Muslim Americans Condemn Attack on Pakistan Christians
On August 2, 2010, in Washington DC, Muslim Americans spoke out on the 1 year anniversary of the August 1, 2009 attack on Pakistani Christians in the city of Gojra, Pakistan. The August 1, 2009 mob attack in Gojra resulted in the death of Christian men, women, and children (some burned alive), the burning of churches, and the burning of Christian homes.
A year after the attacks, on August 2, 2010, the Pakistan Christian Congress (PCC)’s Dr. Nazir Bhatti organized a panel discussion in Washington DC to remember the attacks and the continuing attacks against religious minorities. Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)’s Jeffrey Imm commented on the attacks against Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs, but also pointed out that attacks against religious minorities of Sufi Muslims, Shiite Muslims, and Ahmadiyya Muslims but also not be forgotten, including the recent terrorist attacks on Ahmadiyya Muslim mosques, and that all such intolerance, oppression, and violence comes from the same root of hatred that we must jointly oppose. In his own speech, Dr. Nazir Bhatti condemned all forms of extremists, including an American Christian pastor who seeks to burn the Qur’an.
Three of the invited panel members at the August 2, 2010 discussion were Muslim Americans and they spoke to reject the oppression of Christians and other Pakistani minorities.
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Muslim American Mujeeb Ijaz, Assistant National Director of Public Affairs for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, spoke to the attack on Gojra as un-Islamic, and quoted a historical reference on an Islamic charter of privileges that calls for Muslims not harm Christians.
Muslim-American Mujeeb Ijaz, Assistant National Director of Public Affairs for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
– Video of Mujeeb Ijaz on Charter, MP3 audio file of Mujeeb Ijaz statement
“In 628 AD, a delegation of the monks of St Catherine had visited Holy Prophet Mohammad and requested a guarantee for the security and peace for the Christians. In response, the Prophet gave them a Charter (a written undertaking) which is preserved to this day some 1400 years later. The monastery of St Catherine is situated at the foot of Mount Sinai of today’s Egypt and is the oldest Christian monastery in the world.”
“The Charter granted by the Holy Prophet to the Christians is presented below:”
“‘This message is from Muhammad, son of Abdullah, which has the status of an undertaking for those who have far and near accepted the religion of Christianity that we are with them. In fact, my sub-ordinates, my associates, my companions and my followers will defend them because the Christians are our citizens, and I swear by Allah that I dislike everything which makes them unhappy.’
‘Let there be no compulsion on them. Neither their judges should be removed from their posts nor should their monks be removed from their places of worship. Let no one destroy their places of worship, let no one harm them and let no one take anything from their places of worship to their own homes. Anyone who does so will violate the covenant of Allah. In fact they (the Christians) are My allies and I make this promise unto them: no one will force them to migrate or fight a battle. The Muslims will fight to protect them. If any Christian woman wants to marry, the marriage cannot be solemnized without her will and consent. Such a woman will not be prevented from going to the church for prayers. The respect of the churches is mandatory. Neither there will be any hindrance in the repairs of the churches nor will their sanctity be destroyed. No member of the ummah (Muslim community) will violate this agreement till the day of resurrection (qayaamat).’ ”
“The last sentence of this Charter is very important. It has lent the Charter an eternal and universal significance. The Prophet (pbuh) has impressed upon the fact that the Christians living far and near are His allies which clearly suggests that this Charter is not confined to St Catherine. This also means that the Holy Prophet (pbuh) has ruled out any possibility of these privileges getting annulled in future.”
Mujeeb Ijaz concluded that: “This is unequivocal, an unequivocal statement by the prophet of Islam that completely rejects the acts of violence in Gojra. On behalf of all Muslims, I present this to you. It was made in the year 628 and is a foundation of our religion.”
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Muslim American Senge Hasan Sering, Director, Gilgit Baltistan National Congress, also spoke of this same charter calling for Muslims not to harm Christians. (MP3 of Senge Sering’s comments) Excerpts of Mr. Sering’s statements are quoted below; his full statement is online.
Muslim American Senge Hasan Sering, Director, Gilgit Baltistan National Congress
“The foundations of advanced nations rest on social equality, ethnic diversity, religious harmony and mutual respect. Such nations show pride in their thousands of years old civilizations, the variety of languages and scripts, cultural traits and social values, and make utmost efforts to promote and preserve them. Distinction between modern and backward nations lies in these protections and provision of equal human rights for all inhabitants especially to the minorities.”
“The persecution which the Hindus, Christians, Sikhs and Ahmedis face in Pakistan is also carried out in Pakistani occupied Gilgit-Baltistan, which is part of the Princely State of Jammu & Kashmir. Despite the fact that more than 80% of the inhabitants follow Shia and Sufi faiths; the authorities ban their religions in the educational institutions.”
“The reality is that Christians of today’s Pakistan face institutional denial of human rights which are contrary to the covenants signed by Prophet Muhammad in 628 C.E. The Prophet declared protection to Christians by saying, ‘I hold out against anything that displeases the Christians.’ Prophet Muhammad had immense respect for the Christians of Ethiopia who provided refuge to the Muslims. Without that gesture, the Arab marauders have had eliminated Islam in its infancy. He therefore called the Christians his allies. He said, ‘Muslims were to fight for the rights of Christians. If a female Christian was to marry a Muslim, it was only to happen with her permission. She is not to be prevented from visiting her Church. No one among Muslims is to disobey the covenant till the last day.’ But in Pakistan, thousands of Christian females including the minors are raped, abducted and then forcefully married to the Muslims. They face torture and death if they refuse to convert as Muslims.”
“The persecution of Christians can reduce only after Pakistani rulers abandon exploiting two-nation theory. But as Taliban increase their influence in Punjab, where majority of the Christians live, their insecurities will also increase. The Taliban receive financial and military support from Pakistani agencies. It is about time that American government stops all kinds of financial support to Pakistan until they overhaul the constitution, provide complete protection and rights to the minorities and eliminate Taliban and Jihadi terrorists from their land.”
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Muslim American Ahmar Mustikhan, founder, American Friends of Balochistan, spoke to the oppression of Pakistanis and Pakistani Muslims in the area of Balochistan, and stood in solidarity with Pakistan Christians in remembering and condemning the attack on Gojra, and the continuing attacks on Pakistani Christians. (MP3 audio file of comments).
Muslim-American Ahmar Mustikhan, founder, American Friends of Balochistan
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Among the many speakers at the event, there were some who disturbingly sought to blame the words in the Qur’an and Islam for attacks on religious minorities. Muslim American Masoud Malik, General Secretary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community spoke out to challenge and reject such disturbing comments.
(MP3 audio file of Masoud Malik’s comments)
Muslim American Masoud Malik, General Secretary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
Masoud Malik condemned extremism of any kind, regardless of the religious rationalization that some may use for such extremism. Masoud Malik stated that “we are ashamed of any of these incidents that happen against any religion, against any innocent Christians or anybody else. The Holy Qur’an says that even if one soul is killed, even if one innocent person is killed, that person who did has killed the whole humanity… the people who are doing this, they may be doing this in the name of Islam, but they are not following the true religion of Islam… Islam is a religion of peace and that is what it advocates, so anybody who does anything against that is ruining his own self, not the the religion of Islam.”
Regarding comments blaming Islam for violence, Masoud Malik stated that “It is very easy for some people to say… Islam has said something like that, and that can be and and be said about any other religion… Islam stands for everyone’s rights.”
Regarding the plight of Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan, Masoud Malik pointed out that those who seek to oppress and discriminate against Ahmadiyya Muslims, believe that they are not Muslims. In Pakistan, he stated that your voting rights are based on whether you or a Muslim or a non-Muslim, so since Ahmadiyya Muslims will not renounce their faith as Muslims, they are denied even the right to vote.
Masoud Malik stated that “these things have happened due to extremism, due to extremism in Pakistan.” Mentioning references from other speakers to past days when people of different faiths lived in greater harmony in Pakistan, Masoud Malik stated “these extremists, these Mullahs, these extremists have brought this down to Pakistan… Extremism is bad no matter what, whether it is [justified by] Islam, or Christianity, or anybody else. I won’t have to say, the persons who brought the biggest killing of humanity in the world, that doesn’t mean the religion is bad… Religion is peace. It’s the individuals who bring these extremists and which try to provide this extremism, no matter where they come from.”
Masoud Malik concluded “I stand in solidarity with the Christians who have been burned alive, or who have been burned otherwise, God forbid. Those people [responsible] are the worst in human history.”
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Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) stands in solidarity with our Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, and other brothers and sisters in humanity in supporting their universal human rights of freedom of religion, freedom of faith, and freedom of conscience. We reject intolerance and we reject hate.
Christian American Jeffrey Imm with Muslim Americans Senge Hasan Sering and Mujeeb Ijaz (left to right)
We urge all to respect one another, show dignity to one another, and we are united in pluralism with people of all faiths and identity groups in shared human dignity.
We urge all to…
Choose Love, Not Hate – Love Wins.