LAHORE:
The police destroyed six minarets at a place of worship for Ahmadis in Kharian city on Tuesday night.
The dome-like structures were taken down in Bait-ul-Hamd by policemen on an application of some members of the Tehreek-e-Tahafuzz-e-Islam, a religious organisation affiliated with the Barelvi sect.
The organisation asked the police to take action under Section 298-B and C of the Pakistan Penal Code, according to which it is illegal for Ahmadis to ‘act or look’ like Muslims, or call their places of worship ‘mosques’.
However, no court order was issued regarding the demolition of these minarets and while SHO Raja Zahid claims the decision came “after a mutual consensus,” the community begs to differ.
At about 9:15 pm on Tuesday policemen, under the supervision of DSP Sultan Meeran went to the place of worship near Kabari Bazaar in the Pul Nullah area of the city.
Six minarets of the double-storey building were demolished, whereas two others, which were bigger in size, could not be taken down due to a lack of skilled labour. The police decided they would be taken down later, said the Ahmadiya community’s area representative, Nasir Dar.
SHO Raja Zahid said it was an “amicable and peaceful process and 80% of the work has been completed.”
Zahid added that a committee was formed by DSP Sultan Meeran, which mutually decided that the minarets should be demolished to avoid any untoward incident in the peaceful city.
Spokesman for the community Saleemuddin sees the move to mar the building, which was built in 1980, as a violation of rights. “Is there a patent for the design? All kinds of buildings have minarets and domes as part of their designs, why can’t Ahmadis retain the ones built before the 1984 ordinance?”
This is the first time since 1984 that minarets of a place of worship of Ahmadis have been destroyed by the police, though a number of places have been sealed by authorities in the past.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 12th, 2012.
COMMENTS (19)
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All the people sympathising with the Ahamdi's should go through Islamic history first and see what the First Khalifa Hazrat Abu Bakar Siddiq (RA) did to the ones claiming false prophet hood soon after the demise of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). These people will get their answer. Lastly , religious freedom is something else and trying to mutilate and twist the core dogma of an established religion and calling it the "true" faith is something else and needs to be condemned in the strongest manner !
the only and only jihad we need is against Mullahs and intolerance.
Awful, illegal, incorrect & straight up harassment of a minority group in PK!
This is wrong onany levels: Why? Reason below
1) Police dept has no right to demolish a structure if a group of people believe its illegal in any way. By constitution they should refer the matter to the court to make a decision. What police did here is equivalent to hanging a person accused by some (but never tried by legal courts). Since when police officers became court judges?
2) Even if the structure resembled Muslim place of worship, this structure (apparently) was errected before the law came into affect, since there is no provision for demolition of pre-existing structures, act of police is violation of various laws.
3) What right does a DSP have to form committees that have powers to order a demolition?
Supreme court should be taking action against the police foremost. I can not believe this. The version of Islam I am taught at home & school doesn't allow such harassment.
Let's us all not be blinded in the name is ISLAM, we are humans first, we must all respect each other at the least.
@muhammad tariq zafar: Mr.Zafar. Do you want to say, that the defination of a Muslim were not prescribed by Hazrat Mohammad saw before?? And if it was written before these Mullah had tried to change it after 1400 Years then I would ask you: whos defination of becoming a Muslim is to be strong textauthorized????please open your eyes.Because if this Mullah made so called defination of muslim is true then you will have to accept that the Defination of our beloved Prophet Hazrat Mohammad saw for muslims was not complete. That means the Islam was not complete at that time. None of any school of thoughts is allowed to change the beautiful teachings of Islam. And being a Muslim is one's obligation to follow the Laws of Land as long as these are not interfering in one's belief. May Allah guides you.
@ muhammad tariq zafar: Mr. M,T.Zafar you looks like an educated person , plz correct your information the law against Ahmadies came in 1984 and after that Ahmadies Dont Construct their mosques with minarates & mehraabs but this Khariaan Mosque is constructed before 1980 & their is'nt any world constitution that Ahmadiyya worship places's Minarat's Constructed before the Law Should be demolished , if you read again what ahmadi spokesman said to media , you will easily understand that Police done too much more what the agreed together before the action. thanx
@Kamran: Laws r to be fallowed untile changed.
@meeran: We r not here to judge true muslims but if all school of thougnts ' comstitution of pakistan and other relevent laws declare that such and such people r not muslims then it is obligatery on that community to fallow the law.if someone without any proper education wears the uniform of doctor' advocate' armyman etc he will be procecuted as per law and he donot claim any immunity.qadianes r not muslims thy should challenge the laws r fallow the law
Police did according to the law. But the law is wrong.
If police was did something wrong it was wrong , but when the law is wrong its alarming.
"Tehreek-e-Tahafuzz-e-Islam" I didnot know god needed protection as well.... but who knows it is Pakistan after all........everyone is worried.
@meeran: It is according to lslam and law of this land.ahmadies are non muslms and thy shpuld fallow theaw and the constitution
Very Sad News. May Allah show our mullah right path.
It is against islam
The people with weak Argument are always worried and go after for those people who can challenge them in any regard and resort to violence out of Fear and same is the case here.. By demolishing some place of worship if someone consider themselves the champion of some religion then sorry to say I have doubts for the followers of such Religion. We want freedom of Religion in Europe and in America but when we come in Majority like in Saudia Arabia and in Pakistan then Human Rights become the Privilege right of the Majority while A Minority could be persecuted with no regard for humanity.
Dooms day is not far away and Pakistan figures at the top, the list of countries prepared by the Almighty for special treatment.
2012 is the new 1984. Some things never change