Murder of an Ahmedi doctor — I

Sir: Dr Najam was cold-bloodedly gunned down in Karachi in front of his clinic. The reason for his martyrdom was his faith. He was an Ahmedi. Najam was my class fellow at the Sindh Medical College and a gentleman to the core. His was a shining example of what one can achieve in life through sheer dedication and hard work. He was a qualified paediatrician and for him, acquisition of knowledge was not only for himself. Throughout his student years, he was actively involved in teaching children from deprived and deserving households of his neighbourhood in Orangi. His dedication to the country was borne out by the fact that despite being a well-qualified consultant, he chose to remain in Pakistan, despite receiving threats to his life.

Najam’s cold-blooded murder is part of a pattern of targeted killing of Ahmedi doctors that goes back many years but reared its head in 2008 after a pseudo-religious televangelist declared them liable to be killed, live on air. Every year since then, Ahmedi doctors are being murdered during the same days of the year when the community was excommunicated from the fold of Islam in Pakistan.

Dr Najam’s murder should be an eye-opener for the sceptics who never tire of arguing that Ahmedis are not killed solely for reasons of their faith. One wonders what the holy warriors, after having confined Najam’s family to a life of deprivation from his love, would say to their Maker about exactly how they served their faith when they carried out this ignoble deed of ‘valour’. Cowasjee’s words should haunt the silent majority: “We, all of us, are not worthy of being citizens of Pakistan because Pakistan was never meant to be what it now is.” All except citizens like Najam.
DR HASSAN BIN HAMZA
Australia

Murder of an Ahmedi doctor — II

Sir: In Karachi, yet another member of the Ahmediyya community, Dr Najam al-Hasan, was shot dead on August 18. Killing over 80 members from his community on May 28 in Lahore was not a strong enough statement for their opponents. Much attention was given to the situation of the minorities in Pakistan, right after two worship places of the Ahmediyya community were simultaneously attacked with regards to the damaging effects of the harsh Blasphemy Laws promulgated during General Ziaul Haq’s time to silence the voices of moderation. It became apparent that the Ahmedis are and will remain easy targets, with the presence of laws that incite violence.

The laws made against the Ahmedis need to be repealed for they are fuelling extremism, so much so that they are considered ‘worthy of being killed’.

This is the month of Ramadan, a time when Muslims fast and refrain from all sinful activities. In this case, it seems they can make an exception. Does this even sound like Islam? Here, many in the US will say that it does sound like Islam.
MAHAM KHAN
Michigan, USA

(Daily Times, August 22, 2010)