The opinions expressed in this section are solely those of the author.
Welcome, to the beautiful land of the pure. Here, we are blessed with four wondrous seasons and the geographical features are aplenty. This is a land hard won through the sacrifices of many and now, you too, are a part of this nation of the free. There is only one small hitch. You are Ahmadi, and life will be slightly more difficult for you than it is for the rest of the citizens of this country.
Anyone remotely familiar with the poetry of Dr Muhammad Iqbal would know of his multi-pronged flirtations with numerous – often paradoxical – ideologies, at the same time. From fluctuating between a poet and a preacher to being the torchbearer of theocracies and personal faith at the same time – from presenting an anti-capitalist case for theism through Vladimir Lenin in Lenin Khuda Ke Huzoor Mein to his appraisal for sultani, while ostensibly challenging the British Raj – from promoting a …
Pakistani actor, Hamza Ali Abbasi, is always in the headlines for one reason or another. Recently, I wrote an article criticising his comments that apparently belittled Pakistan’s minorities. However, this time I am writing to congratulate him on supporting Pakistan’s minority Muslim communities – or at least those that self-identify as such.
The Gambian dictator is targeting the in-country assets of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at’s for seizure which explains the recent feud between the Supreme Islamic Council and the Ahmadiyya, according to our sources in Banjul. The Muslim sect that has been in the country for over half a century and has lived harmoniously with mainstream Muslim communities throughout the period until very recently when problems started to emerge which culminated in the declaration by the government-financed Supreme Islamic council that the …
On the fourteenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, a delegation of 61 American Muslim women, donning the Islamic veil (hijab), visited the Capitol Hill to meet several members of the Congress. The delegates represented the Women’s Auxiliary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, USA (Lajna Imaillah) led by the National President, Saliha Malik. This was the first time that the auxiliary had the opportunity to spend time at the Hill.
It was August 14, 1984. I was only two-years-old. My father decorated the veranda of our small house with lights and green buntings. My parents were excited, as were my elder brother and I. Though I was too young to remember, pictures of that day bring on a strong sensation of déjà vu. Yet, and sadly, before the following Independence Day, we had to leave Pakistan. Persecution, which gained momentum under President Ziaul Haq, forced many Ahmadis to leave for …
We’d never allow Marxist-Leninist schools to brainwash children so why do we give religions similar rights? Come with me on a flight of fancy. It is open day at the latest educational establishment in a suburban part of Essex. The headmaster, an avuncular-looking man with a fine moustache mounts the stage and smiles down upon his audience. “A warm welcome,” he says, “to prospective new parents from all of us here at the Joseph Stalin Free School in Ongar.”
At first glance, Multan is like any other middling-to-large provincial city in Pakistan; an unkempt sprawl of grey concrete buildings and chaotic traffic. However, beneath the gruff exterior lies a city steeped in history and heritage. Conquered by Alexander the Great and ruled for a time by the Brahmin Dynasty, Multan eventually came to be one of the sub-continent’s chief centres of Islam. Through the centuries, scores of mystics, holy men and spiritualists have journeyed there in search of enlightenment. …
A day of great pain. A mother’s pain. A family’s pain. A city’s pain. A country’s pain. A nation’s pain. The gut-wrenching day on which Pakistani Taliban’s barbaric and ruthless murder of more than 148 school children and teachers occurred. Around 140 innocent youngsters, who probably had not even the slightest idea of what was right and what was wrong. What had they done to deserve this? What was their fault for yearning to learn and become something in life? …
Only 2 Muslim groups have EVER been denied Hajj. Muhammad (saw) & his Sahaba by Meccan Kuffar & Ahmadi Muslims by the Ummah. “And Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) to the House (Kabah) is a duty that mankind owes to Allah, those who can afford the expenses (for ones conveyance, provision and residence); and whoever disbelieves (i.e. denies Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah), then he is a disbeliever of Allah), then Allah stands not in need of any of the Alameen (mankind …
Ahmadiyah community that has been a victim of multiple fatwas against it since ages ; ironically have been playing a major role in strengthening the roots of the beloved homeland whether it comes to economy, foreign affairs military and much more different professional field. It is a bitter truth for all the anti Ahmadiyyah people to gulp this reality that Ahmadiyah community played a major role in the formation of Pakistan and they cool down their green eye by putting …
“I do not regard the Ahmadiyyas as Muslims”, says a female medical student emphatically to me, emphasizing that they are kaffirs and should not be regarded as Muslims at all. What shocks me is that it is a female student at the medical faculty of Copenhagen University who says this in September 2014. Our conversation just happened to have got diverted, and when I got to know she was a Muslim, I told her in simple enthusiasm that I had …