Do I have the right to remain Ahmadi?
In 1966, nearly 180 million people in the US received Miranda rights – the right to remain silent to avoid self-incrimination. Half a century later, a religious community in Pakistan, another country of nearly 180 million people, is facing a rather caustic version of the Miranda rights. They don’t have the right, but a duty, to remain silent. The religious group is the Ahmadiyya community. Two recent events frame the issue aptly. First, on January 29, 2012, clerics organized an anti-Ahmadiyya rally in Rawalpindi, attended by 5,000 madrassah students, chanting threatening anti-Ahmadiyya slogans and demanding to take over a 17-year-old Ahmadiyya ‘place of worship’. Then on February ...
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Praying, the Malaysian way
“Baba, I want to offer prayers with you,” my daughter said to me one day. I treated the words quite casually and told her that she could join me. Nevertheless, I was amazed when she started reciting ‘Surah Fateha’ and a few other Quranic verses on the prayer mat. I lost my concentration and started listening to her. Tears came to my eyes and I was grateful to the Almighty. In Malaysia, my daughter had accompanied me to the masjid (mosque) a couple of times before. I used to join the jamat (congregation) as she ran around the spacious halls. As soon as ...
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Screeching at the pulpit: Is this Islam?
Whenever I face a problem in my daily life, I turn to the Holy Quran. If I cannot find what I am looking for there, my second option is always the mosque. Unfortunately, I am often disappointed. Imams and maulvis are seldom able to provide me with guidance. This is in stark contradiction to the time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). At that time, mosques played a vital role and people used to come to Muhammad (pbuh) and share all kinds of problems – financial, physical, emotional, or psychological – with him. My conversation with a maulvi reiterated the unfortunate reality of sermons in mosques today. I work for a telecommunication company, and the ...
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Blood in Ramazan: From Khyber to Karachi
Muslim worshippers of the Jamrud area of Kyber agency were brutally blown to death, during Friday prayers today, the 18th roza of Ramazan this year. The blast left over 50 people dead and numerous injured. This isn’t the first time a mosque has been attacked. Most of us remember how only a few years ago mosques were the target of sectarian attacks; in fact, there was a mosque attack in March this year. Ramzan is supposed to be a blessed month; but this year has been particularly ‘bloody’ for the people of Pakistan. In Karachi, over ...
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Gender apartheid in the Muslim world
Before we had started praying, a man came running towards us from the front rows and forced us to stop. I was out of sorts and felt really embarrassed in front of about fifty men, when they turned around with eyes gazing at us fixedly, as if we had committed an act of blasphemy. “But you are not allowed here.” He took us to a dark, dingy warehouse on the far right. “Pray here,” he said. I looked around. It was a deserted room with unwashed utensils and dirty clothes scattered everywhere. Not allowed? I kept thinking to myself. Why on earth ...
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Million dollar mosques surrounded by hungry Muslims
I came across a BBC article about the grandest mosque in Abu Dhabi. Built in 2007, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque can accommodate up to 40,000 worshippers under its 57 domes. The breathtaking architecture is the result of a deliberate attempt to represent the many cultures within the Islamic world by incorporating Arab, Mughal, Moorish, and Turkish designs. The interior boasts the largest chandelier and hand-woven carpet in the world. Beautiful? Absolutely. Worth it? Not so sure. In a region where we’ve recently seen people take to the streets due to economic, financial, and social hardships, it makes me a little ...
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Fear and self-loathing in Pakistan
When I returned to Islamabad after five years, I realised how much Pakistan had changed. There were security checks at every entry and exit point of the city and uniformed men looked suspiciously at every car that passed them. “Good job,” I thought after seeing them and assumed they were doing their job properly. But then I noticed that most of the drivers they pulled over had a few similar qualities: they were all men with long beards wearing shalwar kameez. I understand that terrorists are usually in this type of attire but does this give guards the right to stop ...
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It is time to reclaim the mosque
The battle for blasphemy reform is not over. It needs a change of strategy. Currently it has consisted of people demanding a change in the laws but to little effect. There is a need to get various influential lobbies and stakeholders involved. One of them is the mosque. The mosque, as a center of ideas, has been severely under-utilised by reformist Pakistanis which is unfortunate. I’m sure some of us go to the mosque once a week or so. It is time we should engage our maulvis into debate and discussion. Many of them will not change the way they ...
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Historical mosques of Bhera
“Every mohallah (locality) of Bhera town has a building that can boast of belonging to a historical period; like many Hindu and Sikh monuments, a number of buildings of the Muslim period also grace the landscape of Bhera town,” says Professor Yousuf Chauhan, a teacher of Bhera Town. There are many historical mosques in Bhera town of which the mosques of Tughlaq, Khilji and Suri periods are quite prominent, he said. The list of historical mosques in Bhera is long. Qazianwali mosque, Haafizani mosque, Peeranwali mosque, Gondianwali mosques, Hakimwali mosque, Jamia Masjid Mohajirin in Pakhiwaran Mohallah are some of Bhera town’s ...
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Trying to pray in Pakistan: Not as easy as you think
I am not a religious activist, nor do I don a burqa. I stay away from religious discussions and debates because I believe I’m not qualified enough to comment on religious rights and wrongs. However, if there is one thing that I do, and that I’m proud of, is pray. I might not pray well, but I do pray. I’ve prayed in malls, in restaurants, in shops, in mosques and at home. I don’t care if others pray. All I care about is that I get a chance to offer my prayers on time. When I am out at restaurants or shopping, ...
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