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.
@ Mr. Zecchetti tell i guess i answered your question in my last comment need to look at the complete picture, what exactly do you mean by that, it clearly shows that you dont have trust in strength of your own belief, if that is what you want to say then there is nothing left to say, if Christian priest come to the people and started preaching then they should also be expelled from the country right what a pathetic thing to say, I am living in UK and if I told someone about Islam should they through me out of their universities or should they through me out of country, no they wont, in fact they can’t, this is not pakistan where nobody can practice their rights and religion, and Alhamdollillah I am a proud muslim, and I do tell people about Islam in my uni but I havent faced any problem till now in 3 years, nobody called me terrorist, or anything like that, so please wake up and stop spreading hate about your own country fellowmen. Peace!!!!
Mohammad Arshad Qureshi and Others who thinks every one is allowed in Pakistan to preach their belief, you must understand Pakistan is a not a secular country unlike India, Usa , in these states there is no such restriction in law, but you are living in a Muslim country and other people from other believes are free to practice their belief but Pakistani law doesn’t allow them to preach their belief, i don’t find anything wrong in Academic Council’s decision as far as it was proven that those guys were involved in preaching their believes.
also you will find many countries (even some secular) where construction of mosques is banned.
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It is necessary to look at the complete picture here. These Ahmadi students, who believe Ghulam Ahmad Mirza to be both the mahdi, and ‘Isa alaihi salaam at the same time, have been preaching their falsehood at university using their fabricated ahadeeth and a contradictory understanding of the Qur’an.
This is a very serious crime. If one true Muslim was to become an Ahmadi, it would render all of his deeds in this life as dust and in the Hereafter they would be of the losers! Wake up fellow Pakistanis! This is more than freedom of religion, this is outright misguidance! Such students should not only be expelled from the university, but from also from the country.
It’s actually the Jamaat students who should be expelled for harming life and limb and destroying property of their fellow students.
It’s amazing Pakistani tax payers are paying to educate these fanatics.
Welcome to the Democratic Pakistan. Give me dictatorship anytime.