A bigoted and prejudiced bad law

By Yasser Latif Hamdani

Pakistan’s Ordinance XX of 1984 has to rank in human history alongside the worst laws enacted in human history – worse than Jim Crow Laws of the southern states of the United States of America and equal in its bias to the Nuremburg Laws enacted by Nazi Germany against the Jews.  In its viciousness,  the said law is one of a kind in the modern world.  Not only does it crush the freedom of expression and speech but restricts religious freedom in a manner unprecedented in legal history.

The law states:

298-B. Misuse of epithets, descriptions and titles, etc., reserved for certain holy personages or places: (1) Any person of the Quadiani group or the Lahori group who call themselves 'Ahmadis' or by any other name who by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation- (a) refers to or addresses, any person, other than a Caliph or companion of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), as "Ameer-ul-Mumineen", "Khalifatul- Mumineen", Khalifa-tul-Muslimeen", "Sahaabi" or "Razi Allah Anho"; (b) refers to, or addresses, any person, other than a wife of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), as "Ummul-Mumineen"; (c) refers to, or addresses, any person, other than a member of the family "Ahle-bait" of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), as "Ahle-bait"; or (d) refers to, or names, or calls, his place of worship a "Masjid"; shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, and shall also be liable to fine. (2) Any person of the Qaudiani group or Lahori group (who call themselves "Ahmadis" or by any other name) who by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation refers to the mode or form of call to prayers followed by his faith as "Azan", or recites Azan as used by the Muslims, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, and shall also be liable to fine.

298-C. Person of Quadiani group, etc., calling himself a Muslim or preaching or propagating his faith: Any person of the Quadiani group or the Lahori group (who call themselves 'Ahmadis' or by any other name), who directly or indirectly, poses himself as a Muslim, or calls, or refers to, his faith as Islam, or preaches or propagates his faith, or invites others to accept his faith, by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representations, or in any manner whatsoever outrages the religious feelings of Muslims shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years and shall also be liable to fine.

The law violates almost a half dozen of the fundamental rights guaranteed to citizens of Pakistan and is also in utter and total negation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights that Pakistan has signed and ratified. 

Last week the extent to which this law can be misused by the faithful in Pakistan became plainly obvious when two clerics approached a jeweler based in Sargodha belonging to the Ahmadi sect to remove a Quranic verse inside his store.  His refusal to do so led to wanton destruction of property in the jewelry shop followed by the clerics getting an FIR registered against the hapless jeweler under the aforesaid law.

This is just another incident in a long list of incidents. A few weeks ago, Police in Kharian destroyed an Ahmadi “place of worship”. Earlier another such mosque was defaced by local police in another area of Punjab.  This week also saw the terrible attack on Sikh Gurduwara in Wisconsin, US,  by a gunman who seemed to have a right wing racist white supremacist agenda.  A police officer there put himself in harm’s way to defend the Sikh congregation.  The contrast between a civilized country and an uncivilized country cannot be clearer.

Shame on all Pakistanis collectively for a. allowing this law to exist b. for discriminating against a forced minority in this manner.

At least I am in not proud to be a Pakistani.