The recent murder of Ahmadi Muslim shopkeeper Asad Shah has sent shockwaves across Britain. Ahmadiyya Muslims who are considered heretics and face severe persecution at the hands of extremist Muslims across Asia but this the first time an Ahmadi has been murdered for his religious belief’s in UK.
Asad ShahShah who was a resident of Glasgow was much loved by the local community and his horrific murder has got people talking about sectarian violence within the Muslim community, something that has largely been ignored by both the British Media and Politicians. In 1985 The Times London published an article warning Britain about the “Muslim feud” that was being imported from Pakistan.
Three decades later the feud has claimed it’s first victim, Asad Shah. Friend & locals described Shah as a wonderful gentle man who cared deeply for his community. Every year he would print out his own Christmas cards with personal messages for customers and neighbors.
Police have described the murder as a religiously prejudiced attack and confirmed that both men were Muslims. Tanveer Ahmed, 32, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, is accused of killing Asad Shah.
Since the case is still in courts Police have not released any more information on the killer or his motives but the religious fanatics have not shied away from naming and glorifying the killer. Facebook page of an anti-Ahmadiyya extremist group KhatmeNabuwat which has offices in London ‘Congratulated all Muslims’ on the death of Qadiani [Ahmadi] Asad Shah. In the past KhatmeNabuwat’s Pakistani leaders have declared Ahmadis to be ‘Infidels’ and ‘WajibulQatal‘ (Worthy to be Killed).
KhatmeNabuwat’s hate against Ahmadiyya Muslims
KhatmeNabuwat office in London
The extremist group KhatmeNabuwat which is based out of ForestGate, London has also hosted prominent Pakistani hate preachers which include Molana Ilyas Chinioti and Molana Allah Wasaya.
Ilyas Chinioti
Ilyas Chinioti is an active supporter of SSP, a banned Pakistani militant group referred to as SSP or ‘Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan‘.
In a recent news report BBC exposed SSP’s ties to Glasgow Central Mosque, Asad Shah’s shop was just 2 miles away from the Mosque.
Ilyas Chinioti has also served as a member of Punjab’s Provincial Assembly from 2008 to 2013 and during his time in office he called on the Government to Stop supporting Ahmadis and asked the Federal Government stop providing basic services to his Ahmadi constituents. Chinioti also asked the central Government to take land ownership rights of Rabwah away from Ahmadis. Speaking to the banned militant outfit SSP’s rally in 2012 he made his position on Blasphemy law clear by saying that Blasphemers should be killed.
Allah Wasaya
As for Molana Allah Wasaya, He was a guest speaker at the 2014 KhatmeNabuwat Conference hosted by the now infamous Glasgow Central Mosque. Wasaya has declared Ahmadi Muslims to be Zindeeq, a term used for those who are criminally dissident to the Islamic faith. In another KhatmeNabuwat conference which was attended by Wasaya another speaker defined the term Zindeeq as some who is an Apostate and WajibulQatal (Worthy of Death). In 2009 Wasaya threatened then Governor of Punjab Salman Taseer with death after he spoke against the unfair use of Blasphemy laws, Taseer was killed in 2011 by his own bodyguard Mumtaz Qadri, who was hanged this year in Feburary. In another surprise turn of events, just after Asad Shah’s murder the BBC published a story that revealed Imam Maulana Habib Ur Rehman of Glasgow Central Mosque had used the messaging platform WhatsApp to show his support for Taseer’s killer Mumtaz Qadri.
At another gathering Allah Wasaya told the audience how a claimant of a Prophethood was killed for claiming prophethood. Speaking at another gathering in 2010 in Manchester, UK he criticized Love for all, Hatred for None bus ads placed on London buses by Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. On 28th May 2010 two Ahmadiyya Mosques in Lahore, Pakistan were attacked by terrorists which resulted in the death of over 90 Ahmadis. Shortly after Allah Wasaya spoke at a KhatmeNabuwat conference in London and claimed that the Ahmadis attacked their own Mosques with the help of Pakistani intelligence agencies.
The Dawat e Islami’s Role in the killing of Asad Shah
Facebook profile of Tanveer Attari Qadri
On Tuesday March 29th, Tanveer Ahmed, from Bradford appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court charged with the murder of Asad Shah. Police did not reveal much details about the killer but extremists were quick to own the killer as someone who had ‘sent a an apostate to hell‘. Social media posts mostly from Pakistan flooded Facebook and Twitter calling him #GhaziTanveer (Warrior Tanveer).
Soon after pictures of the alleged killer also started flooding Dawt-e-Islami related Facebook pages along with the picture of Mumtaz Qadri, who was hanged by Pakistan for killing former Governor Salman Taseer.
Dawat-e-Islami extremists also shared Tanveer’s Facebook profile which uses the name ‘Tanveer Attari Qadri al Husaini‘ in Urdu and is filled with facebook posts praising killer Mumtaz Qadri and Dawat-e-Islami. The practice of adding Attari and Qadri to one’s name is common among Dawat-e-Islami members. Taveer’s Facebook posts from March 24th, the day of the killing are all in praise of different individuals who killed blasphemers. His last post is in praise of Mumtaz Qadri. The only TV channel he has liked on his Facebook profile is Madani Channel, which is run by Dawat-e-Islami from the town of Rochdale, UK. The same town made headlines in 2012 after child sex grooming activities of a Pakistani gang came to light.
Dawat-e-Islami’s website describes Ahmadis as Kafir (Infidel) and Murtad (Apostates) and even goes to say that those who disagree are also Kafir (Infidels). The website further says:
Anyone who believes in a Prophet after Muhammad, It doesn’t matter if they are Ahmadi or not are Murtad (Apostates) and they will be subject to the conditions of Murtads (Apostates). Source
As to the what conditions the Apostates are subject to, Dawat-e-Islami website has a whole section in Urdu language explaining why the punishment for Apostasy is Death, the website further explains a Blasphemer is also an Apostate and hence WajibulQatal (worthy of death). In addition the website states that it is allowed to use force to prevent a person from leaving Islam.
In a program which was aired by Madani TV Cannel, Dawat-e-Islami’s founder Molana Ilyas Qadri decalred that punishment for Blasphemy is death and if an individual kills a Blasphemer he should not be punished.
On 5th April 2016, British MP Siobhan McDonagh wrote to Home Secretary Theresa May to call an urgent meeting to discuss the rise of extremism against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the UK.
Wrote to @ukhomeoffice for urgent meeting on #Ahmadiyya community, whose motto is ‘love for all, hatred for none’ pic.twitter.com/5J6cxi0umW
— Siobhain McDonagh MP (@Siobhain_MP) April 5, 2016