livemint.com: Aakar Patel

I wrote this piece for the two Pakistani newspapers where I write columns, but they did not publish it. These papers are quite liberal, and their editors open-minded. This is the first time they’ve done this, and I see their point. The subject is difficult.

It is about a sect of Muslims, originally all Punjabi, who are disliked in India and Pakistan. They are called Ahmadis, from the sect’s founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. Or they are called Qadianis, from Mirza Ahmad’s hometown of Qadian in Gurdaspur on the Indian side.

Muslims in both India and Pakistan think Qadianis are apostates, betrayers of Islam, what is called murtaddin Arabic. Pakistan’s passport application forms have this declaration that all Muslims must sign: “I consider Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Quadiani to be an imposter nabi and also consider his followers whether belonging to the Lahori or Quadiani group, to be non-Muslims.”

Why force Muslims to sign this? Actually, the reason for this cruel wording is to ensure that Ahmadis do not sign it. But why? To deny them access to Mecca, where Saudis permit Muslims alone to enter. Pakistan’s four million Ahmadis are denied their religious obligation of Haj through this device. Pakistan’s electorate is separated into Muslim and non-Muslim categories. This means Ahmadis cannot vote in Pakistan, because the state doesn’t recognize them as Muslim and Ahmadis don’t consider themselves non-Muslim. Indian Ahmadis are more fortunate, but not because Indian Muslims are more open-minded.

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