Archive · 14 Jun 2025
Pakistan's Ahmadi Community Faces Systemic Exclusion
Imagine a group of people who helped build a country, but now that country treats them very badly.
That's what's happening to the Ahmadiyya community in Pakistan.
They're not allowed to practice their religion freely or call themselves Muslims.
The government has made laws that make it hard for them to live their lives, and some people even hurt or kill them.
The article explains this is happening because some people in power don't accept different religious beliefs, which creates a very divided society.
Ahmadis in Pakistan face systemic discrimination, enshrined in the constitution and enforced through laws.
They are not allowed to identify as Muslims on official documents or practice their faith openly.
Ahmadis were once integral to the Pakistan movement but are now considered heretics.
Targeted killings of Ahmadis are ongoing, with limited public reaction.
The article argues the persecution of Ahmadis reflects a broader societal intolerance.
- Who
- The Ahmadiyya community and the Pakistani government, along with some segments of the public.
- What
- Ahmadis in Pakistan face systemic discrimination, denial of religious freedoms, and violence.
- When
- Ongoing, with increasing severity in recent decades.
- Where
- Pakistan.
- Why
- Due to religious intolerance and discriminatory laws.
Ahmadiyya Community
Religious Hardliners
Religious Identity
Ahmadiyya Community
Advocates for religious freedom and equal rights in Pakistan.
Religious Hardliners
Sees Ahmadis as heretics, not Muslims, who should be excluded from public life.
Legal Rights
Ahmadiyya Community
Criticize discriminatory laws and policies that deny Ahmadis basic rights.
Religious Hardliners
Supports laws and policies that restrict Ahmadi activities.
- Discrimination Method
- Laws, police, mobs, violence
- Ordinance XX
- Criminalized Ahmadiyya existence (1984)
- First Foreign Minister
- Sir Zafarullah Khan (Ahmadi)
- Attack
- Mosque attacks in Lahore (2010)
- Author
- Tehmeena Rizvi