Daily Times

A campaign that strategically ignites the collective sentiment of hate is not dangerous because it puts another individual or group under direct threat, but because it is something that cannot be undone, even if the authorities have finally woken up to its uncontrolled menace. Such a case is true for the recent tirade of Ahmedi persecution ranging from hate speech to actual violence meted out to them. On November 20, 2015, a factory in Jehlum was set on fire by scores of people with the intention of burning the factory workers alive who were present in the building. Luckily, the workers managed to escape the fire. A heavy contingent of police was called to control the mob but not a single arsonist was arrested. Instead, the police arrested three employees without reason just to appease the crowd. All the rage, as some believe, was because the factory was owned by an Ahmedi family, which is enough for hardliners to target them for their faith, considered heretic by mainstream Muslims. The next day, a place of worship belonging to the Ahmedi community was also set ablaze. Not a single person was taken to task despite the army being called into the city to control the situation. These incidents sent a wave of fear among the persecuted community and they all fled Jehlum to save their lives. There was no protection provided to them, something they desperately needed.

One is reminded of the Lahore blast at an Ahmedi mosque in 2010 that killed about 100 worshippers. The terrorist attack was praised and celebrated by some who consider the entire community to be wajibul qatal (liable for death). There have also been unconfirmed reports of attempts to attack the secluded localities of Ahmedis, forcing many to flee the country for the sake of a protected future.

On December 13, a shopkeeper put up a message on the door of his shop in Hafeez Centre in Lahore stating that Qaidianis and dogs were not allowed to enter his shop. The authorities took notice of this poster and held Abid Hashmi, the shop owner, in custody under the National Action Plan (NAP) for spreading hatred. However, the concern of the authorities was only short-lived as Abid Hashmi was released after traders from Hafeez Centre held a protest. Abid Hashmi was garlanded and praised for his ‘heroism’ for calling Ahmedis dogs. The shopkeepers of Hafeez Centre, in their persistence of hate, have put up even bigger posters calling on the state to make Ahmedis wear their religious identity, calling for their apartheid. Strikingly, other such hateful posters were also posted on the fence of the centre on the day marking the first anniversary of Army Public School (APS) massacre.

Some citizens are concerned and are planning protest on their own to register a voice against this bigotry but, unfortunately, they are unable to carry out their message in an organised manner because no political organisation is ready to take up this cause for the sake of their politics of appeasement to the religious parties. Those individuals brave enough to confront the haters are left vulnerable to the danger of possible violent backlash, as the police seem completely unable to facilitate them. On the other hand, the authorities provide full cooperation to the hate mongers who keep on campaigning and inciting violence without any obstacle.

There has been no action whatsoever against religious organisations that are directly engaged in threatening and targeting Ahmedis. The World Tuhafiz Khatme Nabuwat Council of Lahore collaborates with the Shubban-e-Khatme Nabuwat to produce names and addresses of prominent Ahmadis, which becomes public to anyone who wants to target and malign them. There are about 10 such organisations that are working with other religious organisations to spread hate against them, yet none of these organisations is on the list of proscribed organisations issued by the government. The authorities are well aware of their activities but do not dare touch them. The NAP, which prohibits the spread of hate material, seems ineffective in curbing this mushrooming trend.

This hate filled campaign of religious hardliners and extremists appears to be quite successful. Society in general, with mainstream Muslims, has become extremely intolerant towards Ahmedis and persistently calls for their social apartheid. The resultant exodus of the constitutionally disenfranchised community, including educated and professional individuals, is causing serious economic repercussions to the fabric of Pakistan. While we decry India over its extremist rage, we fail to see our own streak of bigotry, which is so openly praised and encouraged as to scare the minorities away and disallow them from functioning as equal citizens of this country. In all this ‘Islamic nationalism’, one tends to forget what Pakistan’s founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, said in 1944: “Ahmedis are Muslims if they say they are Muslims and no one, not even the sovereign legislature, has the right to say otherwise.”

This is a case of people who have been ousted from the circle of Islam for their beliefs. The religious belief of the mainstream is problematic anywhere if it is based on sheer judgmental notations, to the point of murdering the other for keeping their own faith. The only solution to religious bigotry is that issues of faith be kept private and left between man and God, not between man and state.

The writer tweets at @zeebahashmi and can be reached at zeeba.hashmi@gmail.com