Year 2010, bloodiest chapter in history of Ahmedi killings

Monday, March 21, 2011

Year 2010, bloodiest chapter in history of Ahmedi killings

By Afnan Khan

LAHORE: The year 2010 witnessed a series of intermittent persecutions of Ahmedis and can be labelled as the bloodiest chapter in the history of the minority’s killings in Pakistan with an unprecedented number of assassinations including a twin terrorist attack on their worship places in Lahore.

At least 98 people were gunned down for following Ahmedis’ religious beliefs, while 86 were brutally killed and 124 injured when terrorists attacked their worship places in the city last year on May 28. Separately, several others survived assassination bids during numerous incidents in different parts of the country.

Among the victims of the target killings was Professor Muhammad Yusuf, who was murdered by terrorists in his own locality.

Yusuf ran a small, charitable school at his house where he provided education to the poor and downtrodden children of Ferozwala area, irrespective of their colour, creed or caste. However, after Yusuf’s assassination, his own family was forced to flee to Sri Lanka in order to survive.

Separately, as per the annual report issued by the community’s information office, at least three Ahmedis were wrongfully booked under the blasphemy law and 67 others were unjustly charged with and dragged into religion-based cases.

The report also accused the civil judge Mirpur for sentencing three Ahmedis, namely Masood Ahmad Chandio, Abdul Razzaq and Abdul Ghani to three years of imprisonment in March 2010 under Ahmedi specific law. Meanwhile, three others, namely Muhammad Qasim, Mazahir Ahmad and Ahmad Yar, were arrested under PPC 298-C and 295-C on false accusation of preaching and blasphemy in Sargodha.

Other incidents involving injustices to Ahmedi citizens include handing over the control of an Ahmadiyya worship place in Ahmad Nagar to non-Ahmedis on January 14 last year as per the orders of the Chiniot District Co-ordination Officer and the denial of shelter and food to the flood affected Ahmedis in the ravaged areas of southern Punjab.

URL: www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\03\21\...pg13_5

TNR rally warns govt not to touch blasphemy law

Monday, January 10, 2011

TNR rally warns govt not to touch blasphemy law

*	Hundreds of thousands gather in Karachi to demand govt abolish committee set up to review law, withdraw bill from NA

Staff Report/Agencies

KARACHI: The Tehreek-e-Namoos-e-Risalat (TNR) and the All-Religious Parties Alliance held a massive rally on Sunday, 8demanding the government not touch the country’s blasphemy law, abolish the committee set up to review the law and withdraw the proposed blasphemy bill from the National Assembly.

Hundreds of thousands of people participated in the march from the Numaish Chowrangi to Tibat Centre. They raised placards and banners voicing their demands.

The size of the Karachi rally, which was large even by the standards of the city of 16 million, showed how bitter the argument is over the decades-old laws.

Tehreek-e-Namoos-e-Risalat convener and the chief of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP), Dr Abul Khair Muhammad Zubair, said it was a matter of regret that the present government had tabled a bill to amend the blasphemy law.

Dr Abul Khair gave a deadline of January 30 to the government to dissolve the committee that was formed to review blasphemy law. “Otherwise the next Tahafuz-e-Namoos Rislat March will be organised in Lahore on January 30,” he said.

Jamaat-e-Islami chief Munawar Hassan said the rulers intended to amend the blasphemy law at the direction of their Western idols. He said that he offers Altaf Hussain and Nawaz Sharif to come forward and take a stand in favour of the blasphemy law, as it was a matter of belief and religion for each Muslim. “They should come forward to make a statement on record in this regard, avoiding all minor or major differences,” he said.

Munawar demanded that Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani withdraw the bill, which was tabled “for the nefarious propose of amending the blasphemy law and the PM should give a policy statement on the floor of the assembly in this regard”.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl Fazlur Rehman said the nation would not allow any one to amend or remove the blasphemy law. He vowed that the “Western agenda” would not be allowed in Pakistan, which “had come into being in the name of Allah and the holy Prophet (PBUH)”.

He alleged that the government was expressing extremism in its struggle against the blasphemy law. JI Karachi chief Muhammad Hussain Mehnti, JUI-F leader Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri, JUP member Shabir Abu Talib, PML-Q leader Muhammed Zubair Khan and Owais Pasha of the Tanzeem Islami also spoke on the occasion.

The blasphemy law has been the subject of much attention after a Christian woman, Aasia Bibi, was sentenced to death last year.

Although courts typically overturn blasphemy convictions and no executions have been carried out, rights activists say the laws are used to settle rivalries and persecute religious minorities.

While the Islamists do not win many seats in elections, they have the capacity to bring people out into the streets.

The rally followed a tumultuous week in Pakistani politics in which the Pakistan People’s Party government backtracked on reforms to stave off collapse.……

URL: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default..._pg7_15

VIEW: An open letter to President Zardari

Saturday, January 8, 2010

VIEW: An open letter to President Zardari — II — Shahid Saeed

Wrapped in the coffin of Salmaan Taseer was not just the body of a mortal but ideas, expressions, feelings and socio-political ideals. We buried not just a man, but reason, sanity, tolerance, liberalism, secularism and compassion

The members of Jamaat-e-Ahle Sunnat Pakistan did not bring your party to power nor does the PPP represent the Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan. Tahaffuz-e-Namoos-e-Risalat Mahaz members do not vote for your party and you did not get elected because of the Sunni Tehrik. The Hindu, Christian and Ahmedi citizens of Pakistan do not look up to these parties for their rights; they look at parties like yours. Nearly all of the three million Pakistanis who follow the Hindu faith live in Sindh. Nearly all of them vote for the Pakistan People’s Party.

Investigation from your very own minister for minorities affairs found Asia Noreen to be innocent. A doctor has been accused of blasphemy for throwing away the card of a pharmaceutical company representative. Justice Arif Hussain Bhatti took bullets in the chest for giving justice to an innocent accused of blasphemy.

Extremism and fanaticism manifest themselves in various forms — in the form of hate-mongering against other faiths and in the form of lack of tolerance for any opinion deemed in violation of what is considered divinely ordained law. The cancer of extremism has permeated each and every inch of this society, from those who blow themselves up in the middle of crowded markets to those who sympathise with them or even try to defend them. Zia’s legacy cannot be eroded by an 18th Amendment or removal of his name from the president’s list. His legacy remains alive in the form of the blasphemy laws, the Hudood Laws and all other discriminatory laws. His legacy remains alive in the form of every bomber that blows himself up in the streets and bazaars of this unfortunate country. His legacy remains alive in the form of the assassination of your own wife.

The very basic problem with laws promulgated in the name of religion remains that the doors of any subsequent change are closed forever and the very issue of debate on their legality, their fairness and their effects becomes controversial.

Lately, you have claimed that politics is about making unpopular decisions for the greater good. Here is an unpopular decision that is definitely worth orchestrated agitation. Here is an unpopular decision you can make that will give the six million citizens of minority faiths a nice sleep for the first time in their lives. Here is an unpopular decision that will prove to be the first one in making Pakistan a modern progressive state that does not condone murder in the name of religion.

His death carries a message for all liberals in Pakistan, a mark on their heads for the Qadris to ascend to their imagined heavens. It possibly brings vocal liberalism to an end on the political stage. If the PPP is to continue abandoning principled, courageous, humane and compassionate politicians, then there will be no more Salmaan Taseers or Sherry Rehmans to strengthen the party.

Wrapped in the coffin of Salmaan Taseer was not just the body of a mortal but ideas, expressions, feelings and socio-political ideals. We buried not just a man, but reason, sanity, tolerance, liberalism, secularism and compassion. His presence will forever be missed. It will be missed even more if the PPP fails to honour his memory and continues to act like a crowd of sheep, unwilling to flex its muscles and resist the agitation instigated by bigots.

Taseer’s death should not dissuade you from pursuing an amendment in the notoriously abused law. In his death, Salmaan Taseer has become the symbolic champion of minority rights, the face of liberal and progressive politics in Pakistan. A state that ignores death-chanting slogans from mullahs and lets people garland a murderer has surrendered itself to the extremists. If the PPP wishes to remain silent on the blasphemy laws even now, it might as well have assassinated Taseer itself and became the voice of the street mullahs and the Taliban. Otherwise, it will honour the memory of Shaheed Salmaan Taseer and support the bill put forward by Sherry Rehman. The choice is yours to make.

(Concluded)

The writer is interested in history and public policy. He can be reached at shahid@live.com.pk

URL: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\01\08\story_8-1-2011_pg3_6

Religious parties unite to protect Qadri

Thursday, January 6, 2010

Religious parties unite to protect Qadri

By Zeeshan

ISLAMABAD: Religious parties on Wednesday seemed united in protecting Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer’s assassin Malik Mumtaz Qadri.

Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), a Bralevi sect party, called a meeting for tomorrow (Friday), likely to be held in Rawalpindi to discuss the fallout of the assassination of the Punjab governor.

Senior SIC member Haji Hanif Tayeb told Daily Times by phone that Sahibzada Fazal Karim would chair the meeting and then it would be decided whether to support Qadri or otherwise. The Tahafuz-e-Namoos-e-Risalat Mahaz, a forum of Bralevi school of thought, also seemed determined to protect Qadri. Maulana Raghib Naeemi told Daily Times that anarchy would increase in society if some one tried to amend the blasphemy law. “It is a principled decision of the Mahaz to support Qadri,” Naeemi categorically stated. Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer, Syed Munawar Hassan, justified Qadri’s act, saying Salmaan Taseer himself had to be blamed for his fate.

In a press statement, he said Taseer’s views on the blasphemy law provoked Qadri into killing him. Badshahi Masjid Khateeb Maulana Abul Khabir Azad asked the government not to amend the blasphemy law, as it would hurt the sentiments of 180 million people of Pakistan.

Replying to a question, he denied that he refused to lead Taseer’s funeral prayers saying he was busy and could not spare time.

URL: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011/01/06/story_6-1-2011_pg7_14

An idea whose time has come

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

EDITORIAL: An idea whose time has come

If it were not so tragic, the case of a blasphemy-accused doctor would have made for comic reading. Reportedly, Dr Naushad Valiyani threw the business card of a medical representative “which had his full name, Muhammad Faizan”, in a dustbin. Mr Faizan then launched a blasphemy complaint against the doctor. The absurdity of the charges against Dr Valiyani exposes the nature of the draconian Blasphemy Law, which can be misused for any purpose under the sun. General Ziaul Haq left this country with a minefield in the shape of this law, which lends itself to abuse. The case of Dr Valiyani is just one of the many cases where the complainant is crossing all lines of common sense. ‘Muhammad’ is a popular name over the Muslim world. To say that the doctor committed blasphemy just because he threw a business card that had ‘Muhammad’ written on it is ridiculous. The issue was resolved between the parties when the doctor apologised, although not before Faizan and his friends had reportedly roughed up the doctor. However, the intervention of some clerics resulted in a blasphemy charge against the accused, who was then arrested.

Since we are so fond of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), why not invoke PPC 153 A in cases where false accusations are made? According to PPC 153 A (a), whoever “by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representations or otherwise, promotes or incites, or attempts to promote or incite, on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, caste or community or any other ground whatsoever, disharmony or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different religious, racial, language or regional groups or castes or communities” shall be fined and punished with imprisonment for a term that may extend to five years. Thus, Muhammad Faizan should be charged with incitement against the innocent doctor.

In another incident, three alleged blasphemers in Karachi — Syed Raheel Masood Wasti, Samreen Masood and Zafar Iqbal — denied desecrating the Holy Quran. As per their statement, they were not in the house when their illiterate maid accidentally threw out some pages of the Quran after cleaning the house. They have expressed fear for their lives and that they can be falsely persecuted under the Blasphemy Law. This is yet another example of the way the mullahs use this law. In almost all the cases under the Blasphemy Law, the accusations are mala fide. The accusations are based on personal vendetta, blackmail, settling scores, property disputes, etc. It is therefore beyond comprehension why the mullah brigade is threatening to launch a movement, Tehreek Namoos-e-Risalat (TNR), in case any amendments are made to the Blasphemy Law, except that it serves their political agenda of keeping the country hostage to their fulminations. This flawed law should be repealed in the first instance, and if that is not possible because our politicians have yet to find the courage to defy the blackmail of the religious groups, at least the amendment bill by Ms Sherry Rehman should be considered seriously. Islam is a religion of peace but the fundamentalists have hijacked our religion and given new interpretations to serve their vested interests. The religious right is committing the greatest blasphemy by distorting the name of Islam. When the British introduced the Blasphemy Law, it was done to maintain harmony between all religious communities in the Indian subcontinent. Ziaul Haq’s Blasphemy Law has done the exact opposite. It has made the religious minorities more insecure in this ‘land of the not-so-pure’. When a state legalises persecution of minorities, it is time to change the laws.

Pakistan can never progress if it chooses to espouse the values of the Dark Ages. Let us not be afraid to challenge the religious extremists just because they threaten us with ‘dire consequences’. We have been held hostage to their absurdities for decades. It is high time we rolled back Zia’s legacy and moved forward towards a progressive, secular and democratic Pakistan. *

URL: www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\14\story_14-12-2010_pg3_1

Clerics to launch campaign if blasphemy laws amended

Monday, December 13, 2010

Clerics to launch campaign if blasphemy laws amended

*	Six-member action committee formed to evolve future strategy

Staff Report

RAWALPINDI: All the religious parties of the country have announced to launch a movement, Tehreek Namoos-e-Risalat (TNR), against proposed amendments in the blasphemy laws, Markazi Jamaat Ahle Sunnat Ameer Pir Atiqur Rehman said on Sunday.

Talking to reporters after attending All Parties Namoos-e-Risalat conference, Pir Atiqur Rehman said that Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP) President Dr Abul Khair Muhammad Zubair had been nominated as the convener of the newly formed group.

The conference was attended by Syed Munawar Hassan, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Professor Sajid Mir, Allama Sajid Naqvi, Mufti Muneebur Rehman, Dr Abul Khair Zubair, Pir Atiqur Rehman, Hamidul Haq Haqqani, Liaqat Baloch, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri, Abdul Rauf Farooqi, Sikandar Abbas Gillani and Maulana Muhammad Abbas.

He said a six-member action committee, comprising Liaqat Baloch, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri, Abdul Rauf Farooqi, Sikandar Abbas Gillani and Maulana Muhammad Abbas, had been formed to evolve future strategy of the TNR.

“The purpose of the meeting was to convey a message to the government that the nation would not tolerate any type of amendment in the blasphemy law, especially in the article 295-C of the constitution,” Dr Zubair said.

“The future strategy will be evolved in a meeting to be held in Islamabad on December 15,” he said.

Dr Zubair further said that the heads of all the five Wafaqul Madaris (religious educational boards) had also ratified the outcome of the conference.

He warned the rulers that if they dared to touch the blasphemy law, their government would not continue further as an organised protest campaign would be initiated throughout the country.

URL: www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\13\story_13-12-2010_pg7_13

Govt slammed for ‘failure’ to protect religious minorities

Monday, December 13, 2010

Govt slammed for ‘failure’ to protect religious minorities

By Afnan Khan

LAHORE: Noted human rights activists and members of persecuted communities in Pakistan censured the government for its rights record and failure to stop violence against minorities.

They said government’s failure to amend the blasphemy law exposed the fact that extremists were still very strong in the country and that the government was failing to protect the persecuted communities. Political parties only used the issue to take political mileage, they complained.

A senior official of the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) Baseer Naweed told Daily Times that the commission has expressed deep concerns over the state of human rights in Pakistan in its annual report for 2010.

He said the report observed that the condition of human rights in Pakistan in 2010 remained grave. The AHRC has encountered cases and situations which indicated continued systematic abuse of human rights as well as areas critically affected by conflict and the absence of the rule of law, he added.

State actors, including police and judiciary, commonly perpetrate, permit and fail to punish egregious violations of human rights, especially against women and religious minorities. These violations include forced disappearances, torture, extra-judicial killings, disfiguring attacks on women, forced marriage and religious conversion, rape, domestic abuse, and other crimes.

However, the commission appreciated the government’s steps towards ending executions as not a single person was executed since November 2008 out of the approximately 7,500 prisoners on death row.

Minorities remain insecure and unprotected because of the misuse of blasphemy law and ineptness of the government and its authorities with regard to the actions of extremist groups. These groups enjoy impunity because of the government’s interest in political expediency and having supporters in powerful institutions like army and intelligence agencies, the report says.

It urged the government to withdraw all the reservations on the ICCPR and CAT and ratify it in its true spirit so that the law enforcement agencies are made accountable before the law. It also urged the government to stop the menace of torture in custody by any authority, whether it be police or army, and make torture a crime by law.

There is an urgent need of stopping the corruption at all levels while all forms of violence against women should carry proper punishments. It also demanded that journalists must be provided protection and those who attack, torture and kill them must be prosecuted.

Meanwhile, Jamaat Ahmadiyya spokesperson Saleemud Din told Daily Times that Ahmedi citizens were becoming worst victims of blasphemy law, and more than 3,500 criminal cases have been registered against Ahmedis throughout the country under various laws.

He said last year, 74 Ahmedis faced fresh charges while those who were charged under section 295-A have also been prosecuted in anti-terrorism courts. A total 98 Ahmedis were killed this year, while the number of total killings was 110 till 2009.

He said it was an alarming situation as a hate campaign against the community was in full swing right under the nose of government across the country while the extremists were building up their pressure and activities in Chenab Nagar and it could prove to be disastrous if no step was taken.

One of the victims of Gojra riots, Samson Suhail, and a rights activist, Nadeem Anthony, told Daily Times that minorities were feeling very disappointed as the government had failed to amend blasphemy law.

They said they were still determined to continue the struggle for their rights, as it was a matter of their survival. Grant of bail to those five people who were arrested after being shown in footage torching innocent Christians in Gojra has also discouraged the victims a lot, yet they were still determined to fight the case against extremists.

At least seven people, including women and children, were burnt alive by the extremist mobs in Gojra over the claims that some Christians in a nearby town of Korian had desecrated the holy Quran.

They said Almas Masih, who had lost his wife, brother and children, had to flee the country due to continuous death threats by the extremists for pursuing the case against them.

However, Pakistan People’s Party Minority Wing President Napoleon Qayoom told Daily Times that the government was keen to protect the rights of minorities.

He said President Asif Zardari himself ordered him to ensure justice to a Christian nurse who was allegedly raped by a doctor. The president also asked him to monitor distribution of relief goods among minorities after receiving news of discrimination by some local officials in Sukkur and nearby areas.

Napoleon admitted that government’s failure to amend the blasphemy law was a discouraging factor for minorities, yet he appreciated the fact that things were allowed to be openly discussed under the umbrella of the PPP government.

He said President Asif Zardari won the hearts of the people by his recent statement in which he called on the influential people to stand up for the rights of women and minorities. He said that PPP leadership was aware of the fact that the miscreants misused blasphemy law to settle scores with their rivals and a great struggle was required to end these laws.

URL: www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\13\story_13-12-2010_pg13_6

VIEW: Shame on us

Monday, December 13, 2010

VIEW: Shame on us — Yasser Latif Hamdani

On the Blasphemy Law, the mullah knows he is on a weak footing both constitutionally and with reference to Islam. He knows that there is no moral sanction in Islam to deprive people of their freedom of thought and expression. He knows that, historically, Islamic civilisation has not only tolerated but protected dissent

After my article ‘Aasia Bibi and due process’ (Daily Times, December 6, 2010) last week, Muhammad Zubair of Business Plus invited me to speak on his show along with Dr Meraj-ul-Huda of the Jamaat-e-Islami on the issue of the Blasphemy Law.

The good doctor waxed eloquent about how those opposing the Blasphemy Law had no faith in the constitution and the courts. However, when I pointed out some of the grounds on which the law, in its current form, was entirely unconstitutional, he dropped nothing less than a bombshell as someone who claims to defend the constitution. The senior Jamaat-e-Islami leader claimed that parliament had no right anymore to amend the Blasphemy Law. This blatant denial of the rights of the elected representatives of Pakistan, rights that according to Jamaat-e-Islami vested in General Ziaul Haq, rubbishes all claims of Jamaat-e-Islami to be a party committed to a democratic polity.

As if that were not enough, Dr Huda proceeded to show me just how far people like him would go in lying through their teeth to prove their point. When I quoted Jinnah’s warning about the misuse of Article 295-A and how it might be used to silence academic freedom and bona fide criticism of religion, he claimed that Jinnah had only said that because there was mention of “Her Majesty” in that clause. Perhaps Dr Huda did not bother to research the issue before proving himself to be the poster boy for foot-in-the-mouth disease. Article 295-A deals strictly with scurrilous remarks about founders of various faiths and not Her Majesty. Article 295-A came out in response to the events in Lahore surrounding the Raj Pal controversy.

That Jamaat-e-Islami has a history of shamelessly distorting history is well known. Its sinister role against Pakistan and the people of Pakistan is also well documented in history. What I cannot believe is that, even after being exposed over and over again, the Meraj-ul-Hudas, the Professor Ghafoors, the Munawar Hasans and the Qazi Hussains still shamelessly appear on television to lie over and over again and that too in the name of Islam. Is there no shame at long last?

The truth is that our mullah — the true enemy of Islam — is now stubbornly standing in the way of the progress of this country towards a civilised and democratic state based on the rule of law. On the Blasphemy Law, the mullah knows he is on a weak footing both constitutionally and with reference to Islam. He knows that there is no moral sanction in Islam to deprive people of their freedom of thought and expression. He knows that, historically, Islamic civilisation has not only tolerated but protected dissent. The greatest Muslim scientists, celebrated far and wide, were committed atheists, many of whom would have also fallen foul of Pakistan’s draconian laws. In Islamic history, no caliphate or Muslim empire has ever instituted legally the death penalty for blasphemy, not even the heartless Aurangzeb. There was no such law under the much mourned Ottoman Empire either. Historically, there are some incidents, few and far between, where people were put to death for claiming to be divine. The chivalrous Salauddin was misled by sectarian fanatics into killing El-Suhrawardy. Before that, Nooruddin Zangi had arrived in Medina and killed two men after accusing them of being Jews and trying to defile, God forbid, the holy mosque.

A state does not legislate, however, on the basis of exception. If Islam is the higher law by which we are to conduct ourselves, we must investigate as to what the general rule in Islam is. One is reminded of an incident soon after the conquest of Egypt by Muslims. Amr bin Aas (RA) was appointed governor of the new province. In a city square where the governor resided was a statue of Jesus Christ held sacred by the Coptic Christians. One night, some Muslim soldier allegedly broke the nose off of the statue and then disappeared. The Copt leaders protested and lodged a complaint with the governor. They demanded, as restitution, the right to build and similarly defile a statue of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Amr bin Aas (RA) politely told them their request was not possible as the Holy Prophet (PBUH) was the most sacred personage to him but he offered to have his own nose cut off instead as punishment. These were those fine traditions of tolerance and religious harmony, too fine for the philistines as it were, that made Islamic lands centres of excellence, learning and enlightenment while the entire world was in darkness. Today, what we have instead is the picture that our mullah is hell-bent on painting of Islam and of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). The mullah is the worst blasphemer and the biggest enemy of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) today.

Finally, above all else, Islam abhors hypocrisy. What else do you call it then when our clerical class shamelessly applies different standards to different situations? A non-Muslim cannot become the president of Pakistan because he is a non-Muslim but the Blasphemy Law applies to him or her equally. Shame on us.

The writer is a lawyer. He also blogs at http://pakteahouse.net and can be reached at yasser.hamdani@gmail.com

URL: www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\13\story_13-12-2010_pg3_5

Pakistan and the dehumanisation of minorities

Tuesday, December 07, 2010

ANALYSIS: Pakistan and the dehumanisation of minorities — Ishtiaq Ahmed

How do we explain that despite several Sufi shrines being targeted by suicide bombers, the Ahle Sunnat ulema are demanding that Aasia Bibi should be executed? How can the Ahle Sunnat ignore that fact that they themselves are on the hit list of extremists who consider them guilty of crimes no less serious than blasphemy?

Professor Brij Narain was a famous Lahore-born academic whose books on economics were on the required reading list of the curricula of pre-partition universities. Enamoured by Jinnah’s English lifestyle and mannerism and himself strongly secular and idealistic, Brij Narain underestimated the morbid impact of the rabidly anti-Hindu and anti-Sikh rhetoric of the 1945-46 election campaign in Punjab. He developed a strong set of arguments to prove that Pakistan was economically feasible and viable. When partition took place in mid-August 1947 and Lahore was burning, he continued to believe that Hindus like him could be Pakistanis like any other community. A mob arrived at his door and mercilessly killed him notwithstanding his pleas that he supported Pakistan.

Miss Ralia Ram was a Lahore-born Christian lady who wrote letter after letter to Quaid-e-Azam warning him about Congress machinations. She too believed in the righteousness of Pakistan. Her letters are easily accessible in the several volumes of the Jinnah Papers. Fortunately in 1947, Christians were not a target group. Many Hindus and Muslims saved their lives by faking a Christian identity. Both in Amritsar and in Kasur thousands of Muslim refugees received medical aid from Christian volunteers.

Even more interesting is the fact that the majority of Punjabi Christians supported the Muslim League’s case for Pakistan before the Punjab Boundary Commission. Their leader, S P Singha, argued that the Christians would rather have a united Punjab, but if Punjab were to be divided they could expect better treatment in Pakistan than in caste-ridden India. The leader of the Anglo-Indians Mr Gibbon informed the Punjab Boundary Commission that the Anglo-Indians were happy to be in Pakistan. They regarded Lahore and West Punjab as their homeland.

I have already mentioned in an earlier op-ed that the leadership of the Ahmediyya community was deeply worried about persecution in a sectarian Pakistan. However, just before the partition of India it was decided to support the Pakistan movement (Munir Report 1954: 196-7). Thereafter the Ahmedis put all their efforts behind the Muslim League’s campaign. Sir Muhammad Zafarullah Khan, a leading member of the Ahmediyya community, presented the Muslim League case before the Punjab Boundary Commission with sterling competence. The counsel for the Congress Party, Mr Setalvad, could not restrain himself from publicly paying compliments to Zafarullah during the proceedings. In 1947, the Ahmedis were still included in government statistics among Muslims, and that alone had inflated the Muslim percentage of the Gurdaspur district to a bare majority of 51 percent.

All such stories sound unreal in the light of the Pakistan experience. The Hindus were naturally the first to flee from Pakistan. The next to exit were the Anglo-Indians. The Ahmedis started seeking refuge in the west in the 1980s. Only in Sindh a Hindu minority survived while in the rest of Pakistan mostly the poorest Christians stayed put because they had nowhere to go.

Ridiculing Sikhs as simpletons is a prejudice that still survives in Pakistani Punjab, but their leaders proved to be the most farsighted in anticipating the type of Pakistan that would emerge. In the second half of May 1947, the Sikh leaders met Jinnah in Delhi. Jinnah and Liaquat had come fully prepared to convince them to support the Pakistan demand. They told the Sikhs to write down whatever they wanted and it would be granted. The charm offensive, however, was too late in the day. Earlier, in March 1947, Sikh villages in the Rawalpindi, Attock and Jhelum districts had borne the brunt of mob attacks at the hands of Muslims. At least 2,000 Sikhs lost their lives.

No Muslim League leader, including Jinnah, issued a public statement condemning those attacks. I have looked in vain in the two main English-language newspapers of pre-partition Punjab, the Tribune and The Pakistan Times as well as in the Jinnah Papers for any evidence of the condemnation of that outrage. In the event, Hardit Sikh Malik, who acted as the spokesperson for the Sikhs told Jinnah that they could not risk their future on his promises; the day he is gone things would change. He was right.

I have always held the view that the anti-minority stance took birth at the time of the 1945-46-election campaign in the Muslim-majority provinces of north-western India. Once it was born, it assumed a life of its own. Only someone totally naive can believe that Jinnah’s August 11, 1947 speech was a magic mantra that could suffice to make it vanish. Already in early 1951, the ulema of all Sunni sub-sects — including the Barelvis — and the Ithna Ashari Shias had signed the 22-point Islamist agenda for an Islamic state prepared by Maulana Maududi. Gradually that agenda encroached on the constitutional and legal machinery, culminating in the Islamisation measures of General Ziaul Haq.

The mindset that such measures generated percolated all sections of society, with a few honourable exceptions. In the current situation, while President Zardari and Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer are willing to spare the life of the Christian woman, Aasia Bibi, who most certainly has been wrongly framed on charges of blasphemy, federal Law Minister Babar Awan has made theatrical pronouncements in support of the draconian Blasphemy Law, thus undermining his own government. The legal fraternity remains badly divided. While the Lahore High Court has issued a stay order against the reprieve granted by the president, the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), Ms Asma Jahangir has boldly criticised that decision. The confusion is absolute.

How do we explain that despite several Sufi shrines being targeted by suicide bombers the Ahle Sunnat ulema are demanding that Aasia Bibi should be executed? How can the Ahle Sunnat ignore that fact that they themselves are on the hit list of extremists who consider them guilty of crimes no less serious than blasphemy? The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) is considered a ‘democratic, parliamentary’ party by some western academics. I have seen with my own eyes a doctoral thesis passed by the reputable Gothenburg University of Sweden in support of JI’s democratic credentials. Its leader, Syed Munnawar Hassan, has also demanded that Aasia Bibi should be put to death. That is the type of democracy the JI actually represents.

Can one seriously believe that all these people who are crying for the blood of a poor Christian woman are doing this for their love for Prophet Mohammad (PBUH)? Perhaps, but what a love!

The writer is Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Stockholm University. He is also Honorary Senior Fellow of the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore. He can be reached at billumian@gmail.com

URL: www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\07\story_7-12-2010_pg3_2

In the name of God

Sunday, December 05, 2010

VIEW: In the name of God — Andleeb Abbas

Religion has become license to categorise and exorcise personal vendettas. The Blasphemy Law, which itself is blasphemy against the legal system of Pakistan, is a shameful intention of maligned intentions and misrepresentation of Islamic law, letter and spirit

“For God’s sake” is the best license to deceive and decree anybody and everybody. From an ordinary beggar on the street to the big guns responsible for ‘religious affairs’ in Pakistan, all is holy and sanctimonious for religion and the Almighty. Hajj, which is the highest and purest of spiritual cleansing practices for a Muslim, has been turned into a filthy game of money guzzling and insatiable greed, completely degrading the spirit and soul of the occasion. The shameful treatment meted out to the pilgrims from Pakistan is now open news with all implicated busy trying to shrug the filth off their shoulders and pile it on whoever is trying to implicate them in this ruthless game of snatching other people’s money.

The government, deaf to the pleas of the suffering pilgrims, was finally forced into action when the Supreme Court received a letter by Saudi Prince Bandar Bin Khalid alleging corruption of billions by the local ministry of religious affairs, which was managing the travel and boarding facilities of the pilgrims. According to him, the accommodation he was offering was only 2 km from the Haram and was priced at Saudi Riyals 33.50 while the one chosen by the ministry was far away and was rented at the cost of Saudi Riyals 3,600. The living conditions were so bad that people had little access to proper tenting and basic water and toilet facilities. Imagine their focus on surviving the lack of facilities rather than getting closer to God. As the Pandora’s Box opens, whistle-blowing becomes a favourite pastime of the people involved. The Pakistani Ambassador in Saudi Arabia has blamed it on the minister of religious affairs who in turn has blamed and ordered the arrest of DG Hajj, Rao Shakeel. The prime minister has ordered his customary enquiry and has gladly accepted the generous offer of the Saudi government to give Saudi Riyals 250 per pilgrim as token compensation for the difficulties faced by them, caused by their own corrupt leaders.

Hajj is the single biggest religious congregation in the world and is a huge miracle of almost three million people bowing in front of the Almighty in submission of their flawed humanity. However, this ritual where the rich and poor, black and the not-so-black are supposed to stand equal and go through the tough rituals with due endurance has also become a marketing and money making religious tourism package industry. Various groups have introduced differentiated packages that include special early flights, customised training and education programmes, six-star facilities and a grouping of who is who to give the feeling of exclusivity to these privileged classes. How on earth such discrimination serves the purpose of Hajj, which is a symbol of humility, inclusivity and equality, God only knows. The exploitation of religion is not a new phenomenon but what is novel in today’s world is what a professional and organised industry it has become, which targets every single religious instinct anyone has to ensnare and entrap vulnerable minds, be it the ignorance and innocence of a suicide bomber, the guilt of middle-class morality or the pomp and religiosity of the elite of society.

Religion has become license to categorise and exorcise personal vendettas. The Blasphemy Law, which itself is blasphemy against the legal system of Pakistan, is a shameful intention of maligned intentions and misrepresentation of Islamic law, letter and spirit. Aasia Bibi’s case may have become the favourite topic of talk shows and a chance for the ruling and opposition party to procure the unfound, favourable limelight. However, the fact remains that this law itself is Tauheen-e-Risalat. The hallmark of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) was his magnanimity of heart and humility of action. His exemplary patience and abstinence from retaliation was what made him the greatest of the greats and converted the bitterest of his enemies into the most loyal of followers. The religious parties, including the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) and so many other groups of Islamic defaming factions, are busy condemning those who dare touch the ‘holy’ law of blasphemy and threatening hell on earth to all those who dare question the interpretation of Islamic laws other than the ones decreed by them. This arrogance and insecurity of the religious clergy has always brought about their downfall and will again reduce them to a meaningless and irritating political echo.

These religious factions, no matter how irritating, are loud and obvious. The more worrying fact is the rise of the educated and sophisticated religious resellers who are subtle and devious in their apparently modern enlightenment version of Islam. These cosmetically well read Islamic exhibitors, at the peak of their life, claim to have done a deep study of Islam, which has transformed them into humble orators who can quote a Quranic verse at will to support any western quotation they may have uttered earlier on. It is this new breed of pseudo-reformed Islamists, having perfected the art of religious hypocrisy, who present the most dangerous trend in ‘Godly’ exploitation in the present times. They are dangerous because they have a higher credibility and following than the mullahs and thus actually disturb and disarm young minds more than the screaming imam with his predictable pre-Friday prayer condemnations.

Humanity is a universal religion and only its true followers and practitioners have the right to be called Muslim or Christian or any other title. God never believed in names only and He, through His prophets, gave the message of how a human gets the right of being, of existing, of elevating himself to the highest of cadres by respecting the differences in other people, by forgiving other people’s misdeeds and by concentrating on developing in oneself values of integrity, patience and tolerance. It is the flagrant devaluation of these principles that has, today, made the brand name Muslim such a dubious and distrustful trademark, which is associated with terror, intolerance and violence. It is thus not only for God’s sake but for the sake of the revival of the human race’s supremacy over all other species that we need to understand that religion without humanity and compassion is itself the biggest blasphemy, turning ‘mankind’ into ‘mancruel’.

The writer is a consultant and can be reached at andleeb@franklincoveysouthasia.com

URL: www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\05\story_5-12-2010_pg3_3

COMMENT: The blasphemer must not be pardoned

Friday, December 03, 2010

COMMENT: The blasphemer must not be pardoned — Abbas Zaidi

Allah has very, very explicitly said in the very beginning of the Quran that whosoever kills one human being is guilty of killing the entire humanity. Thus, by wanting to kill humans in the name of the Prophet (PBUH), these mullahs, in letter and spirit, want to launch an insane jihad against Allah

Hundreds of mullahs have taken to the streets to warn against the possible pardon President Zardari might grant Aasia Bibi, who allegedly blasphemed against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). They say that if Aasia Bibi, the Christian blasphemer, is pardoned, they will launch a jihad against the government and the entire world and kill all the blasphemers. Aasia Bibi must not be pardoned. Otherwise, the lives of around five billion humans might be jeopardised. And now the Lahore High Court has also passed an order on the petition of a private citizen that the president cannot pardon Aasia Bibi because the case is sub judice. Why do mullahs so fanatically react to each case of perceived or alleged blasphemy?

The logic is very simple. Non-Muslims have, roughly speaking, two views of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): (1) they (for instance, Christians and Jews) do not consider him to be a prophet at all, and (2) they (Hindus, Buddhists, and the rest) are not bothered about the issue at all. Now this is not acceptable as far as our furious mullahs are concerned. They demand that the world positively accept him to be the last prophet. Which effectively means that non-Muslims either convert or be ready for the sword.

Was Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) the last prophet of Islam or the world? This is a tricky issue, which the mullahs are not prepared to deal with. If he were the last prophet of Islam, then it would be unfair on our part to force non-Muslims to accept him as the last prophet of Islam. If prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was the last prophet of humankind, then we must look for guidance in the Holy Quran. And if the Holy Quran says that he was the last prophet of humanity, then we must seek guidance from the Book of Allah and see if Allah instructs us Muslims to wage a jihad against those who deny Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) prophetic finality. If Allah gives no such an instruction, then we Muslims must fear His wrath because Allah has very, very explicitly said in the very beginning of the Quran that whosoever kills one human being is guilt of killing the entire humanity. Thus, by wanting to kill humans in the name of the Prophet (PBUH), these mullahs, in letter and spirit, want to launch an insane jihad against Allah.

But my plea that Aasia Bibi must not be pardoned is based upon a different logic. If Aasia Bibi is pardoned, it would establish her guilt. The president of Pakistan has a constitutional privilege to pardon anyone who has been punished for some offence. Now this implies that the person pardoned is indeed guilty. Thus, it would mean that Aasia Bibi did, in fact, commit a crime of immensely heinous nature, which resulted in the death penalty verdict against her.

In 1992, the Pakistan government formulated the blasphemy law whose fruit Aasia Bibi is made to taste today. At that time, I wrote against the law saying that it would be misused by criminals and criminal-minded people to settle personal scores and commit acts of robbery and snatching people’s possessions. Many people resented my argument and blamed me for being a Jewish agent. Three mullahs came over to ‘see’ me in the newspaper office where I worked. Those were different times. Now I may be dealt with in a different manner. However, certain things never change. In 1992, I wrote that the stature of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was not so weak as to need, of all the people, Pakistanis for protection. I say the same thing today: the great Prophet (PBUH) needs no protection from a country which, year after year, is a contender for the top slot on the international list of the most corrupt countries. The Prophet (PBUH) does not need to be protected by the fascists who commit the ultimate blasphemy against Allah by killing people, His creation, in His prophet’s name.

The writer is a researcher with a PhD in sociolinguistics. He can be reached at hellozaidi@gmail.coma

URL: www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\03\story_3-12-2010_pg3_6

No minority rights in Pakistan

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

COMMENT: No minority rights in Pakistan — Shahid Saeed

We live in such an ideologically insecure country hell-bent on maintaining our brand as an Islamic Republic that we undercount and under-report the percentage of minorities in our census. There is a barrier the size of the Great Wall of China that prevents minorities from becoming successful citizens in Pakistan

Amidst the outrage over the sentencing to death of Aasia Bibi, a 45-year old mother of five, over charges of blasphemy that seem difficult to prove and have triggered a debate on the blasphemy law itself, what has been conveniently ignored is the fact that the said incident occurred after people refused to drink water brought by Aasia Bibi, considering it to be napaak (impure). Ironically, it is socially acceptable that people belonging to the poor Christian community are treated despicably, considered unhygienic, called names such as choora (sewer cleaner), regardless of their actual profession. The accusers who refused to drink water brought by Aasia Bibi were somehow acting within religious guidelines. I would like to ask them whether they would act in the same manner if Aasia Bibi and her likes were to be replaced by white Caucasian Christian women. I am pretty positive that there would be no qualms in accepting that glass of water or food touched by Christians who are not chooras. Clearly, then, it is not a matter of religion but socio-economic status that makes people discriminate in such an outrageous and horrific manner in the name of religion.

A few years ago, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) had put up a banner on the Islamabad Expressway inviting the Christian biradari (community) to apply for janitorial jobs vacant at the CDA. Historically, Christians from poor backgrounds have served as janitors and cleaners, and many continue to do so whilst fighting social injustice, but for a government department to declare janitorial jobs solely reserved for Christians is disgusting. Our society tolerates, accepts and practises shameful, abominable and repulsive behaviour every day, all in the name of religion. My head hangs in shame.

We live in a country where, for a long time, elections were carried out under religious apartheid as minorities were denied their right to universal franchise by forcing separate electorates on them. The freedom to profess religion guaranteed by Article 20 of the constitution has been meaningless in the light of the legal and social discrimination against minorities. Article 20 grants people of all faiths freedom to “profess, practice and propagate” their religion, but the Second Amendment and Ordinance XX prohibit the Ahmedis from practising their religion openly and denies them the right to call themselves Muslims by categorising their faith for them. We guarantee them freedom of religion, only as long as the majority can feel secure by calling itself the constitutional Muslims and prohibiting the Ahmedis from nearly everything that they believe in, including the right to name their small town of Rabwah, as it has been rechristened Chenab Nagar. The insecurity of the majority sects has been written down in the Second Amendment and Ordinance XX and continues with constant court cases against the Ahmedis.

The fact is there are no minority rights in Pakistan. Minority members of parliament have to begin their speeches by first praising Islam and the government of Pakistan for guaranteeing them whatever limited rights they have, and still they are looked down upon by the ulema (sitting mostly on the treasury desks). It is as if we are doing a favour to them by extending basic humanitarian rights. The Hindu community has faced constant harassment and the number of forced conversions in Sindh has been on a constant rise. The Christian community faces social barriers of enormous proportions and has been the target of innumerable terrorist attacks too. Starting from partition when the Sikh and Hindu populations were killed in massive numbers, minority faiths have suffered immensely. The anti-Ahmedi agitation of 1953 started the wave of mass harassment and persecution that continues to this day. Temples have been razed, churches have been burnt and poor people lynched and killed in the name of religion.

From Shantinagar to Gojra, the history of this land is full of the murder of minorities at the hands of the self-proclaimed righteous guardians of religious boundaries. In a country where sectarian terrorism consumed thousands of lives and minorities have been forced to live in fear, Article 20 is nothing but hollow words.

We live in such an ideologically insecure country hell-bent on maintaining our brand as an Islamic Republic that we undercount and under-report the percentage of minorities in our census. There is a barrier the size of the Great Wall of China that prevents minorities from becoming successful citizens in Pakistan. The wall has been raised by legal and social measures that persecute them and discriminate against them. The majority Muslim population, hijacked by a significant number of hardline religious leaders and their followers, has made life for the minorities a living hell. They use mosque loudspeakers for telling them that they will inevitably go to hell in their afterlife.

With the passage of the Objectives Resolution, the fate of minorities in this country was sealed forever and the dream of the state envisaged in Jinnah’s August 11, 1947 speech had died. The report of the Court of Inquiry constituted under the Punjab Act II of 1954 to enquire into the Punjab Disturbances of 1953, commonly known as the Justice Munir report, had then answered some valid questions about the role of religion in the state. The ulema — disunited as they are on a million issues and unable to come to a single definition of a Muslim — were then nearly united, and still are, on how to treat minorities: they shall be zimmies and “will have no say in the making of law and no right to administer the law” and would not be allowed to propagate their religion. Summarising, the good Justices Munir and MR Kayani wrote: “It is this lack of bold and clear thinking, the inability to understand and take decisions which has brought about in Pakistan a confusion which will persist and repeatedly create situations of the kind we have been inquiring into until our leaders have a clear conception of the goal and of the means to reach it…The sublime faith called Islam will live even if our leaders are not there to enforce it. It lives in the individual, in his soul and outlook, in all his relations with God and men, from the cradle to the grave, and our politicians should understand that if Divine commands cannot make or keep a man a Musalman, their statutes will not.”

These words have proven to be prophetic and stand so apt for today, albeit with the caveat that we no longer have liberal judges who did not think secularism was a bogeyman. The 11-year rule of ‘Islamisation’ has changed our attitudes, ideologies and beliefs immensely, and now we teach our children lies that never were a part of our history. We are confused about the very ideology behind the creation of this country, what it was meant to be, what it has become and what it should be. The confusion persists, but with laws that demand a blind Safia Bibi to produce four witnesses to support her claim of rape, laws that allow honour killings to take place through forgiveness granted under diyat and laws that sentence people to death over fake blasphemy charges, we have arrived at a point where it is clear that theocracy has failed us. Only a secular, progressive and democratic Pakistan can guarantee social progress for the people of this country. Rest assured, the future looks bleak if things are to continue the way they are now.

The writer is interested in history and public policy. He can be reached at shahid@live.com.pk

URL: www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\01\story_1-12-2010_pg3_4

Jungle justice

FROM THE PAPER » EDITORIAL

Jungle justice

   Dawn Editorial

   Wednesday, 21 Jul, 2010

Policemen fire teargas shells to disperse the protesters during a demonstration against the killing of two Christian brothers outside the court building in Faisalabad. — Online Photo

There have been several instances where police apathy, perhaps in some cases connivance, has led to under-trial prisoners being targeted by vengeful elements on the court premises.

Where the charge involves religion, there is a greater need for the police to be vigilant when escorting the accused to or from court, given the kind of fury that allegations of blasphemy unleash. Sadly, this is far from the case in Pakistan as exemplified by the killing of two Christian brothers by a group of masked men on the premises of a Faisalabad sessions court on Monday. The brothers were accused of distributing blasphemous material — that, unbelievably, also contained phone numbers. The men had been brought to court under police escort to obtain remand. Such cases are a reminder of how allegations of blasphemy can be used to incite jungle justice and mob violence that often mask the real motives behind the targeting of individuals. The motives can range from the settling of personal scores to property disputes.

Monday’s killings led to violent protests by the Christian community in the brothers’ native area of Daoodnagar; a section of the Muslim community reacted by asking the people over mosque loudspeakers to “fight the rampaging” Christians. The situation grew volatile enough to necessitate the imposition of Section 144 for the maintenance of public order. The result is the creation of an atmosphere of fear and violent mistrust that could lead to the targeting of more members of the Christian community. This situation can also be exploited by ill-intentioned groups such as the land mafia. This has, indeed, often proved to be the case in earlier incidents of violence involving allegations of blasphemy, particularly in Punjab.

Arrests under Section 295-C of the PPC for allegations of blasphemy illustrates the dangers inherent in a law that lends itself to misuse. The blasphemy law is rightly criticised for the manner in which it can be abused. We must also note that it helps foster a societal mindset of jungle justice where individuals feel that it is right to take the law into their own hands. The blasphemy law must be repealed.

©2010 DAWN Media Group. All rights reserved

URL: www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content...rial/jungle-justice-170

Cops Asked To Take a Hard Line With FPI

July 14, 2010
Farouk Arnaz

Cops Asked To Take a Hard Line With FPI

The National Police should no longer tolerate religious hard-liners such as the Islamic Defenders Front, which are using violence and intimidation under the guise of piety, a number of rights groups — including Muslim organizations — said on Wednesday.

“We are worried about several recent incidents and the fact that the police have not done anything to stop the violence and uphold the law, no matter which group is involved,” said Usman Hamid, a coordinator from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), who was among those meeting National Police Chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri at his office to air their concerns.

Rumadi, a program coordinator from the Wahid Institute, another rights group taking part in the talks, said Bambang gave his personal guarantee that the police would crack down on violence committed by the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI). “It was a positive meeting,” he said.

Aside from Kontras and the Wahid Institute, activists also present at the meeting included those from the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam), Arus Pelangi, Imparsial, Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH), Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI), Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI), Setara Institute and Jamaah Ahmadiyah Indonesia.

Usman said the FPI not only attacked people of other faiths but also human rights activists and those with unorthodox sexual orientations. “This can no longer be tolerated,” he said.

The activist groups, he said, had agreed the FPI had caused social instability and undermined the authority of the state, and that the police should move to uphold the law.

But the police have denied accusations that they have not done enough to prevent hard-line groups, including the FPI, from conducting illegal raids to intimidate others, such as a sweep on a meeting hosted by lawmakers in Banyuwangi, East Java, last month.

The June 24 meeting, called by Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) legislators Ribka Tjiptaning Proletariati and Rieke Dyah Ayu Pitaloka, was broken up by as many as 15 members of the Islamic People’s Forum because they believed it to be a communist meeting. The FPI is said to have incited the raid.

The incident was reported to the police and has led to numerous calls from civil society and political organizations to disband hard-line groups.

Usman said Bambang had vowed to take action against the Banyuwangi Police chief for his lack of action over the incident, although he would discuss the issue with the legislators first.

Maman Imanulhaq, an Islamic scholar from Nahdlatul Ulama, the country’s biggest Muslim organization, went as far as saying Bambang should dismiss local police chiefs who allowed hard-liners to use violence and intimidation tactics.

I Wayan Sudirta, a member of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) from Bali, said the activists hoped the meeting did not produce more rhetoric.

“We need concrete action, not just promises,” he said.

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe

URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/cops-asked-to-take-a-hard-line-with-fpi/385881

Hostility in Bogor Puts End to Ahmadiyah Plans

July 13, 2010
Zaky Pawas & Ulma Haryanto

Hostility in Bogor Puts End to Ahmadiyah Plans

In the latest attack on the rights of minority religions, hundreds of public order officers in Bogor on Monday demolished the foundations for a planned mosque for worshippers from the Ahmadiyah sect.

“We had to dismantle the foundations, which were steel pillars, and the base framework, because the mosque had been rejected by local residents,” Adj. Comr. Roni Mardiatun, police chief for Ciampea subdistrict, told the Jakarta Globe.

According to Roni, residents had objected to the plan to build the mosque in Cisaladah village, claiming it violated a 2006 decree by both the ministries of religious affairs and home affairs on the establishment of houses of worship, which require the approval of local residents before they can be built.

The Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI), the country’s highest authority on Islamic affairs, has labeled Ahmadiyah a deviant version of Islam and called for it to be banned.

The government has stopped short of banning the group, but has forbidden it from conducting its rites publicly. Ahmadiyah members recognize their sect’s founder as a prophet, which contradicts a tenet of mainstream Islam that sees Muhammad as the last prophet.

“The local residents think that the mosque will be made into a place to spread Ahmadiyah, and besides, the mosque doesn’t have a permit from the local administration,” Roni said.

The building’s foundation had already been built on the 500-square-meter property in preparation for a two-story mosque, he added.

About 400 police officers stood guard in front of a nearby existing Ahmadiyah mosque. Residents and police scuffled earlier on Monday because residents also wanted the smaller mosque pulled down.

Roni said 50 more police officers were dispatched after the foundations had been demolished in order to secure the area.

The head of the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) in Bogor, Dace Supriadi, said his officers removed the foundations following a decision by the Ciampea Council of Leaders, which included the heads of the local administration, police and military.

“The Ahmadiyah mosque was still just some pillars and a foundation. We had to dismantle it before the building could be built,” he added.

Cisaladah village elder H Deden argued that Ahmadiyah’s activities in the area had been banned under a 2007 decree from the subdistrict administration.

“The decree states that no activities on behalf of Ahmadiyah should be allowed in the region. Apparently they ignored the decree,” he said.

Deden also said villagers wanted the existing Ahmadiyah mosque torn down.

“The residents’ demands cannot be negotiated and must be carried out,” he added.

According to Deden, 40 local community leaders had sent the Bogor administration an ultimatum to destroy the mosque within two weeks. “If not, we fear residents could run amok,” he added.

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe

URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/hostility-in-bogor-puts-end-to-ahmadiyah-plans/385508

Attackers strike sect mosques in Pakistan; 80 dead

---Yahoo News (via AP)

Attackers strike sect mosques in Pakistan; 80 dead

By BABAR DOGAR and NAHAL TOOSI, Associated Press Writers Babar Dogar And Nahal Toosi, Associated Press Writers – Fri. May 28, 2010 17:30 UTC

LAHORE, Pakistan – Suspected Islamist militants attacked two mosques packed with hundreds of worshippers from a minority sect in eastern Pakistan on Friday, holding hostages and battling police, officials and witnesses said. Some 80 people died, and dozens were wounded in the worst attack ever against the Ahmadi sect.

The assaults in Lahore were carried out by at least seven men, including three suicide bombers, officials said. Two attackers were captured. At one point, a gunman fired bullets from atop a minaret.

Pakistani police officers and others take cover near vehicles damaged in a suspected attack, outside Garhi Shahu mosque in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, May 28, 2010. Suspected Islamist militants attacked two mosques, Garhi Shahu and Model Town, packed with hundreds of people from a minority sect in eastern Pakistan on Friday, laying siege to one center in a standoff with police, killing scores of people.

It was one of the first times militants have deployed gun and suicide squads and taken hostages in a coordinated attack on a religious minority in Pakistan. Shiite Muslims have borne the brunt of individual suicide bombings and targeted killings for years, though Christians and Ahmadis also have faced violence.

The long-standing threat to minorities in this Muslim-majority, U.S-allied nation has been exacerbated as the Sunni extremist Taliban and al-Qaida movements have spread.

Ahmadis are reviled as heretics by mainstream Muslims for their belief that their sect’s founder was a savior foretold by the Quran, Islam’s holy book. The group has experienced years of state-sanctioned discrimination and occasional attacks by radical Sunni Muslims in Pakistan, but never before in such a large and coordinated fashion.

The attacks Friday took place in the Model Town and Garhi Shahu neighborhoods of Lahore, Pakistan’s second-largest city and one of its politically and militarily most important.

The assault at Model Town was relatively brief, and involved four attackers spraying worshippers with bullets before exploding hand grenades, said Sajjad Bhutta, Lahore’s deputy commissioner.

Several kilometers away at Garhi Shahu, the standoff lasted around four hours.

TV footage showed an attacker atop a minaret of the mosque at one point in the siege, firing an assault rifle and throwing hand grenades. Outside, police traded bullets with the gunmen, an Associated Press reporter saw.

Luqman Ahmad, 36, was sitting and waiting for prayers to start when he heard gunshots and then an explosion. He quickly lay down and closed his eyes.

“It was like a war going on around me. The cries I heard sent chills down my spine,” Ahmad said. “I kept on praying that may God save me from this hell.”

After police commandos announced the attackers had died, he stood to see bodies and blood everywhere.

“I cannot understand what logic these terrorists have by attacking worshippers, and harmless people like us,” he said.

Bhutta said at least three attackers held several people hostage inside the Garhi Shahu mosque. The three wore jackets filled with amunition. “They fought the police for some time, but on seeing they were being defeated they exploded themselves,” he said.

Around 80 people were killed in the two attacks, while more than 80 were wounded, Bhutta said. A breakdown for each location was not immediately available.

Two attackers were caught, and one was being treated for wounds, Punjab province police chief Tariq Saleem Dogar said.

An initial investigation found that one detained suspect was from southern Punjab but had studied at a religious school in the port city of Karachi, Punjab’s law minister said.

Before the attack, the suspect stayed at a center belonging to Tableeghi Jamaat, a conservative Muslim missionary group, Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said. The group has occasionally drawn attention in connection with international terror investigations, but says that it is not violent.

Geo TV reported that the Punjab province branch of the Pakistani Taliban had claimed responsibility, however, such attacks often spur unverifiable claims of responsibility from various groups.

The province’s top executive, chief minister Shahbaz Sharif, appealed for calm.

“We, our security forces will fight this menace till the end,” he said. “Attacks on places of worship is barbarianism. It is a shame to cause bloodshed in mosques.”

Muslim leaders have accused Ahmadis of defying the basic tenet of Islam that says Muhammad was the final prophet, but Ahmadis argue their leader was the savior rather than a prophet.

Under pressure from hard-liners, the Pakistani government in the 1970s declared the Ahmadis a non-Muslim minority. They are prohibited from calling themselves Muslims or engaging in Muslim practices such as reciting Islamic prayers.

A U.S.-based Ahmadi spokesman, Waseem Sayed, said the sect abhors violence and was deeply concerned about the attacks. He estimated Pakistan, a country of 180 million, had around 5 million Ahmadis.

Worldwide he estimated there were tens of millions of Ahmadis, but said that they have faced the most violence in Pakistan, and that this was the worst attack in the history of the sect.

“We are a peaceful people and monitoring the situation and hoping and praying that the authorities are able to take all necessary action to bring the situation to normalcy with the least number of casualties,” Sayed said via e-mail.

Also Friday, a suspected U.S. missile strike killed 11 alleged militants and wounded three others in the Nazai Narai area of South Waziristan tribal region, two intelligence officials said.

The exact identities of the dead were not immediately clear, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to media on the record.

The U.S. does not publicly acknowledge the missile program. Pakistani publicly protests the strikes as violations of its sovereignty, but is widely believed to secretly aid the attacks on Taliban and al-Qaida targets.

Pakistan has staged military operations against Taliban militants in its tribal regions, which stretch along the Afghan border and have long had little government influence.

Army fighter planes destroyed at least 10 suspected militant hideouts and one dozen vehicles in the Orakzai tribal region on Friday, killing at least 80 insurgents, administration official Samiullah Khan said,

Information from the tribal areas is nearly impossible to verify independently, because the areas are remote, dangerous and entry to them is largely restricted.

In Pakistan’s southwest Baluchistan province Friday, gunmen on a motorcycle killed four police officers in Quetta city.

One of the slain officers had helped arrest militants from the banned Sunni extremist group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, senior police official Naveed Ahmed said. But Ahmed did not blame any group for the attack, saying the investigation was continuing.

____

Toosi reported from Islamabad. Associated Press Writers Hussain Afzal in Parachinar, Abdul Sattar in Quetta, and Munir Ahmed and Asif Shahzad in Islamabad contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
URL : http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100528/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan

PAKISTAN: Three more Ahmadis murdered in target killings. No arrests have yet been made

---AHRC, Hong Kong

Asian Human Rights Commission — Statement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AHRC-STM-054-2010
April 07, 2010

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission

PAKISTAN: Three more Ahmadis murdered in target killings. No arrests have yet been made

Three more Ahmadis, including two brothers, were killed for their religious belief in target killings by unknown persons in Faisalabad city, a province of Punjab. This year so far, five Ahmadis have been killed whereas in the year 2009 eleven Ahmadis were murdered in target killings. Police have yet to investigate the incidents of killings.

Ahmadis have been declared a minority Muslim sect by the Pakistani constitution in 1974. Ever since, they are persecuted by different Muslim sects and Islamic political parties. The Ahmadis are not entitled to minority rights, nor do they have a right to vote in the general elections.

On April 1, at around 10:00 p.m., Sheikh Ashraf Pervaiz and Sheikh Masood Javaid, sons of late Sheikh Bashir Ahmad; and Asif Masood son of Sheikh Masood Javaid closed their businesses -Murad Cloth House and Murad Jewellers situated in Rail Bazaar, Faisalabad. They were on their way home when their car reached Faisal Hospital, Canal Road where there was a white car waiting. Four or five persons jumped out of the white car and started shooting indiscriminately at the businessmen. As a result, all three were seriously injured and died on the way to hospital.

The province of Punjab is on the brink of a one-sided persecution. Ahmadis are being arrested under Blasphemy laws. Conferences are held to incite hatred and instigate the common people of Pakistan to attack Ahmadis. The provincial government has already declared Ahmadis as Wajabi Qatl (liable to be murdered). In the month of February, the Punjab government released notorious murderers belonging to a banned religious group, the Sipahe Shaba Pakistan (SSP). The provincial government used them during the bye elections in two different electoral constituencies. They were the foot soldiers of the provincial law minister.

The government of the Punjab sponsored and held an ‘End of the prophet hood’ conference at the Badshahi Mosque in the provincial capital city of Lahore on April 11, 2009. On this occasion, they also burnt an effigy of the founder of the Ahmadiyya community. Clerics, one after another, unrestrainedly proposed the denial of religious freedom to Ahmadis and indulged in slander and abuse. The conference was paid for with public funds. The federal Minister of Religious Affairs also addressed the conference.

In a recent incident, the sessions court of Mirpukhas district, Sindh province, awarded three years rigorous imprisonment and slapped a fine of Rs. 50,000 each on three Ahmadis, Mr. Masood Chandio, Mr. Abdul Khaliq and Mr. Abdul Ghani on the basis of a complaint of a fundamental religious group that these persons were impersonating as Muslims and preaching Islam.

The Asian Human Rights Commission is shocked at the killings of persons from religious minority groups, particularly of Ahmadi community. The community has not only stopped all religious activities but also changed the names of their mosqes. Every government, whether it’s military or civilian, in political expediency, were always frightened of the Muslim religious groups that hated religious minority groups.

The attitudes of the courts are not different from the militant Muslim religious groups in dealing with the Ahmadis. It is observed very commonly that courts never allow the Ahmadis to clear their position during the hearings.

The Asian Human Rights Commission urges upon the government to ensure that all the rights of minorities are protected under the international laws including the right to perform their religious duties.

# # #
About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation monitoring and lobbying human rights issues in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984.

URL: www.ahrchk.net/statements/mainfile.php/2010statements/2491/