Prayers were said today for the victims of the riots in England. Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community gathered in mosques across Britain and remembered the victims who had suffered at the hands of looters and rioters.

Rafiq Hayat, National President Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK, said:

“We condemn the wanton acts of violence and looting that London and other cities have witnessed. Our community has been in Britain through two world wars and the sight of violence by one section of society on another was shocking and unbearable.

“We applaud and fully support the response from the wider community to clean up the debris and to stand united against the rioters. The resolute response from members of the Muslim community, who suffered enormous tragedy from the killing in Birmingham, is a model of steadfastness for us all.

“We have been humbled by Tariq Jahan’s impassioned plea for calm after he lost his son and by Ashraf Haziq Rosli, the Malaysian student who was injured and robbed. Their strength of character is a shining light of hope in this dark chapter.

“We welcome all moves to nip this destructive force in the bud and to inject a sense of order, safety and, justice in our society. The courage and work that the police and authorities have carried out to restore order is to be applauded and has our full support.

“We pray for those who have been attacked and their livelihoods destroyed, and also for sense to awaken in anyone contemplating any further anarchy.”

America celebrates its Independence Day on July 4th while Pakistan celebrates its Independence Day on August 14th. This nearness of the Independence Days of America and Pakistan is the only thing that can be said to define the relationship of the U.S. to Pakistan as “close.” In all other respects, we are as far apart as night and day.

America deserves due credit because its Constitution and amendments grant its citizens rights and freedoms and the means to secure and protect them. And while the realization of these rights and freedoms by different groups and classes took many decades to achieve, the fact remains that the freedom America represents is the shining light that draws people to our shores from all over the globe. America as an ideal is the place where people are Americans first and nationalities or religions second.

It is this very dream of inclusiveness in the American Dream that must be made a reality for all. The Africans brought to America as slaves were eventually freed not only by the efforts of good-hearted people but by the promise imbued in the words of Thomas Jefferson – Founding Father, slave-owner and author of the Declaration of Independence – who wrote: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” It is these words that ultimately gave birth to our Constitution’s Bill of Rights – freedoms that would be in the governing charters of all Muslim nations were they truly following the dictates of justice set forth in the Holy Quran.

One Muslim country, Pakistan, started off on the right path towards justice when, on August 14th, 1947, its founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, stated the fundamental right of all Pakistanis to enjoy religious liberty free from state control. In his inaugural speech, Jinnah proclaimed that every Pakistani – be they Muslim, Christian, Jew, Hindu or Sikh – was free to go to their mosques, churches, synagogues or temples. The state would not interfere in the religious matters or faith choice of any citizen of Pakistan. However, when Jinnah passed away suddenly soon after, the dream of religious freedom died with him. The Mullahs of that era lost no time in strong-arming the national assembly into defining Pakistan as an Islamic and not a secular state.

Sixty-four years later, all religious minorities in Pakistan live in fear of the bigotry, persecution and violence of the mainstream Sunni Mullahs and their congregations. This is because Pakistan’s Constitution and penal codes, rather than protecting people’s religious rights, liberty and lives as envisioned by Jinnah, instead sanction their death by way of the draconian blasphemy laws that criminalize the free exercise of religion and religious expression – all in the name of respecting Islam and the Holy Prophet Muhammad.

Since 1984, anyone in Pakistan can be fined, jailed or even put to death by the state simply for being accused of blasphemy against Islam or the Prophet Muhammad by word or deed. No proof is required because to produce it would be to recommit the alleged offense. Ahmadi Muslims, Christians, Shia Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus are the chief victims of these infamous blasphemy laws, which are employed regularly to dispossess one’s neighbors and business rivals of their homes, livelihoods and even their lives. It is a spiritual cancer that has raged unchecked for three decades, claiming thousands of innocent lives.

The instigators and beneficiaries of this cancer are the Mullahs, the religious clerics and fanatical rabble-rousers the Holy Prophet Muhammad warned Muslims about 1,400 years ago, calling them “the worst creatures under heaven.” But do Pakistani Muslims listen to and act upon the dire prediction of the founder of their religion and rid themselves of this plague of Mullahism? On the contrary, the vast majority of Pakistanis either cower in fear of the mullahs or jubilantly support the hate-mongering incitements of these same Mullahs. (To demonstrate this one need only consider the paltry 362 Pakistanis who turned out to condemn the Jan. 4th, 2010 assassination of Punjab Gov. Salmaan Taseer by his own bodyguard, compared with the 62,000 Pakistanis who turned out a few days later to cheer and show their support for Taseer’s unrepentant confessed murderer, showering him with rose petals as he went to court for his arraignment.)

To add insult to injury in this deadly theater of the morally insane, the majority of Pakistan’s mullahs routinely tell the people that all their problems are caused by America. In reality, all their problems are, ultimately, caused by the mullahs themselves. And though Pakistan is labeled a ‘democracy,’ there is no democracy, no justice and no civil rights or equal protection under the law. The rule of law is held captive by the clenched fists of the mullahs who, with their venomous calls for hatred and murder, are leading themselves and their congregations to hell from virtually every mosque in Pakistan.

This is why the only way to effect real, substantive spiritual change and true justice in the lives of the persecuted religious minorities in Pakistan is to rid the country of Mullahism. The first and most effective step towards that end is to excise all blasphemy laws and punishments from the Pakistan Constitution and penal codes. The next step is to stringently enforce the “rule of law” and provide equal protection under the law for all Pakistanis, regardless of race or religion. This will effectively hold the Mullahs and their minions accountable for the evils they commit in the name of Islam – evils that are in complete violation of true Islamic law.

As long as the mullahs hold sway over the military, president, prime minister and national assembly, and as long as the mullahs are given free license by the laws and Constitution of Pakistan to foment injustice and murder, there will be no freedoms and no justice. Ideally, there should be total separation of state and mosque in Pakistan, with the mullahs being removed completely from the political equation that only condemns Pakistan to certain chaos and eventual death as a nation.

When the Constitution of Pakistan begins to resemble the Constitution of the United States, then and only then will our two countries begin to have a relationship that can be said to be “close” – one based on mutual respect, human rights and true religious freedom. Then and only then will the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, rest easy in his grave and be proud of Pakistan: the “Land of the Pure.”

I don’t know if it’s true or not, but my Mom says that my first word was Allah. Well this is what supposed to happen when your house is so close to the mosque and the Azaan comes out of it 5 times a day. I still remember my grandparents celebrating my aameen when I finished Quran at the age of 5. How everyone was so proud. When I started school, I was one of those kids who didn’t miss home. May be it was because I was so smart, and I always knew the answers to my teachers’ questions. My teacher was very impressed by my General Knowledge of religion but it was not because I read a lot of books at that age. I was just like any other kid. The whole credit goes to my grandfather and my dad who used to tell me all the stories of Prophets before bedtime. From Adam, to Noah, to Abraham, to Moses, to Jesus and finally to our very own and very best Huzoor Muhammad (PBUH). Never did I feel as if I was any different than my fellow classmates, in fact at times I used to secretly think that I am better as I used to help them for preparation of tests or exams. Then in Grade 4, I remember someone in my Islamic studies class asked about Ahmadis from our teacher. When I listened to her answer, I was very surprised as until that time, I had no idea that my sect was hated so much by main stream Muslims. It wasn’t just a normal sectarian division based on religious differences such as Sunni, Shia or Deobandi or Brelvi; it was considered a sin to be an Ahmadi. Ahmadis are those who distort Islam, have no right to call themselves Muslims and “we” Muslims should not talk or eat with them as it is disrespectful to Islam and the honour of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

When I went home and asked my Mom about it, her reply surprised me even more. She was very clear that I don’t need to tell anyone about it. After that day, I was scared as to whether I should or should not tell my friends. It was weird because every day in the morning we would recite the same prayers, same national anthem proving our allegiance to our beloved country Pakistan; I learned the same kalima, same suras from the same Islamic studies books as them and the same Namaz for my oral Islamiat test. We used to send each other dishes for iftaar during Ramadan, exchange bangles or mehndi during Eid-ul-fitar and get all excited about whose bakra is the best during Eid-ul-Azha.  Now how can I hide it, it’s who I am, it’s my identity.  Anyways, while I was fighting with myself over my identity, if ever the discussion regarding religion started, my friends would be leaving comments like Ahmadis are kaafirs, how they are bound to go to hell, all of this while I am sitting right there with them.

All this hatred made me realize what my Mom meant when she said that I don’t need to tell anyone. Then we moved to Islamabad and when I was in grade 9, we studied the constitution of Pakistan and how in 1973 Ahmadis were declared Non-Muslims. After learning that, I was shocked that Ahmmadiyya sect has been around for almost 100 years but “Muslims” realized this in 1973 that Ahmadis are Non-Muslims. Not only that, this realization came up in Pakistan, not from the Imam-e-Kaaba in Saudi Arabia or Al-Azhar University in Egypt (I gave these examples because these 2 institutions are respected regarding their opinions in matters of Islamic jurisprudence). What about all the religious scholars who despite having religious differences regarding interpretations, have been involved with inter-faith dialogue with Ahmadis even before Pakistan was formed and still didn’t declare them Non-Muslims. Ahmadis worked with other Muslims during the struggle for an independent nation. How many people know that the person who drafted the Lahore constitution was an Ahmadi i-e Sir Zafarullah Khan. That document is the basis for the creation of Pakistan.  The reason that Muslims wanted a separate country for themselves was to have the freedom that they didn’t enjoy in Hindu Majority India. Who would have thought that the country that was created by a minority in the Indian sub-continent will persecute minorities after its creation?

Another thing which I don’t get is that why Pakistan is the only country which has made a constitutional law about Ahmadis regarding them as Non-Muslims? Every religion has sects and people disagree but nobody goes around making constitutional laws about it. Even other Muslim countries don’t define Ahmadis as non-Muslims in their constitutions. If government is given the freedom to dictate who is a Muslim and who is not than this is a very dangerous precedent that is being set because in today’s world, no two sects agree on anything. For Sunnis, Shias are kaafirs, for Deobandis, its Brelvis and Aga Khanis are Non-Muslims in every one’s mind. Religion should be everyone’s private matter as Allah is the only one who knows what is inside anyone’s heart. A person can admit to something due to fear but not believe in it. What kind of faith is that which is professed due to fear? Freedom of religion is the basic principal of Islam which is evident from the teachings of our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the verses of Quran. Nobody has the right to pass judgments on the “Muslimness” of any person. Not only that, in case of Ahmadis the argument has reached the point where killing them is going to get the person a place in heaven. Where do these scholars get the idea of declaring anyone wajib-ul-katal? How does taking the life of an innocent person open the gate to heaven? Simple common sense can provide reasonable and logical answers to a lot of questions but people would rather trust the interpretations of Mullahs who themselves need a crash course in basic Islam. It is so disheartening to see that in today’s world when the whole world criticizes Islam for being intolerant, Muslims are on the forefront to prove it.

On 28th May 2010 two mosques belonging to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat in Lahore were attacked by terrorists. The mosques were the Baitul Nur Mosque in Model Town and the Darul Zikr Mosque in Ghari Shahu.

In a meticulously planned attack, sectarian terrorists carried out a slaughter of Ahmadi worshippers who had gathered for Friday prayers.Absence of any effective police presence enabled them to succeed in their gory operation, as planned. 94 worshippers died and 125 were injured.The dead include Judge (R) Munir Ahmad Sheikh, the Amir of the Lahore Ahmadiyya community, Major General (R) Nasir Ahmad, president of the Model Town chapter, Mr Mahmud Shad, a missionary, Mr Ejaz Nasrulla, a nephew of Late Sir Muhammad Zafrullah Khan, former President of the International Court of Justice at Den Haag, Mr Muhammad Aslam Bharwana, a senior railway official and a number of community officials.

THE ATTACK

The attacks were timed to be simultaneous. Two or three attackers targeted the Model Town mosque while a larger contingent attacked the bigger Garhi Shahu mosque. The terrorists killed or injured the few community guards and stormed the main assembly halls. When inside, the attackers used hand grenades and sprayed bullets indiscriminately on the worshippers. At Garhi Shahu they availed plenty of time to expend their ammunition. Many more casualties occurred when they blew themselves up.

The police arrived in due course and apparently took their time to ensure a safe and smooth intervention. As a result, little timely rescue and evacuation efforts were made which resulted in death of many injured due to bleeding. According to media reports two police officers were injured slightly at the initial stage at the Garhi Shahu site.

Two terrorists were apprehended by Ahmadi youth in Model Town mosque, stopping them from blowing themselves up. This contained the damage. They were handed over to the police.

According to press reports, three heads of suicide bombers were recovered from the Garhi Shahu mosque.

THE BURIAL

Most of the dead, when alive, had opted to be buried in Rabwah, therefore soon after the attack, over 90 graves were dug up in the town’s graveyard. The dead were buried after their funeral prayers in groups. The program of a joint big burial ceremony was abandoned for security concerns.

Rabwah wears a sad look. Markets, trade centres and shops remained closed, as the dead bodies kept arriving from Lahore. Funeral ceremonies still continue.

THE AFTERMATH

3 Days After the attack on the Mosques in Lahore Pakistan, Attackers stormed the Jinnah Hospital where doctors were treating the injured from the Mosque attacks on Friday, the attack on Jinnah Hospital left 6 dead authorities believe it the attackers attempted to free the militant who was being treated there.

INSPIRATIONAL MURDER

Just days after the Lahore attacks another Ahmadi, Mr Nehmatullah of District Narowal, Pakistan was today martyred due to being an Ahmadi.It appears that this pre-meditated murder was directly inspired by the Lahore attacks.He was attacked with a knife and died soon after.

One of the sons of Mr Nehmatullah recognised the assailant as he tried to flee and thus the assailant also attacked him with a knife. The son of Mr Nehmatullah survived and has been moved to a hospital where he is being treated. The extent of his injuries is not yet known.

The village in which the deceased lived is populated with three Ahmadi families. After hearing recently in a Friday sermon that Ahmadis were ‘Wajibul Qatl’ the assailant was allegedly openly preaching that he would murder Ahmadis. The term ‘Wajibul Qatl’ is being used increasingly in Pakistan in regard to Ahmadis and translates as deserving to be killed.

Following the Lahore attacks on Friday the assailant also allegedly said openly that he would personally make sure that no Ahmadi was left alive in his village.

THE AFTEFFECT

This incident shows again that Ahmadis are facing a time of great uncertainty and danger in Pakistan. The International Community and Media are all urged to take action to help safeguard and protect the lives of Ahmadi Muslims

The community, however, did not take to the street, take out processions or stage a protest in Rabwah. It is not the practice with Ahmadis. Instead, they have turned to God and continue to pray for themselves and the countrymen in general. They were guided by a statement from their supreme leader, the Khalifa tul Masih V: “The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat is a peace loving true Muslim Jamat. Thus there will be no improper reaction from any Ahmadi. Our salvation lies in our supplication to God Almighty and we believe that He has, and always will, help us”.

As for the terrorists, Tehrik Taliban Punjab has claimed the responsibility. It is confirmed by those who survived the massacre in Garhi Shahu that the terrorists faced no resistance from the police during their attack, and had sufficient time to even examine the dead bodies in the main hall and kill those who were still alive. They shouted slogan of Khatme Nabuwat Zinda bad, (Long live End of Prophethood). According to eye witnesses, four of them managed to escape after the carnage.

The federal government and human rights concerns have confirmed that the provincial government had been informed of terrorist threat to the Ahmadiyya community. The Ahmadiyya headquarters had kept the provincial and federal governments regularly informed of the activities and open threats of the anti-Ahmadiyya clerics, and warned against the sort of tragedy that eventually materialized in Lahore.

Almost a month ago the Governor of Punjab made a public statement that the province is on knife-edge as extremists take hold, and he accused politicians of backing banned groups as minorities suffer violence and intimidation. The Federal Interior Minister also said that his ministry had warned the Punjab government of possible terrorist attacks.

Rabwah Arrest

Five days thereafter, the people of Rabwah caught a man red-handed who was carrying a great deal of arms, ammunition and hand grenades in the town. They placed him in the custody of the police.

Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK offers offers condolences with head of Ahmadiyya Jamaat

Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the UK, Mr Wajid Shamsul Hasan visited His Holiness, Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad at the Fazl Mosque in London on 2nd June 2010 to offer his condolences for the terrorist attacks that took place at two Ahmadi Mosques in Lahore on May 28.

During the forty minute meeting the prevailing political situation in Pakistan was discussed. His Holiness commented that all the attacks taking place in Pakistan were a direct result of mixing religion with politics. He expressed a hope that some leaders in Pakistan would stand up to the fanatical extremists who were the cause of so much pain and suffering in the country.