Atif Mian
On Thursday, June 5th, the principal of Punjab Medical College, Faisalabad, expelled every student who belonged to the Ahmadi community from the college.
A total of twenty three students, fifteen female and eight male, across the five years of medical school have been expelled as a result. Further details regarding the incident can also be found in reports from the BBC and from the Daily Times.
The Ahmadi students were “accused” of preaching their religious beliefs. The principal was pressured into expelling the entire Ahmadi student body by a mob of protesters belonging to Islami Jamiat e Talaba. The mob circled the Principal’s office and demanded the expulsions. The same day, a mob of about 300 college students also barged into Ahmadi students’ rooms, beat them and threw their luggage out of their rooms.
What makes this incident especially troubling is the fact that the decision to expel Ahmadi students was taken by a government-run medical school, under full knowledge of the relevant Punjab ministries.
As an academic, and a Pakistani, I am totally appalled by this latest incidence of religious fanaticism. One hopes that the present Punjab government turns a page, and instead of supporting the forces of extremism, comes to the protection of its ordinary citizens.
Atif Mian is Associate Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business.
Uzair, I am sorry but your argument sounds too much like an apology.
I can buy the principal of no preaching in collages. OK, if that is the rule, I can live with it. But then it has to be the rule for EVERYONE. Including, specially, the IJT. So, no preaching of any religion by anyone in colleges. I am also a Sunni and I will welcome that rule totally. But the problem is that you have preaching in the curriculum itself. what is the point of teaching Islamiat in a medical college. by your argument that should also be banned (by the way, I think that would be a very good idea to ban it). So, kick out the IJT, kick out all the mullahs from all colleges, kick out the tableeghis. Then maybe you will have a point. But right now this seems very much like the persecution of only one community.
I am fed up of the Jamaat and these Mullahs deciding who is and who is not a good Muslim and how to “enforce” Islam. Lets leave that to Allah please. As an earlier commentator said, my faith is not threatened by someone else’s beliefs. Why is the belief of the Jamaatis so fickle.
From all the reports it seems that these students were persecuted simply because they are Ahmedis and the Jamaatwanted to make a point. I am a Sunni Muslim but am angered at the treatment and expulsion of these students.
Even if the charges are true and even if they were trying to preach their beliefs, they have as much right to do so as anyone else. Certainly as much as the Jamaat.
My own faith and belief is strong enough and firm enough that it is not threated by what anyone else is preaching. Maybe these Jamaat people should try to look into their own faith, it must be really really weak if they have to guard it against anyone with different views.
Also, as the letter from Daily Times says, what does this say to Muslims living outside Muslim countries about their own organizations and preaching!
This incident must be seen in light of what has been happening in Pakistani educational institutions in past and the rule that are stipulated by the administrations of these institutions.
Sectarian violence has caused a lot of trouble in institutions here so most of them has banned the preaching of sectarian teachings. If the students are preaching their teachings, they are also to blame for breaking the rules. Moreover, in an institution of medical education one must concentrate on his academics rather than anything which is likely to raise controversy.
I feel for those students and support their re-admissions in the institution but it must be noted that what they have done is not a reasonable attitude.
The Daily Times letters section had some insightful letters published on this incident. Two of them are worth reproducing in full here.
–I–
Sir: Among the fundamental rights guaranteed in the Constitution of Pakistan, Article 20 states that:
This is, indeed, an appalling incident. As an academic and as a Pakistani I fully echo Atif’s sentiments.
Those of us who are hurt when others are disrespectful or offensive to our faith (e.g., some Danish cartoonists) have a responsibility to respect the beliefs of others.
Also see blog reactions to this news from TeethMaestro and Adnan Siddiqi.