Truth is that Pakistani Establishment has mastered Islamophobia and Committed several Muslim Genocides!
Imran Khan waxed so eloquently about Islamophobia at the UN General Assembly. There was not a group that he would spare of this malice – Europeans, British, Americans, Indians (specifically Hindus). Everyone in the room except the Chinese, Russians, himself and his chosen people.
And, that was a rather curious omission. Enough is being written about the treatment of Muslims by the Chinese and Russians and we will address that later. But let us focus on the accuser for a moment.
To understand Islamophobia, the fear of Islam, or rather Muslims, we will need to understand the fundamental question – Which Muslim are we talking about? For there are Shias, Ahmadiyyas, Ismailis, and Sufis.
Was Imran Khan addressing all these Muslims?
He never specified who was the Muslim that he was talking about? In a rather ambiguous way, he talked about Muslims as if it is a heterogeneous group. It is not.
Before we go further, we need to be clear – is a Muslim one who believes himself to be or will a state mandate the parameters? This is important because the Pakistani state has been in the business of defining who a Muslim is and who is not. Imagine that.
And, depending on who is not a Muslim, it is completely kosher, err halal to go ahead and persecute or even kill him.
Ahmadiyyas in Pakistan are a great example of that. Imran Khan has not just spoken in favor of the laws which legitimize Pakistani state targeting Ahmadiyyas, but has also endorsed the threats to Ahmadiyyas by his presence in large gatherings! Very early in his term as the PM, he had axed an economist of international renown – Atif Mian – for only ONE reason. That he was an Ahmadiyya. No other reason whatsoever!
For all the quoting of the conduct of Mohammad and how he ensured justice and freedom to “even” Jews, that is quite a remarkable way to handle Muslims of a different sect than yours.
Who is an Ahmadiyya and how does Pakistan systematically persecutes them? Ahmaddiyas are Muslims who believe in the life and teachings of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908). He said that he was the final messiah / Mahdi who was to guide the Muslims to the end of time.
They believe in the following tenets of Islam:
accept the Quran as their holy text,
face the Kaaba during prayer,
follow the sunnah (the normative practice of Muhammad) and
accept the authority of the ahadith (sing. hadith; reported sayings of and narrations about Muhammad)
Their beliefs in many ways align with the Sunni tradition as opposed to the Shia belief system.
These Muslims – whose only lifework is to restore Islam to its “true intent and pristine form”, are the most hunted in Pakistan. Not by outlaws and extremists. But by the government of Pakistan endorsed by the nation’s Constitution itself!
Let us review how Pakistan does it.
The Second Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan passed on September 7, 1974, under the Government of Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who declared Ahmadis as non-Muslims. This was further strengthened by Ordinance XX promulgated under General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq on 26 April 1984 which barred the Ahmadis from practicing Muslim observances. The ordinance resulted in an amendment to the Pakistan Penal Code to add sections 298-B and 298-C. Subsection B prevents Ahmadis from using certain Muslim epithets, descriptions, and titles, while subsection C prevents Ahmadis from calling themselves Muslims. It comes with a punishment of 3 years imprisonment and fine.
The ordinance debars use of any honorific titles and modes of address deemed specific to the Islamic community such as the greeting “As-salamu alaykum” (peace be upon you), reciting the Six Kalimas or the shahada (declaring belief in the oneness of God and the prophethood of Muhammad) etc., from building mosques and calling the Adhan (call to prayer), from undertaking Muslim modes of worship, from worshipping in non-Ahmadi mosques or public prayer rooms, and from making any citations from the Quran and Muhammad’s hadith (source – Trespasses of the State, Ministering to Theological Dilemmas through the Copyright/Trademark, Naveeda Khan, Sarai Reader, 2005; Bare Acts. Page 178)
But the fact is that most of the Ahmadiyyas have been charged under the draconian Blasphemy law. A provision was added in 1986 where the Ahmadiyyas were also covered under the Blasphemy law.
Pakistan’s “Blasphemy Law,” as Section 295-C of the Penal Code is known, makes the death penalty mandatory for blasphemy. Under this law, the Ahmadi belief in the prophethood of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad is considered blasphemous insofar as it “defiles the name of Prophet Muhammad.” In 2006, at least 25 Ahmadis were charged under various provisions of the blasphemy law across Pakistan. Many of these individuals remain in prison. (source)
So now an Ahmadiyya Muslim does not have to do anything outrageous to be killed by the state. If he is caught even saying “Salam Alaikum” to a fellow Muslim, he can be charged by the State under blasphemy for posing as a Muslim. Read more at How the Pakistan State targets Ahmadiyya and other Muslims with the full backing of its Constitution
That is the level of Islamophobia we are talking about.
Contrast this with India – where Kerala High Court on 8 December 1970 in the case of Shihabuddin Imbichi Koya Thangal vs K.P. Ahammed Koya, citation A.I.R. 1971 Ker 206 ruled that Ahmadiyyas were Muslims and cannot be declared as apostates!
The Ahmadiyya Muslims are not the only ones who are persecuted. Even Shias are killed blatantly and with the blessings of the government and the local establishments. Since 2001, more than 5,000 Shias have been targeted and killed in Pakistan (source)! That is close to 300 Shias killed a year for last 18 years!
Forget about the other minorities in that country – no Muslim in Pakistan is safe except the Sunni Wahabi extremist Punjabi!
From Balochi to Bengali to Sindhi to Pashtun and Mohajir MUSLIMS – no one has escaped severe war crimes and genocide at the hands of the Pakistani Army which is dominated by Punjabi Sunni Muslims.
Yes, NO MUSLIM IN PAKISTAN IS SAFE, except ONE specific group speaking a specific language!
And, yet, the Prime minister of such a country has the bloody gall to lecture the world on Islamophobia?!
The truth is that Pakistan has made Islamophobia and genocide into an industry! It is to Islamophobia and Muslim genocide what Henry Ford was to Car manufacturing!
Yes, Pakistani Establishment is the Henry Ford of Islamophobia and Muslim Genocide!