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.
@ Aamir Ali
No thank you. Muslims prefer to live amongst Muslims. The only religion acceptable Allah is Islam, so since you prefer other ideologies, such as secularism, democracy etc, why don’t you move to darul-kufr, such as America, UK, or even Denmark?
Zecchetti:
Please move to Waziristan, that is the place for you. In the Pakistan that currently exists, we want our country, rights, democracy and freedom. We do not want to live in a religious dictatorship.
This is a very disturbing incident.
Hooliganism at best but more likely a part of a sustained effort to target the very Pakistaniat of Pakistan. Blowing up our leaders, fortressing madrassahs, and expelling students from universities…what’s next? Chopping one’s finger if you accuse a maulvi, or blowing a hole through one’s head if they argue about religion?
Having read Ibrahim’s comments, I don’t know if I should be angry or just grieve for Pakistan. As I heard another friend from Karachi say: “Pakistan kee Inna Lillah parh lo warna shayad moqa bhee naa milay”.
Pakistanis are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Those who can, have their bags packed to leave the country at a moment’s notice. Others are slowly giving up on the situation ever getting better – at least in their lifetimes. When the educated and the moderate leave, the country will become feeding ground for the morally corrupt religious mafias. And then carpet bombing begins – as has happened in countries like Sudan and Afghanistan. Its hard to become individualistic – to care for the family and to get them out before that happens.
What a sad moment in our history. I am trying to recruit faculty for Pakistani universities – just now got an email asking to help recruit faculty for GC University. How can I? I can’t even convince myself to live there.
What a shameful act by a educational institution. Our Prophet will be so ashamed of these biryani mullahs and these internet savvy Jahilia who are preaching killing of non-Muslims unless they convert. Last year Sheikh Goma of Al Azhar has proclaimed a fatwa saying it is up to Muslims to decide on their relationship with God or Gods or Goddesses.
And as a side note, how pathetic is the JI’s faith that they are threatened by a sect (of Islam) that is just over a hundred years old and believes that Jesus died in kashmir (which could be the case, but it is a lot less plausible then the miracle of Quran and the life of Muhammad Pbuh). For a true Muslim, and to borrow from Porsche advertisment, there is no substitute.
@ Jameel,
While I tend to agree with you, I believe you have distorted some truths.
Non-muslims cannot be killed as you have described. The Islamic State (khilafah) offers the enemy government 3 options:
i) accept La illaha illallah and rule your people in accordance with Allah’s book, under the authority of the caliph.
ii) stay non-Muslim, give up your power, but remain in your lands and pay the jizyah.
iii) engage in battle with the Islamic State, and if the Muslims win, they take the land and rule over the people with Allah’s book. The non-Muslims have to then pay jizyah, or else are expelled from the land, just as Rasulullah (SAW) expelled the Jews from Hijaz for breaking their agreement with the Islamic State.
So, non-Muslim civilians are never killed in any of the 3 options.