Persecution of Ahmadis Information
The Persecution of Ahmadis is the religious persecution of Ahmadi Muslims as a consequence of professing their faith. They have been subject to various forms of persecution and discrimination since the movement's inception in 1889. The Ahmadiyya faith emerged from the Sunni tradition of Islam and its adherents believe in all the five pillars and articles of faith required of Muslims.[1]
The Ahmadis are active translators of the Qur'an and proselytizers for the faith; converts to Islam in many parts of the world first discover Islam through the Ahmadis. However, in many Islamic countries the Ahmadis have been defined as heretics and non-Muslim and subjected to persecution and often systematic oppression.[2]
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Pakistan
With 4 million Ahmadis[3] in Pakistan, persecution of Ahmadis has been particularly severe and systematic in Pakistan, which is the only state to have officially declared the Ahmadis to be non-Muslims.[4] Here they are prohibited by law from self-identifying as Muslims, and their freedom of religion has been curtailed by a series of ordinances, acts and constitutional amendments.[5] In applying for a passport, Pakistanis are required to declare that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad is an impostor prophet and that his followers are non-Muslims.[6]
As a result, persecution and hate-related incidents are constantly reported from different parts of the country, and Ahmadis have been the target of many attacks led by various religious groups.[7] Madrasahs of all sects of Islam in Pakistan prescribe reading materials for their students specifically targeted at refuting Ahmadiyya beliefs.[8]
As a result of the cultural implications of the laws and constitutional amendments regarding Ahmadis in Pakistan, persecution and hate-related incidents are constantly reported from different parts of the country. Ahmadis have been the target of many attacks led by various religious groups.[9] All religious seminaries and madrasahs in Pakistan, belonging to different sects of Islam, have prescribed essential reading materials specifically targeted at refuting Ahmadiyya beliefs.[10]
In a recent survey in Pakistan, pupils in private schools of Pakistan expressed their opinions on religious tolerance in the country. The figures assembled in the study reflect that even in the educated classes of Pakistan, Ahmadis are considered to be the least deserving minority in terms of equal opportunities and civil rights. In the same study, the teachers in these elite schools showed an even lower amount of tolerance towards Ahmadis than their pupils.[11]
Another example is Abdus Salam, the only Muslim recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics. Because of his allegiance to the Ahmadiyya sect, he has been ignored and excommunicated. There are no monuments or universities named after him. The word "Muslim" has been erased from his grave stone.[12]
1953
Main article: Lahore riots of 1953In 1953 at the instigation of religious parties, anti-Ahmadiyya riots erupted in Pakistan, killing scores of Ahmadi Muslims and destroying their properties. There were severe agitations against the Ahmadis in which street protests were held, political rallies were carried out, and inflammatory articles were published. These agitations led to 2,000 Ahmadi deaths. Consequently, martial law was established and the Pakistan's Federal Cabinet was dismissed by Governor-General Ghulam Muhammad.[13]
1974 riots and constitutional amendment
In 1974 a violent campaign, mainly led by the Jamaat-e-Islami, was started against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Pakistan on the pretext of a clash which took place between Ahmadis and non-Ahmadis at the railway station of Rabwah. This campaign resulted in several Ahmadi casualties and destruction of Ahmadiyya property, including the descretation of mosques and graves.
As a result of pressure from this agitation, legislation and constitutional changes were enacted to criminalise the religious practises of Ahmadis by preventing them from claiming to be Muslim or from "behaving" as Muslims. Pakistan's parliament adopted a law declaring Ahmadis to be non-Muslims; the country's constitution was amended to define a Muslim “as a person who believes in the finality of the Prophet Muhammad”.[14]
Ordinance XX
Main article: Ordinance XXOn 26 April 1984, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, the President of Pakistan, issued the anti-Ahmadiyya Ordinance XX, which effectively prohibited Ahmadis from preaching or professing their beliefs.[15][16] The ordinance, which was supposed to prevent "anti-Islamic activities," forbids Ahmadis to call themselves Muslim or to "pose as Muslims." This means that they are not allowed to profess the Islamic creed publicly or call their places of worship mosques. Ahmadis in Pakistan are also barred by law from worshipping in non-Ahmadi mosques or public prayer rooms, performing the Muslim call to prayer, using the traditional Islamic greeting in public, publicly quoting from the Qur'an, preaching in public, seeking converts, or producing, publishing, and disseminating their religious materials. These acts are punishable by imprisonment of up to three years.[17] Ordinance XX and the 1974 amendment to the constitution effectively gave the state the exclusive right to determine the meaning of the term "Muslim" within Pakistan.
Many Ahmadis were arrested within days of the promulgation of this ordinance, and it gave way for widespread sanctioned as well as non-sanctioned persecution.
Shab Qadar incident
The Shab Qadar incident was a public stoning of two members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the town of Shab Qadar, in the North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan in April 1995.[18] Dr. Rashid Ahmad and his son-in law, Riaz Ahmad Khan, were attacked as they were about to attend a court hearing in Shab Qadar. As they entered the court premises, a violent mob incited by local clerics attacked the men with sticks and stones. Riaz Khan was stoned to death and his dead body stripped and dragged through the town on a rope. Dr. Rashid Ahmad was taken to a hospital in Peshawar with serious injuries. A third Ahmadi, advocate Bashir Ahmad, escaped unhurt.[19] This murder took place in front of the police. Riaz Khan even asked a police officer for help, but instead of helping, the officer pushed him away.[20] According to Amnesty International, the police "stood and watched", and "later pleaded that it could not have intervened in a situation like that". No one was detained or criminally charged for the killing.
The victims — senior members of Ahmadiyya Community from Peshawar — had come from the provincial capital in order to file a bail application on behalf of another Ahmadi Muslim, Daulat Khan. Daulat Khan had been harassed following his conversion to the sect; local Muslim clergy had reportedly called for his death. Daulat Khan had been arrested and imprisoned on 5 April 1995 under sections 107 (abetment) and 151 (disturbing the peace by joining in unlawful assembly) of the Penal Code. After the lynching of Rashid Ahmad and Riaz Ahmad Khan, Daulat Khan remained in custody and was further charged with posing as a Muslim and preaching Ahmadiyyat (section 298 C of the Penal Code) and insulting the religious sentiments of Muslims (section 295 A).[18]
Urdu novelist Mustansar Hussain Tarar made a reference to this event in his novel Raakh ("Ashes").[citation needed]
2000
On 30 October 2000, gunmen opened fire at an Ahmadiyya prayer meeting in the Pakistani province of Punjab, killing at least five worshippers and wounding another seven.[21]
2005
Main article: 2005 attack on Ahmadi mosque in Mandi BahauddinOn 7 October 2005, masked gunmen with Kalashnikov rifles stormed a mosque belonging to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in a village called Mong in District Mandi Bahauddin, shooting dead eight people and wounding 14.[22]
2008
Two prominent members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community were matryed on September 8 and September 9, 2008 after a program provoking people to kill Ahmadis was aired on a prominent Pakistani television channel Geo TV a day earlier on September 7.[23]
2009
During the year 2009, eleven Ahmadis were killed, while numerous others became victims of attempted killings, according to a report titled "Persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan during the year 2009" published by Nazarat Umoor-e-Aama Sadr Anjuman Ahmadia Pakistan. The report claimed that the actions of “Ahmadi opponents” had been encouraged largely by the prejudiced attitude of the authorities, and alleged that the federal government had been in denial of the human rights and religious freedom of the Ahmadis, especially the governments of Punjab and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.[24]
2010
- April
Around 10 pm on 1 April 2010, three Ahmadis were returning home in their vehicle from their jewellery and cloth shops situated in Rail Bazaar in Faisalabad. As their car approached the Canal Road near Faisal Hospital, four or five unidentified militants in a white car ambushed them. The three Ahmadis were seriously injured when the men opened fire at them. The attackers managed to flee from the scene. The three men died before they reached the hospital.[25]
- May Lahore attacks
On May 28, 2010, two mosques in Lahore belonging to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community were attacked by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan Punjab Wing. The attacks were carried out nearly simultaneously at Mosque Darul Al Zikr, Garhi Shahu and Mosque Bait Al Noor Lahore Model Town, 15 km apart. More than 90 people were killed and 108 were injured in the incident. One attacker was killed; another was captured by worshipers.[26]
On May 31, 2010, an Ahmadi was stabbed to death and his son seriously injured when an activist climbed the wall of their house with a dagger and attacked them. The son later died in hospital from serious wounds. The attacker escaped. Residents say that the assailant threatened to not leave any Ahmadi alive after having found motivation to kill them through a sermon given by a local fanatical sunni cleric.[27]
Other countries
Afghanistan
Only twelve years after Mirza Ghulam Ahmad's claim of mahdi-Mahood, two prominent Afghans accused of adhering to him were stoned to death in Afghanistan in 1901. Another Afghan Ahmadi named Nimatullah was found guilty of apostasy in 1903.[28] In the 1920s, King Amanullah had Ahmadiyya executed or forcibly converted, and in 1924 affiliation with Ahmadiyya became a capital offense.[29]
Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, Ahmadis have been targeted by various protests and acts of violence, and fundamentalist Islamic groups have demanded that Ahmadis be officially declared kafirs (infidels).[30] Some adherents of Ahmadiyya have been subject to “house arrest” and several have been killed. In late 2003 several large, violent marches, led by Moulana Moahmud Hossain Mumtazi, were directed to occupy an Ahmadi mosque. In 2004, all Ahmadiyya publications were banned.[31]
Egypt
There has been a recent rise of persecution of Ahmadis in Egypt. In March 2010, nine Ahmadis were detained for allegedly insulting Islam.[32]
India
In India, Ahmadis are considered to be Muslims by the Hindu majority. This belief is supported by a court verdict (Shihabuddin Koya vs. Ahammed Koya, A.I.R. 1971 Ker 206).[4] There is no legislation that declares Ahmadis non-Muslims or limits their activities,[4] but they are not allowed by fellow Muslims to sit on the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, a body of religious leaders India's government recognises as representative of Indian Muslims.[33]
Indonesia
See also: Ahmadiyya in Indonesia2008
In 2008, many Muslims in Indonesia protested against the Ahmadiyya movement. With violence and large demonstrations, these religious conservatives put pressure on the government to monitor, and harass the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Indonesia.[34] Public opinion in Indonesia is split in three ways on how Ahmadiyya should be treated: (a) some hold it should be banned outright on the basis that it is a heretical and deviant sect that is not listed as an officially recognised religion in Indonesia; (b) others hold that it should not be banned because of the freedom of religion article in the Constitution, but also should not be allowed to proselytise under the banner of "Islam" on the basis that this is misleading; (c) still others hold that it should be free to do and say as it pleases based on the Constitutional right to freedom of religion.[35] In June 2008, a law was passed to curtail “proselytizing” by Ahmadiyya members.[36] An Ahmadiyya mosque was burned.[37] Human rights groups objected to the restrictions on religious freedom.[38] A government decree adopted in 2008 under pressure from Islamic conservatives bans the sect from spreading its faith.[39]
2010
In July 2010, a mob of 200 Indonesians surrounded an Ahmadi mosque in Manislor village in Kuningan district, West Java. The mob pelted the mosque with stones before being dispersed by the police.[40]
2011 On February 6, 2011 some Ahmadiyya members were killed at Pandeglang, Banten province.[41] Government has seven instructions followed the incident. Two of them are, i.e. to hunt killers in the Anti-Ahmadiyya violence, but it also called on Ahmadiyya to abide by the 2008 joint ministers decree (Religious affairs, Domestic/Home affairs, and Attorney General minister) the sect from spreading false Islamic teaching to the public. Besides it the three ministers should evaluating basic problems in Ahmadiyya case.[42] Joint minister decree is published to accommodate Islamic fundamentalist pressure, but after it published came anarchisme and some people think that the decree is not wise. Until this incident there are no proper evaluation from the government about the decree.
Malaysia
In April 2009, the Selangor Islamic Religious Council of Malaysia issued a letter which forbade members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community to offer Friday prayers at their central mosque with immediate effect. Moreover, its failure by the Ahmadis to comply with the terms of the order will result in imprisonment of up to one year and/or a fine up to 3000 Malaysian ringgit. A large notice has been place outside the mosque which states Qadiani Bukan Agama Islam which translates to Qadiani [Ahmadiyyat] is not an Islamic Religion.[43][44]
United Kingdom
In 2009 a demonstration consisting of mainly Muslims was held in Walsall to prevent Ahmadis acquiring a mosque.[45]
In 2010, in the wake of the May 2010 attacks on two Ahmadi mosques in Lahore, Pakistan, members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community living in the UK were threatened and intimidated. Certain Muslim groups in South London distributed leaflets asking readers to kill Ahmadis and boycott their businesses, and Ahmadi mosques in Crawley and Newham were vandalised. In October 2010 Ofcom criticised the UK-based Ummah Channel for broadcasting three interactive television programmes before and after the Lahore massacre of Ahmadi Muslims in May 2010, in which religious leaders and callers alike said that Ahmadis should be killed. These programmes were repeated several times. Ofcom stated that the programme's abusive treatment of the religious views and beliefs of members of the Ahmadiyya community breached UK broadcasting regulations.[46][47]
In the media
Muslim Television Ahmadiyya International (MTA) has produced four documentaries regarding the persecution of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community over the last century.
- The Early Years
- 1953
- 1974
- 1984–Present (2008)
References
- ^ "The Ahmadi Muslim Community. Who are the Ahmadi Muslims and what do they believe? Waqar Ahmad Ahmedi gives a brief introduction to the Ahmadi branch of Islam." Times Online. May 27, 2008.
- ^ "Localising Diaspora: the Ahmadi Muslims and the problem of multi-sited ethnography". Association of Social Anthropologists, 2004 conference panel.
- ^ "A mosque by any other name". The Economist. 13 January 2010. http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15266768.
- ^ a b c Hoque, Ridwanul (March 21, 2004). "On right to freedom of religion and the plight of Ahmadiyas". The Daily Star. http://www.thedailystar.net/law/2004/03/03/index.htm.
- ^ Khan, Naveeda. "Trespasses of the State: Ministering to Theological Dilemmas through the Copyright/Trademark". Sarai Reader 2005: Bare Acts. p. 184.
- ^ Why Pakistan's Ahmadi community is officially detested
- ^ "Persecution of the Ahmadiyya Community in Pakistan: An Analysis Under International Law and International Relations". Harvard Human Rights Journal, Vol 16, September 2003. “Eight die in Pakistan sect attack”, BBC News “Sect offices closed in Pakistan”, BBC News
- ^ Rahman, Tariq. "Denizens of Alien Worlds: A Survey of the Education System of Pakistan". Contemporary South Asia, 2004. p. 15.
- ^ Persecution of the Ahmadiyya Community in Pakistan: An Analysis Under International Law and International Relations Harvard Human Rights Journal, Vol 16, September 2003 “Eight die in Pakistan sect attack”, BBC News “Sect offices closed in Pakistan”, BBC News
- ^ Denizens of Alien Worlds. T Rahman – Contemporary South Asia, 2004. A Survey of the Education System of Pakistan, by Tariq Rahman, page 15.
- ^ Peace and Democracy in South Asia, Volume 1, Number 1, January 2005. Passports to Privilege: The English-Medium Schools In Pakistan, Tariq Rahman.
- ^ Mohammed Hanif. "BBC News - Why Pakistan's Ahmadi community is officially detested". BBC News (London: BBC). http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/8744092.stm. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
- ^ "Pakistan: Jamaat-i-Islami". Library of Congress Country Studies. April 1994.
- ^ An Act to amend the Constitution (2nd Amendment) ACT, 1974. An Act to amend the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Gazette of Pakistan, Extraordinary, Part I, 21 September 1974
- ^ Text of Martial Law Ordinance XX of 1984
- ^ Khan, Naveeda. "Trespasses of the State: Ministering to Theological Dilemmas through the Copyright/Trademark". Sarai Reader 2005: Bare Acts. p. 182.
- ^ "Ahmadiyya Islam." GlobalSecurity.org. 26 April 2005. Retrieved 14 December 2009.
- ^ a b Amnesty International April 8, 1995, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, page 82 of its Annual Report (1995)
- ^ "Implementation of the declaration on the elimination of all forms of intolerance and of discrimination based on religion of belief". Report submitted by Mr. Abdelfattah Amor, United Nations Special Rapporteur, in accordance with UN Commission on Human Rights Resolution 1995/23.
- ^ Plight of Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan, page 43
- ^ "Gunmen kill five at prayer meeting". news.bbc.co.uk. 30 October 2000. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/998648.stm.
- ^ "Eight dead in Pakistan’s Ahmadi community’s worship place attack". dawn.com. 7 October 2005. http://www.dawn.com/2005/10/07/welcome.htm.
- ^ "Two persons murdered after an anchor person proposed the widespread lynching of Ahmadi sect followers". Asian Human Rights Commision. September 10 2008. http://www.humanrights.asia/news/urgent-appeals/AHRC-UAC-203-2008. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
- ^ "11 Ahmadis killed during 2009: report". dailytimes.com.pk. 12 March 2009. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\03\12\story_12-3-2010_pg7_42.
- ^ "11 Ahmadis slam target-killings in Faisalabad". dailytimes.com.pk. 5 April 2010. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\04\05\story_5-4-2010_pg7_9.
- ^ "Lahore attacks leave over 80 dead". geo.tv. 28 May 2010. http://geo.tv/5-28-2010/65748.htm.
- ^ "Ahmadi man stabbed to death in Narowal". dawn.com. 31 May 2010. http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/provinces/04-ahmadi-stabbed-narowal-qs-07.
- ^ Reetz, Dietrich (2006). Islam in the public sphere: religious groups in India, 1900-1947. Oxford University Press. p. 379. ISBN 0195668103, 9780195668100. http://books.google.com/books?id=hbzXAAAAMAAJ&source=gbs_navlinks_s. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
- ^ Vincent Littrell. [Islam: Ahmadiyya]. World Association of International Studies, February 17, 2006
- ^ Rahman, Waliur. “Violent Dhaka rally against sect”. BBC News. 23 December 2005.
- ^ "Bangladesh: The Ahmadiyya Community - their rights must be protected". Amnesty International. 22 April 2004.
- ^ Egypt Ahmadis detained
- ^ Naqvi, Jawed (September 1, 2008). "Religious violence hastens India’s leap into deeper obscurantism". Dawn. http://www.dawn.com/weekly/jawed/20080109.htm. Retrieved December 23, 2009.
- ^ Indonesia to ban Ahmadi activities, 06/09/2008
- ^ "Ahmadiyya Ban and Human Rights",Fazil Jamal on Jakarta Post
- ^ Indonesia to ban Ahmadi activities, AsiaNews.IT
- ^ Anti-Ahmadiyya Mullah Burning Ahmadiyya Mosques – Indonesia, Al Jazeera News Report
- ^ Indonesia's religious tolerance under threat-group, Jun 10, 2008.
- ^ Religious clash in Indonesia kills up to six, Straits Times, 6 Feb 2011
- ^ Indonesia mob attacks Muslim sect. Al Jazeera English. 29 July 2010
- ^ http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/02/06/six-killed-clash-between-villagers-and-ahmadiyah-followers.html
- ^ http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/02/06/govt-instructs-police-hunt-killers-calls-ahmadiyah-abide-decree.html
- ^ "MAIS forbids Ahmadiyya worship". thenutgraph. http://www.thenutgraph.com/mais-forbids-ahmadiyya-worship/. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
- ^ "ISLAMIC COUNCIL IN MALAYSIA ISSUES NOTICE TO AHMADIYYA MUSLIM JAMAAT PREVENTING USE OF CENTRAL MOSQUE". thepersecution. http://www.thepersecution.org/press/09/my090428.html. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
- ^ "Freedom of worship for Ahmadis". The Guardian. 8 December 2009. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2009/dec/08/ahmadi-mosque-walsall-protests. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
- ^ Taylor, Jerome (21 October 2010). "Hardliners call for deaths of Surrey Muslims". London: The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/hardliners-call-for-deaths-of-surrey-muslims-2112268.html. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
- ^ "Ahmadiyya Debate". Parliament of United Kingdom. http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=6641. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
External links
- Website about persecution of Ahmadis
- Justice Munir Enquiry Report on Anti-Ahmadiyya riots of 1953 (Urdu)
- Justice Munir Enquiry Report on Anti-Ahmadiyya riots of 1953 (English)
- History of Persecution 1971-1980
- Pictures of those Martyred in 1974
- Ahmadi Murdered in 2009
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Categories: Persecution of Ahmadiyya | Islam in Pakistan | Islam in Bangladesh | Islam in India | Islam in Indonesia
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