Ahmadi Muslims In Pakistan Face Persecution and Violence

Interesting article on the persecution of Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan. The Ahmadis are the only Muslims who have rejected "armed jihad" and have therefore been shunned by mainstream Muslims. In fact, they are not considered Muslims at all, hence the persecution and marginalization. They have also become major targets of sectarian violence not only in Pakistan but elsewhere.

One of the many religious minorities whose plight is documented in the latest U.S. State Department report on religious freedom is the Ahmadiyya community, or the Ahmadis.

The Ahmadis consider themselves Muslim, but that is a view rejected by mainstream Islamic sects. And in Pakistan, as RFE/RL correspondents Daud Khattak and Frud Bezhan report, Ahmadis have come under assault not only from extremist religious groups but also from the government.

Pakistan’s minority Ahmadi sect has become the target of rising sectarian violence, with its burial grounds, mosques, and homes coming under assault.

Authorities have done little to stem the attacks, with the government still refusing to grant the community equal status.

Their story on RFE/RL.