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Ahmadiyya issue

28 December 2003, 18:00 PM
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
By Wasim Choudhury, New York
28 December 2003, 18:00 PM
It is with interest and shock that I read your article, 'Bigots demand bill declaring Ahmadiyyas non-Muslims' (December 26, 2004). These bigots obviously have nothing better to do than come up with unfounded theories. Other than the Almighty Himself, who is to judge who is a true Muslim and who is not? And even if the government were to label these fellow Muslims as non-Muslims, will that really make them non-Muslims? Just because there is a decree saying that Ahmadiyyas are non-Muslims, will that make these poor fellows any different in the eyes of the Almighty? What validity does the declaration of an earthly state have compared to the omnipotent powers of the Almighty? And where does this call to label the Ahmadiyyas non-Muslims end? Will these bigots then want to expel the Ahmadiyyas? Will they also call to declare Shiahs as non-Muslims as well? Are they going to turn against groups practising other religions? Will they then start telling the rest of us who is a real Muslim and who is not? Unhindered, the acts of this group can only lead to one thing: fundamentalist extremism like the Taliban, and we -- the majority -- cannot just stand by and let that happen.

Ahmadiyyas have done nothing wrong against us or anyone else. They have not caused pain or suffering to anyone. They have not imposed their beliefs on others. Their belief is slightly different than ours, but just because they are different, should we oppress them? Our nation was founded on the principles that oppression of one group by another is not to be tolerated. We must all uphold those principles today. Too much blood has been spilled for that principle, and all Bangladeshis have the duty to ensure that oppression of that kind never takes place on our soil again.

On reading the article on Ahmadiyyas I felt somewhat disappointed with the title of the article which brands those who do not recognise the Ahmadiyyas as Muslims and those who are fully in support of such a bill are bigots. While the threats against the said politicians should be condemned, the fact that Ahmediyyas are non-Muslims should be made clear. The article is deficient on this account.

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Muslims should follow the opinions of scholars unless they are scholars themselves. It is the unanimous verdict of all contemporary scholars who are aware of the movement that Ahmadiyyas are non-Muslims. Ever since British colonial rule when this movement was initiated - scholars of the subcontinent were unanimous in placing them outside the fold of Islam. In fact, like all other non-Muslims, Ahmediyyas are not allowed to enter the holy precincts of Mecca by the order of the Saudi government.

While the finality of prophethood is clearly mentioned in the Holy Koran and authentic Hadith -- they have disowned the prophetic traditions and created doubts in the interpretation of words.

While Muslims should respect the rights of the Ahmadiyyas to believe and practise their religion, we cannot accept them as Muslims -- they are not. By delaying the matter, the MPs are making lengthy an issue already resolved by other Muslim countries. They should act promptly.

Sharif Hussain, London, UK