Source & Credit: The Oakland Press
By Dave Phillips | June 4, 2010
In wake of attacks on mosques in Pakistan that left nearly 100 dead, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is calling for assistance from Americans to peacefully battle terror.
During a Friday afternoon press conference at Masjid Mahmood mosque in Rochester Hills, members of the community voiced concern over violence in the Middle East and anger at laws they say allow extremism to flourish. They also vowed peace, a key principle of their form of Islam.
The press conference was called one week after attacks on two Ahmadi mosques in Lahore, Pakistan, which killed 95 of the community’s members and seriously injured more than 150 others.
“This is the latest in an ongoing terror campaign against the Ahmadi community,” said Mansoor Qureshi, president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Michigan.
The conflict is mainly based on the Ahmadi belief that the messiah has come in the form of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani, who lived from 1835-1908. They are the only Muslim organization that believes that the messiah has come.
“Due to the difference in recognition of the awaited messiah, the government in Pakistan decided to constitutionally deny Ahmadi Muslims the right to refer to themselves as Muslim,” Qureshi said.
“The government then passed ... various legislation which prohibits members of the Ahmadi community from virtually any public act of worship or devotion. Any visible display of their faith can be treated as a criminal offense punishable by fine, imprisonment or death. Despite such bloodshed, the Ahmadi community has responded with continued advocacy towards peace.”
Qureshi said the Ahmadi Muslims believe that those laws promote extremism and radicalism and are part of the reason that terror has struck the United States in recent years. He said the same terrorists are responsible for the recent failed Times Square bombing.
“Addressing the plight of the Ahmadi community is in America’s best interest,” Qureshi said. “America must push Pakistan’s parliament to repeal the anti-blasphemy laws in order to dismantle the extremist apparatus that endangers the world. America must push Pakistan to desist from state sponsored terrorism and persecution. America must not be misled by Pakistan’s claim that democracy and freedom of religion exists. America’s war on terror hinges upon securing the rights of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.”
Qureshi said he is grateful for laws in America that allow his community to worship as they please.
“We’re concerned for our safety anywhere,” he said. “We trust the situation here, but fear of security can’t keep us from doing what we need to do. We are members of the community in the name of God and we’ll go about things in a peaceful. We’re not out there to hurt anyone. If anything comes our way, so be it.”
Mujeeb Ijaz, public relations secretary for the community, said the laws in this country will not allow terrorists to flourish, while laws in Pakistan fuel the fire.
“If, in a county, a law allows or even conceals this type of extreme activity against a religious sect, then the extremists feel protected and they can basically get away with what they put their mind to,” he said.
“We believe the laws in the country of Pakistan need to be re-centered and re-organized to protect minority rights as one of the key mechanisms. This country has to get leadership to Pakistan to fix what’s going on in that part of the world.”
Qureshi described the laws as “inhuman.” He said many members of the Masjid Mahmood community have lost friends and relatives.
“It’s really near our home, and we are all joining together. Despite that, our response is always no violent protests.”
Terror is a worldwide problem, Ijaz said.
“This problem is persistent and it’s affecting all reaches of society,” he said. “If we want to get to the heart of the problem, study our community’s issue and activate your government to solve that problem, we’ll then begin to restore law and order we’ll then reduce radicalism in Pakistan. This is not beside the point, this is the point, and we want our fellow citizens to realize the value they will get, which is a mechanism to stop what’s going on in the radical world of Islam and Pakistan.”
“It is important to Americans as well,” Qureshi said. We’ve seen and we’ve suffered as American citizens. These terror activities are coming over here now and becoming more frequent, and threats are there, so unless that sentiment is somehow crushed and destroyed, it can affect the entire world, including the United States.”
The peace movement is gaining momentum, Ijaz said.
“The National Assembly of Pakistan did condemn this within the past 24 hours,” he said. “It took a week and it took members of the media to say ‘Guys, what’s going on, how can you let this go?’ but they did come out with a statement of support. This is the kind of awareness that can cause people to reconcile — do they really believe in what they supported for so long as the status quo, or is it time to change?”
Contact staff writer Dave Phillips at 248-745-4631 or dave.phillips@oakpress.com. Follow him on Twitter @dave_phillips1.
http://images.townnews.com/theoaklandpress.com/content/articles/2010/06/04/news/local_news/doc4c09b441e134f268519165.jpg
Read original post here: Muslim community responds to Pakistan terror attacks
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.