No prayer, no sacrifice: Ahmadis Muslims barred from Eid prayers in Pakistan

India Today

a day ago

Religious extremists, backed by local authorities, stopped members of Pakistan's Ahmadi community from offering Eid-ul-Azha prayers in at least seven cities, the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Pakistan (JAP) said on Tuesday.According to the JAP, police in Punjab arrested two Ahmadis and booked three others under Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws for attempting to perform the traditional animal sacrifice — a core Eid ritual. In some cases, members of the hardline Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) allegedly forced Ahmadis to recite the Islamic declaration of faith under threat, claiming their 'conversion' as a victory.advertisementAhmadis were reportedly barred from offering Eid prayers in Khushab, Mirpur Khas, Lodhran, Bhakkar, Rajanpur, Umerkot, Larkana, and Karachi. JAP said the religious extremists, along with the local administrations, stopped Ahmadis from offering Eid prayers within the confines of their worship places.
In Lahore, the oldest Ahmadi place of worship in Ghari Shahu was sealed on Eid day after TLP activists demanded police action.In Nazimabad, Karachi, the JAP said Irfan-ul-Haq and his son were taken to the police station along with their sacrificial animal by the TLP activists."Fearing for their safety, they recited the Islamic declaration of faith. The TLP activists celebrated by garlanding them and claiming their conversion to Islam," it said.Punjab police said they arrested two Ahmadis and booked three others under Section 298-C of the Pakistan Penal Code for attempting to slaughter sacrificial animals. They said that under the law, Ahmadis cannot observe Islamic rituals.advertisementThe JAP said that this treatment is not only discriminatory but also unconstitutional and illegal. "Under Article 20 of Pakistan's Constitution, every citizen is guaranteed freedom of religion. However, Ahmadis are routinely denied this right along with other fundamental rights," it said.The organization warned that the increasing boldness of extremist groups like the TLP poses a grave threat to the community. 'The Ahmadi community is extremely vulnerable... these forced conversions are serious human rights violations.'The crackdown follows a string of recent attacks, including the desecration of over 100 Ahmadi graves in Punjab and the killing of a senior Ahmadi doctor in May.Pakistan's Parliament in 1974 declared the community as non-Muslims. A decade later, they were not just banned from calling themselves Muslims but were also barred from practicing aspects of Islam.(With inputs from PTI)