A letter to the Prime Minister of UK regarding Ahmadis

In a gross violation of human rights, laws were passed in 1984 when the freedom of expression, faith and free speech were curtailed for Ahmadi Muslims. Any Ahmadi in Pakistan can be charged with blasphemy anytime and anywhere – the punishment for which is the death sentence.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Staff | Open Letter
Source & Credit: Fajr - Tauseef Khan Blog
By Dr. Tauseef Khan | London | June 1, 2010

Rt Hon David Cameron MP, The Prime Minister,

Dear Sir,

I would first of all like to congratulate you on winning the recent election and becoming the Prime Minister of United Kingdom.

I am writing this letter to you to bring to your attention the grave atrocity that occurred in Lahore Pakistan on Friday. Around a 100 innocent people, belonging to Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, were mercilessly gunned down by religious extremists in two mosques.
One cannot imagine the horror and the tragedy that happened – these people had just gathered to offer their Friday prayers. It is generally thought that this was just another in a string of extremist attacks. However, I wish to highlight that this event was different and was the result of three decades of state sanctioned violence, hatred and persecution against the peaceful Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

Since 1974, when the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was ostracized by declaring them non-Muslim, the state has sanctioned violence and hatred to spread against this Community. Clerics have spewed hate from their seminaries, and government officials and police have watched on with impunity as Ahmadis have been arrested, beaten, killed and their property destroyed. Many a times government officials directly sanctioned such actions.

In a gross violation of human rights, laws were passed in 1984 when the freedom of expression, faith and free speech were curtailed for Ahmadi Muslims. Any Ahmadi in Pakistan can be charged with blasphemy anytime and anywhere – the punishment for which is the death sentence. Most of the population in Pakistan have been taught that as Ahmadis are apostates they are ‘Wajibul Qatal’ – meaning ‘deserving to die’. Hundreds of brainwashed citizens of Pakistan have followed this injunction and taken law into their own hands to kill Ahmadis and ‘achieve paradise’.

The latest attack is a continuation of this on-going violation of human rights. This time however, the Taliban extremists have taken up the mantle of killing the Ahmadis by taking it to the next level. This was bound to happen as hatred and calls-to-kill against the Ahmadis and other minorities from firebrand clerics, media, banners and seminaries reached a most extreme level. This happened while the government kept ignoring the security needs of this Community and did not stop this systematic brain-washing of people against this Community.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community lives by their motto, Love for Allah, Hatred for None, and its members have always been a peaceful law-abiding citizens of this country. I ask you to please issue a clear condemnation of this barbaric attack. I also you to please raise this issue with the Pakistani authorities and ask them to restore the basic human rights of the members of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Specifically this would mean to repeal the laws against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, ensure full security for them and stop the hate campaign against minorities. This hate campaign is the root cause of all extremism in that country and unless this root case is dealt with we cannot expect any success in the war against terror.

Your sincerely,

Dr Tauseef Khan, London

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