India: Free to offer namaz in India, say Pakistani Ahmadiyya Muslim

---

Fearing backlash, Pakistani Ahmadiyya Muslims remain tight-lipped and maintain a distance with media, but a few dared to explain their jeremiads.

Times of Ahmad | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: Times of Indoa
By Yudhvir Rana | December 29, 2018

AMRITSAR: It was an eye-opening moment for nearly 5,000 Pakistani Ahmadiyya Muslims who offered prayers in mosques and in open in Qadian, Gurdaspur district, during the inaugural session of three-day 124th International Jalsa Salana, which began on Friday.

Many of the Pakistani Ahmadiyya Muslims have never visited mosques in Pakistan since they are not allowed to call them masjid but ibadatgah and in several instances they were subjected to persecution and discrimination and were even implicated in police cases on false charges of violating Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws.

Pakistani Ahmadiyya Muslims have arrived at Qadian, headquarter of Ahmadiyya community in India, from Rabwa, Lahore, Rawalpindi and various other cities via Attari land border in Amritsar district.

Fearing backlash, Pakistani Ahmadiyya Muslims remain tight-lipped and maintain a distance with media, but a few dared to explain their jeremiads.

"We were hopeful of getting religious freedom in Imran Khan's government, but it has not happened. Neither the attitude of Pakistan government nor its religious leadership has changed," said a Pakistani national who didn't want to reveal his identity.

Notably, former military ruler of Pakistan General Zia Ul Haq had issued an ordinance in 1984 forbidding Ahmadiyya Muslims to call themselves Muslims and they were barred from worshipping in non Ahmadiyya mosques or even using traditional Islamic greeting in public.

Another Pakistani Ahmadiyya Muslim claimed that in past, Pakistan government as well as fundamentalists had razed down the domes of their mosques.


Read original post here: India: Free to offer namaz in India, say Pakistani Ahmadiyya Muslim


This content-post is archived for backup and to keep archived records of any news Islam Ahmadiyya. The views expressed by the author and source of this news archive do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of Times of Ahmad. Times of Ahmad is not an organ of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, nor in any way associated with any of the community's official websites.