Hello and welcome to the details of Backlash from Islamists forces Pakistan top court to amend ruling guaranteeing rights of persecuted Ahmadis and now with the details
Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - Supporters of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party gather near the capital's "red zone", to protest against Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa over the court's ruling on the Ahmadiyya sect, in Islamabad on August 22, 2024. — AFP pic
ISLAMABAD, Aug 23 — A judge in Pakistan yesterday said the country’s Supreme Court would amend a ruling that recognised some religious freedoms for the persecuted Ahmadiyya minority, after weeks of widespread protests from far-right Islamist groups.
The Ahmadiyya sect, considered heretical by fundamentalist groups, has been persecuted for decades in Pakistan, but threats and intimidation have risen in recent years.
The Supreme Court in a July ruling had said that while Ahmadis are declared non-Muslim, they have the right to practise and preach their faith within their homes, places of worship, and institutions, as long as they do not use Muslim terms.
However, the ruling sparked nationwide protests and calls from various religious parties, scholars and the government to review the ruling.
“The religious scholars had expressed their reservations on the Supreme Court decision,” said Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, who was heading a three-member bench.
“We have accepted the federal government’s plea to clarify the decision and we are omitting the controversial paragraph.”
“The detailed verdict will be announced later,” he added.
The protection for Ahmadis to practise their faith at home was included in a ruling that gave bail to an Ahmadi accused of blasphemy.
The backlash that followed included a bounty put on the head of the chief justice by a leader of the radical Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, which wields massive street power.
“It is quite rare that the Supreme Court takes up an application when both appeal and review have already been exhausted,” Osama Malik, an independent lawyer based in Islamabad, told AFP.
“Diluting the judgement has diminished the scant hope that had been offered to persecuted minorities,” he added.
Roads leading to Pakistan’s capital were restricted yesterday and educational institutes were ordered to remain closed ahead of the case hearing.
Ahead of the announcement, hundreds of supporters of Islamist parties gathered and chanted slogans near the court.
“Qazi Faez Isa has deeply hurt millions of Muslims with his verdict,” said 32-year-old protester Alyan Ahmed, a member of TLP.
“We are prepared to go to any lengths if this decision is not reversed,” he added.
Ahmadis consider themselves Muslims, and their faith is identical to mainstream Islam in almost every way.
But their belief that the movement’s founder Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was the “mahdi” or messiah has marked them to many as blasphemous unbelievers, particularly in Pakistan.
There are around 500,000 Amadis in Pakistan according to their community leadership.
The constitution has branded them non-Muslims since 1974, and a 1984 law forbids them from claiming their faith as Islamic or openly practising Islamic rituals. — AFP
These were the details of the news Backlash from Islamists forces Pakistan top court to amend ruling guaranteeing rights of persecuted Ahmadis for this day. We hope that we have succeeded by giving you the full details and information. To follow all our news, you can subscribe to the alerts system or to one of our different systems to provide you with all that is new.
It is also worth noting that the original news has been published and is available at Malay Mail and the editorial team at AlKhaleej Today has confirmed it and it has been modified, and it may have been completely transferred or quoted from it and you can read and follow this news from its main source.
