renaming

A number of Ahmedi young men on motorcyclists ensured shifting of the victims’ bodies, through ambulances, to the graveyard. The bodies started reaching from 9am and the process was ongoing till the filing of this report. The district police made tight security arrangements and all traffic from Khatam-e-Nabuwat Chowk to Chanab Nagar graveyard was diverted to Pindi Bhattian-Sargodha Road. Only ambulances and motorcycle squads of the Ahmedis were allowed to come near Chanab Nagar.

It’s worth noting that both the locations described in the above-quoted news story have been renamed in recent history, both over the Ahmadi issue. The threateningly named “Khatm-e-Nabuwat” chowk in Chiniot used to be known as Tehsil chowk before it was renamed in April 2009 probably as a result of the renewed religious zeal since it was few weeks after the Khatm-e-Nabuwat conference held in Badshahi mosque in Lahore on April 11 2009.

Similarly, the town of Rabwah was renamed to Chenab Nagar after a resolution of the Punjab Assembly in 1998 on the grounds that the word Rabwah is mentioned in the Quran and so an unacceptable name for the den of Qadiyaniat. I thought this paragraph, written in support of the resolution was really interesting:

It is interesting to note that following this purely internal decision, Western Media, a few vocal “human rights” advocates, and Qadiani spokespeople expressed their disapproval of this resolution by the representatives of the people of the sovereign state of Pakistan. If this issue, as they assert, is of no importance and consequence, then we should all wonder why they have even bothered to ridicule and offend the people of Pakistan. This unfair objection has only served to further expose their bias against Islam and the People of Pakistan and reinforce the idea that many of the so called “news” and “human rights” organizations are unjustly used as Political tools to mock and attack Islam and the believers.

I love this. I didn’t think that there could be any way to insert an element of victimhood into a gloating rant about a shameless act of tyranny of the majority but here it is.

5 responses to “renaming

  1. sparklingway

    You have to read the worthy responses of our newspapers:-

    http://www.chapatimystery.com/archives/homistan/we_are_all_ahmadi_ii_one_day_late.html/comment-page-1#comment-159862

    and especially Dr Shireen Mazari’s explosive rant

    http://pakistanmediawatch.com/2010/05/29/how-sad-for-shireen-mazari/

    It is no wonder that there is no place for rational debate anymore. I fear that my dreams of a political revolution have no ground in a society that is suffering from such a massive delusion and denial.

  2. Rabia

    the statement of AMTKN was the most amazing one – this attack was a conspiracy to destroy the anti qadianiat ordinance!

  3. It is quite shameful how Ahmedia have been persecuted over the time. In light of the history they have in the land of pure, I must say the present attack was anything but a surprise.

  4. Zulfiqar Haider

    Our people and their representatives must respect the aspirations of minority groups; whatever their believes are, we as Muslims must respect them and let them live a peaceful life.

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