Latest news with #Ahmadiyya
Scotsman
5 days ago
- General
- Scotsman
Scottish Ahmadi Muslims Inspire National Unity at UK's Largest Islamic Convention
Volunteers from Scotland young and old, have stepped up to lead key operations across the three-day event, symbolising service, discipline, and harmony. A few of the duties to highlight span across: · Flag Hosting Ceremony: A moment of pride as Scottish youths help coordinate the Flag Raising Ceremony alongside the worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. · Muslim Television Ahmadiyya (MTA): Supporting international broadcasting efforts with behind-the-scenes coordination, technical setup, and multilingual assistance. · Food Marquee Security: Playing a vital role in meal logistics, helping serve over 300,000 meals with efficiency and grace. · Water service: Young children from Scotland help serve water with love at Jalsa Salana, it's the quiet gestures of service that leave the deepest impact, none more so than the sight of young children tenderly offering glasses of water to thousands of guests at Jalsa Salana UK 2025. These contributions not only empower the youth through leadership and collaboration but also build bridges between Scotland's diverse communities. Members from Aberdeen to Glasgow have reported feeling a deeper sense of unity and purpose, an opportunity to reconnect spiritually while being part of something truly global. 'This isn't just about logistics, it's about legacy,' shared one senior youth organiser from Scotland. 'To serve in the presence of His Holiness the Global Head of the Worldwide Leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and be part of a movement that champions peace in a troubled world is something that stays with you forever.' The Jalsa Salana offers Scottish attendees a unique platform to engage with faith leaders, parliamentarians, and social activists many of whom voice continued admiration for the unity and volunteerism displayed by young Scottish Muslims. Follow the event live on Sky 731 MTA International and Voice of Islam Radio, with updates via @AhmadiyyaUK and #JalsaUK. 1 . Contributed Scottish members at Jalsa Salana UK Food Serving Marquee Photo: Submitted Photo Sales 2 . Contributed Scottish Youths Giving Duty at Jalsa Salana UK Photo: Submitted Photo Sales 4 . Contributed Scottish Members of the Community at Jalsa Salana UK Photo: Submitted Photo Sales Related topics: HampshireVolunteers
News18
11-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
UK MP Flags Threats To Hindus, Other Minorities In Bangladesh, Urges PM Starmer To Act
Last Updated: UK MP also criticised Bangladesh's interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, for failing to announce the dates of its general election British Conservative Party MP Bob Blackman on Friday raised concern in the UK Parliament over rising threats to religious minorities in Bangladesh, including Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, and members of the Ahmadiyya community. In his speech, he urged the Keir Starmer-led government to act and press Bangladesh to uphold democratic values and protect minority communities. Sharing a video of his remarks on social media platform X, Blackman said he had again brought the issue of minority rights in Bangladesh to Parliament's attention. I raised my concerns in about the rising threats on Hindu, Christian, Buddhist & Ahmadiyya minorities in Rath Yatra celebrations were recently attacked. The Govt must press Bangladesh to protect minorities and uphold democracy. — Bob Blackman (@BobBlackman) July 11, 2025 He recalled hosting a recent seminar where representatives from the Hindu, Christian, Buddhist and Ahmadi communities spoke about the growing attacks and hostility they face in Bangladesh. Blackman said these groups are 'under direct attack" and called for stronger international pressure to ensure their safety. Referring to recent incidents, Blackman highlighted how the peaceful celebration of rath yatra in Bangladesh was targeted by Islamist groups. 'The were attacked by Islamist thugs, and I absolutely disgracefully destroyed that wonderful, peaceful procession." Raising a formal request, the MP urged the Leader of the House to arrange for a statement from UK Foreign Office Ministers next week. 'Could the Leader arrange for a statement from Foreign Office Ministers next week on what action the UK will take to press Bangladesh to safeguard its minority communities?," he asked. Blackman's comments came just a day after a prominent Bangladeshi rights group accused Dhaka's government of ignoring more than 2,000 crimes against religious minorities and excluding them from its planned reforms. The Hindu–Buddhist–Christian Unity Council reported it had recorded 2,442 incidents between 4 August last year and 30 June this year. These included murders, rapes, gang rapes, and vandalism of temples, homes, and businesses. Speaking to the media, Monindra Kumar Nath, the council's general secretary, said the government had dismissed their concerns as 'false, fabricated, and exaggerated," while alleging that those responsible for the attacks were 'enjoying impunity." The council also criticised the government for excluding religious minorities from its reform commissions, which are tasked with ending discrimination in society. (With inputs from agencies) view comments First Published: July 11, 2025, 22:18 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
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First Post
14-06-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Pakistan: In the land they helped build, Ahmadis cannot call themselves Muslims
The discrimination against the Ahmadiyya community is not limited to isolated policies; it is a system of exclusions—written into the Constitution and enforced through laws, police, mobs, and, sometimes, bullets read more Pakistan is a nation buried under paradoxes and betrayals. And few betrayals cut deeper, or shame Pakistanis more, than the one inflicted on the Ahmadiyya community. The very people who stood at the frontlines of the Pakistan movement, who articulated its case to the world, and who helped structure its legal birth are today branded as heretics, criminals, and enemies of the state. In the land Ahmadis helped build, they cannot call themselves Muslims. The state they helped create, they are not free there. And in the land they dreamed of as a sanctuary, they live under the constant threat of death. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It begins with a signature. A young Pakistani, applying for a passport, is presented with a declaration. A simple question: Are you a Muslim? And if yes, he must then affirm that he disowns the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, believe their founder was an impostor, and confirm that Ahmadis are non-Muslims. He must lie or betray. There is no middle ground. Even faith, in Pakistan, is a loyalty test to state-manufactured theology. To be an Ahmadi in Pakistan today is to live under siege—not by war, but by law. Ordinance XX, passed in 1984, criminalised their existence. They can no longer say the Kalima, offer prayers, call their mosques 'mosques', or even greet someone with Assalamu Alaikum. They are barred from celebrating Eid publicly, from sacrificing animals, from publishing religious texts, or identifying as Muslims on legal documents. These are not isolated policies; they are systemic exclusions, written into the Constitution and enforced through law, police, mobs, and sometimes, bullets. A Nation Built by Them Now Bans Them This wasn't always so. The Ahmadiyya community were not only part of the Pakistan movement—they were its intellectual engine. Sir Zafarullah Khan, a devout Ahmadi, was Pakistan's first foreign minister and one of the sharpest legal minds of his era. He argued the case for Pakistan before international courts and served as President of the UN General Assembly and the International Court of Justice. His devotion to Pakistan was never in doubt. But today, his name is missing from textbooks. His face is hidden from public memory. His tombstone was desecrated by authorities because it dared mention he was a 'Muslim'. A man who helped build the identity of the nation was stripped of his own. This erasure is not metaphorical—it is physical. Ahmadi graves are dug up and their tombstones vandalised. Their houses of worship are attacked, sealed, and demolished. In several cities, including Lahore, Faisalabad, and Sargodha, police have stopped Ahmadis from offering Eid prayers or sacrificing animals, citing religious 'sensitivities'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Sensitivities so brittle they cannot bear to see someone pray differently. And when they are not being policed, they are being hunted. Over the past two decades, Ahmadi men, women, and children have been killed in their homes, their businesses, and their places of worship. In 2010, twin attacks on Ahmadi mosques in Lahore killed over 80 worshippers in one day. The perpetrators were hailed as martyrs by extremist groups. Not a single national leader showed up to mourn the dead. More recently, targeted killings have continued unabated. In just one month, May 2025, several Ahmadis were shot dead in separate incidents across Punjab and Sindh. Their only crime: existing while Ahmadi. And each time, the public reaction becomes more muted. Another name. Another headline. Then nothing. The horror now lies not just in the violence—but in its normalisation. In the way the country shrugs and scrolls past. In how media coverage is couched with 'alleged' blasphemy or 'community tensions', as if this were a dispute over noise, not blood. But let us not confuse the silence for peace. It is not peace. It is paralysis. It is a society rotting in its soul, one atrocity at a time. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Where Does Hatred End, If It Ever Ends? The persecution of Ahmadis is not just a tragedy for them—it is a mirror held up to the nation. And what it reflects is terrifying because this hatred does not stop. It moves. From Ahmadis to Shias. From Christians to Hindus. From liberals to journalists. From women to human rights defenders. The same logic that declares Ahmadis as infidels now turns on Shia processions, Shia prayer leaders, and anyone who dares differ from the rigid orthodoxy of state-approved Islam. This is not an accident. It is a trajectory. When a state empowers religious bigotry, when it legislates against difference, when it builds identity on exclusion—it creates a society that is permanently at war with itself. It cannot breathe. It cannot dream. It cannot grow. It is trapped in a perpetual witch-hunt, always chasing the next heretic. In schools, children are taught to hate. In sermons, preachers call for violence. In courts, judges bow to mob pressure. And in Parliament, lawmakers sign away the rights of their fellow citizens in the name of faith. We must ask: where does this end? What future does Pakistan have if it continues to punish difference, if it continues to erase pluralism, if it continues to exalt one interpretation of faith as the only legitimate one? Do we really believe that God, in His vastness, is so small as to be offended by someone else's prayer? Do we really think that the path to salvation is paved with the blood of others? If Ahmadis are 'wrong', should we kill them? If Shias are 'misguided', should we silence them? If Christians are 'infidels', should we burn their homes? STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD These questions are not rhetorical. They are real. Because right now, the answers playing out in Pakistan are: yes. Yes, kill them. Yes, silence them. Yes, burn their homes. And anyone who thinks differently is next. This is the logic of fascism. And Pakistan is inching toward it, day by bloody day. Yet there are those who still resist. Ahmadi leaders in exile continue to preach peace. Their followers continue to work quietly in education, medicine, and social service. Many Pakistanis—Shia and Sunni, secular and religious—speak out in defence of Ahmadis, often at great personal risk. These are the flickers of hope. The quiet flames that refuse to die. But they cannot carry the burden alone. It is not enough for a few to whisper when the nation shouts hate. It is not enough for the world to tweet condolences after massacres. There must be a reckoning. Pakistan must remember that a country cannot be purified into unity. It must be expanded into tolerance. And so the challenge is this: can Pakistanis accept difference? Can they live beside people whose beliefs diverge from our own? Can they build a country not on fear but on freedom? If the answer is no—if Ahmadis must be crushed for faith, Shias questioned for loyalty, and Christians punished for existing—then we must admit Pakistan is not a nation. Pakistan is an inquisition. But if the answer is yes—if Pakistanis can make space for each other, if they can disagree without destruction, if they can attest to the ideals of justice and dignity—then perhaps there is still a future worth dreaming of. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Until that answer is chosen, every sacrifice is meaningless. Every Eid is hollow. Every prayer is an echo bouncing off broken walls and shuttered mosques. And every child born into Pakistan is not a citizen—but a suspect in his/her own nation. The question lingers, louder each year: If those who built the house are no longer welcome in it, what kind of house have they made? Tehmeena Rizvi is a Policy Analyst and PhD scholar at Bennett University. Her areas of work include Women, Peace, and Security (South Asia), focusing on the intersection of gender, conflict, and religion, with a research emphasis on the Kashmir region, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.
Mint
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Banned from celebrating Eid: ‘Muslims' in Pakistan to be fined ₹1.5 lakh if they make animal sacrifice, offer namaz
The Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) has asked the Punjab Police Chief to stop the Ahmadiyya community from performing Islamic rituals during Eid al-Adha, also known as Bakrid or Bakra Eid. According to LHCBA's letter, while Eid al-Adha is a sacred festival for Muslims, its rituals, like namaz (Islamic prayer) and animal sacrifice, are meant only for Muslims. The letter also claims that Ahmadis are a non-Muslim group. They are not legally or religiously allowed to use Islamic symbols or practise Islamic customs, the letter claims. Ahead of Eid al-Adha (June 6-10), Ahmadis faced growing threats, harassment and even deadly attacks. Since April, at least three Ahmadis have been killed, DAWN reported. Authorities in many areas forced Ahmadis to sign legal papers promising not to offer Eid prayers or perform animal sacrifices. If they break these terms, they could be fined up to 5 lakh Pakistani rupee ( ₹ 1.5 lakh) or face legal trouble. According to LHCBA, the Ahmadiyya community is still presenting themselves as Muslims, which is illegal. The letter claims that Ahmadis are openly organising events for Eid that look similar to Islamic traditions. The LHCBA calls it a violation of the Constitution of Pakistan, the Penal Code and past Supreme Court rulings. It asked police to take legal action if any Ahmadi was found violating these laws during Eid. In Pakistan's Punjab province, Ahmadiyya community members have been asked to sign affidavits promising not to celebrate Bakrid or perform related rituals. This follows a 2023 order enforcing laws that ban Ahmadis from identifying as Muslims or practising Islamic traditions. Human rights groups have criticised the move as unfair and against religious freedom. Amnesty International has called on Pakistani authorities to stop the unfair treatment of the Ahmadiyya community. It has directed them to protect Ahmadis' right to follow their religion freely. Amnesty reviewed documents from five districts and found police orders in cities like Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi asking for action against Ahmadis. Even in Sialkot, authorities issued detention orders to stop them from celebrating Eid 2025. Amnesty says this shows the government is not just failing to protect Ahmadis but is actively limiting their religious freedom. Isabelle Lassee, Deputy Regional Director for South Asia at Amnesty International, raised concerns against the 'violence and harassment targeted against Ahmadis' ahead of Eid 2025. 'Not only are local authorities and local enforcement agencies across Pakistan failing to protect Ahmadis, they are themselves actively restricting their rights to freedom of belief and religion,' DAWN quoted Lassee as saying. Ahmadis consider themselves Muslims and follow core Islamic beliefs like the Five Pillars and Six Articles of Faith. They believe Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was the promised Messiah and a prophet while still respecting Prophet Muhammad.
Mint
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Banned from celebrating Eid: ‘Muslims' in Pakistan to be fined ₹1.5 lakh if they make animal sacrifice, offer namaz
The Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) has asked the Punjab Police Chief to stop the Ahmadiyya community from performing Islamic rituals during Eid al-Adha, also known as Bakrid or Bakra Eid. According to LHCBA's letter, while Eid al-Adha is a sacred festival for Muslims, its rituals, like namaz (Islamic prayer) and animal sacrifice, are meant only for Muslims. The letter also claims that Ahmadis are a non-Muslim group. They are not legally or religiously allowed to use Islamic symbols or practise Islamic customs, the letter claims. Ahead of Eid al-Adha (June 6-10), Ahmadis faced growing threats, harassment and even deadly attacks. Since April, at least three Ahmadis have been killed, DAWN reported. Authorities in many areas forced Ahmadis to sign legal papers promising not to offer Eid prayers or perform animal sacrifices. If they break these terms, they could be fined up to 5 lakh Pakistani rupee ( ₹ 1.5 lakh) or face legal trouble. According to LHCBA, the Ahmadiyya community is still presenting themselves as Muslims, which is illegal. The letter claims that Ahmadis are openly organising events for Eid that look similar to Islamic traditions. The LHCBA calls it a violation of the Constitution of Pakistan, the Penal Code and past Supreme Court rulings. It asked police to take legal action if any Ahmadi was found violating these laws during Eid. In Pakistan's Punjab province, Ahmadiyya community members have been asked to sign affidavits promising not to celebrate Bakrid or perform related rituals. This follows a 2023 order enforcing laws that ban Ahmadis from identifying as Muslims or practising Islamic traditions. Human rights groups have criticised the move as unfair and against religious freedom. Amnesty International has called on Pakistani authorities to stop the unfair treatment of the Ahmadiyya community. It has directed them to protect Ahmadis' right to follow their religion freely. Amnesty reviewed documents from five districts and found police orders in cities like Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi asking for action against Ahmadis. Even in Sialkot, authorities issued detention orders to stop them from celebrating Eid 2025. Amnesty says this shows the government is not just failing to protect Ahmadis but is actively limiting their religious freedom. Isabelle Lassee, Deputy Regional Director for South Asia at Amnesty International, raised concerns against the 'violence and harassment targeted against Ahmadis' ahead of Eid 2025. 'Not only are local authorities and local enforcement agencies across Pakistan failing to protect Ahmadis, they are themselves actively restricting their rights to freedom of belief and religion,' DAWN quoted Lassee as saying. Ahmadis consider themselves Muslims and follow core Islamic beliefs like the Five Pillars and Six Articles of Faith. They believe Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was the promised Messiah and a prophet while still respecting Prophet Muhammad. However, many mainstream Muslims disagree, saying this belief goes against the idea that Muhammad was the final prophet. Ahmadis are not allowed to perform Hajj or Umrah; they are banned from entering Saudi Arabia.
