Source/Credit: FOX 11 News | Online
By Mark Leland | April 18, 2011
Oshkosh group look to stop violence in Pakistan
OSHKOSH - Members of an Oshkosh Muslim mosque are asking Congressman Tom Petri to help bring about peace in their homeland of Pakistan.
Khurram Ahmad is president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Oshkosh. He says growing violence in Pakistan could find its way here to the U.S. and Wisconsin if the United States continues to ignore the problem there.
"These things if left unchecked are basically just going to promote violence in the country and the tell tale signs are already there," said Ahmad.
The Oshkosh Muslim sect says it has members in Pakistan who are being tormented and killed by violent mainstream Muslims because of their non-violent and differing religious beliefs. The local group is calling on the sixth district congressman to get involved.
Petri is being asked, along with some of his colleagues, to take a stand against the persecution of peaceful Muslims and Christians in Pakistan. They are also asking him to use Congressional influence in helping to streamline the asylum process to get those in danger to safety.
"I believe the United States holds strong influence to allow for those policy changes to go through," said Ahmad.
"I certainly will talk to my colleagues," said Petri after meeting with members of the Muslim group.
"I think there was a concern that we do what we can as a separate country to express our disapproval of religious discrimination against this particular sect," said Petri.
Local Muslims say while the United States has focused on bringing peace to Iraq and Afghanistan, Pakistan has been overlooked.
"If you allow for violence to exist it continues to exist. It has to be a blanket moratorium," said Ahmad.
Petri says the government has been monitoring the situation in Pakistan, and thanks to local groups like this one the real human rights problem is being brought to light.
Read original post here: Local Muslims ask congressman for help
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your comments. Any comments irrelevant to the post's subject matter, containing abuses, and/or vulgar language will not be approved.