Report released - October 26, 2009
Washington, DC - (Ahmadiyya Times Staff) The US Department of State issued its 2009 Report on International Religious Freedom which is critical of Pakistan along with a number of other countries that mistreat their religious minorities and encroach on religious freedom in the name of law and public order.
The report highlighted the mistreatment of Ahmadi Muslims along with other religious minorities in Pakistan.
“Societal discrimination against religious minorities was widespread, and societal violence against such groups occurred”, stated the annual report. “Non-governmental actors, including terrorist and extremist groups and individuals, targeted religious congregations.”
During the year, the Government of Pakistan announced “Minorities' Day” on August 11 every year nationwide. “Despite these steps, serious problems remained”, the report noted. “Law enforcement personnel abused religious minorities in custody.”
“The Constitution guarantees the right to establish places of worship and train clergy, but in practice these rights were restricted for Ahmadis...”, the report concluded. “According to media reports, authorities continued to conduct surveillance on Ahmadis and their institutions. Several Ahmadiyya mosques reportedly were closed; others reportedly were desecrated or their construction was stopped.”
The report narrates many facts known to those who follow the mistreatment of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Pakistan and elsewhere. Although the Constitution of Pakistan states that "subject to law, public order, and morality, every citizen shall have the right to profess, practice, and propagate his religion", for a practical matter, however, the basic rights guaranteed to all the citizens of Pakistan are not extended to the Ahmadi Muslims, according to the US State Department.
The report correctly outlines that since 1983 Ahmadis have been prohibited from holding public conferences or gatherings and from holding their annual conference. Ahmadis are banned from preaching and were prohibited from traveling to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj or other religious pilgrimages. Ahmadiyya publications are banned from public sale, but they published religious literature in large quantities for a limited circulation.
According to the report, discrimination against the minorities ran rampant. However, “These problems were particularly acute for Ahmadis, who contended that a "glass ceiling" prevented their promotion to senior positions and that certain government departments refused to hire or retain qualified Ahmadis,” the report observed.
Ahmadi Muslims have repeatedly suffered loss of life and property at the hands of fanatics, many times working under the protection of the Governments and sometimes, with its help. Many find a direct parallel between the rise of Anti-Ahmadiyya sentiment and increase in fanaticism, extremism and terrorism. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Communty does not support 'use of force' and the traditional interpretation of 'jihad'.
In one of the recent killings of an Ahmadi Muslim by extremists in Pakistan, the victim was followed and killed execution-style in front of his wife and daughter.
Commenting on the killings of innocent Ahmadi Muslims, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the Head of the Worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community advised the members of the community to focus on prayer. “The ignorant opponents do not realize that their deeds are not harming our community but in fact are harming the country and society at large”, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V said.
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community propagates against ‘jihad by sword’ and ‘use of force’ in matters of faith. The teachings promoted by the community were first explained by it founder, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, a 20th century reformer who claimed to be the Messiah and Mehdi as awaited by most religions.
Hazrat Ahmad advised his followers against the traditional understanding of ‘jihad by sword’ and ‘use of force’. Hazrat Ahmad derived the understanding from his profound comprehension of the Holy Quran and the original examples established by the Holy founder of Islam, Prophet Mohammad.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has built some 15,500 mosques, over 500 schools, and more than 30 hospitals. The community has been at the forefront in disaster relief efforts in the United States and numerous other parts of the world through an independent charitable organization, Humanity First – www.humanityfirst.org.
The official website of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, AlIslam.org offers a large repository of up-to-date information about Islam and others religions. The website has gained notoriety in offering suitable materials for comparative religious studies.
Read Report: 2009 Report on International Religious Freedom
Read Report: 2009 Report on International Religious Freedom
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