The opinions expressed in this section are solely those of the author.
“We believe that states have the primary responsibility for the promotion and protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of its people.” So said Mr. Qazi Saleem Ahmed Khan of Pakistan, on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, on the floor of the UN Human Rights Council just a few weeks ago. Mr. Khan would later lament what Pakistan sees as an “increase in religiously motivated crimes.” It was heartening to hear such remarks from Pakistan. However, as …
After the World War II, nuclear weapons were worshiped to be desirable objects for power and security. All the nuclear weapon states are reluctant to abolish their nuclear warheads and are busy in the arms race. Currently, there are 32 states which have nuclear power reactors and nine states among them have been successful in overtly procuring and producing nuclear weapons and a few states like Iran, South Korea, and Taiwan were suspected of developing nuclear weapons. Moreover, the states …
In 2014, the last year of my bachelors, I was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome, a blood transfusion dependent rare disease causing the red blood cells production to cease. I didn’t know at that time what I would have to go through. I got blood transfusions, tried different medicines but there was no improvement. The only option I was left with was a bone marrow transplant (an expensive procedure with a lot of complications involving high doses of chemotherapy and transplantation …
When one wakes for work in the morning, and leaves for the day, they secure their home by locking the door to ensure their loved ones inside are in safety. They do this not because they despise those outside or don’t care for them, but because they love those inside. This analogy can be used in representing the recent Executive Order signed by President Trump. This order has been scrutinized across the world. Is it a Muslim ban? According to …
Very rarely I put myself in political confabs or depict my views over political issues because I have always been confronted by extreme zealots, but one cannot be aside from the instinct of politics specially in a country like Pakistan where we talk politically, eat politically, play politically, sleep politically etc. Pakistan in my personal stance is the only country where you will find the worst of the worst in all grounds of life. Each nation of the world is …
As Thanksgiving Day approaches, I am reminded of the many reasons why I am thankful. The concept of gratitude in the US began for us five and a half years back when we left Pakistan and came to America. The very first time I stepped on US soil, it felt like my mother took me in her arms. America became our new adopted homeland because life in Pakistan for us became too dangerous. The horrific day came upon us on …
On October 18th, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with the Caliph of Ahmadiyya Muslims, the worldwide head of millions of Ahmadis. Over 30,000 of these Ahmadis, call Canada their home, majority of these Ahmadis migrated from Pakistani Punjab due to religious persecution, similar to the Sikh migration from Indian Punjab. This pattern of immigration intrigued Michael Nijhawan, a professor at York University in Canada. Professor Nijhawan ended up writing a book titled “The Precarious Diasporas of Sikh and Ahmadiyya …
I had a very nice life in Syria. I was an elementary school teacher. I got along with all of my neighbours, whether or not they were the same religion as me. When the war began I lost my whole life—memories, friends and family. I never knew which home would be bombed next. I wasn’t able to help anyone, even my neighbours, because I could be killed if I tried to help them. Each day I would say goodbye to …
I was held at gunpoint. They took me from my home, blindfolded me and interrogated me for four hours. They asked me to prove that I am Muslim. The only thing that stood in the way of death was literally my faith. All I could hear as I sat blindfolded was the sound of a gun cocking and a man repeating that he was going to kill me. I am an Ahmadi Muslim caught in a war between Sunnis and …
A prominent Pakistani Shia rights activist has come under fire after her views against a persecuted Muslim sect were made public. Gul e Zehra Rizvi who is the central president of Imamia Student Organization (ISO) has been active in organizing protests against the targeted killing of Shia Muslims in Pakistan. Rizvi has been trying to raise awareness against ‘Shia Genocide’ and has called for action against the outlawed sectarian outfit ASWJ (Ahle Sunnat Wal Jammat) which along with other extremist organizations …
It was a relatively cool evening in Rabwah, a few days ago. I was there on an invitation to attend an enthralling seminar on “The shroud of Turin”, held in a state of the art Auditorium of Nusrat Jehan College for girls. My host was the exuberant Faateh Bajwa, deputy director of Ahmadiyya community’s central education Department, referred to as Nazarat Taleem. After the seminar, I was shown around, and I must confess I was dumbstruck by the sprawling campus, …
The Ahmadis have been long the subject of extreme animosity and defamation by other sects of Islam within Britain and for years have dealt with physical as well as a verbal abuse from Muslims who consider them heretics. The Ahmadis migrated to Britain to escape the persecution in countries like Pakistan where their faith has been declared illegal by law. However, Britain has not stopped the extremists from hunting them down, Just this year an Ahmadi shopkeeper was stabbed to …