Communities Minister Andrew Stunnell has praised an Islamic community’s services to humanity on the occasion of the launch of a new blood donation drive at London’s oldest purpose-built mosque.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is organising the blood donations as part of the community’s commitment to be of service to Queen and country. It is being launched on Thursday 2 February 2012 at the Fazl Mosque (also known as the London Mosque) in Southfields, Putney.

Andrew Stunell, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government said:

“All faith communities have within their teaching, the values of compassion, care and social justice.  One of the ways that their members put these values into everyday practice is by giving to others. The Ahmadiyya Muslim community has long served local communities. Charity walks have raised over a million pounds and their work with the National Blood Service (NBS) has been running for the past decade. With more than 1,200 units of blood collected last year, the target this year is 2,000 units. This is a very valuable, practical initiative to promote social action. I wish your campaign every success.”

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community -one of the first Muslim communities in Britain- believes that giving blood and saving lives is a potent symbol of a life-affirming faith.

Members of the community have been involved in donating blood to blood banks, and blood centres have been established at a number of mosques across the country. This includes western Europe’s biggest mosque in Morden and other Ahmadiyya Muslim mosques in Birmingham, east London, Manchester and Glasgow.

The blood donations sessions are open to all, and have proved popular with local residents.

Fahim Anwer, National President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association said:

“We have been working with the National Blood Service for the past decade and since 2003 a number of our centres have become permanent venues as there is a shortage of south Asian donors.

In London our permanent venues are Fazl Mosque in Putney, Baitul Futuh Mosque in Morden, and Baitul Ahad Mosque in Newham.  In the Midlands the Darul Barakat Mosque is a permanent fixture whilst in the North we operate Masjid Al Mahdi in Bradford, Darul Aman Mosque in Manchester and Baitur Rehman Mosque Glasgow as blood donation centres. More than 15 sessions are held throughout the year as part of our effort to save lives.

The busiest sessions are in London with the Fazl Mosque being oversubscribed and at least 40% of donors being from outside the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. We are working with the NBS to establish further centres and, apart from this, our youth take part in external sessions.

Giving blood helps to save lives, and in this respect it is an act of faith. The giving of blood is symbolic of providing lifeblood for humanity and Ahmadi Muslims are committed to the service and benefit of mankind.

Through our charitable donations, our fundraising programmes for charities and our community work programmes, we demonstrate our commitment to good citizenship in line with our principle of Love for All Hatred for None. As a community, we are dedicated to peace and contributing to the well-being of the country.”

As the political and judicial crises deepen in Pakistan, the only winners emerging from the scene seem to to be the extremists. Lashkar e Taiba has reemerged with the new name of Jammat ud Dawa led by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed. Jammat ud Dawa was a declared a terrorist organization and Saeed its terrorist leader in 2008 by the UN.

Even though Jammat ud Dawa was declared a terrorist organization by the UN it operates freely in Pakistan and has so far enjoyed the full protection of Punjab’s political leadership and is trying to gain political points by inciting anti-Indian sentiments. As soon as you enter Lahore you are met with countless posters and banners filled with anti-India slogans plastered all over the walls and back of Rickshaws. But Pakistan’s economic and civil situation has forced the masses to ignore this hoopla with most of the households immersed in Indian TV series revenge from India is the last thing on their mind.

But it would seem Jammat ud Dawa struck the right chord when on 29^th January 2012 a rally was organized in Rawalpindi against the Ahmadiyya Community in which an open warning was given to demolish the “Ewan e Tawheed” a place used for prayers by the Ahmadiyya Community. Over 5,000 protesters from Jamaatud Dawa, Jamaat-i-Islami, Sipah Sahaba (banned organisation) and Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat attended the gathering.

This issue has left the Ahmadiyya community prone to attacks and there are known security threats to community members from these terrorist outfits. As the possibility of an attack looms the Ahmadis are not being allowed to defend or protect themselves.

The spokesperson of Ahmadiyya community in Pakistan, Saleem ud Din said in a statement :

“This open campaign against the community centre is a plan to deprive the community’s peaceful members of their right to pray and gather.”

Mr. Saleem ud Din further said,

“We can compromise on the right of self-defence but never compromise on the right of prayer in front of God”

He said “the founder of Pakistan Qaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah gave this right to all Pakistani citizens on 11 August 1947.

“You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place or worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed that has nothing to do with the business of the State.”

“General Zia singled out Ahmadis in an open and vicious hate campaign of persecution. He and members of his administration made numerous public speeches urging Pakistanis to seek out, expose and even to kill Ahmadis.”

In 1977, Gen Mohammed Zia ul Haq usurped the constitution of Pakistan and enacted Operation Fair Play by seizing power in Pakistan. He declared martial law and imprisoned the democratically elected Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and in the first of many lies and broken promises declared that his only desire was to facilitate elections in 90 days, after which he faithfully promised he would step down. Ignoring world public opinion and despite the wishes of the citizens of Pakistan he remained entrenched in power and consolidated his brutal dictatorship over the coming years. Zia would have remained a hated peripheral figure had fate not intervened following the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. This event rapidly propelled Zia from world pariah status to center stage as he was lauded as the West’s bulwark and friend against the spread of communism.

The change in fortune for the Zia regime meant that he felt emboldened to enact a series of draconian laws that conformed to his extremist interpretation of Islam. Following a farcical trial Bhutto was sentenced to death, and Pakistan entered a new dark age of oppression and obscurantism. The Hadood Ordinance led to the imposition of a draconian penal code that legislated amputation, flogging and stoning for a wide series of offences. Rules of evidence and the punishment of adultery & rape were slanted against women, making it virtually impossible for a woman to prove an allegation of rape.

By 1984 the Zia regime was comfortable in power and whilst it continued its cooperation in the “jihad” against the Soviet Union, the West was largely happy to turn a blind eye to the excesses and repression of the Zia regime within Pakistan. It was at this time that Zia felt emboldened enough to turn on his next target-the Ahmadis of Pakistan.

Zia enacted Ordinace XX in April 1984, which was a set of laws and regulations that placed serious and draconian curbs on Ahmadis in the observance of their faith and their ability to lead their lives as citizens of Pakistan equal before the law. Ahmadis who observed all the articles of faith of their fellow Muslims were prevented by legal sanction from calling out the Adhan, referring to their place of worship as mosques, or using the Islamic salutation “Assalamo-a-laikum”. The additional prohibition that forbade Ahmadis from “posing as Muslims” was open to interpretation and application by overzealous and extremist mullah’s and government officials alike. Hundreds of Ahmadis were charged, arrested as the extremists realised that they had been given carte blanche to attack Ahmadis with impunity. In many parts of Pakistan Ahmadis were simply targeted and murdered for their beliefs. Zia felt able to send messages of solidarity to the London conference of the Khatm-e- Nabuwwat Conference in which he promised that the government of Pakistan would do all that it could do to “stamp out the cancer of Ahmadiyyat”, he further declared that he wanted to carry out the “Final solution of the Ahmadiyya question” .

Against this backdrop and climate of fear a new and pernicious campaign was launched by the Mullahs with the active connivance and encouragement of the government of Zia. Ahmadi mosques were targeted and baying mobs of extremists  attacked mosques, to either destroy them brick by brick or to deface the mosque by erasing the inscription of the Kalima engraved on  the walls of the mosque. Mullahs incited mobs into frenzy and whilst being provided protection by local police and members of the local authority would descend upon Ahmadi mosques and besiege the mosque and leave only after defacing and vandalising the mosque. In all such cases Ahmadis on the scene were beaten, tortured and in some tragic cases murdered on the spot. All of this happening as members of the local police and local authority looked on with indifference.  There was little doubt that this campaign was officially inspired and had the approval and imprimatur of Zia ul Haq himself.  Leading Human Rights Advocate Karen Parker states that:

“General Zia singled out Ahmadis in an open and vicious hate campaign of persecution. He and members of his administration made numerous public speeches urging Pakistanis to seek out, expose and even to kill Ahmadis. One such speech was broadcast on television when I was in Pakistan: in that broadcast one of Zia’s Ministers urged Pakistanis that it was their sacred duty to eliminate Ahmadis. On May 5, 1986, I had a meeting with General Zia at which he declared “Ahmadis are heretics and they offend me. I have a sacred duty to Allah to rid Pakistan of these impostors. I intend to drive them out.” At the same meeting, in discussion the United Nations Sub-Commission resolution 1985/21, General Zia told me “Ordinance XX may violate human rights but I don’t care.”

Against this backdrop of carnage and a deliberate campaign to destroy the Ahmadiyya community, its members remained peaceful. But the daily attacks upon mosques and individual Ahmadis was taking its toll. The attacks were gaining momentum and the extremists and Mullahs were emboldened at the total impunity they enjoyed. It was at this point that fate intervened.

The Ahmadi mosque in Sahiwal was targeted by students of a religious madrassah who were whipped into a frenzy of hate and encouraged to attack the mosque to kill all the Ahmadis and deface and remove the Kalima Tayyaba inscribed on the walls of the Ahmadi mosque. The mob descended upon the mosque on October the 26th  1984 just before Fajr prayers. The cowardly mob intended to storm into the mosque and attack the occupants. At the time, the mosque was occupied and protected by a single Ahmadi custodian Rana Naeem ud Din Ahmad. As Rana Sahib woke to the sounds of the mob he knew the fate that awaited him, but far  more importantly he knew the fate of the mosque and in particular the fate of the Kalima Tayaba, that most iconic and sacred profession of faith that all Muslims have held dear since the time of the Holy Prophet himself. The Holy Prophet himself had declared that the profession of the Kalima Tayyaba was sufficient for one to accepted as a Muslim. Yet on this October day the so called defenders of the Kalima (Zia’s Mullah’s) were about to commit sacrilege by defacing that very same inscription. Only on this day, Rana Naeem ud Din Ahmad a simple mild mannered Ahmadi had decided to stand tall and decided that he would not allow his Kalima Tayyaba to be defaced, regardless of the consequences to his own life.

As the mob gathered outside the mosque Rana Sahib knew he was surrounded and that he had no way of escaping, even had he wanted to. He called out to the mob, warning them that he had no intention of allowing them forcible entry into the mosque, and that he was armed with a shotgun. Regardless, the mob surged forward and stormed into the courtyard of the mosque. Rana Sahib repeatedly warned the mob not to advance or carry out its threat to deface the Kalima. Despite repeated warnings the mob surged and placed ladders against the walls of the mosque and began to deface the Kalima Tayyaba from the walls of the mosque. At that point Rana Sahib gave his final warning and fired from his shotgun at those defacing the Kalima from the walls. The mob retreated in disarray and fled in panic from the confines of the mosque. Rana Sahib made no attempt to flee himself but calmly placed his shotgun on the ground beside him and awaited the arrival of the authorities.
Rana Sahib was arrested along with 11 other Ahmadis most of whom were not even present at the mosque, including the Murabbi of Sahiwal Mohammed Ilyas Munir who was himself the son of a missionary serving in West Africa. The 11 Ahmadis were interrogated and tortured by their captors for many months and were all charged, and sent to appear before a special military tribunal.

Eight months later in October 1985, before a special military tribunal sentences were handed out. Death sentences were handed down to Mohammad Ilyas Munir, Ahmadiyya missionary and Rana Naeem-uddin Ahmad, custodian of Sahiwal Mosque. Four other Ahmadis were sentenced to imprisonment of 7 years each. The sentence of the tribunal were sent to General Ghulam Jilani Khan (Governor of Punjab) for ratification. General Jilani felt that there was a clear miscarriage of justice as Rana Naeem Sahib was clearly acting in self-defence and none of the other accused had been at the scene. Gen Jilani decided to raise the matter when Zia next came to Lahore. Eventually Gen Jilani explained his doubts to Zia and asked him for his instructions. Zia contemptuously shrugged his shoulders and barked “Hang them”.

Rana Naeem ud din and Mohamed Ilyas Munir were incarcerated and spent the next five years on death row awaiting the gallows. It is difficult to comprehend the pain and anguish that they both endured. The depredation and privation that they endured in those dark, dank cockroach infested cells is the stuff of nightmares. Their families never knew from one day to the next when the sentence would eventually be carried out. But despite all this mental and physical torture neither flinched, neither complained but instead with quiet dignity and grace both awaited their fate. Visitors would come back in tears and were unable to comprehend how the two could remain so calm and resigned to their fate.  On a number of occasions the death warrant was even issued and they were both moved to the death cell; only for it to be rescinded following legal appeals. One thing was clear, that the tyrant Zia ul Haq, consumed with hatred for Ahmadis would never allow any plea for mercy or clemency in the case of these Ahmadis. But once again fate had something else planned.

On August 18th 1988 a year after Hadrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad the Head of the Ahmadiyyah community had issued his Mubahilla challenge, Zia ul Haq travelling in his C-130 aircraft was blown out of the skies and perished in a fireball across the plains of Bahawalpur. No trace of the cruel dictator was found in the charred remains of the aircraft.

By December 1988 of that same year the civilian government of Benazir Bhutto was in place, and shortly thereafter in one of its first acts, it commuted all death sentences to that of life imprisonment. Both Rana Naeem ud Din and Mohammed Ilyas Munir were moved from death row and following appeals in the civilian courts had their convictions quashed and they were both subsequently released. Whilst the Mullah’s scrambled to launch further appeals against the two and have them returned to the death cell, both quietly left the country. Today Rana Naeem ud Din a venerable white haired old man attends the Fazl Mosque in London every day and offers prayers behind his Imam Hadrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad. Above him inscribed on the walls of the Mehrab  are the words of the Kalima Tayyaba “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his Messenger”, for which he was willing to give up his life those many years ago. Mohammed Ilyas Munir remained  attached to his vow of Waqf I Zinadagi and continues to serve to this day as the missionary in charge of the Cologne Mosque in Germany.

Following the events at Sahiwal no further attempts of desecration were made against Ahmadi mosques that year, and attacks against Ahmadis abated for a period of time.

How the Canadian ‘Office of Religious Freedom’ should function?

Yesterday, Canada’s Foreign Minister, John Baird MP, visited the World Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad at the Fazl Mosque in London. His Excellency, Gordon Campbell, the Canadian High Commissioner to the UK and other members of staff were also present at the meeting which lasted around forty minutes.

During the meeting, the Foreign Minister mentioned how the Canadian Government was in the process of setting up an ‘Office of Religious Freedom’ and sought the views of His Holiness about how such an Office should function. In response, His Holiness explained that Islam taught that every person should be free to practise his religion openly and without fear of discrimination. He said that irrespective of religious differences, all members of a society should live together with a spirit of unity, peace and tolerance and that this was what the Office of Religious Freedom should strive to achieve throughout the world.

His Holiness spoke about the persecution faced by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat in various countries, most notably in Pakistan. Speaking about the situation there, he said, that quite apart from religious persecution, the community were deprived also of their basic civic rights. His Holiness said:

“In Pakistan all Ahmadi Muslims are denied their basic rights. We are unable to call ourselves Muslims or use Islamic terms. My name is Masroor, but in Pakistan if somebody calls me this, then that person can be arrested and punished. Thus such laws that persecute and curtail basic rights must be changed. It is essential that religious views should not impact or interfere with Government policies.”

The Foreign Minister said that he was very concerned whenever he heard of such matters and it was against such systematic persecution that Canada envisioned the Office of Religious Freedom to act. He said that he believed that where religious freedom existed, there other rights would naturally develop.

His Holiness also used the meeting to praise Western efforts to promote religious freedom and he said that in particular Canada deserved praise for this. He said that the efforts of the Canadian government to promote integration and religious tolerance had led to the Fourth Khalifa of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat to once remark that he hoped the entire world would become like Canada. In response the Foreign Minister said that Canada truly valued the benefits of having a relatively open immigration system.

His Holiness mentioned that when he last visited Canada in 2008, he was very grateful that Prime Minister Stephen Harper attended the opening of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat’s new mosque in Calgary and indeed the Prime Minister even delayed his departure for an international summit in Japan so that he could take part in the event.

His Holiness also informed the Foreign Minister that the Holy Qur’an taught respect for all religions to such an extent that Muslims have been ordered to not only protect their own mosques but to protect all places of worship, whether they be churches, synagogues or temples.

Events in Pakistan have recently taken a twist after a controversial memo appeared said to be drafted by Pakistani Ambassador to the USA Hussain Haqqani. The memo was ousted by an American Business Man of Pakistani descent Mansoor Ijaz. The memo is said to have the approval of President Zardari as well.

Ever since the memo came to the light Mr Haqqani has handed over his resignation and President Zardari seems to have fled to Dubai under the pretence of medical checkups. According to some sources it could be weeks before President Zardari returns while others believe he could resign over health issues.

The central player in all this controversy seems to Mansoor Ijaz who ousted the memo, Ijaz was born in Tallahassee, Florida in 1961 to highly educated parents. His father Dr Mujadid Ijaz was theoretical physicist and played a major role in the development of Pakistan’s Nuclear Porgram, He was also a close friend of Dr Abdus Salam the Noble prize winning Pakistani scientist. Ijaz’s family belonged to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community a tolerant branch of Islam whose believers are considered heretics by the mainstream Muslims.

Spokesperson of Ahmadiyya Community Pakistan said although his family did belong to the Ahmadiyya Community, Mansoor Ijaz is not part of Jammat e Ahmadiyya and has no connection with it.

Mansoor attained a degree in nuclear physics from the University of Virginia and an MA in engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology but afterwards became a fund manager in the Wall Street. Ijaz had close ties with the Democratic Party and was very well connected politically.

An investment firm was setup by Ijaz in the 1990’s in which he was partner with retired Air Force Lt. General James Alan Abrahamson. While the former CIA director R. James Woolsey, was chairman of the board of Ijaz’s publicly listed company, Crescent Technology Ventures PLC, based in London

On 26 November 2011, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat celebrated the Golden Anniversary of the Independence of Cameroon, Sierra Leone and Tanzania in an event organised by the Pan-African Ahmadiyya Muslim Association UK. Dignitaries representing a number of African countries attended the function that took place at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in Morden, Surrey.

The highlight of the event was the attendance and address given by the Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad. His Holiness spoke of the need for unity amongst the people and leaders of Africa. He said that if all parties preferred the national interest to their personal interests, then Africa could become a true global power.

The event began with a welcome address by Issah Ahmed Wehma, the Chairman of the Pan-African Association, who said that it was always a pleasure for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat to host such events that promoted peace and unity.

Thereafter, various African Dignitaries took to the stage. His Excellency, Wesley Momo Johnson, Ambassador of Liberia, said that it was his fourth visit to the Baitul Futuh Mosque and that each time he came, he felt emotionally moved by the mosque and great warmth within it.

Mr Alhaji Bawah Gilbert Ayembillah, Consular Minister for Welfare at the High Commission of Ghana spoke of the contributions made by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat to his country. He said:

“I would like to thank the Ahmadiyya Community for its contribution to the development of Ghana. The work done for our people by your Community is incalculable. Thus I thank you on behalf of the Government and people of Ghana.”

His Excellency, Mr Edward Mohamed Turay, High Commissioner of Sierra Leone, said that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat had shown true commitment to bettering the lives of the people of Sierra Leone through its humanitarian projects.

During his keynote address, Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad spoke of the inequalities that continued to exist between the people of various nations and their leaders. He said that in countries where monarchies or dictatorships existed, the rulers withheld most of powers, leading to restlessness and dissent within the society. On the other hand, even though democratic countries claimed to provide justice and equality, in many instances they were failing to do so. Unfair polices were being implemented and this too was leading to civil unrest.

His Holiness said that Islam had provided the solution to such problems. It taught selflessness rather than selfishness, where each party should be willing to compromise his own rights for the sake of the greater good.

Speaking about the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat’s humanitarian efforts, His Holiness said that the community had opened hundreds of schools and hospitals in various parts of Africa. Also, Ahmadi engineers were engaged in efforts to provide water, electricity and other services in remote parts of Africa as a means to help the deprived locals. Such services were rendered without any desire for recognition or reward.

Speaking about African Independence, His Holiness said:

“It is my heartfelt prayer that the African people are able to take full advantage and benefit from their independence. All countries should keep in mind that the leader of a country is the servant of that nation. Whichever laws or regulations are in force should apply just as much to the rich as to the poor. If this approach is maintained, then, God Willing, the freedoms that you have gained after long periods of colonial slavery, will come to be everlasting.

I firmly believe that if the African countries and people unite together and fulfil the requirements of justice, then one day, Africa will emerge as a true global power.”

With the sort of things we see, hear and observe in this day and age, you might be tempted to think nothing can surprise you anymore.

But last month I met Sitara Brooj Akbar, and my sceptical bubble was entirely burst.

Scoring a Band 7 on your IELTS exam is pretty impressive when you’re in your 20s, it is nothing short of amazing when you are Sitara, who is all of 11 years old.

When I saw her at the IELTS exam venue, I first thought she was the daughter of a candidate, but was understandably shocked (and remained so for a while) when I found out she was, in fact, a candidate.

In my three year experience within the IELTS department at the British Council, she was the youngest candidate I have ever dealt with and upon speaking to her I realised that she was an extraordinary young girl with above average intelligence.

Hailing from Rabwah (Chenab Nagar), a small town in Pakistan’s Punjab province, it’s hard to believe you’re conversing with an 11 year old when you’re speaking to Sitara. She has already passed five O level subjects including English, physics, chemistry and biology (subjects that, despite my age, still continue to terrify me), making her the youngest O level candidate in the world.

Having passed chemistry at the age of nine, she gives credit to her parents for inspiring her to achieve all that she has. Sitara believes anyone can achieve the extraordinary if they put their minds to it but lamented that not many do.

“The most important thing I did was setting a life goal,” she told me. “Unfortunately, I do not see the majority of my peers doing this and that is the reason we do not achieve anything; because we do not set any goals for ourselves.”

Big words for a small girl; but one can’t help but admire her conviction.

Currently studying to take her A levels privately, Sitara sees herself becoming a scientist, which is why she chose mostly science subjects for her O levels.

So why did she choose to take the IELTS exam?

Apparently she wanted to test her proficiency in English as well as her shortcomings. Scoring an overall 7 with a 7.5 in the speaking module, her English is – needless to say – quite strong.

I felt quite a bit of pride when Sitara went ahead to compliment the British Council.

“It is the first organisation that opened opportunities for me despite my age,” she said. “It will always be close to my heart.”

The future looks bright for Pakistan with girls like Sitara following their dream, and the British Council will be there to help them along the way.

I would wish best of luck to her, but with her sharp mind and laser focus, she hardly needs it.

There have been several shocking incidents over the past week or so that go only to highlight the kind of intolerance we are facing in our society and the manner in which this is spreading. Worst of all the spirit of hatred has also seeped into classrooms, and is being used to poison the minds of children.

This process will of course lead to the emergence, even before our watching eyes, of yet another generation persuaded that it is acceptable to discriminate on the basis of beliefs or other factors, or that minority groups are inherently inferior to the majority – deserving no place in mainstream society.

Just a few days ago, 10 Ahmadi children, seven of them girls, were expelled from a school in the Hafizabad area, simply on the basis of their religious identity. The incident took place soon after preachers promoting anti-Ahmadism had visited the town and lashed out with familiar vitriol against a religious group that has been thrust out of the mainstream and then subjected to years of vicious discrimination.

The feeble plea by the principal of the private school, that he did not wish to turn away the children from the school doors but had no choice in the face of threats made by villagers, just goes to show how weak we have become.

No one has answered the question of the distraught father of three of the girls driven away from school who asks how his daughters will now receive an education. Beyond the representatives of the Ahmadi community in Rabwah and some human rights groups, no one has spoken out in their support.

The issue has not been discussed by furious media anchors, even though the Constitution of our land lays down in unequivocal terms that every citizen has a right to education and cannot be denied this under any circumstances.

Such silence is perhaps the most dangerous element of all. The streets and other public places have been left to bigots, such as those who have been on the streets demanding the immediate release of Mumtaz Qadri, the man sentenced to death for the murder of Salmaan Taseer.

Precisely the same silence prevailed after yet another horrendous incident at a school a few weeks ago when an eighth-grade Christian girl was turned out of a POF-run school in the town of Havelian after making a minor spelling mistake in an Urdu paper.

Her teacher interpreted the mistake as an act of blasphemy, publicised the matter – which essentially revolved around one dot in a paragraph about a ‘naat’ – and as clerics staged protests the powerful POF management chose not only to expel the girl, but also to transfer her mother, a nurse at a hospital.

Such incidents have occurred elsewhere too. Ahmadi children have been punished in schools, their faith ridiculed and admission denied simply on the basis of their religious beliefs. Amidst all this, we talk of ‘the silent majority’. But do we really know what people believe and think?

It is true that many, indeed most, do not agree with the rabid views of the extremists. We would like to believe this is true. But popular thinking has been warped over the years by all kinds of factors that began essentially with the deliberate and evil distortions initiated in the early 1980s when our society first began its most serious transformation into an uglier, nastier place.

Discrimination is not based on religious beliefs alone. At an elite Lahore private school, a child from a different ethnic background was mocked and subjected to continuous ridicule for his appearance. It seems that the school management didn’t do very much to check this behaviour or persuade the majority of students who had resorted to uncivilised conduct towards the student to correct their ways.

Racism and bigotry of course need to be stopped using some degree of force within an environment in which the two have spread quite far and grown deep roots. African students based in colleges in Lahore and other cities will no doubt testify to the kind of treatment they face, solely on the basis of their skin colour.

One question that we all need to ask is why the government sits by as a silent spectator while all this happens. It needs to play a far more proactive role. We stand where we are today as a result of carefully thought out behaviours and policies put in place in the past. They succeeded in twisting minds and creating an atmosphere in which hatred, distrust and intolerence could blossom.

The need now is to begin an immediate reversal of this process. In the first place, the relevant authorities need to take notice of the instances of expulsion from schools on the basis of open and undisguised discrimination; this would put in place a good example of what should be done and where right separates from wrong, like oil from water.

There is no time to lose. It is quite obvious that things are growing worse and worse virtually by the day. Our only hope for the future lies in nurturing a generation that is able to think more openly and adopt an approach which is different to the destructive one that has become a normal part of our society today.

The provision that all citizens are equal needs to be turned into reality and not just a clause in a document that fewer and fewer people seem to be very bothered about.

How do we begin this? Schools are a good place to start. Government schools are perhaps the best, given the number of children attending them and the control the administration should have over them. Through curriculums and training for teachers, both children and those entrusted with the delicate task of educating them need to learn to think differently.

This is not an easy task of course. But it has been done elsewhere; Ireland, where Protestants and Catholics were deeply divided in the north for so many years, is one example where attempts towards greater harmony through schools have met with some success.

There are other examples in the world. We need to emulate them and move towards building a place where people are ready to speak out for what is right and refuse to allow extremist elements – who attempt to validate their intolerant ways by citing a distorted version of religion – to dictate how we live and what we do.