police have yet to register an FIR against the accused, they have already started conducting raids for their arrests.

A member of the accused family, Rana Asfandyar, 18, was arrested by the police, who allegedly pressurised the young student to reveal his brother’s whereabouts, Asfandyar’s older brother, Rana Mujahid told The Express Tribune.

At local mosques, various religious scholars were fuelling a hate campaign against Ahmadis, Mujahid alleged, adding that evoking such hatred among the public could prove dire for his family.

However, Khushab police station SHO Raja Arshad told The Express Tribune that since the family refused to tell them about Sajeel’s whereabouts, the police had brought Asfandyar in to record his statement at the DPO’s office. Arshad denied that they had detained the boy.

Mujahid alleged that religious scholars Qari Saeed and Waqas Ahmed were producing “false witnesses” before the police.

SHO Arshad said that they were still in the process of recording the statements of witnesses, and hence, were unable to conclude their investigations.

Meanwhile, Jameel alleged that a property dispute could also be a reason behind the accusations.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 15th, 2011.

Copyrighted © 2011 The Express Tribune News Network
URL: http://tribune.com.pk/?p=306901

Ahmadiyah bans: Legal justification for intolerance?

OPINIONSat, 12/10/2011 9:27 AM

Ahmadiyah bans: Legal justification for intolerance?

Ati Nurbaiti, Canberra

As of September this year, at least 26 regencies and municipalities have passed bylaws restricting or banning the Ahmadiyah sect, 11 of them in West Java alone, according to a list from the National Commission on Violence Against Women.

Some were issued after the murderous assault on the sect in Pandeglang regency, Banten, in February 2011; including the Banten bylaw itself. The Commission has said women and children of the sect were the most vulnerable in the attacks, which according to the Setara Institute have included 342 cases of assault from 2007 to 2011. This also includes the resettlement of an entire Ahmadiyah community to an island off Lombok.

The local regulations justify other citizens and authorities into closing down Ahmadi mosques, forcing them out of their homes, or ordering them to denounce Islam if they insist on their beliefs. Unlike mainstream Muslims, the Ahmadiyah do not believe that Muhammad is the last prophet, saying they differentiate between prophets and messengers.

However, Muslims have said this is their excuse to hide their real beliefs; that the Ahmadiyah have frequently violated the joint ministerial decree on their sect by proselytizing; and that the attacks on them would stop — if only they would drop their teachings, or declare that they are no longer Muslims.

The bylaws and the joint ministerial decree, revived in 2008, refer to the 2005 non-binding fatwa of the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) which states the Ahmadiyah is deviant; and also the 1965 Law on Blasphemy, which was upheld in 2005 by the Constitutional Court in its ruling against a group of human rights advocates who wanted it annulled. The plaintiffs had said the blasphemy law was no longer relevant for a democracy since it was issued under martial law in 1965.

The movement to annul the 1965 law and those advocating an end to prosecuting minorities, pursue entirely different reasoning from groups who are sealing the Ahmadiyah mosques, often accompanied by local police.

The first argues that the state of a democratic country should not decide which Islam is “right”. The second wonders out loud why the state is leaving Muslims to take matters into their own hands, because, they say, it is evident that Ahmadiyah should be banned, based on the 1965 law, the joint ministerial decree and the MUI fatwa.

A glimpse at news reports in the wake of the Feb. 6 attacks shows that a number of these reports asserted or implied that the real victims were not the Ahmadiyah, whose three members were mobbed and killed, with helpless police officers looking on — all on display to the world thanks to YouTube.

According to the sources in the reports, such as in CyberSabili and hidayatullah.com, the real victims were the Muslims, because the Ahmadis, who insulted Islam, and blatantly defied all civilized requests to stop proselytizing, gained all the sympathy. The “victimization” of Muslims is traced to the marginalization and suppression of Islamic expression by Soeharto, apart from reports of intelligence operations against Muslim activists.

That the Ahmadiyah were not the real victims in the February assault would not necessarily be the majority view; a poll involving 3,000 respondents found most rejecting violence in the name of religion. The July poll by the Setara Institute was conducted in 47 regencies and municipalities in 10 provinces.

But if most Indonesians agreed with these respondents, it doesn’t explain all those bylaws restricting the Ahmadiyah, emerging right under the nose of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The passing of the bylaws had no difficulty, it seemed, even though the regional autonomy law states that religion should be regulated by the state. But similarly, Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali and Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi have voiced their opinions that the state should ban or dissolve the Ahmadiyah instead of only restricting their activities.

So are Indonesia’s Muslims becoming increasingly intolerant? Many say tolerance is not the issue, for the Ahmadiyah has insulted Islam.

Leading lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution told a recent discussion in Canberra that he had a hard time convincing President Yudhoyono that the Ahmadiyah had constitutional rights as a minority — and thus the President may have been persuaded against an outright ban. The ministers overseeing the joint ministerial decree restricting the Ahmadiyah also have a constitutional reference; that religious freedom is limited in respect of followers of other faiths.

The International Crisis Group had recommended an independent body to work out a strategy for religious tolerance; such a body would have to deal with this legal confusion stemming from demands to “protect” the Muslim majority against “deviants”, through rulings such as a state ban on the Ahmadiyah.

Malaysia may seem tragic to many of us as its activists say ordinary citizens, including Muslims themselves, cannot speak out against increased state regulation of Islam, lest they would be considered un-Islamic.

But the incidences of Malaysians’ violence against minorities do not come anywhere close to our long list. Should we be proud of outdoing Malaysia?

The author is a staff writer at The Jakarta Post.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved
URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/12/10/ahmadiyah...intolerance.html

For minorities in Pakistan, persecution never ends

Pakistan Punjab

For minorities in Pakistan, persecution never ends

By Abdul Manan
Published: December 4, 2011

Dug out, desecrated graves at the Ahmadi graveyard.

DUNYAPUR: Even in death, the Ahmadiyya community faces persecution.

In a gruesome incident late Saturday night, 29 graves in an Ahmadi graveyard were desecrated in Dunyapur, district Lodhran, around 100 kilometres away from Multan.

The community’s spokesperson Saleemuddin told The Express Tribune that unidentified people entered the graveyard and broke the plaques (katbe) of a large number of graves, while digging around 29 others. Only two graves that were made of marble were left concrete, he said.

Saleemuddin said local representatives of the community have approached the police and submitted an application for legal action, but no investigation has been undertaken so far. Police officials have asked the community to first rebuild their graves after which the issue would be further investigated, he added.

DPO Lodhran Agha Muhammad Yusuf while talking to The Express Tribune confirmed that the graveyard had been desecrated, adding that the area’s DSP is looking into the matter. The DPO said he would look into the case after investigations are completed.

The graveyard is said to be established in 1976, but Saleemuddin claimed that said it was made 80 years ago.

Religious tension is high in Dunyapur where around 15 families belonging to the Ahmadiyya community reside.

Saleemuddin said that around six months ago, a private school run by a member of the Ahmadiyya community was forcefully closed down by residents. People took to the streets and to shut the school where many Muslim children were being educated free of cost, he said.

The next face of persecution may be the take over business and properties of the community, he feared.

Unfortunately, this is not the first such incident. Around two months ago, another Ahmadi graveyard located in Haveli Majokan district Sargodha was dug up, humiliating and angering community members.

He said the incidents of desecrating graves of the Ahmadiyya community have increased over the last few months. He said that till now, a total of 30 such cases have been recorded in the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 5th, 2011.

Copyrighted © 2011 The Express Tribune News Network
URL: http://tribune.com.pk/?p=302105

Blasphemy allegations: Ahmadi family under threat from clerics

Pakistan Punjab

Blasphemy allegations: Ahmadi family under threat from clerics

By Rana Tanveer
Published: December 1, 2011

“The police should come and see me. If I go to the police station, thousands of Muslims will come with me and there will be unrest,” Qari Saeed.

LAHORE: An Ahmadi family in Khushab says it is being victimised by local clerics who instigated the expulsion of a 16-year-old from his school and are now pressing the police to register blasphemy cases against him and his father.

The father, Hakim Jameel, told The Express Tribune that activists of the Aalmi Majlis Tahafuz Khatme Nabuwat (AMTKN) were also trying to get his other two sons expelled from a college where they are ICom and BSc students.

AMTKN members insisted that the 16-year-old student of class 10 and his father had both committed blasphemy. They also made thinly-veiled threats to this correspondent not to publish this story.

Qari Saeed, the divisional president of AMTKN, and Waqas Ahmed moved the application seeking a case under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code against Rana Sajeel, 16, for allegedly making derogatory remarks about the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), and under Section 289 against his father Rana Hakim Jameel for allegedly describing Sajeel as a Muslim in the school admission form.

The law does not permit anyone to call Ahmadis Muslims. Jameel denied putting down Islam as Sajeel’s religion, saying he had put down Ahmadi, as he had done when his other sons were applying to colleges.

He said the allegation against his son stemmed from a fight at school. He said that the school’s principal had overheard some students abusing Sajeel and had beaten them up. The students accused Sajeel of telling on them and beat him up. Sajeel then went to the principal to complain. “They made up a story, telling the principal they had attacked him because he made blasphemous remarks,” Jameel said.

He said that the principal of Al-Tahir Public School, Haji Aslam, was an AMTKN supporter and had lost an eye during a protest organised by the group. “The principal expelled my son and then got together with other AMTKN activists to lodge a police complaint,” Jameel said.

He said since the family had been accused of blasphemy, the AMTKN had been organising meetings at a mosque near their residence where they made inflammatory speeches. “People have turned against us,” he said. “We are under serious threat.”

He said that a property dispute may also lie behind the accusations. In August 2011, the Jamaat-i-Ahmadia had moved the courts against a woman named Zaibun Nisa who had tried to sell off land belonging to the Jamaat as her own, he said. Her grandfather had donated the land to the Jamaat in his will, he said.

The court ordered the registration of a case against Nisa and four others for fraud. She spent about three weeks in jail, before she announced that she was renouncing the community and moved in with Qari Saeed. He also arranged for her bail, Jameel said.

Qari Saeed said that he had no doubt that the police would register the blasphemy cases as “hundreds of students” had told him about the incident. Asked why he had not contacted the Khushab DPO when he was summoned as part of the investigation, he said: “The police should come to me if they need me. If I go to the police station, thousands of Muslims will come with me and there will be unrest.”

He admitted that Zaibun Nisa and her family were residing with him, but insisted that had nothing to do with this case. Asked about the property dispute, he lost his temper and hung up. Shortly after, a man identifying himself as AMTKN secretary general Abdullah phoned this correspondent and sought the address of The Tribune offices, saying he would send over some Lahore-based activists. As of late Wednesday night, they had not arrived.

A relative of Qari Saeed who taught at Al-Tahir School, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that Sajeel had been his student and he did not believe that the boy had made blasphemous remarks. He said Saeed had a deep personal hatred towards Ahmadis.

Khushab DPO Imran Mahmood said that he was personally investigating the case and would not register the FIRs without substantial evidence. He said he would decide the applications in a few days.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 1st, 2011.

Copyrighted © 2011 The Express Tribune News Network
URL: http://tribune.com.pk/story/300305/...from-clerics/

Persecution of Ahmadis Spreads

Persecution of Ahmadis Spreads

By Zofeen Ebrahim

KARACHI, Nov 22, 2011 (IPS) — “Hatred against us has now spread to small towns and villages,” Saleemuddin, spokesperson of the persecuted Ahmadiya community in Pakistan, told IPS.

The Ahmadis believe that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, a 19th century cleric, “was the messiah promised by God”. Such beliefs are seen by orthodox Muslims as unacceptable. Pakistan has declared its four million Ahmadis to be non-Muslim.

Speaking to IPS over the phone from Rabwah – a city in the Punjab province also known as Chenab Nagar – which is 95 percent Ahmadi, Saleemuddin added, “We are in a fix – if we say we are Muslims, we will be charged and sentenced; but we cannot say we are non-Muslim when we are Muslims.”

On May 28, last year, 94 members of the Ahmadi community were massacred in their mosques during the Friday congregation in the eastern city of Lahore. Since then, Saleemuddin said, there has been a marked increase in persecution, with 11 more people killed.

Last year, the Punjab government made it mandatory for students to reveal whether they were ‘Muslim or non-Muslim’ before being admitted to school or college, or even before registering for the board exams.

Two months ago Raziatul Bari, a 23-year-old English teacher at Chenab Public School in the Punjab village of Dharanwali, was sacked from work. The same afternoon ten students – some from Chenab Public School and some, like four-year old nursery student Manahil Jameel, from the Muslim Public School – were expelled.

Yasser Arafat, the principal of Chenab Public School, told IPS, “The teacher was preaching her faith in school despite warnings, so she was asked to leave. The students left in protest.”

Arafat charged that the students and the teacher want “international attention so they can seek asylum.”

Bari, who had studied at Chenab Public before becoming a teacher there, said she had never faced a problem like this before.

“It all began a few months ago when a cleric came and poisoned our village,” she told IPS. Following the cleric’s visit, Arafat asked Bari on several occasions to convert to Islam. “Each time I would tell him I was a Muslim,” Bari said, adding that her insistence was in vain.

Of the 210 households in Dharanwali, Bari says just nine belong to Ahmadis, who live in constant fear.

“Today our children have been expelled from schools, tomorrow we may be forced to leave our homes. Where will we go?“

For years Ahmadis in Pakistan have kept a low profile, living in constant fear and humiliation. Now the hatred has spread and the oppressors have become more belligerent, which has led to several instances of overt faith-based persecution.

In June, pamphlets listing the names and addresses of Ahmadi families alongside messages inciting murder were distributed in the Punjab city of Faisalabad. Several months later 55-year-old Naseem Ahmed, whose name had appeared on that list, was shot dead in his home.

In another case, the local cleric of a small village in Punjab issued a severe edict after seeing the sons of a deceased Ahmadi offering funeral prayers for their father: “Anyone who offers prayers for a kafir (an infidel, in this case an Ahmadi) gets expelled from Islam.”

This anti-Ahmadi sentiment is not restricted to Punjab alone. In Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, a group of clerics forced an Ahmadi to ‘renounce’ his beliefs, warning him that if he refused his business would be set aflame and he would be killed.

According to Pakistan’s constitution, the Ahmadi minority cannot call themselves Muslims, are banned from referring to their places of worship as mosques and cannot even sing hymns in praise of Prophet Muhammad.

Meanwhile the government of Pakistan has updated the electoral list for the forthcoming 2013 national elections to include a new column for religion, meaning that if Ahmadis choose to cast their vote, they will be forced to mark this new form, thereby accepting their designated ‘status’ as non-Muslim.

The new form states that any citizen who declares himself a Muslim also affirms that “he believes in the finality of Prophet Muhammad; that he is not a follower of any person who claims to be a prophet after Muhammad and does not call himself an Ahmadi.”

Qari Shabbir Ahmed Usmani, a leading cleric for Khatme-Nabuwat Momin, one of the several religious movements in Pakistan that aims to protect the sanctity of Prophet Muhammad, has been living in Chenab Nagar since 1976. He believes that if the constitution has declared Ahmadis non-Muslim, they should accept that status if they want to continue living in the country.

“They lead astray the true believers and want Pakistan to disintegrate. They are enemies of our country,” Usmani said, adding he has never maintained any “social contact” with Ahmadis.

But Ali Dayan Hasan, the Pakistan director of Human Rights Watch, told IPS that the government’s move to update the electoral lists was a “historical blunder”, adding that the “unwillingness” of the government to either repeal or amend discriminatory legislation has made it “complicit” in abuses perpetrated against the Ahmadis.

Since 1974, various civilian and military governments have passed a series of ordinances that discriminate against Ahmadis.

Hasan said, “the legal apartheid that the state instituted against Ahmadis in 1974 has led to increased social apartheid over the decades.”

Describing the recent expulsion of students and the teacher in Dharanwali as “obscenely abusive”, Hasan said Pakistan’s state and some sections of its society “appear determined to deny Ahmadis, Christians and any others who question bigotry and prejudice any place at all in the social fabric.”

Saleemuddin, too, blames the government for stoking hatred against his community. “It has allowed extremist clerics to hold hate campaigns against our community,” he said.

Rights groups and the usually raucous media have been virtually silent in the face of such blatant discrimination. “The role of the media in our society is deeply flawed,” Kamila Hyat, a rights activist and journalist told IPS. “The same biases that pervade the rest of society also influence the reporting of these cases.” (END)

Copyright © 2011 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved.
URL: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=105923

City closes Ahmadi mosque, denies religious prejudice

CITYSat, 11/19/2011 11:40 AM

City closes Ahmadi mosque, denies religious prejudice

Andreas D. Arditya, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Jakarta administration denies any religious predilection in sealing off an Ahmadiyah mosque in East Jakarta this week.

Jakarta Deputy Governor Prijanto said that mosque was shut down because it violated a building permit.

Prijanto did not consider that the Ahmadis had unsuccessfully proposed to the local administration to convert the building permit from a private residence to a public building.

The Ahmadis had held religious services there for 21 years.

“Our local official sealed the building off after sending warning letters,” Prijanto told reporters at City Hall on Friday.

On Thursday, officials from the East Jakarta Building Supervisory Agency (P2B) and the City Public Order closed down At-Taqwa mosque after claiming that the owners of the premises had misused the building permit issued for the premises.

Prijanto said that issues regarding the Islamic sect had been decided by the central government through a ministerial decree.

The head of the East Jakarta branch of the Ahmadiyah, Aryudi Muhammad Shadiq, said the management of the mosque was fully aware of the building violation.

Aryudi said that they had been proposing to the local administration to convert the building permit from that for a private residence to one for a public building, but to no avail.

He questioned the city administration’s decision to seal off the mosque after allowing it to remain open for the past 21 years.

Following the closing of the mosque, a local Islam Defenders Front (FPI) branch said that they would monitor the sect’s activity and report to the city administration should the sect continue performing their religious services there.

Separately on Friday, Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Untung Suharsono Radjab held a meeting with a number of mass organizations, including those notorious for their violent behavior, in Central Jakarta.

Untung said that the meeting was to seek input from the organizations regarding security issues in the capital. The police chief warned that members of any organization who resorted to violence and violated the law would be penalized. “We will process them according to the law.”

Three years ago, the central government issued a joint ministerial decree banning members of the Ahmadiyah Indonesia Congregation (JAI) from propagating their religious beliefs, but allowed them to maintain their faith and perform their daily religious duties.

The decree was followed by a number of regional administrations issuing bans to prevent members of the Ahmadiyah sect from practicing their faith in public.

Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo also planned to issue a similar ban, but backtracked after realizing that such bylaws were illegal.

The Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Ministry said that the local administration could not issue ordinances that went against the Constitution, which guaranteed the freedom of faith and worship.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved
URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/...religious-prejudice.html

City seals off Ahmadiyah mosque in East Jakarta

CITYFri, 11/18/2011 10:41 AM

City seals off Ahmadiyah mosque in East Jakarta

The Jakarta Post

East Jakarta officials sealed off a mosque belonging to a group of Ahmadiyah followers in Duren Sawit on Thursday, saying that the place of worship violated zoning regulations.

Officials from the East Jakarta Building Supervisory Agency (P2B), accompanied by public order officers, closed down At-Taqwa mosque after claiming that the owners of the premises had misused the building permit issued for the premises.

In the eviction notice, the P2B said that a building permit had been issued for a private residence, but owners had used the premises as a house of worship. The agency claimed that three warning letters had been issued before the eviction.

The head of the East Jakarta branch of the Ahmadiyah, Aryudi Muhammad Shadiq, said the management of the mosque was fully aware of the building violation.

“We have been trying to convert the building permit from that for a private residence to one for a public building, but to no avail,” he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Aryudi said that bureaucratic red tape had hampered the congregation in obtaining a new building permit. “We spent six months on completing all the required documents. But we didn’t get it,” he said.

He suspected that officials of the B2P had intentionally thwarted their efforts to get a new permit.

“We feel like the city administration doesn’t support our efforts to get a new permit for the mosque,” he said.

Aryudi also questioned the city administration’s decision to seal off the mosque after allowing it to remain open for the past 21 years. “Why now and not years ago? We have never caused problems in the community,” Aryudi said.

Since the founding of the mosque in 1990, members of the Ahmadi congregation have performed their rituals in peace and locals had never lodged any complaints.

A local Ahmadi cleric living in Duren Sawit, Muhammad Diantono, said the Ahmadi community had been in the area since 1967. “They are all locals who have lived in the area for years. They have become part of the community,” he said.

Diantono said that Ahmadis in the area had voluntarily reduced the time they spent on rituals in the mosque even though the East Jakarta administration had made no move to restrict their freedom.

Lately, At-Taqwa had held daily prayers only. Previously, the management of the mosque held a weekly sermon and Koran recitation for its 300 members.

“Ahmadis in several areas may deal with tighter local regulations, but we have been fine here. Yet, we decided to reduce the time we spent at the mosque to prevent possible conflict,” he said.

An East Jakarta Islam Defenders Front (FPI) member, Subhan Amir, said that it was still possible that conflict in the area could result from Ahmadis conducting their rituals at the mosque.

“The mosque is a dangerous place for people living nearby because the Ahmadis can be a bad influence. And now locals have realized how dangerous their beliefs are,” he said.

Subhan said the FPI supported the B2P’s decision to shut down the mosque.

“We will keep an eye on the mosque and if we find that the Ahmadis are still conducting their rituals, we will file a report with the city administration,” said Subhan. (lfr)

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved
URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/...east-jakarta.html

House told to scrap ‘intolerant’ bill

HEADLINESTue, 11/15/2011 12:23 PM

House told to scrap ‘intolerant’ bill

Ina Parlina, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The House of Representatives has completed a draft of the so-called religious tolerance bill, which observers claim would threaten the very essence of pluralism and tolerance.

The draft bill, which would regulate religious sermons and segregate graves within public cemeteries according to religion, is seen by some as a potentially giant fan that would spread the growing flame of religious intolerance that has sparked violent conflicts across the nation over the past three years.

The bill does not propose an alternative regulation to the current problematic house of worship licensing system that majority groups have used to make it difficult for members of minority religions to congregate for religious prayers in several regions.

Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy head Hendardi said that if passed, the House-initiated bill would likely legitimize restrictions against minorities for the sake of harmony.

He questioned Article 1 Point 4, which defines blasphemy as any act or interpretation of a religion beyond the scope of that religion’s basic teachings.

“Religious harmony is impossible unless religious freedom for every citizen is guaranteed. Therefore, the state must punish all groups that attack this freedom,” he said.

“We need a bill to eliminate religious discrimination, rather than this sort of tolerance bill.”

“Thus, Setara urges the House of Representatives to bin the draft and arrange a new one based on plurality, equality and religious freedom.”

Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim majority nation, and also a home to many religions and multi-ethnic groups, has been celebrated worldwide as a champion of cultural and religious pluralism.

However, teachings of the Islamic minority sect Ahmadiyah have been deemed heretical and blasphemous by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI). Followers of the faith have been increasingly targeted in recent years by violent groups who have persuaded several local governments through intimidation and rallies to ban the sect “to maintain security in their regions”.

In February, three Ahmadis were murdered in a mob assault on their community compound in Cikeusik, Banten. The attackers were believed to be members of Islamic hard-line groups. Despite video evidence showing the perpetrators commit the crimes, only a handful were brought to court, where they were handed light sentences of several months each.

Setara recorded 50 separate attacks against Ahmadis in 2010.

The much criticized government licensing process for houses of worship is at the heart of an ongoing legal conflict that has stopped a Christian congregation from holding Sunday services in their own church in Bogor, West Java.

The Bogor administration has persisted on banning the GKI Taman Yasmin congregation’s members from conducting religious services in their church despite that the congregation has received permission to do so from the Supreme Court.

Bogor Mayor Diani Budiarto recently filed a lawsuit against the church, alleging that the petition of local consent used by the congregation to gain approval to build the church contained forged signatures.

The Indonesian Ombudsman has issued a statement saying that Diani’s new evidence is not relevant because GKI Yasmin produced the signed petition in 2002, whereas the allegedly false petition was dated 2006.

“The bill is likely to nurture tyranny of the majority. We must know that there is no single majority group in Indonesia. The tyranny of the majority in a certain group might trigger vengeance toward it in the area where it is a minority,” said Catholic priest Benny Susetyo, who is also the chairman of the Indonesian Bishops Conference (KWI) inter-faith dialogue division.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved
URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/...intolerant-bill.html

Blasphemy not a crime: UN official

NATIONALFri, 11/11/2011 11:30 AM

Blasphemy not a crime: UN official

Bagus BT Saragih, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Amid various acts of discrimination and the persecution of followers of the Ahmadiyah sect, a UN official says blasphemy should not be categorized as a crime.

Frank William La Rue, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, said blasphemy may indeed come from someone who disrespects a religion but that this should not be seen as a criminal action.

“I understand that religion, as well as philosophy, is in the world of context of spirituality and concept and idea, and therefore they are open to discussion and debate, which should never be charged with blasphemy law,” Frank told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the Asia Civil Society Consultation on National Security and Right to Information Principles, at a hotel in Jakarta on Thursday.

“I believe in respect, but I don’t believe respect can be achieved through censorship,” he added. “Europe also has a blasphemy law and I think that is a mistake.”

Frank cited article 20 of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, which stipulates that all states should prohibit the incitement to hatred hostility and violence and to any form of discrimination on the basis of race, religion or nationality against anyone.

In Indonesia, the covenant was ratified in 2006.

Several Islam groups have been repeatedly urging for the disbandment of the Ahmadiyah sect in Indonesia, saying it is a deviant sect that is blasphemous against Islam.

Members of the groups insist that the government has the authority to ban Ahmadiyah under the old 1965 Law on Blasphemy.

The sentiment was seen earlier this year in a fatal incident in which an Ahmadiyah sect in Cikeusik, Banten, were brutally attacked by a mob in February, leaving three of its members dead and many others injured. Video recordings of the incident were later distributed online, resulting in a public outcry, however, those responsible for the violence received comparitively light sentences.

In 2008, the leader of the Salamullah (God’s Kingdom of Eden) sect, Lia Aminudin, was also detained by police and charged with blasphemy.

In 2010, a number of NGOs concerned with human rights filed for a judicial review at the Constitutional Court, challenging the law against the 1945 Constitution. The petitioners said article 28 of the Constitution guarantees every citizens’ religious rights.

The court, however, denied the request and upheld the law.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved
URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/...official.html

Monthly Newsreport - Ahmadiyya Persecution in Pakistan - September, 2011

Convert teacher shot dead in school at mid-day

Farooqabad, District Sheikhupura; October 1, 2011: Mr. Dilawar Hussain, an Ahmadi teacher in a local primary school was shot dead at about 12:30 by pillion riders. One bullet hit him in the neck and another in the stomach. He was taken to the hospital but he died en-route. The attackers fled after the attack.

Mr. Hussain joined the Ahmadiyya community a year ago. This angered his relatives, who used various means to make him recant, but he remained firm in his new confession. A group of mullas visited him a few weeks ago, and while departing declared him ‘wajib ul qatl’ (must be killed). The authorities failed to provide him any support in exercise of freedom of belief.

The deceased is survived by his wife and four children. He was 42.

Mullas are free in Pakistan to declare anyone Wajib-ul-Qatl (must be put to death); there is no law against such declarations, which are often followed up by target killings. While Ahmadis are the usual victims of this violent indiscretion, non-Ahmadis also are targeted. Governor Salman Taseer was one of them.

There is urgent need to criminalize edicts of Wajib-ul-Qatl. Bangladesh passed such a law in the recent past.

Another murder attack in Rachna Town, Lahore

Rachna Town, Ferozwala, District Lahore; September 7, 2011: Khatme Nabuwwat Organization considers 7 September an important date and celebrates it every year, because in 1974 on this date Ahmadis were declared a non-Muslim minority by the state. This year, religious bigots chose this day to make a murder attempt in Rachna Town where last year they had murdered Professor Muhammad Yusuf and got away with it – thanks to intervention of a local political heavy-weight of PML (N).

Unknown pillion-riders fired pistol shots at Mr. Basheer Ahmad the local secretary of public affairs of the Ahmadi community, at about 11 a.m. He was hit by four bullets in the neck, shoulder and stomach. Three of these remained embedded while the fourth shot to the shoulder came out at the other end. Mr. Ahmad was rushed to Mayo Hospital where he was attended by a competent surgical team in the ‘emergency’ room. They took out the bullets from the stomach and the neck. His vertebrates and entrails were damaged. They had to undertake a colostomy. It took them many hours of surgical operation, and they had to use four bottles to replenish his lost blood. His state was precarious for hours, and they shifted him to the Intensive Care Unit after the operation. Fortunately he survived.

Days later he was shifted to another hospital for medical care and recovery. He had to be provided an armed guard to ensure that he is protected against a repeat attempt.

As the local Khatme Nabuwwat chapter of TAKN (Tajdar Anjuman Khatme Nabuwwat) is intensely involved in anti-Ahmadi activities, a number of activists reportedly fled from the area to avoid arrest.

Ten days after this incident the local leaders of the TAKN in Ferozwala filed a dacoity complaint with the police against unnamed accused, reportedly as ‘FIR insurance’ against an accusation of involvement in the murder attempt on the Ahmadi. Humayun Akhtar, younger brother of TAKN Ferozwala president Afzal Tahir, was the complainant of the dacoity case. The Express Tribune reported the following on September 20, 2011, ‘Sources in the police said that Tahir, Qari Muhamamd Ahmad Faridi and two other prominent TAKN members contacted the police and asked them not to allow TAKN people to be named in the FIR. They said that PML (Nawaz) MPA Ashraf Rasool, who is also a member of TAKN, had also approached the (police) station house officer on this matter.’

The same newspaper quoted a local as, “The TAKN is very strong here. They have renamed the crossing where Chaudhry Basheer was attacked and are calling it Khatme Nabuwwat Chowk. The bazaar is being called Khatme Nabuwwat Bazaar.”

A few days earlier mulla Muhammad Ahmad Faridi, the Khatib of the local Khatme Nabuwwat mosque issued a poster titled: “Khatme Nabuwwat doctrine is the foundation of Islam”. Its contents include, inter alia:

These people (Ahmadis) call Mirza Qadiani a Prophet (Nabi), and a Messenger (Rasul); they consider his diabolic inspirations holy revelations and call his nonsense ‘Hadees Rasul’. They call his cursed colleagues Companions of the Messenger, and call the corrupt family of the cursed Mirza ‘Ahle Bai‘at’. Hence Mirzais are not only Kafir (infidels), they are also guilty of blasphemy against the Prophet, the Quran, the Companions and the Holy Family. Mirzais call themselves Muslims despite all their nonsense, trash and bull. … They are traitors to Islam and the country.

From: Muhammad Ahmad Faridi,
Khatib Jame Masjid Khatme Nabuwwat,
Rachna Town, Ferozwala, Street No. 26
Contact # 0322 48 67977

Such propaganda can only lead to incidents of murder and assault, as those in Rachna Town. If the authorities do not take notice of the criminals who give their addresses and phone numbers on posters, it only shows that they support such crimes and lawlessness against Ahmadis.

Mr. Riaz Ahmad of Rachna Town, a friend of Mr. Basheer Ahmad the victim of the attack, has received serious threats from unknown men. He has little option except moving elsewhere – a painful choice.

Unending state-supported anti-Ahmadiyya agitation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir

September; AJ&K: Although general elections were held recently in Azad Kashmir and a new government has taken over, sectarian and extremist elements have not only maintained their agitation against the Ahmadiyya community but also have raised its level to a threatening point. This is done with the collusion of ruling politicians.

Recently Ch. Abdul Majeed, the prime minister visited a religious center at Faizpur run by Mulla Atiq-ur-Rehman (MLA), and while making uncalled for remarks against the Ahmadiyya community was reported by the press in a headline as:

Qadianis’ activities will be watched in Azad Kashmir – Ch. Abdul Majeed

The daily Nawa-i-Waqt, Rawalpindi; September 9, 2011

At the same occasion, Mulla Atiq-ur-Rehman was reported by the same newspaper to have said:

Muslim children should never be taught by Qadiani teachers (in public schools). Qadianis can exist here only as a non Muslim minority. … They are not allowed to practice Islam. (etc)

In view of the above, the Director Public Affairs in the Ahmadiyya head office at Rabwah wrote the following letter to the President of Pakistan and a similar one to the President of Azad Kashmir (translation from Urdu):

Nazarat Umoor-e-Aama Sadar Anjuman Ahmadiyya Rabwah (Pakistan) Ph: 047-6212459 Fax: 047-66215459 nuasaa@hotmail.com To, Honourable Asif Ali Zardari President, Islamic Republic of Pakistan Subject: Anti-Ahmadiyya activities — a request to restrict them Greetings For some time now there has been increase in organized anti-Ahmadiyya activities in Azad Kashmir. Unfortunately these elements have been patronized by the government of Azad Kashmir. Ch. Abdul Majeed the prime minister of AJ&K and Pir Atiq ur Rehman, member of the AJ&K Assembly and President of Jamiat Ulama Jammu and Kashmir are in the lead of such activities in public rallies. These people have been mentioned in the news for their anti-Ahmadiyya activities since the 2011 general elections. They add to sectarian strife by making adverse comments against the Ahmadiyya community. Since the PPP took over the government in AJ&K, elements opposed to Ahmadis keep issuing press statements on the issue of posting and transfers of Ahmadis in public service. These elements freely proclaim Ahmadis as Wajib-ul-Qatl and urge the people to undertake Jihad against them. An organized campaign is underway to declare Ahmadis a minority and to curb their religious freedom on the same lines as Pakistan did in 1974. Fabricated accusations are leveled against the founder of Ahmadiyyat; this could lead to tragic consequences. The grave situation prevailing in the country requires that such activities should be curbed and the authorities should not support them. Such anti-Ahmadiyya activities are a conspiracy and a plan of religious extremists and anti-social elements, in the holy name of religion. These are basic to the spread of sectarianism. Unfortunately, the electronic and print media also provide them partial support. Consequently, hundreds of Ahmadis have been killed for their faith. Assaults and countless other hate-promoting activities and incidents are over and above these murders. Sir, you are the head of the state of Pakistan, and the co-chairman of the PPP as well. Your party is at the helm of affairs in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir. As such you bear double the responsibility. These issues which are closely related to the peace and co-existence in the country deserve your immediate attention and action. We hope that you will take appropriate action. Sincerely, Saleemuddin Director Public Affairs Rabwah (Chenab Nagar) District Chiniot

Update on the murder in Faisalabad

It was reported last month that Mr Naseem Ahmad Butt was martyred in Faisalabad on September 4.

Khalid Pervez Butt, his brother told the daily Express Tribune, “The boys were between 20 and 25 years old. Three of them kept a watch on the door as one kicked my brother. When he was awake, the killer said, ‘You are an Ahmadi, and liable to be killed’”.

An FIR was lodged in the local police station but the police and the authorities have visibly taken little action. The situation remains tense for Ahmadis.

“Faisalabad has become one of the toughest cities in Pakistan for Ahmadis to live in,” Syed Mahmood Ahmad, secretary of the Faisalabad chapter of Jamaat Ahmadiyya told TNS. “Naseem Butt was neither an active member of our Jamaat nor was an influential person. He was killed only because of his religious beliefs. Within days after his killing, unidentified people have written slogans like ‘Slaves of the champions of Prophet (PBUH)’ and ‘Down with Qadyaniat’ on the walls of Muzaffar Colony,” he added.

The victim’s brother, Mr. Khalid Ahmad seems to be the next target of the extremist group who have already taken the lives of his brother and cousin. Some unknown people have been monitoring his movements for the last few weeks. They visited his work-place and obtained information about him. He is under stress. He has been advised to exercise extreme caution.

The state has done little to provide security to Ahmadis in Pakistan.

Anti-Ahmadiyya annual conference in Rabwah

Rabwah; September 7, 2011: A one-day ‘International Khatme Nabuwwat Conference’ was held at Jamia Usmania, Muslim Colony, Rabwah. This conference is held annually. Mullas avail this occasion for slander, provocation and making brazen demands.

The Director of Public Affairs, Ahmadiyya headquarters, wrote a letter to federal and provincial authorities on August 18, 2011 requesting them to take appropriate action regarding the Khatme Nabuwwat Conference scheduled for 07 September, 2011. It stated:

“Ahmadis in Rabwah, make up 95% of the population and yet they are not allowed to hold their annual conferences and other programs, but their opponents are regularly facilitated to transport vigilantes from outside to Rabwah, hold conferences, take out processions, abuse Ahmadi leaders on loudspeakers, indulge in insulting acts, make mischief and create a threat to law and order. “… “In view of the grave situation prevailing in the country, it would be appropriate to cancel this conference, and provide no official support to its sponsors. However, if decided otherwise, the participants should be made to use only main roads, refrain from harassing women, slogan-raising, improper use of sound amplifiers and posing a threat to the town’s law and order through hateful sectarian speeches.”

No action was taken by the authorities. Mullas were fully facilitated to hold this conference. This conference started at 12:00 p.m. on September 7 and lasted till 3:15 a.m. next day. Five sessions were held in all. The attendance initially was 200 – 300, however in the last session it rose to 1400.

Twenty-two mullas addressed this rally. They all spoke against the Ahmadiyya community. They promoted hatred, animosity and used obnoxious language against the leaders of the Ahmadiyya community. The sessions were chaired by Maulvi Abdul Hafeez Makki from Saudi Arabia and Ahmad Ali Siraj from Kuwait. Some of the prominent clerics who addressed the crowd:

	Maulvi Muhammad Kafayat Ullah, MPA KP
	Ghulam Fareed Paracha, General Secretary Jamaat Islami
	Maulvi Zahidul Rashidi
	Qari Shabbir Usmani, Faisalabad
	Maulvi Ataul Muhaiman Bukhari, Multan
	Qari Zawar Bahadur, General Secretary JUP
	Maulvi Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, Lahore
	Maulvi Muhammad Ilyas Chinioti, MPA Chiniot
	Maulvi Muhammad Ahmad Ludhianvi, SSP, Jhang

This conference was given great publicity in the vernacular press.

The resolutions adopted were those that violated accepted norms of human rights and international covenants. They included the following, inter alia:

	A ban should be imposed on Qadianis’ activities.
	Add column of ‘Religion’ to the national identity card.
	Block the Qadiani MTA (TV channel).
	Implement Sharia as proposed by the Islamic Ideology Council.
	Change the name of Nusrat Jehan Girls College and School to Aisha Siddiqua, as Nusrat Jehan was the name of the wife of Mirza (Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian). Note: These institutions were built and established by Ahmadis, but were nationalized by Z.A. Bhutto regime.
	The respected Ulama are urged to issue weekly statements in support of Khatme Nabuwwat and against Qadianism.
	Quranic inscriptions written on Qadiani places of worship should be expunged.
	Entry forms to educational institutions should have an affidavit concerning Khatme Nabuwwat and denouncement of the founder of Ahmadiyya community.
	Government should bind Qadianis not to use the title of Islam.
	The school syllabus should include the subject of End of Prophethood.
	Qadiani religious endowments should be taken over by the state.
	Ban the Qadiani newspapers and magazines.
	Dismiss all Qadianis from the government services and the army.

Ahmadis of Rabwah had to take appropriate precautions. They closed down the bazaar, the educational institutions and asked their women to remain at home. The law enforcement agencies also remained vigilant.

Ahmadis – narrow escape

	Sheikhupura

September, 2011: Mr. Tariq Mahmood Bhutto is the president of his local Ahmadiyya community. He was returning home from his factory, Serena Dying, when he was chased by two men on an unregistered motorcycle. The man sitting at the back fired a shot in the air and signaled to stop the car. Mr. Bhutto stopped the car and slouched to save himself from the second shot. The second shot became jammed in the pistol and the villains decided to flee. They went towards Sheikhupura city. Mr. Bhutto had a complaint registered in the police station against unknown persons.

	Sialkot

August 25, 2011: Mr. Abdul Hameed Gondal is an office-holder of the local Ahmadiyya community. He owns a shop, Gondal Electronics in Urdu Bazar, Sialkot. He was in his shop along with his son and brother when a youth, approximately 25 years old, entered the shop, pointed his pistol at his son and said, “You have been given three warnings, and now your time has come.” He demanded twenty-five thousand rupees. At that time a vehicle of Elite Force (a law-enforcement agency) pulled up outside his shop by chance. Two of his accomplices who were on guard outside the shop alerted him and they ran away. This saved the situation. A few days earlier two mullas had come to Mr. Gondal’s shop and threatened him in loud voice. Now Mr. Gondal is very upset at the hand of extremist mullas. The authorities have done little to reassure him.

	Kotli, AJK

September, 2011: Raja Muhammad Iqbal was returning home when some religious bullies abused and harassed him. He did not respond to their provocation. Some nearby shopkeepers intervened and helped him out of this ordeal.

An Ahmadi youth roughed up badly

Baghbanpura, District Lahore; August 31, 2011: Aziz ur Rehman, Ahmadi went to a restaurant along with 8 non-Ahmadi friends. There, Tuti, a religious zealot, seated with a dozen of his pals, expressed anger at the sight of this Ahmadi and raised anti-Ahmadi slogans. Aziz’s friends tried to dissuade Tuti from agitation, but the miscreant decided to escalate the fuss. He is a younger brother of the powerful political theologian, Tahir Mahmud Ashrafi.

Tuti led his colleagues out of the restaurant and started shouting slogans in the street. He managed to assemble a big number of sympathizers. Aziz and his friends decided to leave the spot, but the miscreants held Aziz and two of his friends, and beat them up.

Someone informed the police who arrived and rescued the three detainees. Tuti, supported by a local mulla of the Khatme Nabuwwat faction, accused the three victims of blasphemy and made sworn statement in support of their false accusation.

By this time the people from Baghbanpura approached Tuti’s brother Maulana Ashrafi, and asked him to intervene and dowse the deliberately ignited fire. The mullas insisted that at least the Ahmadi should be charged of blasphemy. Then they suggested that the non-Ahmadi friends of Aziz should agree to accuse him of proselytizing and of arranging visits to Rabwah. They did not agree to the fabrication. Efforts for reconciliation went on till morning when the police obtained a peace-deal from the two parties.

Aziz has been advised by his elders to exercise care and not go out after sunset – at least for the time being.

Sectarian mischief persists in Pachnand

Pachnand, District Chakwal: Pachnand has been mentioned in our dispatches in the past few months. It has become a hot spot of anti-Ahmadiyya sectarian activities. Ahmadis have been under great pressure here for the last few weeks.

The mullas held a big rally here on May 26, 2011 in the name of ‘end of prophethood’. They used very insulting language against Ahmadi leaders and urged people to undertake violence and implement social boycott of Ahmadis.

In the months of June shots were fired at the Ahmadi prayer leader’s house at the time of Fajr (morning) prayers.

The situation worsened from July onward. A social boycott is now in place. Ahmadis are not sold any item at a number of shops. People have been told not to buy anything from Ahmadi shopkeepers. Transporters do not lift Ahmadis, at times.

During the months of August, mullas urged private-school owners to expel Ahmadi children from their schools. They succeeded in obtaining seven such expulsions. They have arranged harassment of Ahmadi children in public schools.

They scheduled a Khatme Nabuwwat rally at the Lorry Adda mosque for September 18 and have given it wide publicity. Two mullas, Abdul Rahman Usmani and Pir Abdul Shakoor Naqshbandi were in the forefront of this campaign. These people went to Muslim Colony in Rabwah to participate in the anti-Ahmadiyya rally held there on September 7. On their way back the next day, their car met an accident in which mulla Usmani died at the spot, while a 14 years old son of Pir Naqshbandi expired in the hospital, and the Pir himself had severe injuries.

Visit by a religious thug

Nilkot, District Multan; September 5, 2011: At about 5:00 p.m. a stranger knocked at the door of Rana Muhammad Akmal, Ahmadi. Akmal’s elderly father opened the door. The visitor who did not introduce himself poured out venom against the founder of Ahmadiyyat and read out from a leaflet fatwas (edicts) against Ahmadis. On inquiry, he stated that he is back from Afghanistan and is a resident in the nearby Naqshbandi Colony.

At that time, an Ahmadi cousin arrived and intervened. The visitor did not relent and threatened, “It is for you to choose the right path, otherwise we’ll show it to you. Quit Ahmadiyyat.” The unpleasant visit lasted many minutes. The visitor departed without disclosing his name.

Later enquiries disclosed that the man was Arshad Khokhar S/O Qari Ghulam Rasul Khokhar of Naqshbandi Colony. He was away in Afghanistan for two years where he received some training in militancy. He was in prison for eight months. He had bullet wound mark on his hand. More information about him is being sought.

Restoration of Ahmadiyya mosque – after six years

Khiva Bajwa, District Sialkot: Local Ahmadiyya mosque was sealed by the police on the demand of anti-Ahmadiyya elements on June 2, 2005. It was opened on August 21, 2011, and Ahmadis were allowed to pray therein.

Ahmadis, deprived of their mosque, had to offer their daily prayers at the residence of the local prayer leader. The case was referred to a court where it remained sub-judice for years.

Eight months ago, the opponents withdrew the case with the plea that they will re-file the case with convincing arguments. They did not do so till the end of the granted time limit. Eventually they decided to make peace and promised no further litigation.

The mosque structure has suffered due to years of disuse and neglect. It will need renovation before regular use.

Is it not unjust to deny right of worship for years to a community on flimsy grounds? The state and the society participated in this grave crime.

Ahmadis face opposition in District Layyah - again

Chobarah; District Layyah: Layyah in the Punjab is the district where in 2009 four Ahmadi school children were falsely accused of blasphemy, and consequently they suffered months of incarceration. This has encouraged miscreants to create problems for Ahmadis with the police and in the courts.

Mian Mohammad Khan, Ahmadi purchased 3 acres of land in Chobara approximately 40 years ago and got it properly transferred and registered. He transferred a plot of 2 kanals from his lot to the Ahmadiyya Anjuman for construction of a residence. The construction is complete.

A miscreant, who purchased adjacent land out of the original joint property has laid claim to the plot owned by the Ahmadi. He went to the court, however the court decided in favour of the Ahmadi. The disputant has gone in appeal.

In the meantime, the disputant along with his party attacked the Ahmadi and his daughter working on their own land; they were injured. The injured complained to the DSP who ordered that a case be registered. However, he ordered arrest of three individuals of each party.

The situation is a cause for great concern to Ahmadis. The opposition could enlist the support of clerics, and make it a religion-based dispute. All reasonable legal and security steps have been taken to contain the fall-out of the dispute.

Banned organization openly active against Ahmadis in District Hafizabad

Dahranwali, District Hafizabad: The situation in this town has been tense and volatile for Ahmadis during September. Mullas of the Ahle Hadith faction, supported by activists of the banned SSP and Jamaat Da’wa have been very active in fanning the fire of sectarian hatred, not only in Dahranwali but some other villages too where Ahmadis reside.

Early in the month, mullas had slogans written on walls concerning blasphemy and Ahmadis being Wajib-ul-Qatl (must be put to death). They announced it on loudspeakers that killer of an Ahmadi will have direct access to paradise. They disfigured a portrait of the founder of Ahmadiyya community and dropped copies of this leaflet in streets and inside Ahmadis’ homes.

Ahmadi elders therefore approached district administration and police authorities and requested intervention. The police sent for both the parties and told them to exercise restraint and pose no threat to law and order. Ahmadis readily accepted, while their opponents were not too sure. They held a rally on September 16, but refrained from using sound amplifiers.

On September 22, 2011 the Ahle-Hadith mullas held a rally in their central mosque in Dahranwai. They had obtained official permission to hold this rally which continued till 23:00. A number of audiences had come from neighboring villages. Maulvi Asad of Gujranwala, Maulvi Usama from Lahore, Maulvi Wahab from Hafizabad and Maulvi Faisal of Dahranwali addressed the crowd. The police were present in strength. This assured peace on that day, but the hate and prejudice preached that evening is likely to breed its violent cubs in the near future.

The day before, the religious bigots agreed on joint enforcement of ban on Ahmadis’ burial in the common graveyard. They demanded of the administrations of private schools to discharge Ahmadi children. Some children have accordingly been expelled from those schools.

Anti-Ahmadiyya agitation has also been reported in Kot Hasan Khan, Thatha Shamsa and Kot Shah Alam.

The sectarian situation in District Hafizabad is a cause for great concern to Ahmadis.

‘Qadianis’ accused of violation of the constitution

Lahore: September 10, 2011: It was reported last month in some detail that according to the fresh instructions of the Election Commission, separate voters’ lists are to be prepared for Ahmadis – despite Joint Electorates. Any applicant who requests registration as a Muslim voter has to sign a certificate that he has unconditional faith in the ‘end of prophethood’ and that he is not an Ahmadi. Ahmadis have decided not to participate in elections in view of blatant discrimination.

The daily Jang of September 10, 2011 reported in a three-column report that leaders of the Khatme Nabuwwat Lawyers Forum expressed strong objection to Ahmadis not accepting their non-Muslim status imposed on them by law. Extracts of the Jang report are translated below:

Chiniot: (correspondent) Malik Rab Nawaz Advocate Supreme Court of Pakistan addressed the conference and said that the parliament had accepted the unanimous resolution and declared the Qadiani and Lahori followers of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani Kafir (infidel), but this group has not accepted their Kafirana (infidel) legal status. He pointed out to Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhri, the Chief Justice that it is the duty of the Supreme Court to ensure implementation of the constitution. … He further asserted that Muslims have not usurped the rights of Qadiani and Lahori groups, but it is Jamaat Ahmadiyya that has usurped Muslims’ rights…”

This Forum is not content only with the discrimination against Ahmadis, it wants them to be punished for not accepting the discrimination.

Threat against worship inside a house

Sahwari, Mugalpura, Lahore; September 12, 2011: In view of difficulties imposed by authorities in having a mosque for worship, Ahmadis of Sahwari, Mugalpura in Lahore assembled for worship in the house of Mr. Bashir Ahmad. On September 12 approximately 50 locals came over to Mr. Bashir’s house. The intruders carried rods etc, and looked inflamed. Ahmadis were at prayers inside the house at about 8 p.m. They demanded from Ahmadis to stop assembling for prayers there and pray in their own homes privately if they wanted to.

All the protesters were of the same locality and most of them were youth. It is learnt that the mulla of a nearby mosque, Jamia Masjid Hanifa Ghosia, Qari Muhammad Ishaq is the agent-provocateur. He decided to remain away from the procession, but he regularly provokes people against Ahmadis in his sermons.

Hateful propaganda

	Sargodha

September, 2011: A provocative booklet, “Difference between Qadianis and other Infidels” of 24 pages, written by mulla Yousuf Ahmad Ludhianvi has been distributed in Sargodha.

	Bahawalpur

September, 2011: A one page pamphlet has been widely distributed in schools and colleges in Bahawalpur to agitate young students against the Ahmadiyya community. This has created difficulties for Ahmadi students. The title of the pamphlet is:

Friend of a Qadiani – Muslim or Infidel?
Unanimous Decree

It contains the text of a decree signed by seven mullas including Deobandi, Barelvi and Ahle-Hadith mullas. It ordains that one who has any relation with Ahmadis is outside the pale of Islam, and Muslims are duty-bound to boycott such a person.

Mr. Abdul Sattar Eidhi, the renowned Pakistani humanitarian is under the pressure of extremist religious groups these days for his contacts with the Ahmadiyya community. The community awards annually someone who has rendered outstanding humanitarian services anywhere. This year this prize was awarded to Mr. Eidhi. He could not be personally present at the ceremony to receive this award, however he sent his representative and a video message for the occasion. Religious bigots in Pakistan took exception to that. A pamphlet on this subject was also widely circulated in district Bahawalpur. The pamphlet denounces Mr. Eidhi for considering Ahmadis as Muslims. He is warned to abstain from such interaction in future, otherwise he would lose the cooperation of Muslim community.

Disturbing developments in various locations

	Badomalhi, District Narowal

September 7, 2011: A Khatme Nabuwwat conference was held here by Sunni Itehad. Several mullas including Hanif Rabani of Rawalpindi, Qari Muhammad Afzal of Data Zaidka and a son of Sarfraz Naeemi from Jamia Naeemia Lahore also participated. The speakers agitated the audience and used insulting language against the leaders of the Ahmadiyya community. The rally started at 8 p.m. and ended at 4:00a.m. Anti-Ahmadiyya literature was distributed among the 3,000 audience.

	Attock

September, 2011: The situation is getting worse for Ahmadis in this district for the last few years. Clerics are active in agitating the people against the Ahmadiyya community. They have been holding Khatme Nabuwwat conference annually for the last three years. This year this conference was scheduled for September 18. This conference is advertised through banners and posters in markets and residential areas. Abusive language has been used against the Ahmadiyya community at these occasions. Officials only attend these rallies, report and maintain their records.

	Mugalpura, Lahore

September, 2011: The mulla of the Masjid Hanifa Jhalar Wali, Shah Kamal Road, Mugalpura is very active against Ahmadiyyat. He speaks against the Ahmadiyya community at prayer times, more especially in Friday sermons. He delivered a venomous sermon on “The Doctrine of Khatme Nabuwwat and rebuttal of Qadianiat (Ahmadiyyat)” on September 2. He provoked the audience against Ahmadis and used abusive language against the leaders of the Ahmadiyya community. He declared Ahmadis infidels, apostates and Wajibul Qatl (must be killed). Ahmadis informed the authorities of this. The mulla however did not abide by the police advice, and kept on violating the Loud Speaker Act.

	Gogera, District Okara

September, 2011: Opponents of Ahmadiyyat undertook anti-Ahmadiyya graffiti in Gogera, District Okara. The people were provoked against the Ahmadiyya community in these writings. They were instigated to boycott Ahmadis. It is learnt that the real cause of this anti-Ahmadiyya campaign is a residential plot. Ahle-Hadith mullas are supporting the other party.

Harassment of an Ahmadi school teacher

Chak no. 55 GB, Jaranwala; September, 2011: Ms. Naheed Akhtar is serving as a PTC school teacher in Government High School in her village. There are anti-Ahmadiyya elements in this village among Ahle-Sunnat, Ahle-Hadith, Jamaat Islami and Tablighi Jamaat. Members of the Tablighi Jamaat are especially active against her. Anti-Ahmadiyya posters and stickers are pasted on walls in the village. A disfigured photo of the founder of the Ahmadiyya community is also pasted at a prominent location. The miscreant has displayed his phone number on it.

In response to baseless complaints against Ms. Akhtar, an investigation team comprising the police staff from Faisalabad and Jaranwala came over to the school and made enquiries about Ms. Akhtar. They asked students and other staff members whether she teaches them about the advent of any new prophet. They claimed to have been sent by the DCO Faisalabad. They did not disclose the name of the complainant(s).

Ms. Akhtar feels this is a threat to her career.

Unfriendly visit of a government official

Chak 363/EB, Vehari; September 2011: The situation in Vehari is worsening day by day against the Ahmadiyya community. The police erased the Kalima from an Ahmadiyya mosque in Chak 245/EB a few weeks ago at the demand of extremist mullas. These mullas are now planning the same for other Ahmadiyya mosques in the district. An ASI from the Special Branch visited Chak 363/EB. He inquired as to when the Kalima and the verse were written in the mosque. Ahmadis told him that those were written long ago at the time of its construction. He told Ahmadis that mullas were holding meetings and making hue and cry about the Kalima in their mosque.

A contemptible plan foiled

Rawalpindi; September 1, 2011: A man came over to the gate at the Ahmadiyya center in Rawalpindi at about 20:30 and attempted entry. He was stopped and interrogated to which his answers were unsatisfactory. So he turned back and went towards the Holy Family Hospital. The suspect was carrying a bag. When close to the hospital he took out something from the bag and threw it towards the washrooms. He left his bag there, and he was picked up from there by a vehicle.

Ahmadis reported the incident to the police.

The suspect’s visit to the Ahmadiyya centre and then to the Holy Family Hospital smells of some conspiracy hatched to implicate first the Ahmadis, failing that, the Christians. Fortunately the nefarious plan failed, and came to naught – for the time being.

A few days later, mullas held a rally close to the Holy Family Hospital, and spoke against the Ahmadiyya presence in their own centre.

“O ye who believe! Why do you say what you do not do?” – Al-Quran

Madina (News agencies): The daily Ausaf, Lahore reported on September 23, 2011 that King Abdulla of Saudi Arabia addressed an international conference and made some important comments. (Translated extracts):

Islam emphasizes tolerance and forbids calling others Kafir (infidels). — King Abdullah Islam cannot be spread through extremism, prejudice, killing others, terrorism and acts of destruction, nor do these help in attaining high objects. Extremism has no religion and is sans frontier. We shall continue to chase the misguided elements. The Servant of the Holy Sites’ address to the Conference

One can always learn from the past. There is credible evidence that in 1974, it was King Faisal of Saudi Arabia who induced Mr. Zulfiquar Ali Bhutto, the prime minister of Pakistan to declare Ahmadis a non-Muslim (Kafir) minority. Saudi authorities apparently did not become any wiser till 2007 when they arrested a large number of Ahmadis, including women and children, in Jeddah, maltreated them and extradited them only for their belief.

King Abdulla’s wise remarks are welcome. It is hoped that the authorities in Saudi Arabia will change their policy and implement in letter and spirit what the king has said.

Ahmadis behind bars

Four Ahmadis, Mr. Naseer Ahmad, Mr. Ameer Ahmad, Mr. Ameen Ahmad and Mr. Shahid Ahmad of Lathianwala have been wrongfully charged of murder in district Faisalabad with FIR No. 682/2010. A passerby was killed during an exchange of fire between Ahmadis and non-Ahmadis. The fire-fight broke out because Ahmadis had to defend themselves against perpetual harassment and aggression. The police could not specify whose bullet had caused the casualty; they arrested four Ahmadis, nevertheless. They have not been granted bail, yet; they are in prison since October 2010.

From the Media

Ahmadi shot dead in his house (in Faisalabad) The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 5, 2011

Ahmadi shot, injured ‘on Khatm-e-Nabuwwat Day’ The daily The Express Tribune; September 8, 2011

Khatme Nabuwwat conference (on 7 September) will prove to be the last nail in Qadiani coffin. — Shabbir Usmani The daily Jang, Lahore; September 4, 2011

Posting Qadiani teachers in educational institutions is a conspiracy against Islam and the government. — Pir Atiq ur Rehman (former minister AJK) The daily Ausaf, Lahore; September 5, 2011

Non believers in Khatme Nabuwwat are Wajib-ul-Qatl (must be put to death) — Ahle Hadith Youth Force The daily Nawa-e-Waqt, Lahore; September 20, 2011

Qadianis are a threat to national solidarity. — (Mulla) Abdul Aleem Yazdani The daily Al-Sharaq, Lahore; September 10, 2011

Chenab Nagar: Heaps of garbage; out break of malaria, hundreds admitted in hospitals. The daily Khabrain, Lahore; September 4, 2011

Chenab Nagar: Numerous robberies in one night. Police acts helpless. The daily Aman, Faisalabad; September 13, 2011

Unscheduled electric load-shedding in Chenab Nagar. Labour class severely affected. The daily Pakistan, Lahore; September 30, 2011

The government should keep careful watch on Qadianis and forbid their proselytizing. — Fazl Karim (MNA and Chair Sunni Ittehad Council) The daily Ausaf, Lahore; September 7, 2011

Qadianis should either accept Islam or their constitutional status — International Khatme Nabuwwat Conference. The daily Jang, Lahore; September 9, 2011

Supreme Court should investigate Qadiani role in Karachi unrest. — Fidayan Khatme Nabuwwat Conference (in Karachi) The daily Samaa, Lahore; September 9, 2011

Those who feel soft towards Mirzais are outside the pale of Islam – Fazl Karim The daily Al-Sharq, Lahore; September 19, 2011

The law of ‘death sentence’ should be imposed at the earliest to put an end to Qadiani mischief. The daily Nawa-e-Waqt, Lahore; September 5, 2011

Ousting of Qadianis remembered at rallies (in Lahore on Wednesday) The daily Nation, Lahore; September 9, 2011

Suicide strike on Lower Dir funeral leaves 26 dead The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 16, 2011

26 (pilgrims) shot dead in Mastung sectarian attack The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 23, 2011

Eid day suicide attack in Quetta claims 13 lives The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 3, 2011

Suicide blasts rock Quetta. FC brigadier’s wife, colonel among 28 killed. The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 8, 2011

KP: 12 killed in suicide bombing, ambush The daily The News, Lahore; September 3, 2011

Khatme Nabuwwat day celebrated with fervor (in Multan). The major event was organized by Jamiat Ulama Pakistan. The daily The Nation, Lahore; September 8, 2011

The HRCP has expressed concern at serious excesses against non-Muslims in Pannu Aqil, Sindh. … The HRCP has received reports of houses burnt, properly looted and women violated. This is absolutely intolerable. The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 10, 2011

Lashkar Jhangvi (terrorists) consort with officials in the Punjab. – Rehman Malik These members of Lashkar Jhangvi are active (despite ban) but no action is taken (against them). — Federal Interior Minister The daily Nawa-e-Waqt, Lahore; September 24, 2011

Islam teaches tolerance and forbids calling others Kafir. - King Abdullah The daily Ausaf, Lahore; September 23, 2011

The US hand in terrorist attacks. Speeches in the Khatme Nabuwwat Conference in Chenab Nagar (Rabwah) The daily Jang, Lahore; September 8, 2011

Pakistan escapes (US) list of states violating religious freedom The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 8, 2011

600 Jamaat (Islami) members arrested in Bangladesh The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 21, 2011

Suicide bomber attacks church in Indonesia; 27 injured. The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 26, 2011

JI says nation stands united against US The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 25, 2011

Saudi woman sentenced to 10 lashes for driving The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 28, 2011

France bans praying in the street The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 17, 2011

‘Take off veil’: Burqa banned in Switzerland too The daily Pakistan, Lahore; September 30, 2011

UK Muslims hold rally against extremism The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 25, 2011

Taliban suicide bomber kills Prof. Rabbanni (former president) The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 23, 2011

Alama Zaheer (of MJ Ahle Hadith) has had a long-standing, positive relationship with the US government. All moderate clerics consistently highlight the need for financial assistance. - Political Officer Hunt quoted in Wikileaks The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 10, 2011

PA (Punjab) for seeking ‘God’s forgiveness’ – Dengue outbreak The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 17, 2011

Religious leadership eager to get US aid - WikiLeaks The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 10, 2011

Pakistanis have $97 billion as personal deposits in Swiss banks. - Director Swiss Bank The daily Aman, Faisalabad; September 19, 2011

Over 25 pc of $56 bn foreign loan obtained by present govt (in 3 ½ years): report The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 25, 2011

PIA has 150 officers who get Rs. 500,000 monthly salary. The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 15, 2011 Note: Average income of a labourer in Pakistan these days is Rs. 7000 P.M.

18,532 registered madrassahs in country, NA told The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 13, 2011

Many in police are political appointees. – IG (Sindh Police) The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 10, 2011

Seven sentenced to death for Sialkot lynching The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 23, 2011

	Op-ed

Dr Salam, and 1974 Whilst the 1974 amendment in Pakistan’s constitution (regarding Ahmadis) was without doubt a turning point in Salam’s life, the events of 1974 had a far more cataclysmic effect on the future course of Pakistan. For the first time in Pakistan’s nascent history, the Islamists had scented blood and, having made the government bow to their demands, were at last, in the ascendancy. Munir Khan in the daily Times, Site Edition on August 24, 2011

Delusion, denial and ‘Dr’ Liaquat The reaction (to Liaquat’s exposure) exposes a deeper malaise in Pakistani society. As a people, we seem intrinsically drawn to egotists, narcissists and demagogues. We love the masala, drama and showboating these characters provide, whether it is a Bhutto, a Zaid Hamid or an Aamir Liaquat, we look to these people for simple answers to complex problems, preferring their demagoguery and simplistic solutions to the heavy lifting of using our own grey matter. The exposure of Aamir Liaquat exposes some of the country’s inherent contradictions and character flaws. My friend, Nadeem Farooq Paracha, often says that the problems with Pakistan aren’t economic, political or social – they are psychological. He has a point. We have developed a Stockholm syndrome with the egomaniacs on our screens. Falling in love with them rather than contemptuously rejecting them. And when they have been revealed to be phonies, we continue to delude ourselves into believing their bold faced lies. It is time we turned the alim-online, off. George Fulton in The Express Tribune, August 18, 2011

‘Crackdown’ no solution The trauma of multi-ethnic Karachi is linked to the nation’s low level of morality. Unfortunately, Pakistan has no moral leadership, and those who are called ulama are, with rare exceptions, religion peddlers seeking power, and pelf and abject self-projection. M.A. Siddiqui in the Dawn of September 13, 2011

Ineffectual ban Nearly a decade ago, in 2002, the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) a rabidly extremists group involved in a host of sectarian killings mainly in Punjab during the 1990s, was banned. Yet today, the organization remains active in effect. Most recently it has claimed responsibility for the death of three people in Quetta after a bus was fired upon in the Saryab Road area. … Op-ed in The News of September 27, 2011

Saint or Hypocrite? Technology can confirm the real Aamir Liaquat Liaquat is either a saint or a hypocrite. In the interests of accountability, we must allow Liaquat the opportunity to prove his innocence (one more time). If he is blameless, whoever tailored the ‘fake’ videos must be reprimanded (or made head of the Pakistani filmmaking industry). Ruining someone’s character is surely a serious crime. However, if Liaquat is hesitant to come forward with the ‘originals’, he should be taken to account for the deception of millions on television and for continued hypocrisy in the name of faith. If any television channels continue to host him still, they should also be taken to task for fraudulent conduct and boycotted in protest. What will Liaquat say next? Was he cloned for the tape? It’s a world of technology, after all. Kashif N. Chaudhry on twitter@KashifMD