A Pakistani online retailer has refused to deliver food ordered online, saying it is blasphemy in Pakistan to deliver food to an area inhabited by Ahmadiyyas.
Ahmadiyyas (also spelled as Ahmadiyya) have long complained of discrimination by fellow Muslims in Pakistan, who consider them heretics.
According to local news reports, the retailer refused delivery of food to the Chenab Nagar area of Pakistan’s Punjab province. The retailer canceled the order saying it “cannot deliver in Qadiani areas”.
pakistani online retailer https://t.co/xrJaO9jWxs refused to order from a #ahmadi Customers residing in Chenab Nagar “Because this is blasphemous area for us. We cannot deliver in Qadiani areas”.https://t.co/Xhx9mxW8Mi pic.twitter.com/8vwYfLU0Qd
— Samaritan (@SAMRIReports) June 28, 2021
The term Qadiani is used in Pakistan as a religious slur to refer to Ahmadiyya Muslims.
“We had received your order. We regret to inform you that we canceled your order and we are not delivering to Chenab Nagar as it is blasphemous area for us. We cannot deliver in Qadiani areas,” The retailer told the customer.
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This is not a one-time incident in Pakistan. Earlier this month, an incident became the talk of the town when a mob tried to stop an Ahmadiyya woman from being buried in Punjab’s Sheikhpura district.
Tension prevailed in the area for several days before a settlement was reached following the involvement of the district administration. The Ahmadiyya community was allowed to bury the dead in a designated cemetery.
In October 2020, a wall covering a primary school building just outside Lahore surfaced on social media, declaring the area out of bounds for Ahmadis.
It said, “Qadianis are not allowed in this area unless they convert to Islam.”
Wall cracking on a primary school building just outside Lahore.
“Qadiani (derogatory to Ahmadi Muslims) are not allowed in this area unless they convert to Islam.”
This is the primary school building. Then we wonder why religious extremism is so pervasive. This is what we teach our children. pic.twitter.com/MjU8rR5nlQ
— kashif n chaudhary (@kashifMD) October 24, 2020
Similarly, signboards outside a shop that read “Qadianis are not allowed in this shop” or “Qadianis should not enter this shop to avoid further humiliation” are not uncommon in Pakistan.
Not worried about the sign that says ‘Qadiani (derogatory term for Ahmadis) is not allowed in this shop’, as this is a custom in Pakistan.
I’m more concerned about his pedophilic bizarre appearance. Keep your kids safe. pic.twitter.com/MtCVOc1riT
— A Noor (@AbdvlNoor) 17 April 2018
The sign reads as follows:
“The Qadianis should not enter this shop to avoid further humiliation”These people can find the following signs on the gates of Paradise:
“Oppressors are not allowed here, it’s your day to be humiliated for what you did.” pic.twitter.com/kyrONcX1Ze
— sultan a. chaudhary (@sultanchoudhary1) September 25, 2020
Who are the Ahmadiyyas?
Ahmadiyya is a sub-sect of Islam. Followers consider themselves Sunnis of the Hanafi school of Islam.
It was founded in India by Mirza Ghulam Ahmed in 1889 at Qadian (Qadian) in the Punjab region. His followers believe that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was an incarnation of the Prophet.
His claim of being a Muslim is not recognized in Pakistan, where he is depicted as a heretic.
situation in pakistan
Through a constitutional amendment in 1974, the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto government declared Ahmadiyyas to be non-Muslims. Later, the General Zia-ul-Haq regime made it a punishable offense for Ahmadis to refer to themselves as Muslims or their faith as Islam.
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