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Lahore: August 31, 2012. (PCP) A story of fear and blasphemy is in making in one of the Muslim majority area of Lahore like Mehrabad, a slum of Islamabad from where 600 hundred Christian families fled from home after Muslim mob attack after arrests of minor disabled Christian girl under blasphemy charges. The venue of new horror and fear is reported by Christians via e-mails and SMS by Christian residents of LDA, Walton Road, Lahore, where Muslims sprayed bullets on homes of Christians on night of August 30, 2012, issuing warning “Convert to Islam or leave this neighborhood”. Today on August 31, 2012, Muslims are gathered in hundreds around Christian’s homes and chanting slogans “Naara-e-Takbeer” which is used by Jihadists before attack to kill. Rev. Dr. Jamil Nasir of Church Of Pentecost Lahore Pakistan, resident of same locality of Walton Road Lahore, says “It happened two nights ago when I was at a meeting and my family was alone at home. Some Maulvis (Islamic Clerics) came to

America's top military officer has condemned a course taught about "total war" with Islam at one of the US's top military schools as "totally objectionable".   Read Original Post here...

In the  aftermath of the mass shooting in a Sikh gurdwara  in Oak Creek, Wis., a sea of reporters have asked many Sikh leaders and activists to quantify how many Sikhs had been targeted in hate crimes and murders since Sept. 11, 2001. Although I have helped chronicle hate crimes against the Sikh American community for more than a decade, I could not tell them. Even as the White House, U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation express their commitment to protecting Sikh Americans in response to the massacre, there is one glaring problem with how the federal government monitors hate crimes against Sikhs in America: It doesn’t. The FBI tracks all hate crimes on  Form 1-699, the Hate Crime Incident Report . Statistics collected on this form allow law enforcement officials to analyze trends in hate crimes and allocate resources appropriately. But under the FBI’s current tracking system, there is no category for anti-Sikh hate crimes. The religious identity of t

On 25 August, 2012 former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani attended the Khatm-e-Nabuwat Conference in Golra in Islamabad. Talking to reporters after the conference, the former prime minister said the mission of Pir Mehar Ali Shah, the patron saint of Golra, came to its fruition in 1974. It was a reference to the excommunication of Ahmadis by the Parliament. The community was declared nonMuslim through a constitutional amendment by the Pakistan People's Party government in 1974. The PPP views the amendment as a feather in its cap and many of its first rank leaders are known to proudly state that their party did Islam a favour. Things evidently were not always like this for Ahmadis. Having supported the All India Muslim League in the 1940s, Ahmadis - being an educated and enterprising community - contributed significantly to the development of the new state. There was always opposition to them but the state was forthright in putting down disturbances as it did in 1953. The Mun

ISLAMABAD — Doctors and officials are "favouring" a young Pakistani Christian girl charged with blasphemy after allegedly burning papers containing Koranic verses, the lawyer for her accuser claimed Thursday. The girl, named Rimsha, has been held since August 16 on suspicion of desecrating the Muslim holy book, an offence that can carry a life prison sentence under Pakistan's strict blasphemy laws. A medical report earlier this week said Rimsha was around 14 years old -- her age had been in dispute -- and appeared to be "uneducated" with a mental age below her true age. But after a brief hearing in the case on Thursday, which Rimsha did not attend, Rao Abdur Raheem, the lawyer representing her accuser, rejected the doctors' assessment. "The victim has admitted that she burned a chapter of the Koran," he told reporters outside court in Islamabad. "The doctors are favouring the victim and the state is also supporting her."

Bo, Southern Sierra Leone: In keeping with his policy of religious tolerance, President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma officially opened the 50th Jalsa Salana of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission in Bo on Friday 3rd February, 2011.

The neo-nazi Swedish Resistance Movement (Svenska Motståndsrörelsen) marched in the central Swedish town of Bollnäs earlier this summer, after a controversial rape case had rocked the community. On Saturday they marched again and anti-racist protests were held nearby. Swedish Democratic Norling said he disapproves of Nazism, but by and large considers it a by-product of immigration. He also agrees with the neo-nazi movement that Islam has no place in Sweden. “That can exist elsewhere but in Sweden it doesn’t fit in,” he said to Sweden’s national television SVT. When asked what ought to be done with those who still want to believe in the religion, despite it being banned, Norling responded: “Then the solution is deportation.” This is the second time in just days that Swedish Democratic politicians have landed themselves in hot water.  On Friday, the Swedish Democrat  Sven-Erik Karlsson  commented on the harassment Somalian families have been suffering from teens in the

Leader of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community addressing at Capitol Hill, Washington D.C. Assalamo alaikum wa rahmatullahe wa barakatohu, All distinguished guests  (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon you all) Before proceeding, I would like to first of all take this opportunity to thank all of you for taking the time to come and listen to what I have to say. I have been requested to speak about a subject that is extremely vast and wide ranging. It has many different aspects and therefore it is not possible for me to cover all of them in the short time available. And the subject that I have been asked to speak about is the establishment of world peace. Certainly this is the most vital and pressing issue facing the world today. However, as the time is limited, I shall only briefly give the Islamic viewpoint on the establishment of peace through just and equal relations between nations. The truth is that peace and justice are inseparable – you cannot have one without the other. And

I could hardly believe my senses as the news was unfolding itself in the most atrocious manner possible but sadly, it was.  It started with a red ticker reporting an incident of loud gunfire in Islamabad. It then turned out that a VVIP was being targeted in the capital. Later it was updated that the person on the barrel end of the guns was none other than the Governor of the Punjab, Salman Taseer whose death had been called upon by thousands of Imams and Mullahs four days prior in Friday Sermons and post congregation rallies. A few more moments and I read with wet eyes on my drawing room TV screen the news that sent shivers down my spine. Salman Taseer had been assassinated apparently by one of his guards who in his nonsensical mullah intellect accused him of blasphemy for his act of siding with a poor Christian lady Asia Bibi and for calling the draconian Pakistani Blasphemy laws as Black Laws. It was horrendous to visualize the scene in the mind’s eye – Mumtaz Qadri was  readmor

Men in uniforms of the armed forces went on a rampage of sectarian violence attacking and killing Shia Muslims who make up the second largest Muslim sect after the Sunnis. According to the reports from Gilgit-Baltistan, the northern district of Kohistan, where sizeable numbers of Shia Muslims reside, on three different occasions this year, members of the Shia sect were dragged out of passenger buses, asked to show identity cards and after confirming they were from Shia sect they were put in the line and killed. On the same day (August 16) when Shias were massacred in Mansehra district, in a pre-dawn attack around a dozen persons in uniform entered the well-guarded air base of the Pakistan Air Force at Kamra, 50 kilometers from Islamabad, the capital of the country. They remained there for readmore at alufaq.com

The open hate campaign against Ahmadis reached new heights even innocent children was not spared. 6 Ahmadis murdered and 31 survived assassination attempts because of their faith. After the promulgation of 1984 anti Ahmadiyya Ordinance 210 Ahmadis have been murdered because of their faith. There are 1008 cases pending in various courts throughout Pakistan. In 2011 the Pakistani Urdu press continued the publication of baseless news stories. During the year more than 1173 news stories on baseless propaganda against Ahmadis were published. Jama’at Ahmadiyya has published the report on persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan and the press report for 2011 about Pakistani Urdu press propaganda against Ahmadis. Rabwah (Press Release): Jama’at Ahmadiyya Pakistan has released the persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan report for  readmore at alufaq.com

We are currently going through the holy month of Ramadan and Muslims all around the world are especially engaged in Prayers and worship. In Pakistan all the TV channels have launched special Ramadan transmissions and every channel wants to outdo the other in attaining this pious aim. To meet this objective, they have imposed all manner of conjurers on the viewing public, all in the name of Ramadan, of course. Among these experts, someone is an expert in communicating with Jinns while another is serving Islam by publically bringing people in the fold of Islam whereas another is enumerating the qualities of Bhopal to the public. In short, everyone wants to brighten the name of Islam and make the masses aware of the blessings of Ramadan by presenting some stunt or the other. On the other hand, coincidentally a few days earlier the nation celebrated her Independence Day with full traditional passion and on this occasion the entire media also launched special transmissions highlighting

Aslam Bhatti, 34, was sitting at his computer shop in Baldia Town on Sunday  morning when armed men riding on motorcycles shot at him four times. PHOTO: FILE KARACHI:  A member of the Ahmadiyya community who was targeted by drive-by shooters on Sunday is in critical condition and undergoing medical treatment. Aslam Bhatti, 34, was sitting at his computer shop in Baldia Town on Sunday morning when armed men riding on motorcycles shot at him four times. While Bhatti tried to duck two bullets, a bullet ripped through his shoulder and another through his jaw, leaving him critically injured. Bhatti, the father of three daughters, had reportedly received death threats by people in his locality who called him an infidel and asked him to leave the area.  SHO Saeedabad Irshad told  The Express Tribune  that since Bhatti had a facial injury he has not recorded a statement to the police as yet. He said that Bhatti was a respected man in the neighborhood and had no personal enmity

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has banned the official website of the Ahmaddiya community,  alislam.org , according to a  report published in  The Nation  on Friday. A PTA official, speaking to  The Nation , said that the site was blocked because, as per the Constitution, the Ahmadis are not allowed to propagate their religious views publicly... Readmore at tribune.com.pk

Spokesperson of Ahmadi community says 6 minarets demolished, 2 bigger  ones to be taken down later. PHOTO: AHMADI COMMUNITY PRESS OFFICE LAHORE:  The police destroyed six minarets at a place of worship for Ahmadis in Kharian city on Tuesday night. The dome-like structures were taken down in Bait-ul-Hamd by policemen on an application of some members of the Tehreek-e-Tahafuzz-e-Islam, a religious organisation affiliated with the Barelvi sect. The organisation asked the police to take action under Section 298-B and C of the Pakistan Penal Code, according to which it is illegal for Ahmadis to ‘act or look’ like Muslims, or call their places of worship ‘mosques’. However, no court order was issued regarding the demolition of these minarets and while SHO Raja Zahid claims the decision came “after a mutual consensus,” the community begs to differ. At about 9:15 pm on Tuesday policemen, under the supervision of DSP Sultan Meeran went to the place of worship near Kabari

Picture of Zia's father's name "Mohammad Ali", inscribed on the gate,  painted over. PHOTO: Press Section, Ahmadiyya Community, Pakistan. LAHORE:  Members of an Islamic organisation removed Quranic texts and religious words from the shop of an Ahmadi family in Kot Abdul Malik, Sheikhupura, on August 14 with the help of local police. Factory Area Police had gone to Qamar Zia’s mobile shop with members of an Islamic organisation, Almi Majlis-e-Tahaffuz-e-Khatam-e-Nabuwat and removed two lines of Quranic texts and the word  Mash’Allah  from outside the shop and inside as well. His father’s name “Muhammad Ali” inscribed on the gate of the residence, next to Zia’s shop, was also removed with the help of welding equipment and then painted over. Talking to  The Express Tribune , Zia said, “I kept on saying that this is my father’s name and not a religious expression, and it can be verified from his identification card, but they did not pay heed to my reque

Applicants had threatened of religious clashes if Quranic verses, texts were not removed from Ahmadi graves. PHOTO: SHAMSUL ISLAM FAISALABAD:  A heavy police contingent on Friday, on the demand of a banned organisation, removed Quranic verses and religious texts written on tombstones of Ahmadi graves to save the area from clashes on religious grounds. An application was moved to the area police of Uncha Mangat claiming Kassoki villagers’ demands of the removal of Quranic verses and religious text from Ahmadi graves in the graveyard on Hafizabad-Sheikhupura Road. The applicants threatened of religious clashes and bloodshed if this was not done. The DPO Hafizabad asked the police station in charge to take appropriate steps for averting any untoward incident or clash on religious basis. The local SHO summoned elders and notables of the Ahmadi community of the village who met him under the supervision of Nasir Javaid, acting Ameer Jamaat Ahmadiyya, Hafizabad. The

When Zakria Nasrullah Khan heard the third gunshot, he realized it wasn’t a tire bursting or a car backfiring. It was two men shooting at him and his mosque, the one that his father and 6-year-old son had just entered. The one he and other security volunteers were guarding, unarmed. The one the terrorists barricaded from the inside as they shot worshippers. “I haven’t felt more desperate than that point in time,” he said. The May 28, 2010 attack in Lahore, Pakistan lasted for hours, complete with grenade and suicide bomb explosions. More than 60 people were killed, including Khan’s father and several friends. His son, now 8, survived with no injuries. A month later, Khan received death threats: one text message was two mock headlines announcing his death and his acceptance of mainstream Islam. The message ended with: “Now you choose which headline you want to become.” Another time, a gunman chased him and shot at his car. He barely     readmore...