U.S. must support other countries' separation of church and state in order to defeat extremism

The militants who perpetrated this vile attack use violence to establish and maintain a hold over the masses in Muslim lands. Meanwhile, they attempt to convince others that they are defending Islam by persecuting and killing members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community for an alleged blasphemy that is fabricated

Ahmadiyya Times | News Staff | Opinion
Source & Credit: Plain Dealer | Cleveland.Com
By Nasim Rehmatullah | July 7, 2010 | Cleveland, OH

What does Pakistan's foreign policy have in common with its domestic policy? Both seek to curb freedom of speech. Internationally, Pakistan introduced the defamation of Islam resolution in 1999 before the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. This resolution aimed to stop attacks against Islam by linking freedom to criticize Islam with incitement to violence. Domestically, the government of Pakistan adopted similar blasphemy provisions in 1984 with Ordinance XX, Section 298-B & 298-C, which established the insult of the Koran or the prophet Muhammad as a crime punishable with death. Extremists have used this "constitutional protection" to increasingly target minority groups they claim are "insulting" Islam.


In August 2009, eight Christians were killed and had their houses burned because of an alleged desecration of the Koran. In April of this year, extremists killed three members of Ahmadiyya Muslim community in cold blood under similar allegations. The perpetrators are still at large. Fanatics have repeatedly persecuted the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in particular without fear of reprisal. This ongoing persecution is well documented in reports of the U.S. State Department, Amnesty International and other human rights organizations.

Yet the above atrocities pale in comparison to what transpired a little more than a month ago.

Eighty-six members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community were brutally killed at the hands of terrorists on May 28. About 3,000 members had gathered at two mosques in Lahore, Pakistan, to offer Friday prayers when terrorists, armed with AK-47s, hand grenades and other explosive devices, attacked the worshipers for two hours. The brazen attacks were being broadcast live on television news while police kept at bay. Ironically, it was members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community who seized two of the attackers and handed them over to the police. The law enforcement's response to these incidents speaks volumes about the government's will to confront terrorists in Pakistan.

The militants who perpetrated this vile attack use violence to establish and maintain a hold over the masses in Muslim lands. Meanwhile, they attempt to convince others that they are defending Islam by persecuting and killing members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community for an alleged blasphemy that is fabricated. They use this unsubstantiated accusation to incite emotions in those they recruit to be suicide bombers. This tactic is also used for attacks against Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs. Perhaps these so-called clerics need to be reminded that there is no clergy in Islam, no majesterium. These people often argue against secularism by saying that there is no separation of church and state in Islam, conveniently forgetting that there is no church at all. Their arrogant insistence on becoming the guardians of other people's faith, when they are so morally depraved that they cannot get themselves to denounce murder, is offensive to people who view Islam as their spiritual guide.

To eradicate the extremism that is claiming the lives of members of all religious communities and has now spread its tentacles into the United States, I ask the United States to embrace and support reasoned and compassionate voices that advocate the separation of church and state, are loyal citizens of the countries where they reside and categorically reject all notions of violence in the name of religion. If America would use all its available resources and genuinely engage the government of Pakistan in these matters, we could see the day when Pakistan is compelled to overturn its discriminatory laws and treat all of its citizens equally, with honesty and justice for all. Let freedom ring.

Dr. Nasim Rehmatullah is the national vice president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA.



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