Day i Declared my Best Friend Kafir to get Passport

[pak-marine]

The day I declared my best friend kafir just so I could get a passport

If you are a conscientious Pakistani, or if you don’t live under a rock, it is hard to ever forget or ignore the kind of infuriating discrimination and shameful persecution that members of the Ahmadiyya community suffer in our country.

You console yourself by thinking, “at least I personally don’t discriminate or persecute”.

And, if you’re outspoken, you think, “I won’t and don’t ever let it happen in front of me”.

But then, there is a point in time when you are forced by the lottery of birth, and the Constitution of Pakistan, to become party to the state-sponsored discrimination of Ahmadis.

This is the time when you go to perform a simple act of citizenship: get or renew a passport.

Also read: A guide to growing up Ahmadi in Pakistan

The last time I got a passport back home, I was able to duck the question: you know the one right at the end where you have to sign to attest to the accuracy of all information on your application form — and that Ahmadis are infidels.

Passport application form. —Photo by Manan Ahmed Asif


Somehow, through the miracle of bureaucracy where nobody has enough time to go through your application in minute detail, my little act of defiance went by unnoticed and I was handed my passport.

Even as I write this, I weigh the pros and cons of putting this out there. At the risk of sounding self-important, I don’t want a bigot in the government or with any connections to the government to become aware of this loophole.

This time, I had to apply for a new passport at an embassy of Pakistan. With a far fewer number of applications, the officials did have the time to catch my “mistake”.

Here’s how the conversation went:

Official: “You didn’t sign this attestation.”
Me: “Oh, right. I actually didn’t want to.”
Official: “Then you will have to declare yourself non-Muslim.”
Me: “OK.”
Official: “You will have to have that changed in Nadra records.”
Me: “OK.”

We share an awkward moment of silence as I hope in futility that my one-word answer will halt the conversation and I will walk out of there without having to do this.

Official: “So, please sign it.”
Me: “But I didn’t sign it in Karachi.”
Official: “Madam, please don’t create more issues for us. We are just an embassy.”

I am ashamed to admit, I picked up the pen and I signed it.

My hands shook as I forced myself to go through a motion that would go against every belief I dearly hold, every fibre of my being.

An action that would mean I was declaring myself party to causing the anger and the pain I have heard in my friends’ voices, as I sat across hearing horrific stories of growing up in a country that sounded so alien yet, so real.

Also read: Ahmadis, seared to the wall

I did grow up as a member of an endangered minority too, but at least the state considers us full citizens. For now.

A few months ago, I had argued with one of my close friends — an Ahmadi — who said that every person who signs that declaration to get a Pakistani passport is giving his/her consent to the state-sponsored discrimination enabled by the Second Constitutional Amendment.

I disagreed vehemently; I felt offended.

It is not fair, I shot back, to assume that, because there can be no consent where there is force — the state forces me to sign this declaration because it can, it doesn’t make it optional for me.

This is not to deny that most Pakistanis do believe that Ahmadis are infidels, but signing that declaration isn’t the evidence for it, opinion polls are.

Also read: Keep Hajj out of politics — Notes on the ‘Are you Shia?’ form debacle

That conversation went through my head in the seconds that I prepared myself to sign my name on a declaration that I find perverse, discriminatory, and wholly unjust.

I still believe that because I was forced to sign it, I did not give my consent to it.

But that realisation does little to shake away the feeling of disgust and helplessness I felt in the process of establishing my relationship with my country but giving up my conscience.




The views expressed by this writer and commenters below do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.

 

[Zarvan]

The day I declared my best friend kafir just so I could get a passport

If you are a conscientious Pakistani, or if you don’t live under a rock, it is hard to ever forget or ignore the kind of infuriating discrimination and shameful persecution that members of the Ahmadiyya community suffer in our country.

You console yourself by thinking, “at least I personally don’t discriminate or persecute”.

And, if you’re outspoken, you think, “I won’t and don’t ever let it happen in front of me”.

But then, there is a point in time when you are forced by the lottery of birth, and the Constitution of Pakistan, to become party to the state-sponsored discrimination of Ahmadis.

This is the time when you go to perform a simple act of citizenship: get or renew a passport.

Also read: A guide to growing up Ahmadi in Pakistan

The last time I got a passport back home, I was able to duck the question: you know the one right at the end where you have to sign to attest to the accuracy of all information on your application form — and that Ahmadis are infidels.

Passport application form. —Photo by Manan Ahmed Asif


Somehow, through the miracle of bureaucracy where nobody has enough time to go through your application in minute detail, my little act of defiance went by unnoticed and I was handed my passport.

Even as I write this, I weigh the pros and cons of putting this out there. At the risk of sounding self-important, I don’t want a bigot in the government or with any connections to the government to become aware of this loophole.

This time, I had to apply for a new passport at an embassy of Pakistan. With a far fewer number of applications, the officials did have the time to catch my “mistake”.

Here’s how the conversation went:

Official: “You didn’t sign this attestation.”
Me: “Oh, right. I actually didn’t want to.”
Official: “Then you will have to declare yourself non-Muslim.”
Me: “OK.”
Official: “You will have to have that changed in Nadra records.”
Me: “OK.”

We share an awkward moment of silence as I hope in futility that my one-word answer will halt the conversation and I will walk out of there without having to do this.

Official: “So, please sign it.”
Me: “But I didn’t sign it in Karachi.”
Official: “Madam, please don’t create more issues for us. We are just an embassy.”

I am ashamed to admit, I picked up the pen and I signed it.

My hands shook as I forced myself to go through a motion that would go against every belief I dearly hold, every fibre of my being.

An action that would mean I was declaring myself party to causing the anger and the pain I have heard in my friends’ voices, as I sat across hearing horrific stories of growing up in a country that sounded so alien yet, so real.

Also read: Ahmadis, seared to the wall

I did grow up as a member of an endangered minority too, but at least the state considers us full citizens. For now.

A few months ago, I had argued with one of my close friends — an Ahmadi — who said that every person who signs that declaration to get a Pakistani passport is giving his/her consent to the state-sponsored discrimination enabled by the Second Constitutional Amendment.

I disagreed vehemently; I felt offended.

It is not fair, I shot back, to assume that, because there can be no consent where there is force — the state forces me to sign this declaration because it can, it doesn’t make it optional for me.

This is not to deny that most Pakistanis do believe that Ahmadis are infidels, but signing that declaration isn’t the evidence for it, opinion polls are.

Also read: Keep Hajj out of politics — Notes on the ‘Are you Shia?’ form debacle

That conversation went through my head in the seconds that I prepared myself to sign my name on a declaration that I find perverse, discriminatory, and wholly unjust.

I still believe that because I was forced to sign it, I did not give my consent to it.

But that realisation does little to shake away the feeling of disgust and helplessness I felt in the process of establishing my relationship with my country but giving up my conscience.




The views expressed by this writer and commenters below do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.

It's actually hilarious. She declared a kafir as kafir. So she did nothing wrong. I replied to her on twitter also.

 

[Dr Shaheryar]

To be a muslim anywhere in the world, you have to accept basic principles of Islam and believe in it. Otherwise you are a Kafir. No matter what u say or believe in.

 

[Sheikh Rauf]

Rules are rules.. its not like you can be a "railu katta" who can play both sides.. either you are in or out..

 

[Benign Persona]

My hands shook as I forced myself to go through a motion that would go against every belief I dearly hold, every fibre of my being.

here the author is trying to create a little drama and thrill

 

[TMA]

The day I declared my best friend kafir just so I could get a passport

If you are a conscientious Pakistani, or if you don’t live under a rock, it is hard to ever forget or ignore the kind of infuriating discrimination and shameful persecution that members of the Ahmadiyya community suffer in our country.

You console yourself by thinking, “at least I personally don’t discriminate or persecute”.

And, if you’re outspoken, you think, “I won’t and don’t ever let it happen in front of me”.

But then, there is a point in time when you are forced by the lottery of birth, and the Constitution of Pakistan, to become party to the state-sponsored discrimination of Ahmadis.

This is the time when you go to perform a simple act of citizenship: get or renew a passport.

Also read: A guide to growing up Ahmadi in Pakistan

The last time I got a passport back home, I was able to duck the question: you know the one right at the end where you have to sign to attest to the accuracy of all information on your application form — and that Ahmadis are infidels.

Passport application form. —Photo by Manan Ahmed Asif


Somehow, through the miracle of bureaucracy where nobody has enough time to go through your application in minute detail, my little act of defiance went by unnoticed and I was handed my passport.

Even as I write this, I weigh the pros and cons of putting this out there. At the risk of sounding self-important, I don’t want a bigot in the government or with any connections to the government to become aware of this loophole.

This time, I had to apply for a new passport at an embassy of Pakistan. With a far fewer number of applications, the officials did have the time to catch my “mistake”.

Here’s how the conversation went:

Official: “You didn’t sign this attestation.”
Me: “Oh, right. I actually didn’t want to.”
Official: “Then you will have to declare yourself non-Muslim.”
Me: “OK.”
Official: “You will have to have that changed in Nadra records.”
Me: “OK.”

We share an awkward moment of silence as I hope in futility that my one-word answer will halt the conversation and I will walk out of there without having to do this.

Official: “So, please sign it.”
Me: “But I didn’t sign it in Karachi.”
Official: “Madam, please don’t create more issues for us. We are just an embassy.”

I am ashamed to admit, I picked up the pen and I signed it.

My hands shook as I forced myself to go through a motion that would go against every belief I dearly hold, every fibre of my being.

An action that would mean I was declaring myself party to causing the anger and the pain I have heard in my friends’ voices, as I sat across hearing horrific stories of growing up in a country that sounded so alien yet, so real.

Also read: Ahmadis, seared to the wall

I did grow up as a member of an endangered minority too, but at least the state considers us full citizens. For now.

A few months ago, I had argued with one of my close friends — an Ahmadi — who said that every person who signs that declaration to get a Pakistani passport is giving his/her consent to the state-sponsored discrimination enabled by the Second Constitutional Amendment.

I disagreed vehemently; I felt offended.

It is not fair, I shot back, to assume that, because there can be no consent where there is force — the state forces me to sign this declaration because it can, it doesn’t make it optional for me.

This is not to deny that most Pakistanis do believe that Ahmadis are infidels, but signing that declaration isn’t the evidence for it, opinion polls are.

Also read: Keep Hajj out of politics — Notes on the ‘Are you Shia?’ form debacle

That conversation went through my head in the seconds that I prepared myself to sign my name on a declaration that I find perverse, discriminatory, and wholly unjust.

I still believe that because I was forced to sign it, I did not give my consent to it.

But that realisation does little to shake away the feeling of disgust and helplessness I felt in the process of establishing my relationship with my country but giving up my conscience.




The views expressed by this writer and commenters below do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.

Would you please clarify the beliefs of the Ahmadiyya community? I have heard so much, most of it probably rubbish.

Do Ahmadiyyas accept that Muhammad son of Abdullah of Quraysh (PBUH) was the Seal of divine Prophethood?

Do Ahmadiyyas believe that Mirza Ghulam Ahmed was the Messiah the son of the Virgin Mary (PBUH) of the Children of Israel?

Thank you.

 

[pak-marine]

It's actually hilarious. She declared a kafir as kafir. So she did nothing wrong. I replied to her on twitter also.

Main bhi kafir tooh bhi kafir
Phoolon ki khushboo bhi kafir
Lafzon ka jadoo bhi kafir
Yeh bhi kafir woh bhi kafir
Faiz bhi aur Minto bhi kafir

Noor Jahan ka gana kafir
McDonalds ka khana kafir
Burger kafir, coke bhi kafir
Hansna bidat, joke bhi kafir

Tabla kafir, dhol bhi kafir
Pyar bharay doh bol bhi kafir
Sur bhi kafir, taal bhi kafir
Bhangra, utan, dhamaal bhi kafir
Dhaadra, thumri, bhairveen kafir
Kaafi aur khayaal bhi kafir

Waris Shah ki Heer bhi kafir
Chaahat ki zanjir bhi kafir
Zinda murda pir bhi kafir
Nazar nayaz ki kheer bhi kafir
Betay ka basta bhi kafir
Beti ki gurya bhi kafir

Hansna rona kufr ka soda
Ghum kafir, Khoshiyaan bhi kafir
Jeans bhi aur guitar bhi kafir
Takhnon say neechay baandho toh
Apnee yeh shalwar bhi kafir
Fun bhi aur funkaar bhi kafir
Joh meri dhamki nah chaapayn
Woh saaray akhbaar bhi kafir

University kay andar kafir
Darwin bhai ka bandar kafir
Freud parhaanay walay kafir
Marx kay sab matwaalay kafir
Melay thelay kufr ka dhanda
Gaanay baajay saaray phanda

Mandir main toh but hota hay
Masjid ka bhi haal bura hay
Kuch masjid kay bahar kafir
Kuch masjid kay andar kafir
Muslim mulk main aksar kafir

Kafir kafir, main bhi kafir
Kafir kafir, tooh bhi kafir!
To @Zarvan bhai with piyar

Would you please clarify the beliefs of the Ahmadiyya community? I have heard so much, most of it probably rubbish.

Do Ahmadiyyas accept that Muhammad son of Abdullah of Quraysh (PBUH) was the Seal of divine Prophethood?

Do Ahmadiyyas believe that Mirza Ghulam Ahmed was the Messiah the son of the Virgin Mary (PBUH) of the Children of Israel?

Thank you.

Post no saat ap kay liay bhi hai

 

[Dr Shaheryar]

Ahmadiyya
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ahmadiyya (/ɑːməˈdiə/;[1] officially, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community or the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at; Arabic: الجماعة الإسلامية الأحمدية‎‎, transliterated: al-Jamā'ah al-Islāmiyyah al-Aḥmadiyyah; Urdu: احمدیہ مسلم جماعت‎) is an Islamic religious movement founded in Punjab, British India, near the end of the 19th century.It originated with the life and teachings of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908), who claimed to have appeared in fulfilment of the prophecies concerning the world's reformer during the end times, who was to bring about, by peaceful means, the final triumph of Islam and herald the eschaton as predicted in Islamic scriptures as well as the traditions of various world religions. He claimed to have been divinely appointed as the Mujaddid (renewer) of Islam, the promised Messiah and Mahdi awaited by Muslims. The adherents of the Ahmadiyya movement are referred to as Ahmadi Muslims or simply Ahmadis.

This is a brief description of their belief.

 

[Pakistani E]

I am picturing millions of Pakistanis waving their Passports which confirms their Momin status, on the day of judgement at the gates of paradise, bellowing to be let in.

 

[Dr Shaheryar]

And you will be left behind.

 

[TMA]

Ahmadiyya
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ahmadiyya (/ɑːməˈdiə/;[1] officially, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community or the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at; Arabic: الجماعة الإسلامية الأحمدية‎‎, transliterated: al-Jamā'ah al-Islāmiyyah al-Aḥmadiyyah; Urdu: احمدیہ مسلم جماعت‎) is an Islamic religious movement founded in Punjab, British India, near the end of the 19th century.It originated with the life and teachings of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908), who claimed to have appeared in fulfilment of the prophecies concerning the world's reformer during the end times, who was to bring about, by peaceful means, the final triumph of Islam and herald the eschaton as predicted in Islamic scriptures as well as the traditions of various world religions. He claimed to have been divinely appointed as the Mujaddid (renewer) of Islam, the promised Messiah and Mahdi awaited by Muslims. The adherents of the Ahmadiyya movement are referred to as Ahmadi Muslims or simply Ahmadis.

This is a brief description of their belief.

I don't trust Wikipedia when it comes to religion or history.

 

[fitpOsitive]

There are two Problems with Qadiani thinking:
1) They deny one of the fundamental laws to be a muslim, yet they insist on to be called as muslim.
2) They are well aware of the fact that British created them to kill the sentence "Firangi k khilaf Jahad Jaiz hai".
The reason why Qadianis are unacceptable for all the muslims is that they were previously muslims, and then came Mr Ghulam Ahmed , and they turned themselves into what is muslim from no angle.
Here I will request all Qadianis, please donot try to push us to accept you as muslim, if you want to be called as muslims, then leave muslim countries and go to the countries who recognize you as muslims.
Is k ilawa koi jhagra nai aap logon se.

 

[Taimoor Khan]

It's actually hilarious. She declared a kafir as kafir. So she did nothing wrong. I replied to her on twitter also.

You did the right thing. These pseudo intelletuals are nothing but paid charlatans whose sole job is to find non existent issues in Pakistani society and highlight it in a rather dramatic way. These people need to be put in their place, humiliated.

Ahmediya are a affluent community of Pakistan, the writer is implying that they are in a way prosecuted by state. If she had any illusions, she needs to take a visit to Rabwa. There is a general consensus in Pakistan that these people are outside of Islam hence kafirs (non Muslisms) BUT that doesnt mean that they cannot enjoy the benefit of being citizens of Pakistan.

People need to take history lessons as well as to why Qadyani movement was launched right under the nose of British raj and why UK is the center of activities of this group.

 

[Pakistani E]

People need to take history lessons as well as to why Qadyani movement was launched right under the nose of British raj and why UK is the center of activities of this group.

The centre is in U.K because you kicked us out. Now you complain why we are based in U.K? Lmao. Great logic.

There are two Problems with Qadiani thinking:
1) They deny one of the fundamental laws to be a muslim, yet they insist on to be called as muslim.
2) They are well aware of the fact that British created them to kill the sentence "Firangi k khilaf Jahad Jaiz hai".
The reason why Qadianis are unacceptable for all the muslims is that they were previously muslims, and then came Mr Ghulam Ahmed , and they turned themselves into what is muslim from no angle.
Here I will request all Qadianis, please donot try to push us to accept you as muslim, if you want to be called as muslims, then leave muslim countries and go to the countries who recognize you as muslims.
Is k ilawa koi jhagra nai aap logon se.

Pakistan belongs to all Pakistanis. You have no right to tell people to leave their country just because you differ with them in interpretation.

They are well aware of the fact that British created them to kill the sentence "Firangi k khilaf Jahad Jaiz hai"

To Tum kerlo jihad farangi ke khilaf. Mainay rokah hai kiya? While you are at it, tell the million plus Momins in U.K to also do jihad who are sitting here enjoying all the benefits of the "farangi".

 

[Signalian]

people blowing themselves up also call themselves muslims and except hoor from paradise.