Zafar views

An Ahmadiyya Muslim mission house and salat center in Hyderabad, India, was attacked today during Jumma prayers, it has been reported. A band of some 30-plus hooligans barged into the recently opened Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission house located in Basharat Nagar near Falaknuma, and beat up the resident teacher ( Mu'alim ), Imam Imran. Imam, who was struck repeatedly with a cricket bat leaving him badly injured and unconscious, was rushed to a local hospital where he is listed in serious condition. Several eye-witness accounts suggest the attackers were drunk and looking for trouble in the area. Police arrived at the mission house and an FIR (First Information Reports) have been registered. The Ahmadiyya Mission House has been open for about 6 months at the current location which is a Muslim dominated locality. Anti-Ahmadi extremist element in the area has also launched a police report alleging the Imam and community members were spreading wrong faith in the locality whi...

Glasgow:  A UK-based human rights organisation is calling on the authorities in Pakistan to release a 72-year-old doctor who was arrested for ‘posing as a Muslim’ after being secretly filmed by a patient at his surgery. Global Minorities Alliance, a Glasgow-based human rights organisation which advocates for the rights of minority communities the world over, denounced the imprisonment as a further example of Pakistan’s strict blasphemy laws being used to persecute minorities and whip up religious hatred rather than seek justice in a country which is increasingly being divided by violence. Mr Masood Ahmad, a member of the Ahmadiyya community, was charged under Pakistan’s anti-Ahmadiyya blasphemy legislation after a religious leader posing as a patient attended his homeopathy clinic in Lahore and secretly recorded him reading a verse from the Quran. Mr Ahmad, who has dual Pakistani/UK nationality and previously lived in London, was arrested shortly after and is now in pri...

A 17 year old Ahmadi boy, Arsalan Sarwar, was shot fatally in Satellite town area of Rawalpindi yesterday, it is reported. According to the Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya Pakistan spokesperson, Saleem-ud Din, the circumstances surrounding the youngster’s killing are not yet clear. Mr Din said he did not want to speculate without full and accurate information. “I will have further details and I will update tomorrow.” "Please bear with me in the meantime and do not speculate without facts," the Ahmadiyya spokesperson further cautioned. According to some unconfirmed reports in the social media, the victim was seen installing decorative lighting on the day of Eid Milad-un-Nabi, the Holy Prophet Muhammad's birthday, when he was killed. Many rights groups say the Ahmadi killings are the direct result of a reckless disregard by Pakistani authorities of the hate-materials routinely published against Ahmadis which openly provoke and incite public to kill Ahmadis. “Governmen...

A one-and-a-half-year-old infant was buried four days after she died from pneumonia in Toba Tek Singh, Punjab province.   The girl, who was from an Ahmadi family, died on December 19, and was taken for burial the following day. At the cemetery the local clerics gathered with approximately fifty men who were armed with sticks and batons. The girl belonged to the Ahmadiyya sect of Islam, declared non Islamic through constitutional amendments. The men refused to let the Ahmadis bury the girl in the common graveyard and prevented them from digging the grave. In Chak 312-JB Kathowali, Gojra, Toba Tek Singh, the Ahmadi and local Muslim population have lived together for six decades after the creation of Pakistan and the graveyard was used by both communities without dispute. However, from the last year the Muslim fundamentalist tried to introduce some families, particularly unmarried persons, who became busy instigating the people to agitate against the Ahmadis in order to dislodge...

The Asian Human Rights Commission wishes to forward this statement regarding persons who chose to join the Ahmadiyya sect of Islam and the treatment they received thereafter. It is extremely perturbing that we have to bring to the notice of the world’s community the plight of two innocent, loyal citizens of Saudi Arabia who had committed no offence at all, were arrested on 14 May 2012 just because they had chosen to join the The Asian Human Rights Commission wishes to forward this statement regarding persons who chose to join the Ahmadiyya sect of Islam and the treatment they received thereafter. It is extremely perturbing that we have to bring to the notice of the world’s community the plight of two innocent, loyal citizens of Saudi Arabia who had committed no offence at all, were arrested on 14 May 2012 just because they had chosen to join the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community for the betterment of their understanding and practice of the teachings of Islam. It is a heart rendering...

Twenty Ahmadiyah followers have missed work and school, remaining holed up in the Al-Misbah Mosque in Bekasi, east of Jakarta, since local officials sealed it off on April 4. The security coordinator for the Ahmadiyah Indonesia Congregation, Deden Sudjana, said on Saturday that the Ahmadis were in good condition and would stay in the mosque until the city administration allowed the followers of the minority Muslim sect to practice their religion and remove the fence sealing the mosque. However, officials appear unlikely to honor that request. Deden said that Bekasi Mayor Rahmat Effendi invited the Bekasi Ahmadiyah congregation members to a dialogue on April 11, which he said ended in deadlock and was attended by representatives of the Bekasi branch of the Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI). The administration, according to Deden, had agreed to open the mosque only if the Ahmadis removed Islam from their congregation’s name or allowed officials to arrange all services at the mosque, includ...

Persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan  News Report December 2012 Report...

An Ahmadi Muslim who was shot in the head in Pakistan has arrived in the UK for treatment and will now claim asylum here in order to avoid returning to his home country. Ummad Farooq, who was in the UK studying in Sunderland on a student visa, had gone home to Karachi for his brother Saad's wedding on the 19 October when the same brother was killed in the attack. He came back to the UK with the bullet still lodged in his head and is now getting treatment at Queen Elizabeth hospital in Birmingham - the hospital treating Taliban victim Malala Yousafzai. Ummad Farooq says his family were targeted because his father is the president of the Ahmadiyya community in his locality. Ahmadis are a Muslim sect whose views differ from mainstream Islam. They suffer persecution because of this and in 1974 the Pakistani government declared the sect non-Muslim. He spoke to BBC Asian Network reporter Catrin Nye. You can hear more on this story on  Asian Network Reports  at 13:00 ...

KARACHI:  Tragedy struck an Ahmedi family in Nawabshah once again when the son was shot at by an unidentified man only a few years after his father was killed. The victim A*, who is a lawyer, was at his brother’s shop – taking a break from his morning work at the district courts – when a man walked up to him, opened fire and disappeared into the crowd. The incident took place at Liaquat Market Road on April 2, according to the victim’s cousin, K. “I heard a gunshot and when I reached on the spot a few people were trying to take him to the hospital in a rickshaw,” the cousin recalled. “He might have been targeted because of his religious beliefs as he had no personal enmity.” Initially, A was rushed to Civil Hospital, Nawabshah, but was later moved to Karachi. “The bullet pierced his liver and the doctors have removed the affected part in a surgery,” said MA Khan, a spokesperson for Ahmediya community, “The bleeding hasn’t stopped until now.” The doctors feel, however, ...

Recently an Ahmadi couple were denied permission to get married by the Religious Affairs Office in Indonesia’s West Java province, unless they agreed to convert to mainstream Islam. And last week, a blood donor event held by a group of Ahmadiyah in the same province was stopped by the authorities. Indonesia’s 200,000 Ahmadiyah people identify themselves as Muslim but hardline Islamic organisations have attacked them for not following mainstream Islamic practices. And in 2008, the Government announced a joint ministerial decree freezing the activities of Ahmadiyah followers. Many blame the decree for series of attacks against the Ahmadiyah. The United Nations’ Human Rights Chief has continuously urged the Indonesian government to tackle the problem. Citra Prastuti has more from Jakarta. Atep Upriyatna’s brother was recently refused permission to get married in the Religious Affairs Office in Tasikmalaya. The officials would only allow the marriage to go ahead if he converted...

The anti Ahmadiyya hate campaign has claimed another life on this Muslim holy day, Friday, in the city of Karachi in Sindh province of Pakistan. According to a report released by the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Pakistan, an Ahmadi man of Baldia Town area of Karachi was killed and his father, brother, and father-in-law were critically injured when they were attacked while returning home after Friday prayer services. The group was travelling in a family caravan that was targeted by unknown assailants. According to the external affairs’ office of the community, the victim, Saad Farooq, was riding a motorcycle and following his other family members in a car when the caravan was sprayed with gunshots fired from behind. Saad Farooq on his motorcycle, and his father, Farooq Ahmad Kahloon, brother Amaad Farooq, and father-in-law, Chaudhary Nusrat, in the accompanying car, were all injured.

The Ahmadis, a sect that believes in Islam and claims to be an ardent follower of it, has been declared as non-Muslim under the Pakistani legislation. Evidently, the Government of Pakistan has not only confiscated their freedom to faith, belief and practice, but also proactively victimises them socially, economically and educationally. The declaration goes against the very fundamental tenets of democracy which accords all the citizens of the country their fundamental rights and freedom, of which freedom to faith is an integral part. It is to this effect that the United Nations has provided a declaration on human rights and there are international civil rights which provide the basic traits of a Democracy. Pakistan had proclaimed to be a democracy four years ago and it was in this context that everyone hoped that its government will soon fulfill all criteria essential for being recognized as a democratic State. However, even today, there is a substantive portion of the citizenry ...

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...

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

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 an...

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 nea...

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 ...

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. ...