The Ahmadiyya branch of Islam has been subjected to various forms of religious persecution and discrimination since the movement's inception in 1889. The Ahmadiyya Muslim movement emerged within the Sunni tradition of Islam and its adherents believe in all of the five pillars and all of the articles of faith required of Muslims."The Ahmadi Muslim Community. Who are the Ahmadi Muslims and what do they believe? Waqar Ahmad Ahmedi gives a brief introduction to the Ahmadi branch of Islam." Times Online. 27 May 2008. Ahmadis are considered non-Muslims by many mainstream Muslims since they consider Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of the movement, to be the promised Mahdi and Messiah awaited by the Muslims.
The Ahmadis are active translators of the Qur'an and proselytizers for the faith. However, in a number of countries, Ahmadis have faced strong resistance. In many Muslim-majority nations, Ahmadis have been considered heretics and non-Muslim, and subjected to persecution and systematic, sometimes state-sanctioned, oppression."Localising Diaspora: the Ahmadi Muslims and the problem of multi-sited ethnography". Association of Social Anthropologists, 2004 conference panel.
The Second Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan, Ordinance XX and the Twelfth Amendment of Azad Jammu and Kashmir declare Ahmadis to be non-Muslims and further deprive them of religious rights. Hundreds of Ahmadis were killed in the 1953 Lahore riots and the 1974 Anti-Ahmadiyya riots. The May 2010 Attacks on Ahmadi mosques resulted in the murder of 84 Ahmadis by suicide attack. The 1974 riots resulted in the largest number of killings of Ahmadis.
Pakistan Approximately 2–5 million Ahmadis live in Pakistan, which has the largest population of Ahmadis in the world.The 1998 Pakistani census states that there are 291,000 (0.22%) Ahmadis in Pakistan. However, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has boycotted the census since 1974 which renders official Pakistani figures to be inaccurate. Independent groups have estimated the Pakistani Ahmadiyya population to be somewhere between 2 million and 5 million Ahmadis. However, the 4 million figure is the most quoted figure. See: over 2 million: 3 million: International Federation for Human Rights: International Fact-Finding Mission. Freedoms of Expression, of Association and of Assembly in Pakistan. Ausgabe 408/2, Januar 2005, S. 61 (PDF) 3–4 million: Commission on International Religious Freedom: Annual Report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. 2005, S. 130 4.910.000: James Minahan: Encyclopedia of the stateless nations. Ethnic and national groups around the world. Greenwood Press . Westport 2002, page 52 It is the only state to have officially declared the Ahmadis to be non-Muslims as they do not consider Muhammad to be the final prophet and their freedom of religion has been curtailed by a series of ordinances, acts and constitutional amendments. In 1974, Pakistan's parliament adopted a law declaring Ahmadis to be non-Muslims;Khan, Naveeda. "Trespasses of the State: Ministering to Theological Dilemmas through the Copyright/Trademark" . Sarai Reader 2005: Bare Acts. p. 184. the country's constitution was amended to define a Muslim "as a person who believes in the finality of the Prophet Muhammad". In 1984, General Zia-ul-Haq, the then military ruler of Pakistan, issued Ordinance XX.The presentation before the parliament can be seen here: Sarai Reader 2005: Bare Acts. p. 178. The ordinance, which was supposed to prevent "anti-Islamic activities", forbids Ahmadis to call themselves Muslim or to "pose as Muslims". This means that they are not allowed to profess the Islamic creed publicly or call their places of worship mosques.Heiner Bielefeldt: "Muslim Voices in the Human Rights Debate", Human rights quarterly, 1995 vol. 17 no. 4 p. 587. Although derogatory religious slurs, the terms 'Qadiani', 'Qadianism', 'Mirzai' and 'Mirzaian' are widely used in Pakistan to refer to Ahmadis and the term 'Qadiani' is also the term used by the government in its constitution.
Ahmadis in Pakistan have often come under religious discrimination and persecution. Ahmadis in Pakistan are also barred by law from worshipping in non-Ahmadi mosques or public prayer rooms, performing the Muslim call to prayer, using the traditional Islamic greeting in public, publicly quoting from the Quran, preaching in public, seeking converts, or producing, publishing, and disseminating their religious materials. These acts are punishable by imprisonment of up to three years. In applying for a passport or a national ID card, all Pakistanis are required to sign an oath declaring Mirza Ghulam Ahmad to be an impostor prophet and all Ahmadis to be non-Muslims.
As a result of the laws and constitutional amendments regarding Ahmadis in Pakistan, persecution and hate-related incidents are constantly reported from different parts of the country. Ahmadis have been the target of many attacks led by various religious groups in Pakistan."Persecution of the Ahmadiyya Community in Pakistan: An Analysis Under International Law and International Relations". Harvard Human Rights Journal, Vol 16, September 2003."Eight die in Pakistan sect attack", BBC News"Sect offices closed in Pakistan", BBC News All religious seminaries and madrasas in Pakistan belonging to different sects of Islam have prescribed essential reading materials specifically targeted at refuting Ahmadiyya beliefs.Rahman, Tariq: "Denizens of Alien Worlds: A Survey of the Education System of Pakistan". Contemporary South Asia, 2004. p. 15.
In a recent survey, students from many private schools of Pakistan expressed their opinions on religious tolerance in the country. The figures assembled in the study reflect that even among the educated classes of Pakistan, Ahmadis are considered the least deserving minority in terms of equal opportunities and civil rights. The teachers from these elite schools showed lower levels of tolerance towards Ahmadis than their pupils.Peace and Democracy in South Asia, Volume 1, Number 1, January 2005. Passports to Privilege: The English-Medium Schools in Pakistan, Tariq Rahman.
Another example is Abdus Salam, the only recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physics who identified as a Muslim. For his mere allegiance to the Ahmadiyya sect, he had been ignored and excommunicated. There are no monuments or universities named after him. The word "Muslim" has been erased from his grave stone.
1953
In 1953 at the instigation of religious parties, anti-Ahmadiyya riots erupted in Pakistan, killing scores of Ahmadi Muslims and destroying their properties. There was severe agitations against the Ahmadis, including street protests, political rallies, and inflammatory articles. These agitations led to 200 Ahmadi deaths. Consequently, Governor-General Ghulam Muhammad implemented martial law and dismissed Pakistan's Federal Cabinet."Pakistan: Jamaat-i-Islami". Library of Congress Country Studies. April 1994.
1974 riots and constitutional amendment
In 1974, a violent campaign, led mainly by the Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam and Jamaat-e-Islami, began against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Pakistan, on the pretext of a clash between Ahmadis and non-Ahmadis at the railway station of Rabwah. This campaign resulted in several Ahmadi casualties and destruction of Ahmadiyya property, including the desecration of mosques and graves.
As a result of pressure from this agitation, legislation and constitutional changes were enacted to criminalise the religious practises of Ahmadis by preventing them from claiming they are Muslim or from "behaving" as Muslims. These changes primarily came about due to the pressure of the Saudi King at the time, King Faisal bin Al-Saud, according to Dr Mubashar Hassan, Prime Minister Bhutto's close confidant at the time. Pakistan's parliament adopted a law that declares Ahmadis non-Muslims. The country's constitution was amended to define a Muslim "...as a person who believes in the finality of the Prophet Muhammad."Constitution of Pakistan Art. 260(3) , added by Constitution (Second Amendment) Act, 1974 (XLIX of 1974) S. 3 and amended by Constitution (Third Amendment) Order, 1985 (President's Order No. 24 of 1985) S. 6Cf. Abdur Rahman Mobashir vs. Syed Amir Ali Shah Bokhari, PLD 1978 Lahore 113
Ordinance XX of 1984
On 26 April 1984, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, the president of Pakistan, issued the anti-Ahmadiyya Ordinance XX,PPC Ss. 298-B and 298-C , added by which effectively prohibited Ahmadis from preaching or professing their beliefs.Mujibur Rehman vs. Federal Government of Pakistan, PLD 1985 FSC 8 , affirmed by Capt. (Retd.) Abdul Wajid vs. Federal Government of Pakistan, PLD 1988 SC 167 Zaheeruddin vs. The State, 1993 SCMR 1718 , affirming PLD 1988 Quetta 22 and Khurshid Ahmad vs. The State, PLD 1992 Lahore 1 Khan, Naveeda. "Trespasses of the State: Ministering to Theological Dilemmas through the Copyright/Trademark" . Sarai Reader 2005: Bare Acts. p. 182. The ordinance, which was supposed to prevent "anti-Islamic activities", forbids Ahmadis to call themselves Muslim or to "pose as Muslims". This means that they are not allowed to profess the Islamic creed publicly or call their places of worship mosques. Ahmadis in Pakistan are also barred by law from worshipping in non-Ahmadi mosques or public prayer rooms, performing the Muslim call to prayer, using the traditional Islamic greeting in public, publicly quoting from the Qur'an, preaching in public, seeking converts, or producing, publishing, and disseminating their religious materials. These acts are punishable by imprisonment of up to three years."Ahmadiyya Islam." GlobalSecurity.org. 26 April 2005. Retrieved 14 December 2009. Ordinance XX and the 1974 amendment to the constitution effectively gave the state the exclusive right to determine the meaning of the term "Muslim" within Pakistan.
Many Ahmadis were arrested within days of the promulgation of this ordinance, and it gave way for widespread sanctioned as well as non-sanctioned persecution.
In 1986 it was supplemented by a new blasphemy provisionPPC S. 295-C , inserted by Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 1986 (III of 1986) also applied to Ahmadis.Cf. e.g. Khurshid Ahmad vs. The State, PLD 1992 Lahore 1 , para. 35
Shab Qadar incident The Shab Qadar incident was a public stoning of two members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the town of Shab Qadar, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan in April 1995.Amnesty International 8 April 1995, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, page 82 of its Annual Report (1995) Dr. Rashid Ahmad and his son-in law, Riaz Ahmad Khan, were attacked as they were about to attend a court hearing in Shab Qadar. As they entered the court premises, a violent mob incited by local clerics attacked the men with sticks and stones. Riaz Khan was stoned to death and his dead body stripped and dragged through the town on a rope. Rashid Ahmad was taken to a hospital in Peshawar with serious injuries. A third Ahmadi, advocate Bashir Ahmad, escaped unhurt."Implementation of the declaration on the elimination of all forms of intolerance and of discrimination based on religion of belief". Report submitted by Mr. Abdelfattah Amor, United Nations Special Rapporteur, in accordance with UN Commission on Human Rights Resolution 1995/23. This murder took place in front of the police. Riaz Khan even asked a police officer for help, but instead of helping, the officer pushed him away.Plight of Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan, page 43 According to Amnesty International, the police "stood and watched", and "...later pleaded that they could not have intervened in a situation like that." No one was detained or criminally charged for the killing.Amnesty International June 1997, PAKISTAN Time to take human rights seriously, page 24