TORONTO, Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ - Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is joined
by international journalists and human rights organizations to denounce the
brutal murders of two eminent Ahmadi leaders by religious extremists in
Pakistan.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemned
inflammatory broadcast and link to murders in Pakistan. "IFJ is horrified
to learn that two people belonging to a minority religious sect in Pakistan
were murdered shortly after a broadcaster on one of the country's main
television channels urged viewers to kill "blasphemers" and "apostates" as
a religious duty"(1).
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan also condemned the killings and
called for an end to hate preaching through the media. "The government must
ensure that the killers of the Ahmadi citizens are brought to justice and
that nobody is allowed to use the media, especially the electronic one, to
preach communal hatred and fratricide. The TV channel also has a duty to
reign in irresponsible comperes. Failure to do so will confirm its
complicity in a heinous crime"(2).
The highly offensive program that was aired in Asia, Europe and North
America (Aalim Online - GEO TV - September 7, 2008) attempted to ridicule
the holy founder of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and openly
declared holders of Ahmadiyya Muslim belief as "wajib-ul-qatl" (deserving
of death). It is no surprise that such venomous broadcast led to murder of
innocent Ahmadis.
However, as with prior murders of Ahmadi Muslims, no concrete action
has been taken by authorities in Pakistan and in this case by the GEO TV
(broadcaster of the offensive program Aalim Online). The host of the
violence-preaching program is unrepentant and continues to broadcast on
air. The DVDs of the violence-preaching program are being distributed in
Pakistan and the program can be viewed on the Internet.
On September 7, 2008, "Aalim Online", aired on GEO TV, incited
religious hatred and violence against the members of the Ahmadiyya
Community. The host of the program, Aamir Liaqat Hussain (former Federal
Minister of Religious Affairs), and his two guest panelists, Maulana
Mohammad Ameen and Dr. Saeed Inayatulla, referred to members of the
Ahmadiyya Community as "kafir" (infidel) and maintained that anyone who
holds beliefs as Ahmadi Muslims is "wajib-ul-qatl" (deserving of death).
Guest panelists referred to the extermination of the members of the
Ahmadiyya Community as incumbent upon all Muslims.
Subsequent to the program, religious zealots murdered two eminent
members of the Ahmadiyya Community. On September 8, 2008, Dr. Abdul Mannan
Siddiqi was shot multiple times and killed by extremists who barged into
his medical clinic while he was attending to his patients. Similarly, the
next day, Saith Muhammad Yusuf was shot and killed, also while at his
workplace. Both men were leaders of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in
Pakistan.
GEO TV is available through satellite television and over the Internet.
In Canada, it is also available to cable subscribers.
"Through programs such as Aalim Online, the message of hate is arriving
in the peaceful country of Canada. The so called clerics are capable of
poisoning the calm waters of this great nation," said Naseem Mahdi, Senior
Vice President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community. "Every member of the
civil society should condemn the barbaric acts of violence against Ahmadi
Muslims and be ever vigilant not to allow the message of hate to enter
Canada," he added.
In 1974, the Pakistan Constitution was amended to declare the Ahmadiyya
Community as non-Muslim. Also, the Ahmadiyya Community is condemned by
religious extremists for its peaceful interpretation of jihad (holy
struggle) and its disassociation with war and retaliation. In 1984, the
peaceful self-representation and practice of Islam by the members of the
Ahmadiyya Community was made criminal, and in some cases, subject to the
death penalty. The United Nations Sub-Commission on Human Rights and
numerous human rights organizations have all called for the repeal of all
criminal laws, which prohibit the religious freedom of the Ahmadiyya
Community in Pakistan.
"By spreading lies about Ahmadis and their beliefs, and calling for
their killing, religious extremists incite hatred and violence, and commit
terrorism, thereby defiling the true, peaceful and loving message of
Islam," said Mr. Lal Khan Malik, President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community in Canada.
The International Community and media are urged to take notice of the
ever-increasing persecution of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
(1)
http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/articles/ifj-condemns-inflammatory-broadcast-and
-link-to-murders-in-pakistan
(2)
http://www.hrcp-web.org/hrcpDetail_2.cfm?catId=180&catName=Press%20Releases
|
