Pakistan: Sunni extremists demolish historical mosque belonging to Ahmadiyya minority
What's the story
Sunni extremists in Pakistan have demolished a historical mosque belonging to the Ahmadiyya community in Sialkot (Punjab province) on Wednesday, the latest attack on the minority group in the Muslim-majority country. A persecuted minority sect, the Ahmadiyya community, was declared non-Muslim in Pakistan through a constitutional amendment in 1974 during the tenure of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Here are more details.
Demolition
600 miscreants demolished mosque while police was just watching vandalism
As local municipal administration started demolishing a private-property of an Ahmadiyya follower, about 600 miscreants demolished the nearby mosque later. The police kept on watching the vandalism and did nothing to prevent the attackers, Ahmadiyya spokesperson Saleemuddin alleged, adding it shows the state institutions have surrendered before the elements that are exploiting in the name of religion in order to fulfill their vested interests.
Punishable offense
Ahmadiyyas calling themselves as Muslims is a punishable offense
"Ahmadiyya places of worship have been under attack in the past as well, and so far not even a single culprit has been brought to justice," Saleemuddin alleged. Ahmadiyya people aren't allowed to call their place of worship as mosques. Former president General Ziaul Haq had made it a punishable-offense for Ahmadiyyas to call themselves Muslims or to refer to their faith as Islam.
Information
Ahmadiyyas also banned from traveling to Saudi Arabia
The community is also banned from preaching as well as from traveling to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage. They are also not allowed to publish any material propagating their faith. Members of the Ahmadiyya community in Pakistan have often been targeted, including in terror attacks.