A 72-year-old British doctor is in prison in Pakistan for “posing as a Muslim”, charges that reveal an escalating ideological fight that often spills over into violence. Masood Ahmad is a quiet, reserved widower who returned to Pakistan to open a pharmacy in 1982 after decades of working in London to pay his children’s school fees, his family said. He is also an Ahmadi, a sect that consider themselves Muslim but believe in a prophet after Mohammed. A 1984 Pakistani …
Bashir Ahmed Kiyani (70) s/o Abdul Ghafoor Kiyani was killed and three others, including a 10-year-old boy, were injured by the firing of unidentified men riding a motorcycle near Badar Chowk in Sector 4-F Orangi Town. Mominabad police said that the deceased was an Ahmedi and a retired military personal. A young boy identified as Wajid (10), son of Akram Qureshi, and two passers-by including Asad Khan and Owais Fazal were also injured in the firing but their condition was …
Young Muslims are planning to turn up at Heathrow Airport and London’s rail and underground stations in force – to collect money for the Poppy Appeal. Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association (AMYA) will be helping The Royal British Legion for the fourth year running as a mark of good citizenship and a testament to the Islamic edict of demonstrating loyalty to your country. More than 300 AMYA volunteers will be stationed at train and tube stations across the city of London, …
As I casually scrolled through my Facebook newsfeed one morning, I stumbled across an Al Jazeera English post linking to an article on a “Muslim-friendly alternative” to Web searching that filters haram content. Intrigued, I clicked and read on: functions much like Google or Bing, but with a built-in “advanced special filtering system” that blocks content deemed haram or forbidden in Islam. According to its web site Halalgoogling aims to be the number one search engine in the Muslim community: “Everyone has the right to enjoy the possibilities that the internet offers, …
A man was forced to abandon his woodworking business and flee Gujranwala with his family after his erstwhile friends and neighbours discovered that he was an Ahmadi. Imran Ahmed, 35, started out as a daily wager at a woodwork shop in Gujranwala. He saved up money for three years, then invested Rs100,000 in machinery and setting up his own workshop. As his business grew, he hired two carpenters to work for him. “Things were going really well, but nobody knew …
Pakistan has seemingly ensured that no Ahmedi demographic, including the dead, are spared the harsh reminder that they do not belong “That looks very biblical,” I said out loud while approaching the place Ahmedis call their sanctuary, Rabwa. Incidentally, the name of the city was changed by the state to Chenabnagar, because Rabwa translated to ‘land of God’ and divinity and its access was prohibited for Ahmedis. I wanted to observe what is it like for them living banished in …
CHINO — Rabiya Chaudry’s spirit may be willing, but she says her body is telling her something else. Healthy Muslims are supposed to take part in the rituals of Ramadan, which include bowing and kneeling five times a day and fasting from dawn until dusk. But women who are menstruating or breast feeding get a pass, electing instead to “make up” the time through an alternative act. “During that (menstruating) time you are told not to fast because you are …
An Ahmadi SOLDIER who died fighting the Taliban in the Tirah Valley was buried in Rabwah with full military honors. Qaiser Naveed Bhatti, 24 of Chak 23 District Nankana died in a firefight with the the Taliban in Tirah Valley. His body was taken to his hometown by Captain Deedar Baig from where it was brought to Rabwah where he was buried with full military honors. Naveed Bhatti had got married three months ago. Pakistani Army has been battling Taliban …
Pakistan’s television wars have plumbed new depths in the battle for Ramadan ratings with the country’s most controversial presenter giving away abandoned babies on his prime-time show. Aamir Liaquat Hussain has presented two babies to childless couples so far during Islam’s holy month. His show’s heady mix of charity, piety and kitsch has made it a hit with viewers but also attracted accusations that he is using religion to generate headlines. In an episode broadcast last week, Mr Hussain shocked …
Fasting is an act of worship, a historic tradition and a test of obedience and holiness. Fasting deepens one’s connection to God. It encourages charity and care for the poor. And those who fast are helped to remember the blessings of life. Members of two faiths shared those and other thoughts on fasting at a rare gathering Tuesday evening in Lynwood, USA. After the sun was down, the event ended with a sumptuous meal where Muslims and Jews joined together …
CHINO, Calif.—This week, thousands of families arrayed in their colorful best are crowding into a sprawling mosque set among the golden hills of this old agricultural community east of Los Angeles. Some have come from across the country, and some from as far as Ghana. A few even risked travel out of Syria. They clamor to see Mirza Masroor Ahmad, a subdued, 62-year-old former wheat farmer and the world’s only “Muslim Pope.” The khalifa, as he is called, is the …
Chairman PTI Imran Khan who has a history of being soft on the Taliban has yet again made a controversial statement. The statement was issued in response to a viral video which showed Nadia Ramzan of PTI UK along with members of the Pakistani press meeting the head of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in London. In the meeting Ramzan asked his Holiness who would he vote for personally and what would he advise (to his followers). During the meeting, His Holiness …