Pakistan: Ahmadi charged with blasphemy for "posing as a Muslim"

Yet in the United States, Ahmadis like Harris Zafar run interference for the Islamic supremacists who persecute them elsewhere, by attacking and defaming the very people who are standing up to their jihadist persecutors.

"Ahmadi charged with posing as Muslim for second time in Sargodha," by Rabia Mehmood for the Express Tribune, August 7 (thanks to David):

LAHORE: An Ahmadi jeweller in Silanwali, Sargodha was charged with blasphemy for the second time in his life for “posing as a Muslim” and for putting up a translation of the Quranic text in his shop.
Muhammad Ashraf, who was earlier charged along with his co-workers in 2009 for posing as Muslims, was charged with blasphemy on July 23 this year under Section 298-C on the complaint of Hafiz Muhammad Imran.

Ashraf was sent to Central Jail Sargodha on July 24 and was released on bail on the exchange of bail bonds worth Rs50,000 on July 31. The case is under trial at a local magisterial court in Sargodha.

The FIR registered against Ashraf mentioned that he had put up translations of text from the Holy Quran in his shop at Kobi Market, Saeed Bazar, which was against the Section 298-C of 1984 Ordinance.

As per Section 298-C, an Ahmadi who “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” will be punished with up to three years in prison and is liable to pay a fine.

The text translation in Ashraf’s shop read, “O people of faith always speak the straight truth.”

The Station House Officer (SHO) of the Silanwali Police Station, Irfan Safdar, told The Express Tribune that, “After the complaint, our security constable Aslam and other investigation staff of police went to verify if the translation of the Quranic text was actually there at Ashraf’s shop, and it was. So we registered the FIR.”

The SHO said the security constables verified that, “Ashraf was spreading his faith and pretends to be a Muslim.” He further said that the “entire process of verification and taking Ashraf into custody took about two hours. Ashraf was taken into custody and then the FIR was registered quickly after that.”

According to details shared with The Express Tribune, on July 22, Hafiz Imran came to the jeweller’s shop which has been in the market for seven years, and asked for removal of the translation, which Ashraf refused to take off.

Ashraf recalled that Imran said to him “these are good words, but this (Ashraf’s shop) is not a good place.”

The next day, when Ashraf went to open his shop at around 11am, he met the police security constable Aslam, who according to the SHO verified the presence of the Quranic text translation in Ashraf’s shop....

Ashraf was then taken to the police station and put behind bars. Eventually he was imprisoned for six days in the Central Jail Sargodha where he stayed in the same section as that of murderers and prisoners on death row.

In 2009, Ashraf and two other Ahmadi men who have businesses in the same market, were arrested for ‘posing as Muslims’ and for praying inside a room in the market. After spending 28 days in jail after that FIR, Ashraf and his co-accused got bail from the court.

District Police Officer (DPO) Sargodha Dr Rizwan told The Express Tribune that, “In my field of experience, the intolerance against Ahmadis has considerably decreased, over the last few years – I mean the use of violence against them by the extreme right wing. The use of legal apparatus to redress perceived transgression is indicative of improved civility.”...

Rizwan is using mainstream media terminology: "Right wing" = bad, "Left wing" = good.

Leading human rights activist, former chairperson HRCP and former president Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan Asma Jahangir while speaking to The Express Tribune said that the government officials have always given a message that they do not recognise the Ahmadi community, which is “treated like lepers and Jews” in Pakistan....

"Like Jews."

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7 Comments

| Leave a comment

miriam rove | August 7, 2012 10:38 AM | Reply

they had to insert the "jew" in there!
M

Buraq | August 7, 2012 11:12 AM | Reply

Can you imagine the howls of derision in the MSM is someone was charged with 'posing as a Christian'? The so-called liberal left would have a field day!

But this incident will be met with silence, or at most a furrowed liberal-left brow puzzling over this 'cultural' curiosity.

Clowns!

gravenimage | August 7, 2012 11:19 AM | Reply

Pakistan: Ahmadi charged with blasphemy for "posing as a Muslim"

Moreover, the fact that Ahmadis disavow violent Jihad as a tool for imposing brutal Shari'ah—although they do not disavow the savagery of Shari'ah itself—they appear to soften the image of Islam in the West, and give the appearance of a more "moderate" Islam.

Few Westerners realize that Ahmadis are not only persecuted in Dar-al-Islam, but are *not even considered to be Muslim* by orthodox Muslims.

As per Section 298-C, an Ahmadi who “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” will be punished with up to three years in prison and is liable to pay a fine.
........................................

Of course, this affects not just Ahmadis but also Christians and any other non-Muslim proselytizing.

Notable how it is *a crime* to "outrage the religious feelings of Muslims", but outright oppression of Ahmadis, Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs is *just fine* under supremacist Islam.

The Station House Officer (SHO) of the Silanwali Police Station, Irfan Safdar, told The Express Tribune that, “After the complaint, our security constable Aslam and other investigation staff of police went to verify if the translation of the Quranic text was actually there at Ashraf’s shop, and it was. So we registered the FIR.”
........................................

No non-Muslim is allowed to read the Qur'an under Shari'ah.

Not to quote it, as this Ahmadi did—and certainly not to learn about its contents or criticize it.

Pious Muslims would impose this on us, as well, if they could.

Ashraf was then taken to the police station and put behind bars. Eventually he was imprisoned for six days in the Central Jail Sargodha where he stayed in the same section as that of murderers and prisoners on death row.
........................................

I doubt this was because of crowding or any other logistical reason. This is how "heretical" Muslims are regarded...

Leading human rights activist, former chairperson HRCP and former president Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan Asma Jahangir while speaking to The Express Tribune said that the government officials have always given a message that they do not recognise the Ahmadi community, which is “treated like lepers and Jews” in Pakistan....
........................................

"Lepers and Jews..."—that pretty much says it all...

Steffen Larsen | August 7, 2012 11:36 AM | Reply

The text translation in Ashraf’s shop read, “O people of faith always speak the straight truth.”

Is this Ashraf's little joke? Dang, he's a brave one, he is!

HRCP: 'Human Rights Commisiion of Pakistan'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asma_Jahangir.

salah | August 7, 2012 2:34 PM | Reply

"the intolerance against Ahmadis has considerably decreased,"

Is he serious?

http://crossmuslims.blogspot.com/2011/02/indonesia-lynching.html

exsgtbrown | August 7, 2012 5:56 PM | Reply

"The text translation in Ashraf’s shop read, “O people of faith always speak the straight truth.”"

obviously he's a misunderstander of the Religion of Islam...

Jan | August 9, 2012 10:08 AM | Reply

Someone should send a copy of this article to Zafar.

But he'll just say they're 'misunderstanding' islam.

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