Forbidden faith
File Photo
Two years ago on May 28, eighty-six members of the Ahmadiyya community were massacred in their places of worship in Lahore, during the Friday congregation. Since then, an all-out war seems to have been declared against them with the oppressors becoming more vitriolic and aggressive.
“Since the extremists apply their rule of death for apostasy, Ahmadis are the first to be targeted. Their persecution will increase by wider margins, if the extremists grow stronger,” warns rights activist I.A. Rehman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP).
Sherry Rehman, Pakistan’s ambassador to the US cannot agree more. She calls the persecution of this community “unconscionable”.
“Violence and the advance of bigotry, prejudice and hate against minorities have never really been met with the resolve needed to remove impunity from the social equation in Pakistan; instead, what we see is an expansion in the space for religious and sectarian apartheids, which has led now to heinous acts of brutality, exclusion and ‘otherisation’ of many, particularly Ahmadis,” she declares, adding, “This is a dangerous trend that conflates national identity with religion.”
Whether it is the belligerent stance of extremists against the community, which unfortunately remains under government radar, or other reasons, Pakistan today is burdened with religious prejudice due to certain religious clauses in its constitution. Since the beginning of the year, 13 Ahmadis have been killed and there have been three major attacks on their places of worship. In all these attacks in Rawalpindi, Lahore, Khushab and Kharian, the police have been involved. “In Kharian, an armed contingent of police began demolition of the minarets after dark without a court order to support their sacrilegious act,” states the Ahmadiyya spokesperson.
As the country gears up for the general elections in 2013, those eligible for voting from the four-million Ahmadiyya community will not cast their votes. “We are Pakistanis, but we are separated and discriminated from the mainstream on the basis of religion,” says Saleemuddin, spokesperson of the community in Pakistan. “This is against the very spirit of democracy,” he adds.
For the community at least, he states, the separate electorate imposed by General Ziaul Haq in 1985, remains despite the “erroneous impression” that Pakistan has shifted from separate to joint electorate.
“In 2002, through a presidential order, issued on June 17, 2002, Pervez Musharraf created a separate supplementary list of voters in which Ahmadi voters were placed as non-Muslims. That order has not been cancelled, and remains enforced,” says Saleemuddin from Rabwah, located in Punjab and also known as Chenab Nagar, where 95 per cent of the people are Ahmadis.
Again in 2008, to register as voters, those who claimed to be Muslims had to sign a certificate of faith and deny the veracity of the founder of the Ahmadiyya community. When they disagreed, they were automatically denied their right to vote. And thus, as in 2008, the community has decided to again boycott the coming elections.
Since 1974, after being officially declared non-Muslim by the state, various civilian and military governments have passed a series of ordinances, acts and constitutional amendments discriminating against Ahmadis.
“In its formative years, the Pakistani government declared Islam to be the state religion,” said Bushra Gohar, a member of the National Assembly and central vice president of the Awami National Party, at a lecture in New York on the fate of religious minorities in Pakistan. “The military dictatorships have added religion to the constitution in even larger doses.”
Zohra Yusuf, chairperson HRCP, makes no bones about accusing the Punjab government of complicity. “It is certainly guilty as it has given in to the demands by Ahmadi-haters many times — by breaking down minarets and not allowing them to hold religious meetings, etc.”
Thank you for making me think Zofeen. That’s all I ever look for from any writer.
Ali, Sue is absolutely right. The purpose of any constitution is to unite a nation supported by laws that uphold it. Anything contrary to that needs to be changed ….. In a hurry.
Great blog, hope someone put listening ears and today fate of Pakistan is dependant on this. such discriminatory laws should be thrown out in trash forever. world is lighting up and pakistan is darkening.
Much surprised as someone was favoring ”certificate of faith” esp when it comes about to vote in Pakistan.I wonder if there s a single country around the world which obliges to fill the” certificate of faith ”
They know the vote power & unity of Ahmadiyya Community,as it s a pure sign of contingent .
Pakistan is the only country that has the restriction on voting. As Pakistan government is claiming that we are “Islami Jamhooria Pakistan” and doing totally against of democracy and Islam. UNO should notice and take some action.
People are lost in small print, the bigger picture is …. Ahmadi’s are non Muslim, but they still wish to pretend they share the Muslim faith even though they violate the basic tenants of Islam. In my view they are not apostate just non Muslim, so leave them alone. The business of declaring faith is inhenrantly a racist and xenophobic like the Hindus caste system. People are Pakistani and that should be enough.
This is why pak is suffering from problems, good article
I dont get it. You said;
“Again in 2008, to register as voters, those who claimed to be Muslims had to sign a certificate of faith and deny the veracity of the founder of the Ahmadiyya community. When they disagreed, they were automatically denied their right to vote. And thus, as in 2008, the community has decided to again boycott the coming elections.
Since 1974, after being officially declared non-Muslim by the state”
What are you suggesting here that constitution of Pakistan should be violated by removing certificate of faith for muslim claimants?. Thats totally illegal. I understand your emotions but if something is “Law of the land”, all must have to abide by it. By rejecting the “certificate of faith” and boycotting elections, Ahmadis are not only rejecting the constiution as well as their demecratic right of voting. This is deplorable.
Equally, the declaration of Ahmadis as non-muslims should also be contested politically and legally. If their is enough support, it will change, otherwise all have to live with the realities how matter how crude they are.
So you mean to say that Ahmadis should accept the state declared non Muslim status? seriously? who is the state to decide who is Muslim or non Muslim?
Agreed. Very balanced and logical view.
Ali, I guess you are one of those people who beleive in inhustice as long as the majority of the epople agree to it? Pakistan and its Islamic version are a disgrace to all humanity becuase of the mindset of people like you!!
The constitution, should not be violated, it should be changed! Changed to allow all residents to vote, regardless of religion. As for a “certificate of faith”, isn’t it a belief in Allah that makes a muslim, muslim? There are currently in excess of 70 muslim sects, with minor differences regarding some peripheral aspects of the religion , but whose core beliefs are the same and based on the Qu’ran. Surely the certificate of faith can be worded in a way so as to include all those who believe in Islam?
The should be no mention of religion on the constitution. Whoever believes that they are are muslims are muslims. It is not our right to dictate the terms of who are Muslim or not. Allah alone is the judge of that.
Religion is the cause of so much of human suffering in our world.
More like people who twist the religion to their own agenda are responsible for such suffering. It is not the religion in itself.
But this is the inherent limitation of religion.
It is so easy to manipulate religion.
Just look at the history of how religion has been abused over ages.
Sadly as long as the world exists people will use religion to promote their own agendas. I am sad to see that the extremists use the Islam to promote their hateful ideology. I respect your opinion but I must disagree with you. Religion is not the root of anything bad. Its us who forget its true teachings and create chaos.
Human suffering in the name of religion to its extreme form only exist in Pakistan. It’s example is not found in modern day world any where else except in Stone Age. May Allah guide this nation to realize that violence and repression has no place in religion. All religions were propagated through love and respect others and tolerance for the others who do not share same ideas and believes to the majority. No country in the world ran to craft new laws to repress its minorities. It happened only in Pakistan.
It will have its repercussion which we already seeing in the name of blasphemy laws. If Islam is a “Patent”, which can not be used by any body else, then we need to decide who has the rights or owner of this “Patent”.
Its because of Ahmadi we had Pakistan.. There is old saying you pay for what you do.. Their ghost have return to hunt them… No Surprise.. God judge people based on your deeds and repay your debt on this same earth.. They have blood of more than 2 million life lost in partition and creating countries based on religion which led to situation we have today.. They were concern about one person one vote instead of poor Muslim .. To an extent they deserve it.. Else why people believe that we should believe in peace.. if you can manipulate people the way you want.. then it never square off..
very interesting aspect of history i was not aware of; ahmadis responsible for formation of pakistan?
Pakistan came in to being because of a consensus among the Muslims of India that they should have a seperate homeland of their own. The partition holocaust was mainly caused by the hasty decision of Mountbatten to advance the partition date by a full year without making adequate security arrangements.
By your logic of ‘consensus’, if some Pakistani today have a ‘consensus’ that Ahmadiyya are apostatic and hence no business living in a Islamic Pakistan; does that make this consensus right?
Remember Muslims were minority in undivided India and hence it was not a democratic/majority decision. Neither was there any consensus among Muslims as half of them choose to stay in secular India.
Food for thought!!
Your response is incoherent and makes no sense.
Unless the establishment makes up its mind to take charge of the ship of state and to enforce strictly the concepts of fundamental human rights, the prognosis for Pakistan’s survival would remain dark.The first duty of the state is to provide eqqual protection to all its citizens, irrespective of their creed. Please wake up, those at the helm of affairs! It is now or never!
good article
Pakistan was created in name of religion and we are destroying Pakistan in name of religion.
Religion has no other possible outcome
It is a myth that Pakistan was created on the name of religion. Truth is India was divided with Muslim majority on one side and Hindu majority on the other. Minorities based on religion, race or otherwise were given equal rights. The issue at hand is when loyalty of minorities is questioned. Ahmadis, whether we believe with them on a religious basis or not are human beings and citizens of this country. Today people may look the other way but tomorrow it will be their turn to face the music.
The point of every religion on Earth is to make our lives better and to make us better people, to perfect our lives as best we can.
Oh Pakistan ! How low can you go ?
With all this hate crime going on against Allah’s creation, why would he heed to our prayers to save Islamic Republic of Pakistan ?