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Asia

Thousands attend anti-Ahmadiyya ‘KhatmeNabuwat’ conference in Rabwah

The small town of Rabwah went into lockdown on Thursday as thousands made their way to attend the controversial ‘KhatmeNabuwat’ conference. More than 20,000 people are thought to be attending the two-day conference which began on October 27th. The event has been organized by the controversial AMTKN (Aalmi Majlis – e – Tahfuze KhatmeNabuwat) movement, an organization described as a hate group due to its continued encouragement of violence against Ahmadi Muslims. The arrangements for the event have been made …

PEMRA dismisses Ahmadis’ complaint against TV Channels after mob storms office

Pakistan’s Electronic Media Authority (PEMRA) has come under fire after two TV channels aired ‘hateful’ content against the minority Ahmadiyya community. Pakistan’s NEO TV and Channel-92 labeled Ahmadis as ‘Blasphemers’ and ‘Traitors’ in their TV show, Harf-e-Raz, and Subh-e-Noor which were aired in the first week of September. Following the airing of the programs representatives of Ahmadiyya community filed complaints against the two TV channels with PEMRA. The complaint filed by Ahmadiyya representatives stated that “The programs were provocative against …

Pakistan’s top cleric calls for execution of Ahmadis

Chairman of Pakistan’s “Ruet-e-Hilal Committee” Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman has called on the Government to execute Ahmadis as they do not believe in the finality of Prophet Muhammad. He made the comments on Saturday, while speaking at a KhatmeNabuwat rally in the village of Lalian. Mufti Muneeb ur Rahman said “According to the constitution of Pakistan, Ahmadis are deniers of KhatmeNabuwat (Finality of Prophethood) and are hence outside the fold of Islam, Since the punishment for not accepting the constitution is execution, …

Iran opposes appointment of ‘Qadiani’ Asma Jahangir as UN Rapporteur on Human Rights

Iran has slammed the decision by United Nations to appoint Asma Jahangir as special rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran and called her out as a ‘Qadiani’, a derogatory term used for members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Sect. Pakistani Lawyer and Human Rights activist Asma Jahangir was appointed as the United Nation’s Special Rapporteur for Human Rights to Iran on Thursday, September, 1 replacing Maldivian diplomat Ahmed Shaheed. Congratulations @Asma_Jahangir on being named as next UN Sp Rapporteur on #Iran. …

Pakistan Police Arrest Christian Teenager for Facebook Post

A 16-year-old Pakistani Christian has been arrested for Blasphemy for liking a Facebook post. The teenager who is from Punjab has been jailed pending trial. On 18th September, 16-year-old Nabeel Chohan from Chak 66, Bhai Pheru, District of Kasur was arrested and charged under Pakistan’s infamous Blasphemy law. He was arrested by the Police after locals filed a complaint against Masih under Section 295/ 295A of Pakistan’s penal code. The complainant alleged that he was going through Masih’s Facebook account …

Pakistani asylum Seekers in Thailand raise concerns ahead of UNGA

In 1974, Pakistan declared the Ahmadiyya as a non-Muslim community using a constitutional amendment, which soon after lead to the community becoming the most persecuted religious community in the country. Ahmadis are not allowed to call themselves as Muslims and are prohibited from preaching or practicing their faith If they do so they can be charged and arrested under the country’s anti-Ahmadiyya laws. Due to this continuous persecution, many Ahmadis end up fleeing the country. Many have sought Asylum in …

Ahmadis fearful of celebrating Eid in Rabwah

“The right to celebrate Eid and other Islamic traditions has been snatched away from us because they are associated to Islam and since we have been declared non-Muslim we can not celebrate” In 1974 Pakistan declared the Ahmadis a non-Muslim minority using a constitutional amendment. Since then they have been stopped from celebrating “Muslims Holy Festivals.” 60-year-old Ijaz Ahmad is a resident of Rabwah and works in a small company. He says like every year he likes to celebrate Eid …

Extremist group Khatm-e-Nabuwat hosts conference against Ahmadis in Rabwah

On September 7th, Extremist organization Khatm-e-Nabuwat held an anti-Ahmadiyya conference in Pakistan’s only majority Ahmadiyya town of Rabwah. The conference was organized to mark the 42nd anniversary of Pakistan declaring minority Ahmadiyya as non-Muslims. Conference speakers included Ministers and Islamic preachers. Local District Police Officer Mustansar Feroz also paid a visit to the conference site to make sure security arrangements were adequate. Speaking at the conference serving PML-N Minister and head of International KhatmeNabuwat Movement, Ilyas Chinioti said: “Qadianis are …

Pakistani Ministers target Ahmadis in Punjab Assembly

Decades of persecution and a full ban on the Ahmadiyya faith has not changed the Government’s attitudes toward Pakistan’s most persecuted faith group. Ministers in Pakistan’s Provincial Assembly of Punjab continue to make sure the Ahmadis are not given any rights or recognition. On August 31st, Minister for School Education, Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan came under fire over the alleged transfer of government schools to the Ahmadiyya community and organizations associated with it. In a fiery speech, Ghiyas-ud-Din said that …

Islamization of Nigeria: A Journey from Fact to Fiction

Religion is a key tool for spreading peace as it does not only instills moral teachings but also ensures its practical application through prophets and religious clerics serving as models. That is the core reason while the publication by Nigerian Christian Elders Forum, NCEF alleging the President attempting to Islamize Nigeria baffles every fair minded individual as the accusations are far from true. This piece will objectively examine issues raised to remove the misstatements to help stop tension and restlessness …

Thousands of Ahmadis fleeing persecution in Pakistan and seeking Asylum overseas

More and more Ahmadis are leaving Pakistan and seeking asylum overseas as persecution in Pakistan increases. Sources within Pakistan and stats released by the U.S. indicate that Ahmadis are the largest asylum seeking group from Pakistan.Newly published statistics by Germany, U.K., and the US revealed that over 10,000 Pakistanis had sought asylum in these three countries over the past year. Data from US Department of State which classified refugees by religion showed that most of the 376 Pakistanis who applied …

Suicide bombers target Christian Colony in Pakistan

Four suicide bombers with arms and ammunition attacked a Christian Colony in Pakistan’s Northwestern city of Peshawar. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a breakaway Taliban faction, claimed responsibility for the attack. The colony which houses around 30 Christian families was attacked early Friday morning. Local police official Shaukat Khan said four suicide bombers entered the Christian colony. One of them went into a church, but no one was there at the time. Police and security forces arrived at the scene after which an exchange …