Ahmadiyya Times | News Staff | Editorial
Source & Credit: Los Angeles Islam Examiner
By Imran Jattala |June 17, 2010
A call to kill Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan... Again
Spewing open hatred against the Ahmadiyya community is nothing new in many parts of the Pakistani media and at many other places in the Muslim world. The Ahmadis have been bashed, their leaders viciously insulted, and calls for killing them are common in Pakistan -in and out of the media.
On June 16, a Pakistani television program POINT BLANK staged what many Ahamadis and non-Ahmadis quickly termed as a ‘despicable’ discussion. At the behest of the talk show host the discussion promoted hatred and perpetuated the idea of slaying of the Ahmadi Muslims of Pakistan – as an Islamic injunction.
The popular tabloid style TV host Mubasher Lucman announced during the opening monologue that he had gathered some 'learned Muslim clerics' on his program to help educate the lay people why Ahmadis are considered ‘infidels’ and ‘murtad [left the faith of Islam].'
Mr. Lucman explained that the effort was necessitated because in a previous program an Ahmadiyya representative slipped in a few words professing to be a Muslim, something considered as an outrageous act by most Muslim clerics.
Mr. Luqman said that since this was such an extreme violation of the Muslim sentiments and a matter of respect for the Holy Prophet of Islam, Hazrat Muhammad (saw), he urgently considered to invite the 'learned scholars' for an opportunity to clear the air as well as to remove the confusion created by the Qadiani [Ahmadi] representative.
‘We have these three great scholars here,’ Mubasher Luqman introduced the anti-Ahmadi clerics. “They will tell us why Ahmadis are non-Muslim,” he added at the end of the introduction.
“I was sent material by people about what Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani has said about Islam,” said Mr. Luqman holding a small stack of papers in his hand. “But I would care not to read it.”
“Some things are just inappropriate to read,” the ‘renowned journalist’ explained why he wouldn’t read about Ahmadiyyat and Islam. ‘It will hurt the feelings,’ he mumbled.
The so-called scholars made full use of the opportunity. They declared Ahmadis to be dajjal [anti-Christ], liars, worse than kafirs [infidel], and to be considered murtad. 'Murtads are worthy of slaying,' the clerics jointly concluded during the program.
Mr. Mubasher Lucman offered his 'full agreement, no dispute' to clerics in declaring Ahmadis, kafir, murtad, and 'worthy of slaying,' as he took timeout for a program break.
Some weeks ago Mr. Lucman took sides with another talk show host who was allegedly caught using derogatory terms for the members of Ahmadiyya community in a secretly recorded audio conversation. It was widely alleged that the accused was directing the Punjab Taliban to carry out harsher treatment for a kidnapping victim. The victim was later found murdered.
Several months ago, Mr. Lucman and POINT BLANK were responsible for furthering the frenzy about a hoax where a man claimed to have been beaten up by the Ahmadis. The story was later discredited, including by most of the leading opponents of Ahmadi Muslims. Coincidently, one of the anti-Ahmadiyya clerics responsible for orchestrating the hoax also participated as a ‘scholar’ in the Point Blank episode on Wednesday.
The Ahmadis have been called out to be killed by the mullahs in mosques and ‘anchors’ of popular TV shows in the past as well.
Two days after the Lahore attacks another member of the Ahmadiyya community was murdered in Narowal, Pakistan by an extremist who claimed he was preached to kill Ahmadis by a mullah of a corner mosque.
A while back, in an episode of a TV show 'Aalim online', the host had invited similar 'scholars' who issued the call of 'worthy of slaying' about the members of Ahmadiyya community during the show. The next days saw the murder of two prominent members of the Ahmadiyya community in Sind, Pakistan by the extremists who were called to action to fulfill the scholars’ call.
Coincidently this was on the same TV network where the journalist was allegedly caught in cahoots with the Taliban terrorists and preaching against the Ahmadiyya community.
In a recently circulated article on News Central Asia, an American diplomat working in Afghanistan area recently explained about the state of Pakistani media.
Speaking anonymously, the diplomat had an interesting comparison of his interaction with Pakistani media viz-a-viz his relationship with his dog.
He finds his dog a bit more selective about the treats it likes in return for being the loyal lapdog.
Dogs known for the loyalty are also considered clean and trusted partners in the western cultures.
“Pakistani TV journalists are some of the easiest to buy or manipulate,” said the American diplomat.
“Their price is ridiculously small. A drink, a lunch with a second or first secretary in a place where they can be seen by their admirers, invitations to official receptions, or at most, a trip to the states, is all you need to buy their loyalty,” said the diplomat.
“My dog is usually fussier,” the diplomat added in disgust.
“There was a drive,” the diplomat explained, “very obvious and crude, in some selected countries, to make the educated people feel ashamed of being Muslims.”
“The Pakistani TV journalists swallowed it hook, line and sinker,” said the diplomat.
“Except for an incorruptible handful, they are a sorry lot,” the American diplomat said with an undisguised revulsion.
Well, that is quite a statement of character for the Pakistani media.
"I guess there are Jerry Springers everywhere," tweeted Ahmadiyya Times. "Yes, and we have them all over the country. In the media, in the parliament, you name it ... we've got them," was tweeted back by Kidvai in Karachi.
"Media in Pakistan runs only after ratings and revenues. Lucman did it on popular demand," said a tweet by Kunri.
"jeeaaaayyyyy jamhoriyat" [looooonng live democracy] was taunted back by Faisal Qureshi, a well known Pakistani TV anchor.
It is quite likely that Mubasher Lucman cornered great ratings for his show where the killing of innocent Ahmadis was openly promoted. What is not likely is that he gained any friends among the people who do not like to kill people. This is too simple for Mubasher Lucman to understand.
First published in Examiner.com
Read original post here: A call to kill Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan... Again
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.