Anti-Ahmedi laws: Police act as worship place ‘looks like a mosque’

[Meesna]

LAHORE:
Policemen scratched out Quranic verses written on the walls of an Ahmedi place of worship and ordered them to cover up short minarets at the entrance as they made the place look like a mosque, The Express Tribune has learnt.

After receiving a complaint about the place of worship in Sultanpura, Kachhupura, a large contingent of Misri Shah police visited it on Wednesday and told the Ahmedis they had a day to make the place look less like a mosque, failing which a case would be registered against them under the ‘Anti-lslamic Activities of Qadiani Group, Lahori Group and Ahmadis (Prohibition and Punishment) Ordinance’ of 1984.

The policemen etched out the verses at the main gate and entrance to the main hall. They were about to tear down the minarets, about five feet high, at the main gate too, but local Ahmedis convinced them to give them a day to cover them as demolishing them would have damaged the whole structure.

Anti-Ahmedi laws: Police act as worship place

There are all sorts of mosques around the world, many with no minarets. What is a standard for a mosque structure? Is any building that has towers like structures controversial?

 

[Rusty]

The state really should have no business in this kind of affairs.
The only thing the sate should do is make sure the temple is labeled "Ahmedi" so as no to confuse anyone who just want's to go in and pray.
Other then that, they should have every right to worship how they wish.

 

[Porus]

The biggest anti-Islamic and anti-Humanity gangs are the so-called lashkars like JeM, SSP, Lashkar e Jhangvi. In any other country these kind of gangs are treated like the plague and the state declare jihad against them whereas in the Islamic Republic they thrive under the protection of Pak fauj zindabad. The Ahmedi community fought for the creation of Pakistan, most of the people who died during partition riots belonged to this community and what do they get in return? They are removed from the green part and the white part became wider. The Mullah, who was against the creation of Pak, apostatised those who considered themselves to be Muslims and endeavoured for the creation of a Muslim state where they would enjoy the equal rights. Shias who played against the Ahmedis in that game are now getting the same treatment at the hands of Allah's soldiers.

 

[ANG]

Wow, the country of Pakistan should get a medal for this or some kind of UN prize. The police actually did something for a change.

Forget the fact that Karachi is burning every day, and there are targeted killings all over the country, and the Taleban can raid any jail and break free over 400 inmates. The police cannot control kidnappings, murders, extortion, the drug trade, extremists, abduction and assault of women, the maiming of women by acid, etc. However, they have the resouces to send a heavy contingent to descreate a mosque of the Ahmadi community.

No wonder, no one wants to invest in Pakistan, and it consistently makes the top 10 failed states list each year. Yeehhhaaaaahhhhhh for Pakistan!!!




Anti-Ahmedi laws: Police act as worship place

Anti-Ahmedi laws: Police act as worship place ‘looks like a mosque’
Qurani*c verses on walls remove*d, minare*ts to be covere*d.
By Rana Tanveer
Published: May 4, 2012
Police were about to tear down the minarets, about five feet high, at the main gate too, but local Ahmedis convinced them to give them a day to cover them as demolishing them would have damaged the whole structure.

LAHORE:
Policemen scratched out Quranic verses written on the walls of an Ahmedi place of worship and ordered them to cover up short minarets at the entrance as they made the place look like a mosque, The Express Tribune has learnt.

After receiving a complaint about the place of worship in Sultanpura, Kachhupura, a large contingent of Misri Shah police visited it on Wednesday and told the Ahmedis they had a day to make the place look less like a mosque, failing which a case would be registered against them under the ‘Anti-lslamic Activities of Qadiani Group, Lahori Group and Ahmadis (Prohibition and Punishment) Ordinance’ of 1984.The policemen etched out the verses at the main gate and entrance to the main hall. They were about to tear down the minarets, about five feet high, at the main gate too, but local Ahmedis convinced them to give them a day to cover them as demolishing them would have damaged the whole structure.

An Ahmedi familiar with the matter said that for several days, “irrelevant people” had been instigating non-Ahmedis in the area to complain about the place of worship. He said that they had applied to the local police for the registration of an FIR. He said that the deputy superintendent of police (DSP) concerned had met both sides on Tuesday and they had reached a compromise whereby no case would be registered provided the verses and minarets were removed.

He said that the worship house had been open since 1960 in the same form.

He said there were around 35 Ahmedi families in the area and they had offered no resistance to the police action.

He said that the police arrived at the place on Wednesday, cordoned it off and removed the verses by scratching them off the walls. He said that they had told the police that they would cover up the minarets using tiles to hide their shape.

On Thursday, they told the police they would try to cover the minarets with iron sheeting. Investigation Officer Khalid said that they had pledged to do so overnight.

Misri Shah Station Houser Officer (SHO) Mudassarullah Khan told The Express Tribune that the matter had been resolved amicably. He said no FIR had been registered and there had been no protest by anyone. He said the verses had been removed with the consent of both parties.

The SHO identified the complainants as Rana Muhammad Tufail and Advocate M Badar Alim Sheikh. He said that they had sought a case under Sections 295-B and 298-C of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The complainants, who are residents of Ravi Road, about 15 kilometres from the place of worship, said that the building had the Kalma Tayyeba, names of Allah and prayer verses written at the entrance as well as minarets. “They are non-Muslims and should be tried under the law for depicting themselves as Muslims,” read the complaint.

According to 295-B, “whoever wilfully defiles, damages or desecrates a copy of the Holy Quran or of an extract therefrom or uses it in any derogatory manner or for any unlawful purpose shall be punishable with imprisonment for life.”

According to 298-C, “any person of the Qadiani Group or the Lahori Group (who call themselves ‘Ahmedis’ or by any other name), who directly or indirectly, poses as a Muslim, or calls, or refers to, his faith as Islam, or preaches or propagates his faith, or invites others to accept his faith, by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representations, or in any manner whatsoever outrages the religious feelings of Muslims shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years and shall also be liable to fine.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4th, 2012.

 

[Thor]

I totally agree with this law and praise police action. We have discussed the Ahmadi issue to death and why they are targeted like this with no replies from Ahmadis like Meesna who goes on to open one useless thread on religion after another despite forum rules.