by B. R. GOWANI
“A young woman, her clothes singed and torn by the blast, her face covered in blood, screams down at her dead mother.” “A huge blast went off at the premises of a hospital in the Pakistani city of Karachi where victims of an earlier blast were being treated, a Reuters witness said.” The Shias were the targets of these February 2010 attacks. PHOTO/Reuters
The traditional Muslim viewpoint is that Islam was introduced in the early seventh century because the previous messages of God through Hebrew Bible and Christian Bible were distorted (1). Another tradition says that Muhammad is the last prophet.
“Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Messenger of Allah, and the Seal of the Prophets: and Allah has full knowledge of all things.” (Qur’an 033.040)
The above verse is cited in support of their claim; and hence their stance that prophet-hood is closed.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (2) which believes Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1839-1908) as the Promised Messiah and Mahdi interpret the above verse differently:
“It is well known, however, that the purpose of a seal is not to close a statement but to certify it as correct. That is why often a seal is affixed to a document at its top and in other cases it is affixed at its bottom or at its end. Its purpose is to certify the genuiness and correctness of the contents of the document. It is well known that after the truce of Hudaybiyyah, when the Holy Prophet decided to address letters to the rulers and chiefs of surrounding territories inviting them to the acceptance of Islam, he was told that rulers and chiefs do not attach any significance to a communication addressed to them unless it bears the seal of the writer. Thereupon the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had a seal prepared which was thereafter used for the attestation and certification of documents (Bokhari and Muslim).”
Since the creation of Pakistan, Muslim parties wanted the Ahmadi Muslims to be excommunicated. Finally in 1974, they succeeded when the Z. A. Bhutto government caved in for political reasons. More restrictions were imposed on them by General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq’s regime (1977-1988). (Though Ahmadis consider themselves as Muslims, and they are as such throughout the world, it is only in Pakistan (3) that they are considered non-Muslims.) Last Friday, the Sunni militants killed 95 Ahmadi Muslims when they attacked them in two of their mosques in Lahore.
Lack of strong will and the half-hearted actions by the Pakistani establishment against these militants have accorded Pakistan a permanently rogue status in the international media and has turned Pakistan into an international spectacle for the world to watch, for most, free of charge. Occasionally, some of the countries have to bear the cost through the loss of lives of their citizens (such as the November 2008 attack in Mumbai, India), but mostly it is Pakistan itself which has paid a heavy price through the destruction of its economy, and sacrifice of secularism, women and minority rights, and human lives. It has created a culture of extreme intolerance, venomous hatred, constant violence, and suicide bombings.
The country has become a School of the Assassins (4) for disgruntled Sunni militants (with minor/ major, real/perceived grievances), where they learn the techniques of eliminating the enemy. And the Sunni Muslim extremists living inside Pakistan do not want Zikris, Shia Muslims (the Twelvers, Ismailis, and Bohras), or non-Muslims in Pakistan—the former, because they do not fit the criteria of proper Muslims as conceived by these extremists, and the latter for remaining outside the fold of Islam. Both these groups are labeled as infidels. These Sunni militants have often gunned down Twelver Shias in their mosques. More than 4,000 people have died in sectarian violence between 1987 and 2007.
Then there is a segment of Muslims who are not of the Taliban type, but are violent nonetheless. They absorbed the extremist interpretation of Islam: first during Zia’s rule and more recently from the hate-spreading print and electronic media. The Sunnis are taking full advantage of being the majority (95% of the Pakistanis profess Islam: roughly over 70% are Sunnis, 20% are Shias, plus other Muslims) and of the blasphemy laws (Chap. XV/295-298). They harass, taunt, beat up, burn and loot houses and businesses, and attack places of worship of Hindus, Christians, and Ahmadis. In many instances they also kill them, and accuse them of blasphemy in order to settle personal grudge, and in case of Hindus, they kidnap their girls and women and convert them to Islam.
Unsurprisingly in 2009, most of the 41 victims accused of blasphemy were Muslims! In the light of the above facts it is not difficult to understand why this is the case. Why would a member of a minority risk her/his life in such a fanatic country, where you get from 3 years jail to life imprisonment, or a death sentence, for defiling Qur’an, the names of Prophet Muhammad, his wives, other family members, his companions, and the first four caliphs?
Anwar Syed reminds us of this biased law:
“The blasphemy law in Pakistan does not protect religions other than Islam. No penalties will be imposed on the man who alleges that the attribution of divinity to Krishna is misconceived, or that the Hindu scriptures are nothing more than fiction. Equally safe is the man who declares that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad’s claim to being a prophet is false.”
He also observes that no room for any kind of discussion exists:
“It appears that any assessment of the Prophet’s honour and dignity that falls short of the level that others may have assigned him will probably be interpreted as blasphemous. It follows also that no part or aspect of his word or deed is to be open to scrutiny.”
Hence, there can be no criticism of Islam, Qur’an, Muhammad, or of any other harsh Islamic law. This rigidity has created a cadre of Muslims who are just waiting to counter any kind of maligned or non-maligned criticism or intentional mischief, in a violent manner. Recently someone came up with an idea of “Everybody Draw Muhammad Day.” This time the government of Pakistan decided to make a fool of itself. Also a good way to get into the news, it announced a ban (now lifted) on Facebook and Youtube. However, people in Pakistan were probably able to view the sites through other sources. Saudi Arabia and Iran banned the site without making a fuss or announcement.
If 1400 years ago the people of Arabia desperately needed a prophet, then these violent Sunni militants are more in need of a prophet, imam, dai, spiritual guide, pope, or reformer, who is well versed with the realities of the 21st century, now more than ever. Who else can make them understand that the world has changed, has become much smaller through technological advances, and that, plurality only enhances and betters human survival?
If the Ahmadi Muslims have another prophet/reformer, and that community is not proving harmful to society, than what is wrong with that?
Let’s hope the death of Ahmadi Muslims become a catalyst for a change in Pakistan. Z. A. Bhutto declared them non-Muslims, and so in a way it falls on his son-in-law President Asif Zardari to undo this discriminatory law. He should muster enough courage to pull the Ahmadi Muslims back into the Islamic fold.
Pakistan must strive to keep religion out of the public arena. Imagine the public outcry if during the month of Ramadan more than half of the US population is prohibited from eating outside their homes from Sunset to Sunrise! And then, there are hardcore believers who keep an eye on their neighbors to check whether they are fasting or not. This is what happens in Pakistan and many other Muslim countries during Ramadan. (Pakistan’s population is over 175 million and the US is over 300 million.)
In final analysis, this is a battle or war which the Pakistani government and the military will have to fight—but without the involvement of the United States—because their participation creates more sympathizers for the Sunni militants and makes this tragedy an unending saga.
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com
Notes
(1) Christian/Jewish perspective.
(2) In 1914, a dispute over a new leader resulted in a split: the other branch is known as Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement for the Propagation of Islam or The Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha’at-e-Islam Lahore. On one of their sites a Saudi minister is quoted in an interview to a Japanese magazine as saying:
“We Muslims would not be Muslims if we did not believe in all the earlier prophets revealed by God, which means that God is One for all these people. Many of the prophets are mentioned by name in our holy book. These include Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and many others. Then came the perfect prophet, Muhammad. It is clearly mentioned in our holy book that the prophets mentioned are not the only ones. This means that Buddha may be one of the prophets.”
(3) Bangladesh, Egypt, and Indonesia have seen a rise of anti-Ahmadiyya activities where some of the groups are demanding that they be declared non-Muslims.
(4) The School of the Americas, also known as School of Assassins is now known as WHINSEC (Western Hemisphere Institute for Security.