Hate Campain on Social Media

Organized Hate Campaign launched at Social Media platforms against Ahmadiyya community in Pakistan

The wake of the Second Amendment in Pakistan’s Constitution in 1974 and Ordinance XX in 1984, paved the way for discriminatory treatment of the Ahmadiyya Community of Pakistan based on their faith. Life for Pakistani Ahmadis is getting ever more difficult and painful. On the one hand, the Community is being denied religious freedom; and on the other hand, its basic human rights are constantly being violated. This is being experienced by every Ahmadi in Pakistan regardless of which walk of life he or she comes from.

The use of the anti-Ahmadiyya laws in Pakistan by the opponents of the Ahmadiyya Community has strengthened the hate campaign that has been launched against its members. Furthermore, the failure of the state institutions to take any action against such miscreants gives an impression of alleged collusion between the miscreants and the law enforcement officials. This has pushed the Ahmadiyya Community into a situation where they find themselves to be unprotected, and vulnerable.

Recently there is a spike of hate campaigns launched against the Ahmadiyya Community (the “Community”) throughout Pakistan. Since the partition in 1947, Pakistani print media was a significant tool in spreading hatred and inciting violence against the Community. But with the increase in the usage of social media in Pakistan, these platforms have seen a great increase in spreading hate speech and inciting violence towards the Community. Furthermore, social media has been used in spreading fake news about the Community. Along with social media, electronic media in Pakistan is playing its role in spreading hatred against the Community.

On various occasions, the Governments in Pakistan has introduced special laws to meet the current requirements of law and order. As such the Parliament of Pakistan has introduced the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 (PECA) to deal with offences pertaining to online content. Furthermore, the government of Pakistan passed the Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards), Rules, 2020 (hereinafter referred to as the “Social Media Rules”) framed under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 (PECA) to further strengthen the PECA. But unfortunately, instead of targeting hate speech and fake news on social media, these cyber laws has greatly been used against members of the Community. Almost 20 Ahmadis have become a victim of these laws in a period of 18 months.

National Commission Minority

A recent spike in hate speech and incitement to violence towards the Community was seen at social media platforms which was a direct result of the controversy surrounding the inclusion of the Ahmadiyya Community in the National Commission of Minorities.

On 29.04.2020, a news channel, 92 News, reported that ‘the government has included the Ahmadis in the National Commission for Minorities. However, Mr Noor-ul-Haq Qadri, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs later denied this news and said that no such decision had been made. But, no sooner had this news was published a hate campaign was launched against Ahmadis across the Country.

In order to fulfil their heinous objectives against members of the Ahmadiyya Community, the extremist element began to hurl abuse at the Ahmadiyya Community through various news channels and social media platforms. And, all this happened in the name of Islam. In addition, the haters of the Ahmadiyya Community started special trends and hashtags against the Community on various social media websites and platforms, particularly on Twitter. The trends not only hurt the sentiments of the Ahmadiyya Community all over the world but also endangered their lives. A few of these trends are as follows:

#QadianiAqalliyatNahiGhaddar

#QadianiZindeeq, i.e., LanatiKafir

#QadianiDunyaKa Bad-TareenKafir

#Qadiyaniat Se Pak Pakistan

Ali Muhammad Khan, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, further fueled the negative sentiments against members of the Ahmadiyya Community and tweeted that the “head of the one who commits blasphemy against the Prophet of Islam should be ‘chopped off‘. This was clearly aimed at the members of the Ahmadiyya Community who have always been termed as blasphemers by the clerics in Pakistan.

Here, it would be pertinent to mention that the Ahmadis have never been part of any such commission in the past on the basis of their status as a ‘non-Muslim’ minority nor were they approached by the Government of Pakistan in this regard.

The Ahmadiyya Community has officially lodged complaints with the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Interior Minister of Pakistan, Director General FIA and Chairman PTA regarding the hate campaign against the Ahmadis on various social media platforms and a request has been formally made to these authorities to take legal action against all those responsible for endangering the lives of members of the Ahmadiyya Community across Pakistan. However, no action has yet been taken by the concerned authorities against the culprits of this campaign. Apart from this program, complaints have been lodged with PEMRA about several other programs and media outlets that broadcasted such programs but no action has yet been taken.

There are numerous accounts that are fully engaged in supporting and collaborating with the opponents of the Community. Some accounts even encouraged the public to kill Ahmadis in the name of Religion. We know that this hate campaign is not a coincidence but rather part of a well-planned and well thought off conspiracy against the Community.

The members of the Community are constantly being attacked through social media. There are various trends that are promoted and organized by the opponents of the Community. These trends could be viewed on social media applications such as Twitter or Facebook. These trends promote hate speech and incite violence against members of the Ahmadiyya Community.

#قادیانیت سےپاک_پاکستان: @6mEhAr @MaazJalali @bahadur_gilani @BilalCheematly @FiazMustafai @iq295c @AsGillani7	#قادیانی زندیق لعنتی_کافر: @sgali1010 @AyeshaAgenda @Rizvi_Tweets92 @TLPAbdulMustafa @SamramAfzaal
#قادیانی دنیا کا بدترین کافر: @ٰIAmUzaair @javed_deziner @SamramAfzaal @OeySkhtLonday @WaHabTLP	#قادیانی اقلیت نہیں_غدار: @mishalmalikpak @tlp_hussain @rehanqurashi74 @_AzeemButt @WaqasAh78834547

There are some YouTube accounts spreading hatred and inciting violence against members of the Community

Following are some of the most prominent accounts on ‘Twitter’ that are engaged in spreading hatred and inciting violence against the Community, also taking an active part in the hate campaign launched against the Ahmadiyya Community