Standing up for religious minorities in Pakistan

It's been a few weeks since Pakistani actor Hamza Ali Abbasi stood up for the persecuted Ahmadi community on his Ishq-e-Ramazan TV show causing the ire of religious groups.

Jul 09, 2016

LAHORE: It's been a few weeks since Pakistani actor Hamza Ali Abbasi stood up for the persecuted Ahmadi community on his Ishq-e-Ramazan TV show causing the ire of religious groups.

"The community is being suppressed but if you talk about it, people say 'You're from that community that's why you're saying this,'" said Hamza. "I am not an Ahmadi, I am a Sunni Muslim."

Islamic cleric, Kokab Noorani responded by lashing out on a different TV show threatening "dire consequences" for the actor. The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority ended up banning both TV programs for "promoting controversial and sectarian views."

Abbasi's social media accounts are still receiving a deluge of abuse as well as some support.

The reaction to Abbasi's outspoken TV series (which began airing in June) has been vitriolic. He courted controversy by asking a panel of clerics whether or not an Islamic state has the right to declare a group of people to be Muslim or non-Muslim. And poked the bear further when he announced he would discuss Pakistan's blasphemy laws during his final transmission.

Abbasi is not alone in coming under fire for advocating for religious minorities. In 2011, Punjab Governor Salman Taseer was assassinated for defending Asia Bibi, a Catholic woman sentenced to death for blasphemy. Days later, Senator Sherry Rehman abandoned her project to revise the law after getting death threats.

Religious tolerance in Pakistan was killed in 1986 when section 295-C was introduced to the Penal Code making it a crime to defile the name of the Prophet Mohammed. Punishments included life imprisonment or death.

Christians were always going to be targeted, but Muslim sects like the Ahmadis were also harassed because they do not recognize the Prophet Mohammed as the last prophet.

A few years ago, a Caritas worker was fired simply because he invited an Ahmadi to speak at an interfaith event. "The program was disrupted," he told me on condition of anonymity. "The invited clerics protested when the speaker introduced herself on stage as an Ahmadi."

Despite the danger, Catholic priests continue to visit Ahmadi places of worship to offer support. And the annual reports of Catholic Bishop's National Commission for Justice and Peace regularly carries chapters on the Ahmadis' plight.

Ever since a 1984 law banned the Ahmadis for "anti-Islamic activities," 31 have been killed in Karachi and not a single perpetrator has been brought to justice. The Pakistan Catholic Church has long campaigned against the controversial legislation which has resulted in mob attacks, extrajudicial killings and mass hysteria.

Christians were made a target and, to escape persecution, many families have taken asylum in Thailand, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.

The former executive secretary of the Catholic Bishop's National Commission for Justice and Peace tried a different tactic to avoid the backlash that follows any criticism of these laws.

"Instead of using the term gustakh e rasool [one who insults the Prophet], I popularize the term takfeer derived from kafir [disbeliever in Allah]," he told me. "The former term suggests a person is guilty before being proved so."

However, church groups or NGO workers can only voice their concerns. But a change in the law can only be brought about by an elected government.

Pakistan was not an Islamic republic when it gained independence from British rule. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of the country, envisioned a different state.

When talking to the first Constituent Assembly of Pakistan in 1947 tressed that freedom of worship was an essential feature of the country and that the "the business of the state" was distinct from "religion."

Hence, he added members from the Ahmadi community to his cabinet. Zafarullah Khan, the first foreign minister of Pakistan, was an Ahmadi. Similarly, Jogendar Nath Mandal, a Hindu, was Pakistan's first law minister. Justice Alvin Robert Cornelius, fourth Chief Justice of Pakistan and a Christian, was an activist for the Pakistan Movement that led to the birth of the nation.

The space for minority leaders in high-profile positions of government has narrowed down in subsequent years. Only Muslim citizens can be president as per the Pakistan constitution. This discrimination was further cemented in 2010 when the National Assembly passed the 18th amendment to the constitution to bar non-Muslims from the post of prime minister. Christian politicians or those from minority religions are largely limited to head the minority wing of their respective political parties.

One exception however is Kamran Michael who took oath as federal minister for Ports and Shipping in 2013. But he was the first Christian to be elected to the National Senate in the past 66 years.

The confidence of religious minorities can only be restored by appointing their representatives in actual positions of power. Removal of discriminatory laws from the constitution can further unify followers of diverse religions. A look back at the original ideology of the country can help in solving present problems and promise a better future.--ucanews.com