This sad and deplorable incident, which is just
another one in a chain of many, indicates failures of many classes and
groups. Some are quite obvious but some are not talked about as much as
they should be. It’s obvious that it’s a failure of the government which
has turned a blind-eye towards the most fundamental of its duties;
protecting the rights of the citizens of the country. It’s also obvious
that it’s a failure of civil society that lets parts of it, the
religious goons, do their heart’s desire to religious minorities. I
don’t know of any civil organization that is working towards getting
Ahmedies the same status as the rest of the citizenry in Pakistan.
The not-so-obvious failure is the failure of Jamaat
Ahmediyya’s own leadership. In past many years, I have seen such
incidents on a regular basis and I have been unable to see appropriate
response from the leadership of Jamaat. I would like to know what kind
of, if any, legal representation Jamaat has provided these students. And
please don’t tell me that it would be futile. Even when you are certain
that it won’t be dispensed, the pursuit of justice is never futile. It
gives hope and moral courage to the persecuted. I would do it just to
waste time and money of the establishment that expelled/suspended these
students. That can deter that and other institutions from taking such
steps in future. I would hire a stellar team of lawyers and take the
college to the court. I don’t think Jamaat can complain about shortage
of funds. Even if that is the case, let’s have one less Jalsa this year
and help save 23 careers.
I would also like to know who the leadership of
Jamaat has reached out in this case. Have they reached out to
international human rights organizations? Have they started a
letter-campaign to make activist organizations involved? Or this
incident is just going to be treated like many others by making it a
subject of a Friday sermon and then forgetting about it. Things take
much more than just "duas" to happen.
With all due respect to my Ahmedi friends, they
need to take their leadership to task on such matters. Their leadership,
sporting a lavish life-style in “exile” while Ahmedies living under
perpetual fear in Pakistan and Bangladesh, is no better than the
leadership of various political parties who love the backing of their
supporters but hightail out of Pakistan at the first hint of trouble
leaving their followers behind to suffer.
Rafi Aamer