بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the name of Allah the Gracious the Merciful
India and Pakistan celebrated their 62nd birth anniversaries or as commonly called Independence Day. More than a half century has been passed since independence from the Brits yet Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat in urdu) has been constantly facing persecution in India and in Pakistan.
Intolerance towards each other whether Muslims among themselves or Hindus vs Christians or Hindu vs Muslims as in the case of India, bigotry has taken a firm footing in the societies of India and Pakistan.
Pakistan for that matter has championed the cause of fanaticism as did Afghanistan but now India is running fast to achieve that elite status of prejudice as well.
Ahmadis are facing same persecution whether in so called secular India or under a secular, liberal democratic Pakistan (as the current government is a popularly elected democratic government), the plight of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community remains the same.
One day it is in UP state of India then next day it is in Pakistan's Punjab province, the following day it is in Bangladesh and the day after it goes to Indonesia, Malaysia or Sri Lanka.
The strange thing to notice is the pattern which includes so called secular governments or countries where laws are normally equal for everyone.
Recently on August 10, 2009 Pakistan's Punjab Police's elite force under the elected government of Nawaz Sharif's brother Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, police is desecrating the Kalima or the first proclamation of being tolerable Muslim that "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad (s.a.w.) is His Messenger".
Such is the case of bigoted political leaders in Pakistan and law and order authorities who are professing liberalism in Pakistan. On one hand they denounce talibanism yet on the other hand these authorities practice Talibanism against Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
If the government of Pakistan, intelligentsia, military and civil authorities are sincere for Pakistan's progress they will have to come out of the state of contradiction and hypocrisy.
Few weeks ago in Gojra, Punjab Pakistan, Christian Community's houses were burned and ransacked in the name of desecrating Holy Quran. Whether it was true or not it is yet to be confirmed but these fanatics humiliated Pakistan on world scene.
Normally Christians live in harmony in Pakistan as well as minority Hindus. Such incidents against Christians are common in India where a nun in Calcutta (Kolkatta) was publicly humiliated by Hindu mob and raped.
Yet Christians in Pakistan live peacefully compare to Ahmadi Muslims but this time Christian were not spared either.
The common enemy India and Pakistan are facing together is religious fanaticism which is weakening them internally.
It is time for us to reflect back and improve our social behavior. Getting IT jobs and growing GDP does not necessarily modernize or improve the social mindset it takes a lot of Patience, thoughts and implementation of liberal and equitable laws.
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