Source: Dailytimes
* Speakers say religions teach peace, brotherhood, protection of others’ rights
Staff Report
LAHORE: All religions teach peace, brotherhood, protection of others’ rights and promote tolerance. There should be dialogue, understanding, cooperation, harmony to remove misunderstanding among different faiths, said notable scholars from various religions on Saturday.
They were addressing an iftar dinner organised by Peace and Harmony Network Pakistan. State Minister for Interfaith Harmony Akram Masih Gill, Coordinator to President Naveed Chaudhry, Member of Punjab Assembly (MPA) Arifa Khalid, Peace and Harmony Network Chairman Maulana Zubair Abid, Co-Chairman Bishop Dr Andrew Francis and Coordinator Javaid William also attended the gathering.
Addressing the gathering, Akram Gill said that religious minorities should be protected all over the world. He said that it must be the government’s responsibility to safeguard citizens without any discrimination. “We need to respect all regardless of religion, race and colour. We also need to promote tolerance and forgiveness,” he said.
He told the gathering that the Ministry of Interfaith Harmony had announced 10 religious festivals of minorities to be celebrated officially in Pakistan, including Besakhi, Diwali, Holi, Eid-e-Rizwan, Chilim Juhst, Nauroze, Christmas and Easter. Besides celebrating these festivals, adequate security measures will also be taken at all worship places of the minorities, he said.
He said that every religion teaches peace, brotherhood to protect rights of others and to promote tolerance. “We should have dialogue, understanding, cooperation, harmony and to remove misunderstanding among different faiths,” he said. The Ministry of Interfaith Harmony has launched a national campaign to promote interfaith harmony, he said, adding that this campaign will help promote national unity and harmony in society.
Categories: Asia, Interfaith tolerance, Pakistan
Sadly their understanding of interfaith harmony does not include Ahmadies. Even if it does they cannot utter a word, or else be graded as infidels.
Inshallh Allah always did and will be always by the side of Ahmadies. Insha’Allahul Aziz.
At last that would be a very interesting agenda and a good turn-around but lets hope they “walk-the-talk” and not just merely discuss to please the world. InsyaAllah let there be a change even ‘a small-change of thought’.
UNTIL & UNLESS, Seal of the prophets Hadhrat MUHAMMAD,SAW,, who prophesied in the LAST AGE ” KHILAFAT ALA MINHAJE NUBUWA” is not obeyed and followed HARMONY,PEACE,TOLERENCE AND ALL OTHER BEAUTIFUL ADJECTIVES OF CO-EXISTANCE ARE JUST VERBOSITY! Promised Messiah established in 1889 A TRUE PEACEFUL AHMADIYYA MUSLIM JAMMA’T AND A DIRECT DESCENDANT OF HADHRAT UMMER OF ARABIA HADHRAT HAKIM MAULANA NOOR UL DIN WAS APPOINTED BY ALLAH THROUGH THE VIRTUOUS, PIOUS and RIGHTEOUS MOMENEEN IN 1908 AS THE KHALIFA TUL MASIH FIRST.KHILAFAT E AHMADIYYA HAS IN THE COURSE OF 104 YEARS CHANGED THE HEARTS & MINDS OF OVER TWO HUNDRED MILLION HUMAN BEINGS IN 200 COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD AS PEACEFUL AHMADIYYA MUSLIMS APPRECIATED & ADMIRED BY THE GOVERNMENTS AND TOP POLITICIANS OF THESE COUNTRIES EXCEPT PAKISTAN! There have been many attempts in the past CENTURY by GOOD people to achieve this NOBLE aim but non succeeded.History authentically has recorded their fruitless efforts, DEVOID OF THE BLESSINGS OF “KHILAFAT ALA MJNHAJE NABUWA” EVEN, THE KHILFAT MOVEMENT OF INDIA SUPPORTED BY MR GHANDI (Bapoo of Indian political CONGRESS ) FAILED IN UTTER DESTRUCTION OF POOR IGNORANT MUSLIMS-LED BY the Indian “MOLVIES”-PIGS AND MONKEYS AS APTLY MENTIONED BY HADHRAT MUHAMMAD,SAW, FIFTEEN CENTURIES AGO. I request my PAKISTANI NON-AHMADIYYA MUSLIM BROTHERS & SISTERS TO STUDY AND UNDERSTAND THE PROFOUND SAYINGS OF MY BELOVED, MUHAMMAD,SAW, AND BENEFIT LIKE THE AHMADIYYA MUSLIMS WHO ARE ESTABLISHING, BY ALLAH’S WILL & MERCY, UNDER THE BLESSED KHILAFAT E AHMADIYYA. OUR PRESENT BELOVED AMEER UL MOMENEEN HADHRAT MIRZA MASROOR AHMAD KHALIFA TUL MASIH V RECENTLY CONCLUDED AN EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL TOUR OF EUROPE, U S A and CANADA – IT SHOULD BE AN EYE OPENER FOR THE ENEMIES OF AHMADIYYAT!!! WE AHMADI MUSLIMS FOLLOW THE HOLY QURAN & SUNNAH OF MUHAMMAD,SAW,-SO WE REAP THE BLESSINGS & REWARDS OF ALMIGHTY ALLAH, WHO SENT THE PROMISED MESSIAH & KHILAFAT E AHMADIYYA IN THE WORLD TO MAKE PEACEFUL,HARMONIOUS AND REAL ISLAM PREVAIL OVER ALL OTHER “DOGMAS & CREEDS”. WE WILL ,INSHA ALLAH, ESTABLISH CITIES OF “PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE” LIKE THE PEACE VILLAGE IN CANADA ALL AROUND THE WORLD-YOU WILL WITNESS THE TRUTH OF THE PROMISED MESSIAH HADHRAT MIRZA GHULAM AHMAD OF QADIAN’S PROPHECY IN THE NEXT TWO CENTURIES,INDEED!-PLEASE FACE -FACTS OF HISTORY-GLARING AT YOU!!!!!
I forgot to mention THE POLITICAL AIMS, DISGUISED AS “ISLAMIC” by BHUTTOO,ZIA and AMIR FAISAL CARRIED OUT WITH POMP & SHOW, PUBLICISED REPEATEDLY IN THE PRESS OF PAKISTAN ENDED IN ZERO-CYPHER IN TERMINOLOGICAL INAXECTITUDE AS Sir WINSTON CHURCHILL-THE GREAT PRIME MINISTER OF U K WOULD HAVE DESCRIBED!!!-I REALLY VERY HUMBLY REQUEST MY DEAR PAKISTANI CITIZENS TO LEARN “PRACTICALLY LESSONS OF HISTORY-EVEN THE HOLY QURAN EXHORTS THIS WAY OF RECTIFICATION & MODIFICATION and REFORMATION OF HUMAN VALUES,INDEED!”-I LOVE PAKISTAN BUT SOME “BLACK SHEEP” ARE TARNISHING THE PAKISTAN OF QUID-E-AZAM MOHAMMAD ALI JINNAH!DO LEARN A LESSON OF INTER-FAITH FORUMS OF U K-I SPEAK AS VICE-CHAIRMAN OF BEXLEY & THAMESMEAD MULTI-FAITH FORUMS OF LONDON-WE PRACTICE THIS GOLDEN TEACHING OF THE HOLY QURAN HERE IN UK!!!! NO RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY IS PERSECUTED BY LAW-A TRUE ISLAMIC TEACHING, LIKE THE”FIRST MUSLIM STATE MEDINA HEADED BY THE PROPHET OF ISLAM IN ARABIA” TALKING IS VERY EASY BUT WALKING IS DIFFICULT BUT IN AMERICA FREEDOM OF RELIGION IS OBSERVED IN THE LAW!! PAKISTANI LAW ABOUT RELIGIOUS BELIEFS MUST FOLLOW THE HOLY QURAN”
All Ahmadi Asylum and Protection Claims will benefit from KM (Zimbabwe)
KM (Zimbabwe) v SSHD [2012] UKSC 38
By: Muzaffar Mansoor Solicitor Advocate of Dean Manson Solicitors, 7th August 2012
The Supreme Court of England handed down judgment in the appeal of KM on 25 July 2012 along with a joined appeal called RT. It deals with issues of general public importance in relation to the Refugee Convention.
The Appellant had argued that there was a real risk of persecution for a Refugee Convention ground because he would have to show positive loyalty to their President Mugabe’s regime and to the so called “War Veterans” that man road blocks in Zimbabwe.
KM had claimed that he would not be able to get beyond the roadblocks and would not be able to show the positive loyalty which the potential assailants will expect of him. He also asserted he should not be expected to prevaricate at such roadblocks so as to avoid persecution because to do so would breach the Refugee Convention. He asserted that the Refugee Convention is there to assist those just like him in such circumstances. He sought for broader reading of the Refugee Convention.
The Supreme Court approved the KM’s submissions and said it is the badge of a truly democratic society that individuals should be free not to hold opinions. They should not be required to hold any particular religious or political beliefs. The Court said that is as important as the freedom to hold and (within certain defined limits) to express such beliefs as they do hold. The Court agreed that one of the hallmarks of totalitarian regimes is their insistence on controlling people’s thoughts as well as their behaviour. The Supreme Court did cite George Orwell in his novel 1984 “Thought Police”.
The idea “if you are not with us, you are against us” pervades the thinking of dictators. From their perspective, there is no real difference between neutrality and opposition.
The Supreme Court noted that in the extreme, repressive and anarchic conditions which are in Zimbabwe, the risk of being persecuted is all too real and predictable, albeit, on the evidence currently available, the incidence of that persecution is likely to be both random and arbitrary.
The Supreme Court also upheld the submissions made on behalf of KM that as a general proposition, the denial of refugee protection on the basis that the person who is liable to be the victim of persecution can avoid it by engaging in mendacity is one that this court should find deeply unattractive, if not indeed totally offensive. Even more unattractive and offensive is the suggestion that a person who would otherwise suffer persecution should be required to take steps to evade it by fabricating a loyalty, which he or she did not hold, to a brutal and despotic regime. The Secretary of State’s arguments that sought to refer to “marginal” and “core” human rights were therefore unanimously rejected and the Appellant’s appeal was allowed. Lord Dyson referred to this case as being the “sequel” to its judgment in the landmark decision of HJ (Iran) v SSHD.
My view is that all previously failed Zimbabwean asylum and protection claims need to be reviewed in light of this judgment. This case will also benefit all Ahmadi cases as the anti-Ahmadi stance in Pakistan forms similar situation wherein they are required to hide or pretend to be non Muslim because of fear. Indeed I envisage there will be a large number of appeals that will now be revived, not least because the Upper Tribunal’s Country Guidance decision in MJ & ZM is outdated in the light of MT Ahmadi – HJ (Iran) case upheld by the Court of Appeal in earlier cases too.