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I write in reference
to the expulsion of 23 students from Punjab Medical College on 4th
June 2008 simply due to their membership of the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Jama'at, which is a Community that is based upon teachings of love for
all and hatred for none.
Following pressure from Islami-Jamiat Talaba, an extreme and fanatical
student organisation, the Principal of the Punjab Medical College
issued a formal notice of expulsion of the 23 Ahmadi Muslims who were
studying at the College. The justification for aforementioned
expulsions was both spurious and wholly illogical.
It should be made clear that denying a person education on the basis
of religious differences or prejudices is the highest form of cruelty.
This despicable act has led to great anxiety and worry not just to the
families
of the 23 Ahmadis who have been directly affected but in fact to all
of the millions of Ahmadis who are spread in nearly 200 countries of
the world.
The very fact that such a decision has been taken by a Principal at
one of the most renowned Educational Institutes in Pakistan
illustrates how even the most highly educated in Pakistan are unable
to distance themselves from the longstanding persecution of the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at. Recently the
National Assembly of Pakistan made a submission to the UN Human Rights
Council in which it stated its commitment to investing and supporting
the education of its citizens, as well as safeguarding the rights of
all
minority groups. It is thus most unfortunate that less than one month
later, this violation of basic human rights has been allowed.
I end this letter by urging all peace loving and tolerant people to
take notice of this incident and not stand by and allow the continued
maltreatment of a peace loving minority group to prove that "humanity
is
always first" in the teachings of all religions.
Yours sincerely
Affaf Azhar
www.Affaf.ca |