Punjab, arrests and violence: a Ramadan of persecution for the Ahmadis
Last week in Sialkot, 22 members of the community were imprisoned even though they were innocent, following pressure from Islamic extremists. In Sargodha another 23 were put in jail because they were ‘caught’ praying in a house during the holy month for Muslims. Minarets vandalised by the police in Bahawalnagar. Ahmadi leaders appeal to the State to demand protection and respect for their rights.
Sialkot (AsiaNews) - Ahmadis are once again in the sights of extremists in Pakistan: last week, in fact, the police of Sialkot (Punjab province) arrested at least 22 members of the community following pressure from some Islamic fundamentalists, whose only crime was to have gathered to pray within the walls of a private building.
During Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting and prayer, the faithful usually gather in a house to pray; however, these meetings soon attracted the attention of radical factions who gathered outside, surrounded the building and chanted slogans and songs against the community.
Fearing attacks, the Ahmadis called the police at least 15 times to seek help and prevent a violent outcome. Nevertheless, once the police intervened they arrested 22 members of the community under pressure from - and following complaints by - the fundamentalists, who continued to chant songs of hate and persecution against the Ahmadis.
Local sources also add that among those arrested there are also children and young boys between 11 and 14 years of age, also detained for the sole crime of gathering to pray.
A few hours later, the group was transferred to the Sialkot Central Prison and, as far as we know, they are still waiting to find out their fate.
This is not an isolated incident, because on 7th March 2010 another 23 Ahmadi faithful from Sargodha were arrested for gathering to pray in a house.
The following day, after strong pressure from extremist elements, the police vandalised the minarets of a place of worship belonging to the religious minority in Bahawalnagar.
The incident occurred following a fight between two groups, during which a person named Amjad was injured and died during transport to the hospital.
No Ahmadis were present during the altercation, but some members of Tehreek-e-Labbaik began to protest, blaming them for the death, and then incited the agents who damaged the place of worship and opened a file (First information report, FIR).
The members of the Ahmadi community and seven other people were placed under investigation, while during the night some fundamentalists broke into their houses and ransacked their belongings.
The Ahmadis (about 2% of the Pakistani population) are a religious movement inspired by Islam that arose at the end of the 19th century. Its founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, considered himself a prophet who appeared after Mohammed, which is why the Sunnis consider them heretics.
They are the most persecuted community in the country. According to a 2018 report, between 1984 and 2017, 260 members of the community were killed, 27 religious sites were demolished, 33 others were closed, 22 were set on fire or damaged, and 17 were occupied by force.
Interviewed by AsiaNews, Aamir Mahmood, spokesman for the Ahmadi community, said: ‘We have been persecuted and discriminated against for a long time, and now we are not even allowed to offer our prayers and perform religious rituals inside our homes’.
He added that in six separate incidents this year alone, 91 graves have been desecrated and 15 minarets and places of worship have been vandalised by fundamentalists and representatives of the institutions.
The persecution, he adds, is a clear violation of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 20 of the Constitution of Pakistan.
However, the State has failed to protect its citizens, and has made arrests of Ahmadis only to the delight of certain people who want to create chaos in the country in the name of religion.
‘We ask the current government to protect its citizens. This is the holy month of Ramadan and every believer is fasting and praying for peace. We too want peace for our people. There are so many Ahmadis who are behind bars for no reason and the state and the judiciary have not guaranteed them justice. All the innocent Ahmadis who have ended up behind bars must be released - he concludes - and the state should take serious measures to protect our places of worship and our homes’.
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06/10/2020 16:36
