Disturbing truth about why Pakistan made its diplomat delete Mahershala Ali tweet
The international film community was left aghast on February 27 over a glaringly indiscreet and tactless act by Pakistan's permanent representative in the United Nations (UN) when she tweeted to greet, possibly on impulse, the first ever Muslim Oscar winner, Mahershala Ali.
Maleeha Lodhi, the seasoned diplomat, tweeted to greet the Oscar winner and then withdrew her tweet promptly, ostensibly under pressure of political masters and religious clerics. The pressure came about as Ali is an Ahmadiyya - a community that incurs the wrath of the majority Sunnis in Pakistan, and invariably faces discriminatory treatment.
Ali embraced Islam in 1999 and joined the Ahmadiyya sect in 2001. Ahmadiyyas were banned in Pakistan in 1984 under the rule of President Zia-ul-Haq who was chiefly responsible for Islamising the country by introducing fundamentalism in good measure.
Several Ahmadiyya mosques were closed down and the community was declared as non-Muslim and their visits to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage forbidden.
It's ironical to see the Muslims of Pakistan adopting a stepbrotherly attitude towards their own brethren who are unfortunately not accepted as Muslims.
Significantly, renowned physicist Dr Abdus Salam, an Ahmadiyya, was openly discriminated against and never got the social recognition he deserved just because he was from the community. It is evident that the discrimination was equally applied to academics too. All Ahmadiyya literature was proscribed and many criminal cases were initiated against Ahmadiyya on charges of blasphemy. A sad commentary on the plight of the religious minority!
It would also be pertinent to point out that a Parliamentary Human Rights Group (PHRG) went on a fact-finding mission to Pakistan a few years back and visited Karachi, Faislabad, Rabwah, Lahore and Islamabad to meet members and representatives of the Ahmadiyyas, Shias, Hindus and Christian minorities who continue to be targeted by the Sunni-majority.
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| Renowned physicist Dr Abdus Salam is an Ahmadiyya. |
According to their findings, inter alia, the constitution and laws of Pakistan discriminate against religious minorities, the prevailing criminal laws are meant to protect Islam and are used to intimidate and persecute religious minorities; the fear of mob violence and extremist Islamic groups is such that law enforcement agencies, justice-linked institutions and state actors are reluctant to protect the rights of religious minorities, and violence against and excesses on minorities is often treated with impunity. Lastly, the Pakistani state has not yet shown willingness to reform law in order to better protect the rights of minorities.
Interestingly, Pakistan does not even provide Ahmadiyyas the right to vote and the community has also been disenfranchised from participating actively in the country's political system. Further, by the implementation of the 8th amendment to the 1973 constitution in 1985, the system of separate electoral lists was introduced in Pakistan.
Ali and others from the film and creative community have become further demoralised with the withdrawal of the tweet by Lodhi.
The disturbing trend, however, appears to now follow a pattern, with far-right Islamic extremists getting emboldened and likely to go on a spree to target not only the Ahmadiyyas but Christians, Hindus, Shias and other minority groups as well, amid non-stop violence unleashed by communal forces in the country, killing hundreds.