Asia

83-year-old Ahmadi completes sentence for the crime of “selling books”

Pakistan on Monday released an Ahmadi bookseller amid increasing pressure from American lawmakers and religious freedom advocates. 83-year-old Abdul Shakoor was detained by Pakistani security forces from his small book store in December 2015. He was then put on trial at the Anti-Terrorism Court in Faisalabad for the offense of selling books and was charged under the country’s infamous blasphemy laws. On January 2, 2016, Shakoor was given an eight-year sentence, five-year for violating article 11-W of the 1997 Anti-Terrorism Act …

Abducted Ahmadi doctors found dead in Pakistan

Two Ahmadi doctors who were abducted in northern Pakistan have been found dead. According to the police, Dr Tahir Aziz and Dr. Iftikhar Ahmad went missing from ​​Gali Jagir area of Fateh Jang three days ago. Their Bodies were found Monday morning from the northern part of Paksitan’s Punjab province . Police officials said that Dr Iftikhar Ahmad had returned to Pakistan from the United States a few days back while Dr. Tahir Aziz resided in the capital Islamabad. The …

Muslim leader says Bangladesh should take in ISIS bride Shamima Begum

A top Muslim leader says the IS bride is “not practicing Islam” but should be shown sympathy and adopted by a Muslim country. His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, who represents tens of millions of Ahmadi Muslims worldwide, said that: “If the British Government has stripped her of her nationality then another country should adopt her, any Muslim country,” He added that: “Since her parents were from Bangladesh, the first duty is of Bangladesh to take her as a national.” …

Trump appointed commissioner calls on Pakistan to release Ahmadi bookseller

Religious Freedom Commissioner appointed by U.S. President Trump has called on Pakistan to release Ahmadi bookseller that has been behind bars for the past four years. Johnnie Moore, Commissioner of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), has called on Pakistan to immediately release Abdul Shakoor, an Ahmadiyya Muslim book seller. Pakistani authorities arrested Shakoor in December 2015 for selling an Ahmadiyya commentary on the Qur’an. In a statement issued on February 26, 2019, Commissioner Moore said: “I …

Mahershala Ali wins second Oscar

On Sunday night Mahershala Ali scooped up his second Academy Award to become the first Muslim actor to win multiple Oscars. Ali set the record after winning the award for his performance in the movie “Green Book”. During the acceptance speech, Ali dedicated his win to his grandmother and said: “I want to dedicate this to my grandmother, who has been in my ear my entire life,” he shared. “Telling me that if I first I don’t succeed, try, try …

Pakistani Foreign Minister meets UK Minister of State Lord Tariq Ahmad

On Monday Pakistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi met with UK Minister of State Lord Tariq Ahmad to reaffirm the need for increased cooperation between Pakistan and United Kingdom in trade, investment and education spheres. During the meeting at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in Islamabad, the Pakistani foreign minister acknowledged assistance of UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) for advancement of education and health sectors in Pakistan. The foreign minister acknowledge the contribution made by the Pakistani …

The Iranian who became Pakistan’s First Lady

Begum Nahid Iskandar Mirza died in London on January 23rd, 2019, just two weeks before her 100th birthday. Born Nahid Amir Teymour, she was the first First Lady in the history of Pakistan. When the country became the Islamic Republic and established its own constitution in 1956 — having been a British dominion until then — its National Assembly unanimously elected Iskander Mirza as Pakistan’s first President. It is then that his wife Nahid Amir Teymour became the First Lady. …

Ahmadiyya community condemns attack on Indian forces in Kashmir

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community India has condemned the terrorist attack on Indian forces in Kashmir that took place on Thursday. The suicide car bombing targeted a bus carrying Indian paramilitary personnel in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama District, the resulting blast killed at least 40 people and injured another five. In a press statement India’s Ahmadiyya Muslim Community said: Ahmadiyya Muslim Community strongly condemns the Pulawama terrorist attack on CRPF personnel, We offer our deepest condolences and sympathies to the families of …

Fifty injured as Islamist Groups attack Ahmadis in Bangladesh

Over 50 were injured as Islamist organizations coordinated protests against minority Ahmadiyya Muslims of Bangladesh. Protests led by three Islamist organizations — Sammilito Khatme Nabuwat Shangrakkhan Parishad, Iman Akida Rokkha Committee and Touhidi Janata turned ugly Tuesday afternoon as thousands of students from Islamic seminaries also joined in. There mob vandalized several houses and burned down shops belonging to members of the Ahmadiyya community in Ahmednagar village of Panchagarh. Local media reported that at least 50 people, including police, were …

T.I. College Rabwah marks Kashmir Day with solidarity walk and speeches

On February 5th staff and and students of Government Taleem-ul-Islam College gathered together to express solidarity and support with people of Kashmir. The day was marked with gather to mark annual Kashmir Day with speeches and call for unity. The day was marked with speeches where speakers called for united Kashmir and expressed concern over human rights violations by Indian forces in the disputed region. Speaking at the event, Principal Syed Zia Hasnain Shah said: “Pressure and torture tactics cannot …

Israel shares short video on Ahmadis in Israel

On Wednesday Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs shared a short documentary on the Ahmadiyya Muslims of Israel. The 2-minute video clip was shared by the Ministry’s Arabic twitter handle which caters to Arabic speaking audience. Sharing the video the Ministry said: The Ahmadiyya community in Israel is well known, most of whose members are concentrated in the Kababir neighborhood of Haifa, the Ahmadis believe that Islam is the religion of love and peace and that the Qur’an prohibits violence and …

American doctors volunteer at Pakistani Hospital for Thanksgiving

A Team of American health care professionals lead by two doctors have shared their experience of volunteering at a hospital in Pakistan. The cardiac team spent nine days from their holiday time to volunteer at the Tahir Heart Institute in Rabwah, Pakistan. The team helped perform 13 hearts operations, including two minimally invasive valve replacements, which were the first surgeries of that kind done in the country. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center helped with travel expenses, and Humanity First Pakistan …