Tolerance And Framework Of Islamic Democracy

Gulam Asgar Mitha

Whereas knowledge breeds humility among great people,Ignorance breeds arrogance among little people---an opinion by this author

Thus far, the image of Islam has been one of extremism, intolerance and terrorism. That certainly is not what Islam means. It means peace. So what has happened that this religion has been so vehemently tarnished? Historically all great religions have gone through this phase, predominantly by the misrepresentations by the clergy who have exploited the illiterate and impoverished followers. In the past half century Muslim clerics too have misrepresented Islam starting with those who've been exposed to Wahhabi teachings and fundings through their madressas (religious schools) in Saudi Arabia. Thousands of such madressas then sprung up in Pakistan’s cities, towns and villages giving rise to the vulnerable students known as Taliban. Pakistani political leaders picked the cue and bowed to the will of the masses giving rise to “political Islam”.

In 1974, a violent campaign, led mainly by the Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam and Jamaat-e-Islami, began against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Pakistan, on the pretext of a clash between Ahmadis and non-Ahmadis at the railway station of Rabwah (district of Chiniot, province of Punjab, Pakistan). This campaign resulted in several Ahmadi casualties and destruction of Ahmadiyya property, including the desecration of mosques and graves.

As a result of pressure from this agitation, legislation and constitutional changes were enacted to criminalize the religious practices of Ahmadis by preventing them from claiming they are Muslim. These changes primarily came about due to the pressure of the Saudi King at the time, King Faisal bin As-Saud, according to Dr Mubashar HassanNOTE, Prime Minister Bhutto's close confidant at the time. Pakistan's parliament adopted a law that declares Ahmadis non-Muslims.
On 26 April 1984, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, then President of Pakistan, issued the anti-Ahmadiyya Ordinance XX,[22] which effectively prohibited Ahmadis from preaching or professing their beliefs.

Myself and a friend recently visited the Ahmaddi mosque in Calgary and were cordially greeted and given explanation of the Ahmadi Muslim faith. We also heard the mid-day afternoon (duhr) call to prayers(adhan). Many misconceptions that have been created as a result of political animosity were cleared with my own understanding of the faith, not only as a result of the visit but through my own research verification following the visit. This does not mean that I've adopted the faith (mine is none other than Islam). So what is Ahmadiyya belief and how is it different from Islam? Except for a very few deviations of no great significance, they're Muslims and no one has any rights to condemn the faith without knowledge.

One thing is certain that it is a peaceful movement significantly different than Wahhabism that is based on intolerance. Islam - through the Holy Quran and the teachings of all the prophets preaches tolerance and encourages the seeking of truth and knowledge. Ahmadi Muslims believe that there cannot be a conflict between the word of God and the work of God, and thus religion and science must work in harmony with each other. Ahmadis follow the five pillars of Islam (which includes Shahada or Faith i.e. Unity of God and Muhammad as the last Messenger of God) and the six articles of belief and as such they're Muslims. There are, however, a few deviations but such exist in every Islamic sect or in every religion. There is no basis that such deviations should be used as means of condemnation that Ahmadis or any other Islamic sects are non-Muslims.

Zafarullah Khan (besides Dr. Abdus Salam) has been among the most talented of Pakistanis- a nationalist. He hails from an Ahmadi family. It'd be prudent for Muslims, specially Pakistanis, to conduct an unbiased research to understand Ahmadiyya faith and discard their misunderstandings created by illiterate clergy and two of the most biased leaders of Pakistan who themselves least understood Islam and used it for their political aspirations. Both leaders (Zulfiqar Bhutto and Zia-ul-Haq) met their fates - one at the end of a rope and the other in mid-air.

As Pakistan's first Foreign Minister, Zafarullah Khan addressed the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan in the days leading up to the passing of the Objectives Resolution. The Objectives Resolution, which combined features of both Western and Islamic democracy, is one of the most important documents in the constitutional history of Pakistan. It was designed to provide equal rights for all citizens of Pakistan, regardless of their race, religion or background.

It is a matter of great sorrow that, mainly through mistaken notions of zeal, the Muslims have during the period of decline earned for themselves an unenviable reputation for intolerance. But that is not the fault of Islam. Islam has from the beginning proclaimed and inculcated the widest tolerance. For instance, so far as freedom of conscience is concerned the Quran says "There shall be no compulsion" of faith... — Muhammad Zafarullah Khan, Addressing the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, c. 1949

In 1954, Zafarullah Khan became a Judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, a position he held until 1961. He was the Vice-President of the International Court of Justice from 1958 to 1961. Between 1961 and 1964, he was Pakistan's Permanent Representative at the United Nations. From 1962 to 1964, he was also the President of the UN General Assembly. He later rejoined the ICJ as a judge from 1964 to 1973, serving as President from 1970 to 1973. He died in Lahore, Pakistan in 1985 at the age of 92.

Islamic democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Islamic principles to public policy within a democratic framework. Islamic political theory specifies three basic features of an Islamic democracy: leaders must be elected by the people, subject to sharia (religious legal system) and committed to practicing "shura", a special form of consultation (national assembly) practiced by Prophet Muhammad, which one can find in various hadiths, with their community. Countries which fulfil the three basic features include Iran, Pakistan and Malaysia. Note: Many western and Muslim jurists agree that countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan are not part of Islamic or western democracy.

Asma Jehangir, Human Rights activist - AHMADIS HAVE IT THE WORST- on Rabwah Times, speaking at the Hudson Institute on May 18, 2016 and moderated by Hussain Haqqani, former Pakistani Ambassador to the US.
https://www.rabwah.net/ahmadis-have-it-the-worst-asma-jahangir/

NOTEVideo of Dr. Mubashar Hassan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfmdDlTCtPU on why Saudi Arabia pressured Bhutto to declare Ahmadis as non-Muslims