Tag: Ahmadiyya

  • ‘Community is being persecuted’, Ahmadi spokesperson on arrest of three for performing Qurbani

    ‘Community is being persecuted’, Ahmadi spokesperson on arrest of three for performing Qurbani

    On Sunday, a first information report (FIR) was filed in Faisalabad against Ahmadi community members for “hurting Muslim sentiments”, reports Dawn. As per the FIR, the religious sentiments of Muslims were hurt by the members of Ahmadi community by performing animal sacrifice.

    Saleemuddin, a spokesperson for Jamaat-i-Ahmadiyya Pakistan, told Dawn that three people have been arrested as a result of the FIR. “The community is being persecuted,” he added.

    According to the FIR, the people who have filed the complaint were in a mosque following Eid-ul- Azha prayers where they learned from their sources that Ahmadi community members were slaughtering animals inside their home.

    They then “climbed the roofs of nearby houses, after which they saw that the Ahmadi community members were sacrificing a goat at one place while other members were cutting the meat of another animal at a different place”.

    “The Islamic sentiments of the complainants and other Muslims were hurt by this and [the complainants] recorded a video which can be presented as evidence,” the FIR added.

    “By performing a ritual in line with Islamic beliefs and presenting themselves as Muslims despite being Ahmadis, they have committed a cognisable offence, according to Muslim ummah’s belief, and this has grievously hurt Muslim sentiments,” the complainants stated.

    The FIR was registered at Faisalabad’s police station Thikriwala against five people under Section 298-C of the Pakistan penal code.

  • Dishonouring our heroes

    A few days ago, a group of youngsters smeared a portrait of the first Nobel laureate from Pakistan, Dr Abdus Salam. The video was widely circulated on the internet that showed the group, consisting of State Youth Parliament Pakistan members, painting Dr Salam’s portrait black while raising slogans against the minority Ahmadiyya community, of which Dr Salam was a member, outside Gujranwala’s National Science College.

    It was tragic to see that science students, rather than honouring Dr Salam, a world renowned physicist from Pakistan and champion of science in the developing world, would take pride in vandalising his portrait due to bigotry. Dr Salam’s contributions to science are undeniable and they have been recognised and hailed by the state of Pakistan as well. Thus it is unfortunate to see that our society is still reluctant to acknowledge him as a hero because he belonged to a religious minority. The white part in the Pakistani flag represents our minorities but if we can continue to persecute them, then we are in fact dishonouring our flag, our founding father’s vision for Pakistan and our Constitution that guarantees that all citizens are to be treated equally regardless of their faith, caste and creed.

    Why do we treat our heroes so badly? Pakistan’s second Nobel laureate and the youngest laureate Malala Yousafzai has also faced a barrage of criticism from Pakistani society. Many a conspiracy theory is associated with the assassination attempt on her life despite the fact that she barely survived the attack. Thankfully, the state of Pakistan has been consistently supportive of Malala and Dr Salam. This gives us hope that one day our society, too, will learn to honour those who have made Pakistan proud in the international arena. We always complain how Pakistan’s image is portrayed negatively in the international press but people like Dr Salam and Malala and many others continue to make us proud due to their contributions in areas like science, education, arts, among others. Asma Jahangir’s work for human rights and women’s rights was hailed around the world but she was not recognised by several segments of society because of her bold views on fundamental freedoms. It is high time that we put an end to such thinking and be more tolerant and appreciative of the work that our countrymen and country-women continue to do for the betterment of Pakistan.

    In an environment where we see rising political polarisation, religious intolerance, the state needs to continue to promote tolerance and honouring those who have made a mark. Dr Salam does not need validation from those who smeared his portrait; his work speaks for itself but at the same time, it is a tragedy that he does not have the same acceptance from fellow Pakistanis that the international community has given him. Let’s hope that one day, those who smeared his portrait too would feel ashamed of doing what they did.