Ahmadi Muslims terrorized by wave of arrests for celebrating Eid in Pakistan

Eid-ul-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice) marks the completion of Hajj (Holy pilgrimage to Mecca). Muslims all over the world who can afford to sacrifice an animal are enjoined to do so after Eid Prayer. This is done in remembrance of the obedience of Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael to the commandment of Allah.  It is an occasion on which Muslims everywhere are encouraged to make every kind of sacrifice for the spiritual, moral, social, and economic uplift of mankind and especially their own.  

 

Eid Festivals are times of family get together and rejoicing but Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan are being fiercely persecuted for offering animal sacrifices which is a basic tenet of their religious practices. Eleven Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan have been arrested and locked up in jails while they were with their families celebrating Eid, according to the latest International Human Rights Committee (IHRC) reports.   

 

This turbulent wave of raids took place as Ahmadi Muslims were celebrating Eid, an occasion of happiness and joy for Muslims the world over. But instead of happiness, this Eid brought a fresh series of oppression and victimisation for Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan, who are already marginalised and discriminated against. Radical clerics are now demanding that Ahmadi Muslims be forbidden to worship or practice any of their faith obligations. There is a serious threat that Ahmadis will be prevented from their basic right of freedom of worship.   

 

The International Human Rights Committee (IHRC) last week released a report to inform the world of the brutal and barbaric treatment of Ahmadis for offering animal sacrifices.  

Ahmadi Muslims continue to be terrorised by both clerics and state police for the “crime” of practicing their faith as Muslims. It is a never-ending cycle of extreme persecution affecting both young and old. Men, women, and children are not safe from such schemes and the latest restriction is an indication of the intention of the mullahs to deny Ahmadi Muslims their basic right of worship.    

 

This terrible situation requires urgent international intervention to impress upon the Government of Pakistan to honour its responsibility to provide effective protection and freedom of religious practice to Ahmadis. Political and faith leaders from across the world just met in London to secure Freedom of Religion and Belief for everyone worldwide yet here we are with absolute contradiction of all the Charters on Freedom of Religion. For the respect of all that was resolved in the international conference, the world must take immediate and urgent action to ensure that Ahmadis in Pakistan enjoy their full right to their religion and are able to freely practice their faith as required.  

 

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is a dynamic, fast-growing international revival movement within Islam. Founded in 1889 by Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908) in Punjab, India, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community spans over 210 countries with membership exceeding tens of millions. Its motto of ‘Love for all, hatred for none’ is evidenced through the peaceful actions of its millions of followers worldwide.