by A. Abdul Aziz.

 Pakistan made history in 1974 by becoming the first country in the world to amend its constitution to declare Ahmadi Muslims as non-Muslim. Thirty years ago, in 1984, Ordinance XX was enacted making it a criminal offence for Ahmadis to call themselves Muslims, a ‘crime’ punishable by 3 years imprisonment. Under Pakistan’s notorious anti-Ahmadi laws and blasphemy laws extremist violence has flourished with Ahmadi Muslims, Shia Muslims, Christians, Hindus and others massacred on simply grounds of faith.

 The laws have resulted in:

Hundreds of Ahmadi Muslims being killed on grounds of faith: In May 2010, a deadly attack on two Ahmadiyya mosques inLahore left 86 people dead.

 Mosques destroyed: Ahmadi mosques have been attacked, defaced and closed by the authorities.

 Voting rights denied: Laws prevent Ahmadi Muslims from voting unless they declare themselves as non-Muslims.

 No dignity after death: Mobs and police have destroyed and defaced Ahmadi graves.

 Millions live in fear and tens of thousands have been forced to flee the country to escape persecution.

 Hundreds have been murdered in cold blood by extremists. Homes, businesses, mosques and graveyards are routinely attacked and thousands – including children – have been charged under Pakistan’s infamous laws. No one has ever been prosecuted for attacking Ahmadi Muslims.

 The only difference is that extremists actually kill and persecute members of the Ahmedi community, and the rest of the people make sure that members of this community are socially excluded in every possible manner

 As a result of the laws and persecution, the worldwide head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community was forced to leave Pakistan. The current worldwide head, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, is based in London and he has consistently called for peace in Pakistan.

 Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, said:

 “The Holy Qur’an teaches us that those in position of authority must discharge their responsibility with justice and that they will be held accountable for their actions by God.  In the sphere of religious freedom the Holy Quran is very clear that ‘There should be no compulsion in religion” so it is incumbent on countries such as Pakistan that claim to follow Islam to implement its noble teachings.

 “The progress of a nation lies in the establishment of justice and the complete regard for every person’s human rights. Without this there can be no peace. We therefore call upon Pakistan to uphold the rights of all its citizens and for the world to uphold its obligations in promoting international peace.”

 30 years ago the Government of Pakistan enacted a series of anti-Ahmadi laws (Ordinance XX) that made it a criminal offence for Ahmadis to call themselves Muslims.

 The law (Ordinance XX) states that Ahmadi Muslims cannot:

 Call themselves Muslims

Refer to their faith as Islam

Call their place of worship a ‘Mosque’;

Make the call for prayers (Adhan)

Say the Islamic greeting ‘Assalamo alaikum’ (Peace be on you)

Preach or propagate their faith

 Any of the above will be punishable by three years imprisonment and a fine. If the offence is regarded as blasphemy then an Ahmadi could be sentenced to death.

 Background

 In 1974 Prime Minister Bhutto amended the Pakistan Constitution to declare Ahmadis as non-Muslim for the purposes of law. This emboldened extremists (primarily Jamaat-e-Islami and Khatme Nabuwwat) that used this as a pre-text to harass, attack and kill Ahmadis in Pakistan.

 The situation worsened when General Zia introduced Ordinance XX as part of his ‘Islamisation’ programme. This amended the Penal Code and made it a criminal offence for Ahmadis to call themselves or ‘pose’ as Muslims. Any such crime would face 3 years imprisonment or if dealt with under the blasphemy laws it could result in death.

 The Section 298C of the Penal Code states:

 “Any person of the group …‘Ahmadis‘ … who, directly or indirectly, poses himself as Muslim, or calls, or refers to, his faith as Islam, or preaches or propagates his faith, or invites others to accept his faith, by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representations, or in any manner whatsoever outrages the religious feelings of Muslims, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years and shall also be liable to fine.”

 The laws conflict with the constitutional right assuring Pakistani citizens of freedom of religion and conflict with the vision of the founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah stated in no uncertain terms that the country had no right to interfere in the religious beliefs of its citizens.

 Pakistani passports state the religion of Ahmadis as ‘Ahmadi’ rather than Muslim – this means that no Pakistani Ahmadi citizen can go to Makkah to perform the Hajj – one of the 5 sacred pillars of Islam.

 Pakistani Ahmedis are ignored during each successive elections. In a country where Hindus are being compelled to become Momin (true) Muslims, the Ahmedis are denied the right to label themselves according to their faith. As citizens of Pakistan, they cannot proceed to perform Hajj. They are considered a religious minority. Labelling or even starting a whispering campaign about someone being an Ahmedi is a sure shot way of denying him/her social and economic mobility, whether in government or the private sector. This was not always the case, a close aide of Muhammad Ali Jinnah (Founder of Pakistan) , Muhammad Zafrullah Khan, was an Ahmedi by faith, a prominent jurist by profession and the one who incidentally drafted the Pakistan Resolution. He later went on to become the first foreign minister of Pakistan. Today he would not be able to become even a babu (officer) in the foreign ministry. He also served as a judge in the International Court of Justice, The Hague. Things changed, as we learn from history. The man who declared that he drinks alcohol but not the blood of the poor, for political reasons, declared them to be non-Muslims. This year in September it will be 40 years since the passing of the Second Amendment, which pronounced Ahmedis as non-Muslims. Given this context and that officially everything Islamic is kosher; it is no surprise that the only Pakistani Nobel Prize winner, Dr Abdus Salam, is not recognised. In the heart of Islamabad, there is a ‘shaheed’ (martyr) Osama bin Laden library but ask even a 30-year-old who Dr Abdus Salam was and he/she will struggle to answer.

 Death brings no respite either. In 2012, the tombstones of more than 100 graves were razed by 12 to 15 armed men. The graveyard belonged to the Ahmedi community and the verdict given by the terrorists was that the use of verses of the Quran on tombstones by Ahmedis, who are considered heretics and even entitled to be murdered by extremist groups in the country, is forbidden.

 Thus, Pakistan is a country where being part of the Ahmedi community means you are not allowed to rest in peace even after you are dead. It is not just extremists but also a large majority of Muslims in the country that believes in a similar ideology. The only difference is that extremists actually kill and persecute members of the Ahmedi community, and the rest of the people make sure that members of this community are socially excluded in every possible manner.

 2014 Annual Report from US Commission on International Religions Freedom

 “…Ahmadis contin­ued to be murdered in religiously-motivated attacks. In addition, local police repeatedly forced Ahmadis to remove Qur’anic scripture from mosques and minarets. There also were desecrations of Ahmadi graves…”

 “During the reporting period, Ahmadis were effectively dis­enfranchised from voting in the parliamentary elections due to discriminatory laws targeting their faith.”

 “Ahmadis are subject to severe legal restrictions, both in the constitution and criminal code, and suffer from officially-sanctioned discrimination. The constitution declares members of the Ahmadi religious commu­nity to be “non-Muslims,” and the penal code makes basic acts of Ahmadi worship and interaction criminal offenses. They also are prevented from voting. During the reporting period, USCIRF continued to receive reports of Ahmadis being charged under the criminal code for their “illegal” religious activities.”

 Report found here: http://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/Pakistan%202014.pdf