Chak No. 88 JB, District Faisalabad: Four Ahmadi office bearers, Messrs. Abrar Ahmad (local president), Ahmad Bilal Bajwa (vice president), Irshad Ahmed and Muhammad Rashid were booked with FIR No. 118 under PPC 298-C in Police Station Dijkot on February 19, 2022. The case was registered on fabrication that Ahmadis’ place of worship resembles a mosque and Kalima (Islamic creed) is inscribed on it.
It is noteworthy that the complainant is not a local resident, but the police itself. This is something new in police attitude in the Punjab. The FIR mentions that Ahmadis have constructed their place of worship like a mosque with Kalimaon it, and this hurts the sentiments of Muslims. It also mentions that Ahmadis have named their place of worship a ‘Masjid’. This is a false accusation. For the police to take such suo motu notice is very unusual, even wrong. Minarets and niches have nothing to do with any religion; in fact, it is only a design and has little religious significance. The Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) mosque in Madinah had no minarets. So, for the Faisalabad Police it is inappropriate, indeed wrong to reserve the right to build minaret only for constitutional Muslims.
Ahmadis are often dragged ruthlessly in such cases through bigotry and prejudice, as worship places of other religions also have towers, minarets, steeples etc.
