InfoAnda - In Ahmadis' desert city, Pakistan closes in |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Longtime voice of Oklahoma sports Bob Barry Sr. dies | 31 October 2011
France deports Islamist militants, imams amid crackdown | | 3 April 2012
Half of British pupils shun foreign languages: EU data | 25 September 2009

Motorcycles help keep you young: software expert | 4 March 2009

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : In Ahmadis' desert city, Pakistan closes in |

Edition: U.S. Article Comments (0) Full Focus Editor's choice A selection of our top photos from the past 24 hours. Full Article Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Black men survive longer in prison than out: study 14 Jul 2011 Do tea, coffee drinkers have lower risk of MRSA superbug? 14 Jul 2011 Pentagon to treat cyberspace as "operational domain" 14 Jul 2011 Apple pays S.Korean user compensation over iPhone tracking 14 Jul 2011 WRAPUP 2-Obama pauses U.S. debt talks, lawmakers weigh options 2:15am EDT Discussed 121 Obama, lawmakers meet for 75 minutes on debt impasse 100 Obama and lawmakers regroup to seek debt deal 98 WRAPUP 1-Taxes still a stumbling block in U.S. debt talks Watched Flying sphere goes where man fears to tread Thu, Jul 14 2011 Mexico's largest marijuana farm 9:23am EDT Last spacewalk of NASA's space shuttle program Tue, Jul 12 2011 In Ahmadis' desert city, Pakistan closes in Tweet Share this Email Print Related News India PM vows to bring Mumbai bombers to justice Thu, Jul 14 2011 Turban suicide bomber kills Afghan cleric, four others Thu, Jul 14 2011 Three bombs kill at least 21 in India's Mumbai Wed, Jul 13 2011 Karachi's ethnic, political violence kills up to 85 over 4 days Fri, Jul 8 2011 Pakistan's patchy fight against Islamist violence sows confusion Fri, Jul 8 2011 Analysis & Opinion Pakistan’s patchy fight against Islamist violence sows confusion Rebel incursions into Kashmir from Pakistan at all-time low Related Topics World » By Myra MacDonald RABWAH, Pakistan | Thu Jul 14, 2011 9:34pm EDT RABWAH, Pakistan (Reuters) - At the office of what claims to be one of Pakistan's oldest newspapers, workers scan copy for words it is not allowed to use -- words like Muslim and Islam. "The government is constantly monitoring this publication to make sure none of these words are published," explains our guide during a visit to the offices of al Fazl, the newspaper of the Ahmadiyya sect in Pakistan. This is Rabwah, the town the Ahmadis built when they fled the killings of Muslims in India at Partition in 1947, and believing themselves guided by God, chose a barren stretch of land where they hoped to make the Punjab desert bloom. Affluent and well-educated, they started out camping in tents and mud huts near the river and the railway line. Now they have a town of some 60,000 people, a jumble of one- and two-storey buildings, along with an Olympic size swimming pool, a fire service and a world class heart institute. Yet declared by the state in the 1970s to be non-Muslims, they face increasing threats of violence across Pakistan as the country strained by a weakening economy, an Islamist insurgency and internecine political feuds, fractures down sectarian and ethnic lines. "The situation is getting worse and worse," says Mirza Khurshid Ahmed, amir of the Ahmadi community in Pakistan. "The level of religious intolerance has increased considerably during the last 10 years." The town, renamed Chenabnagar by the state government since "Rabwah" comes from a verse in the Koran, is now retreating behind high walls and razor wire, awaiting the suicide bombers and fedayeen gunmen who police tell them are plotting attacks. Last May, 86 people were killed in two Ahmadi mosques in Lahore, capital of Punjab; others were attacked elsewhere in the province. Many fled to Rabwah where the community gives them cheap housing and financial support. Among them is 15-year-old Iqra from Narewal, whose shopkeeper father was stabbed to death last year as the family slept. "I was sleeping in another room when my father was attacked," she begins in a small voice, pulling a black scarf across her face to cover her mouth in the style of Ahmadi women. "The attacker wanted to kill all the Ahmadis in Narewal," her brother Zeeshan continues. "My elder brother tried to help my father and he was stabbed and wounded too." Later police found the attacker hiding in a mosque. He had believed the mullahs when they told him that all Ahmadis were "wajib ul qatl," or deserving of death. BATTLEGROUND FOR POWER The Ahmadis follow the teachings of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, who in the town of Qadian in late 19th century British India called for a revival of a "true Islam" of peace and justice. His teachings were controversial with Muslims and Christians alike. He argued that Jesus did not die on the cross but escaped and travelled to India and was buried in Kashmir. And he claimed to be the metaphorical second coming of Jesus, destined to put Muslims back on the true path. Many Muslims were offended by the suggestion he had come as a prophet, breaching a basic tenet of Islam that there can be no prophet after Mohammad, whose teachings are believed to be based literally on the word of God, perfect and therefore final. Yet his call for peace, hard work, temperance, education and strong community bonds resonated, and over the years the proselytizing movement acquired millions of followers worldwide. At home, however, their history has been intimately bound up in Pakistan's own descent from its relatively optimistic birth. Lacking a coherent national identity, it has become a battleground for competing political, religious and ethnic groups seeking power by attacking others. "The mistake of the Ahmadis was that they showed their political strength," said an Ahmadi businessman in Lahore. Better education he said, meant they obtained good positions in the army and civil service at first; strong community bonds made them an influential force in politics up to the 1970s. But they also made an easy target for the religious right who could whip up anti-Ahmadi sentiment for political gain. Ahmadis follow two different schools of thinking, but will argue, often with detailed references to the Koran in both Arabic and English, that they do not dispute the finality of the Prophet Mohammad. Their erudite theological arguments, however, had little chance against the power of the street. After anti-Ahmadi violence, they were declared non-Muslims in 1974. In the 1980s, their humiliation was completed when legal provisions barred them from associating themselves with Islam, for example by using the call to prayer or naming their place of worship a "masjid" or mosque. "You can say you don't consider me to be a Muslim but you can't force me to also say I am not a Muslim," complains Ahmed, the amir, the pain clear in his voice. Yet in the newspaper office in Rabwah, a white board displays the words they are not allowed to use -- they could be accused of blasphemy, which carries the death penalty. World Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. Social Stream (What's this?) © Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters Editorial Editions: Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom United States Reuters Contact Us Advertise With Us Help Journalism Handbook Archive Site Index Video Index Reader Feedback Mobile Newsletters RSS Podcasts Widgets Your View Analyst Research Thomson Reuters Copyright Disclaimer Privacy Professional Products Professional Products Support Financial Products About Thomson Reuters Careers Online Products Acquisitions Monthly Buyouts Venture Capital Journal International Financing Review Project Finance International PEhub.com PE Week FindLaw Super Lawyers Attorney Rating Service Reuters on Facebook Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Friday, 15 July 2011
Gold prices soar on U.S. debt default worries
South Sudan admitted to U.N. as 193rd member |
First time jobless claims down slightly to 405,000
Blockbuster offers special deal to unhappy Netflix customers
Shaq is back: "The Big Analyst" joins TNT as NBA analyst
Number of American juveniles in custody falls
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” breaks midnight pre-sale records
Jason Belmonte snares ESPY award as "Best Bowler"
Kidnapped Estonians in Lebanon freed
"Glee" creator says Lea Michele, Cory Monteith won't be back after third season
Gold prices soar on U.S. debt default worries
Mexican soldiers find record marijuana plantation |
Analysis: Press barons lose information monopoly in Twitter era |
Blockbuster targets disgruntled Netflix customers |
Connecticut AG questions Groupon coupons |
A former baseball star looks to ace video games |
Young plus skinny = hot? Think again, say Emmy voters |
Potter fans hope to keep magic alive after movie |
Harry Potter whips up early magic at box offices |
Man arrested for second Letterman theater break-in |
On-screen smoking in youth movies sharply declines |
Seeds of Arab Spring sown in Islam's past, author says |
India PM vows to bring Mumbai bombers to justice |
As U.S. wars wind down, drones gain new prominence |
Crackdown escalates in east Syria, protesters killed |
Libya rebels regroup but battle exposes weakness |
Twenty Turkish soldiers, Kurdish rebels killed in clash |
Pakistan spy chief visit to U.S. went very well |
Tito Ortiz goes from nearly cut from UFC to main event of UFC 133
Venezuela's Chavez to get cancer treatment in Brazil |
South Sudan admitted to U.N. as 193rd member |
Changes to be introduced to Manhattan Beach volleyball event
India Table Tennis still without coach after Anders Johansson’s change of heart
In Ahmadis' desert city, Pakistan closes in |
David Ferrer into Bastad quarters; Vinci ousted in Palermo
Log jam at top of the leaderboard at Viking Classic
Rosenhaus wants Harrison suspended after lockout
Pentagon to use offense against cyberattackers
Alberto Contador loses ground in Stage 12 of Tour, lands eighth behind winner Sanchez
Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, Orioles reliever Gregg suspended four games
Tale of two Toms: Watson meets namesake Lewis, who shares Open lead
Exclusive: TSMC to make Apple chips on trial |
Sony Ericsson makes surprise quarterly loss, hit by Japan |
Oracle wants to question Google's Larry Page |
Cyber theft illustrates Pentagon security challenge |
Groupon adds 11 underwriters, new risk warning |
Mad Men, Modern Family to defend Emmy wins |
Drew Peterson demands halt to TV movie on murder case |
U.S. drawdown begins in Afghanistan |
Syrians mount biggest protests so far, 20 killed |
Mullah Omar, headscarves and bizarre Afghan peace talks |
World's biggest diamond hub suffers hit in Mumbai blasts |
Egyptians extend protest, say army not doing enough |
Drake cancels concert due to death in the family
Debt crisis taxes cozy Greek Church-state ties |
US recognizes Libyan rebel council as official governing body
U.S. turns Saddam's half-brothers over to Iraq |
In Ahmadis's desert city, Pakistan closes in |
Chris Colfer learns he's leaving 'Glee' via Twitter
Cocaine-filled sub seized off Honduran coast
Kampala accord approval by Somali parliament cheers UN envoy
Volkswagon sells record 4 million cars worldwide during first half of year
Mogadishu hospitals running out of medicine
Bret Michaels cancels 'Super Cruise' with fans
Three brothers arrested for killing mom over Yahtzee
Edwards trial on campaign finance charges set for October
Two appear in court over alleged Joss Stone plot |
Son of Pink Floyd guitarist jailed for fees riot |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph	VPN on MacOSX	BlogMeter 1.01