Dr. Iftikhar Ayaz
The Ahmadiyya Muslims are now a
well recognised and a well respected community in the world. They are known to
be law abiding, peace loving and completely non violent. Their teachings
prohibit protests, demonstrations, industrial strikes and agitations. They have
shown great dignity in enduring the pangs of persecution in Pakistan and
elsewhere. Just last week over a hundred of their members while offering the
weekly Friday prayers in the two mosques in Lahore, Pakistan, were barbarically
massacred but they have sustained this catastrophic tragedy in silence. They are
also unique being a community of over 200 million people representing all races,
nations, cultures and languages heralding from over 190 countries of the world
but solemnly united under one spiritual leader divinely designated as ‘Khalifa’.
The community was founded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, India, who claimed to
be the Promised Messiah.
The present khalifa, Mirza
Masroor Ahmad, the fifth Successor of the founder of the community, was
compelled to reside in London, U.K. because of the legislation passed by the
Government of Pakistan prohibiting Ahmadis to practise as Muslims in
Pakistan.
In this brief article it is my
intention to review the services of the Ahmadiyya community to humanity in
general and to Pakistan in particular.
The founder of the community,
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, clearly stated the importance of good relationships with
fellow human beings. He said:
“I admonish you to adhere to two
primary principles- Keep your affairs with Allah on the straight path and treat
the human beings with sympathy and good manners.” (Malfoozat, Volume 9, page
35)
The Ahmadis strongly supported
and struggled for the creation of Pakistan and along with other Muslims migrated
from Qadian, their headquarters in India. The editor of the Newspaper “Rangin,”
Mr. Arjan Singh, writes in his book, Sair-i-Qadian:
“So far as our information goes
we could say with confidence that the Ahmaddiya community is a strong supporter
of the activities of the Muslim League. It is well known that they have besides
contributing thousands of rupees, devoted their efforts for the success of the
Muslim League.”
The Ahmadis were at the
forefront of safeguarding the Muslim Political Rights during the Montague-
Chelmsford Reforms of 1917, when the British Prime Minister Herbert Asquith had
recognised the increasing demand for India’s self-rule. The then Imam of the
Ahmaddiya Muslims, Mirza Bashirudeen Mahmood Ahmad, was invited by the Governor
General of India, Lord Frederick, to address the special conference on the
subject which was held in Delhi on 13th November 1917. Subsequently, the
Ahmadiyya Community played a prominent role in the political developments
leading on to the creation and formation of Pakistan.
An eminent Ahmadi leader, Sir
Muhammad Zafrullah Khan, also played a key role in the politcal negotiations
representing the Muslims of India at the Round Table Conference. Sir Zafrullah
was the President of the All India Muslim League in 1931-1932. Khawaja Hasan
Nizami of Delhi in the Urdu Newspaper ‘Munadi,’ writes in its 24th October 1934
issue about Sir Zafrullah:
“His political sagacity is
greater than any Muslim in India. The Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for
India, the Viceroy, and all British politicians admire his ability and Hindu
leaders too, though reluctantly, acknowledge that this man is their rival- a
very able, effective and accomplished rival. During the Round Table Conference,
every Hindu, Muslim and Englishman acknowledged Chaudhry Zafrullah Khan’s merit
and confessed that amongst the Muslims, Chaudhry Zafrullah is a person who has
full command over the complexities of politics. Zafrullah is faultless and his
character is irreproachable.”
History speaks for itself and
there is no room in this brief exposure to go into detail. However, it is
evident that from the very inception of the All India Muslim League in the
Punjab in 1907, to the partition of the subcontinent in 1947- for forty long
years- the Ahmadiyya community and its eminent members faithfully and
persistently rendered crucial and outstanding services towards the freedom
movement which culminated in the creation of Pakistan.
Sir Zafrullah also had the
distinguished honour of being the first Foreign Minister of Pakistan and in that
capacity he eminently served the cause of the Muslims in Kashmir and Palestine.
After the most disgusting legislation of 1974, when Bhutto declared Ahmadis to
be non-Muslims and then the shameful Ordinance passed by General Zia ul Haq in
1984, the wife of the first Prime Minister of Pakistan, Liaquat Ali Khan, had
this to say as reported in the Daily Dawn, Karachi, July 10th
1985:
“During the past one year,
Newspapers have reported murders of Ahmadi notables in mysterious circumstances.
More recently, hundreds of arrests have been made of members of this peace
loving Community. Those arrested have been reportedly subjected to physical
torture, while the charge against them is usually that of wearing Kalima Tayabba
badges. This situation deserves to be condemned forthrightly without any
reservations. It is known history that while the Ahmadiyya Community supported
the cause of Pakistan, most of Mullah Community, their present persecutors,
opposed the creation of Pakistan tooth and nail. The two great Quaids, Muhammad
Ali Jinnah and Liaquat Ali Khan, appreciated the contribution of Ahmadis towards
the Muslim cause and recognised it by appointing Chaudhry Muhammad Zafrullah
Khan as the first Foreign Minister of Pakistan. In those great days, Pakistan
had not been reduced to a theocratic State, and not only Muslims, regardless of
the auxiliary beliefs, but even Hindus, were given Cabinet posts. The rights of
minorities and small groups were not paid just lip service, but were protected
with deliberate effort.” (Daily Dawn, Karachi, July 10th 1985)
Soon after the formation of
Pakistan, the Ahmadiyya community raised a voluntary ‘Furqan Force Battalion’
for deployment on the Kashmir border.
The Battalion was placed at the
disposal of the Commander in Chief of the Pakistan Army on 10th July 1948. Some
of the Army Officers in this Ahmadi unit were Major Waqiuz-Zaman, Major
Hamidullah and Capt. Nehmatullah Sharif. The entire cost of maintaining Furqan
Force Battalion at the Kashmir front was borne by the Amadiyya community. The
Furqan Force Battalion established a high reputation for discipline, courage,
bravery and an eager spirit of service and sacrifice.
The Ahmadiyya community has
always been at the forefront of services in the cause of the freedom of Muslims,
particularly the Palestinian Arabs. This was acknowledged by the ‘Nawa-e-Waqt’
Magazine of 6th March 1982. It stated:“In their struggle to win their freedom,
the Arab nations were fully represented by Zafrullah Khan at the International
Forum of the UN General Assembly.”
Appreciating the Ahmadiyya
community’s services to the Muslims of Tunisia, Morocco, Iran, Egypt and Jordan,
the famous Egyptian leader Al Sayad Mustafa Momin stated in an interview to the
Associated Press of Pakistan published in various Pakistani Newspapers of 24th
and 25th March 1952: “Chaudhry Muhammad Zafrullah Khan holds an enviable
position in the world of Islam. He is looked upon as a top most Statesman in the
Middle East in general and in Egypt and other Arab countries in particular. By
his forceful support of Tunisia, Morocco, Iran and Egypt at the United Nations,
he has served the cause of Islam in a way no other leader has been able to do
so.”
Of the many Ahmadis who have
rendered selfless sacrifices to the nation of Pakistan, the eminent one is Dr.
Abdus Salam who was a world renowned nuclear physicist. He was awarded the Nobel
Prize in Nuclear Physics. His significant contributions towards the development
of scientific research in Nuclear Physics have been universally
acknowledged.
Commending Dr Salam’s services,
Mr. Ishrat Usmani once the Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission,
said:
“Most of the scientific effort
in Pakistan is in a large measure due to Salam’s imagination and the weight of
his personality. Salam is a symbol of the pride and prestige of our nation in
the world of science.”
General Ayub Khan appointed Dr.
Salam as Chief Scientific Advisor to the President of Pakistan (1961-1974). Dr.
Salam was also the founder and Chairman of the Pakistan Space and Upper
Atmosphere Committee (1961-1964).
Dr. Abdus Salam served as a
Scientific Secretary at the first Atoms for Peace Conference convened by the UN
in Geneva, Switzerland. Later, he also served the cause of world science as the
Director of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste,
Italy.
In recognition of his unique
services, in addition to the Nobel Prize, Dr. Salam was awarded several other
prizes from 19 different nations.
It is very unfortunate for
Pakistan that on account of submission to Islamic extremism, fanaticism, and
Mullah hatred against Ahmadis, Pakistan, by passing legislation in 1974
declaring Ahmadis non-Muslims , lost the unique services to the country of its
two distinguished sons, Sir Chaudhry Muhammad Zafrullah Khan and Dr. Abdus
Salam.
The prejudice against Ahmadis
was so strong, that even after the demise of Dr. Abdus Salam, the Government
removed the word ‘Muslim’ engraved on his epitaph. What a disgrace and what a
shame!
However, such acts of animosity
and ruthless discrimination have never deterred Ahmadis from serving and
sacrificing for Pakistan.
The Ahmadiyya community offered
to the Pakistan Army 15000 soldiers and 199 Officers who were well trained in
the battlefield during the Second World War. They offered unique sacrifices in
the cause of the motherland. In this article, only a sampling of their valiant
and splendid services can be mentioned.
Major Gen. Akhtar Hussain
Malik’s extraordinary planning and speedy execution put the rival troops to
flight in the Chamb Sector during the 1965 War with India. Brigadier Abdul Ali
Malik stood like a rock in the path of the heaviest armoured advance of the
elite Indian War machine.
Squadron Leader Khalifa
Muniruddin Ahmad served in the Air Force with great distinction. Thousands of
Ahmadi officers and ranks in the Armed Forces of Pakistan helped in the defence
of the motherland. The names of Major Munir Ahmad and Major Qazi Bashir also
stand out prominently. There are countless examples of the valour and the
dauntless courage of many Ahmadi soldiers standing tall with their comrades in
arms. Other Ahmadis whose loyalty and devotion were inspiration included Gen.
Chaudhry Ahmad, Gen. Iftikhar Janjua and Air Marshall Nasir Zafar
Chaudhry.
Today, the Ahmadiyya Muslims are
doing all that they can to appease the suffering of humanity, to appease
poverty, and provide health facilities, education, clean drinking water,
alternative energy sources and training in skills leading to economic
development in Africa, Asia, the Far East, the Pacific and other Regions of the
world. They have established a special unit, Humanity First, to respond to all
such needs and also to natural disasters and catastrophes. For the moral and
spiritual education of the world they run a Satellite Television Station (MTA),
which broadcasts in seven languages around the clock every single
day.
Such is this community, with
love for all and hatred for none, serving Islam and humanity devotedly with the
determination to raise the banner of Islam and the dignity of humanity all over
the world and do whatever it can for the welfare and wellbeing of all, without
any discrimination whatsoever.
The Ahmadiyya Muslims have won
respect and admiration from all sections of the world community for their
loyalty and peace loving practices. They have a golden heart for humanity. They
have a track record of people who are honest, hardworking, innovative, reliable,
responsible, and with high morals. They are a treasure for the nation wherever
they are, but unfortunately Pakistan has shelved this treasure of human
resources on account of sheer, meaningless, damaging religious prejudice,
extremism and hatred by passing deliberate legislation and ordinances against
Ahmadis.
Alas! Pakistan would open its
eyes at this very critical juncture in its history and get the Ahmadiyya Muslims
on board to extinguish the rising flames of terrorism, corruption and
devastating situation of law and order in the country.
Dr. Ayaz is the Consul General
of Tuvalu in the United Kingdom. He is also the Senator of World Nations
Congress, the Director of World Media Forum, Vice Chancellor International
Academy of Letters, USA, Universal Peace Federation Ambassador of Peace and a
member on the UN Committee for the Rights of Minorities
Source:
http://www.viewpointonline.net/articles/2010/june2010/images/pic-full-9-june-4.jpg
9:54 PM
Sultan Shahin
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