The Testing Times

Ahmadi youth burying the dead from the Lahore mosque attack

The recent spate of attack on the Ahmadiyya Community in Indonesia again goes to showcase the growing quantum of religious intolerance which is so evident and characteristics of today's new world order.

The Ahmadiyya Community was a small community within the larger fold of Islam which was found in Qadian, India by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad who claimed to be the promised Messiah and Mehdi as per the original prophecy by the Holy Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) who had prohesised the advent of a reformer who will appear after 1400 years of His (Holy Prohet's) advent and will reform Islam of its evil which would have crept in due to the passage of time. He also prohesised some heavenly occurrence (like lunar and solar eclipse in the same lunar year) which would be a sign of the appearance of the Reformer.

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, in 1880s claimed to be the Reformer (Promised Messiah) and was also ratified by the appearance of suitable signs as was narrated by the Holy Prophet. In 1889 he started a sect called the Ahmadiyya movement which was joined by a lot of people who were convinced of his claims by witnessing the heavenly signs.

In all his work and deed Mirza Ghulam Ahmad maintained that he is a staunch follower of Islam and the Holy Prophet and exhorted the Muslim to help him bring order in Islam. He also firmly believed in the finality of Prophet hood in believing that the Holy Prophet was the seal of the Prophet.

The community has gone from strength to strength in having a global presence due to its spirit of universal brotherhood, love and humanity in everything that it does. However, as with all nascent idea or innovator, there accompanies a severe opposition from the opponent of old and orthodox ideology as they see the ground beneath them shaking and shifting.

Hence also with the Ahmadiyya Sect the quantum of persecution and torture has only grown multi fold. In this effort Pakistan has been the 'proud' torch bearer. Since the early 60s, Ahmadis have been persecuted, tortured and killed in Pakistan as they performed their usual act of faith. Many Ahmadis were killed on the basis of an ordinance passed by the then President Zia ul Haq which prohibited Ahmadis to perform Namaz, say Adhan (the call for prayer) or even say salam to each other (greetings). A state sponsored pogrom had been initiated against them since the time of Zia ul Haq and before which systematically desecrated their mosque, their community place and other infrastructure. It was such a violation of human civil rights that Ahmadis were asked to identify them selves as Ahmadis or were denied passport. The Mullahs proudly proclaimed in their Friday sermons and their hate speech to kill ahmadis as it is an act of vitrue and killing an Ahmadi will guarantee a person a place in heaven.

The culmination of all these hate campaign was the last year attack on Ahmadis in Lahore where armed people entered 2 Ahamdiyya mosque ans sprayed bullets on innocent people as they offered their Friday Prayer. 

As vice attracts vice and each try to outplay each other in its obsession of being the most gruesome and evil; so also there is an invisible race among the mullahs of various so called Islamic country to outdo each other in persecuting and killing Ahmadis. The latest has been the barbaric attack on Ahmadis in Indonesia where 3 people were brutally murdered by a mob of 1000 people in full public view the details of which was recorded and put up proudly on YouTube for public consumption.

As we see the grotesque dance of religious intolerance and violence in our neighbourhood; we in a secular and peace loving country like India should sit up and take notice of any such intolerance in our society and deal with it firmly to nip it at its very bud. 

Reader will obviously ask the question that is it because I myself am a Ahmadi that I am so concerned? The answer is may be or may not be.. But what is of essence is the fact that it has shaken the secular faith within myself which my country has given me to believe that the ultimate goodness for humankind lies in having an empathetic understanding of each others' view point and making space for each others differences and rejoicing the commonality that we have amongst ourselves. What comes so easy to us is the spirit of "Unity in Diversity" for which India has made a mark for itself in the assembly of the world. Let us celebrate this spirit while ensuring that we zealously nurture it, preserve it and raise voice against forces which threatens to annihilate it.

It indeed is a testing time for us all !