The Criterion for Religions

The Criterion for Religions
Author: Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
Publisher: Islam International
Total Pages: 50
Release: 2007
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1853728632
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The Criterion for Religions, the English translation of Mi'yarul Madhahib written by Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian in 1895 makes a detailed comparison of three major religions - Hinduism, Christianity and Islam - from the standpoint of natural criterion as to why Hinduism and Christianity fail to present the Perfect and Omnipotent God as proclaimed by Islam. God of Hinduism has only limited powers. His role is just like that of a mason who joins only already existing things and enjoys no role as a Creator. God of Christianity went through all the travails of life. That their God died for the sins of his followers is yet another invention of Christians. The idea of deifying humans was invented by Brahmans from whom the idea was borrowed by Greeks and was in turn borrowed by Christians from Greeks. The Christian dogma of Atonement only encourages to commit sins, to freely spread sinfulness, impiety and every kind of evil. As against the views of Hinduism and Christianity about God. 'Islam's understanding of God', according to the author, 'is very simple and clear, and is in keeping with human nature. Even if the books of all other religions were to disappear along with all their teachings and concepts, God — towards Whom the Holy Quran leads would still be clearly reflected in the mirror of the laws of nature and His might and wisdom shall be found glowing in every particle. This claim is fully substantiated in the book which covers many important aspects of Islamic concept of God.

Religious Minorities in Pakistan

Religious Minorities in Pakistan
Author: Iftikhar Haider Malik
Publisher: Minority Rights Group
Total Pages: 6
Release: 2002
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:
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Recent massacres of religious minorities in Pakistan have focused new attention on the predicament of minorities in a country that is generally perceived to be a homogeneous Muslim nation. In fact, besides five ethno-regional groups (Baloch, Muhajir, Punjabi, Pushtuns and Sindhis), there are numerous religious groups including Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs and Hindus, together with several smaller Islamic groups.Pakistan has been ruled by the military for much of its existence. The political use of religion by governments and a weak civil society pose enormous challenges for minorities in Pakistan. Non-Muslim minorities and women in Pakistan are subject to harsh religious laws, while some minority Muslim groups face similar forms of discrimination. Constitutional amendments and the Blasphemy Law have deprived minorities of religious freedom and violated their rights as citizens. In addition, the decision of the current military regime to join the US-led coalition against terrorism has provoked popular resentment and an internal backlash by extremist groups with renewed violence against minorities.This report aims to enhance understanding of religious minorities in Pakistan and increase awareness of the need for the protection of minority and gender-based rights across communities. With a general election due this year, this report is timely and of direct relevance to both the international community and agencies concerned with Pakistan.

Ahmadi and Christian Socio-Political Responses to Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws

Ahmadi and Christian Socio-Political Responses to Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws
Author: Qaiser Julius
Publisher: Langham Publishing
Total Pages: 253
Release: 2017-09-30
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1783683295
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The roots of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws can be traced back to the British colonial rule in India, but their harsher clauses were added to the Pakistan Penal Code during a wave of intense Islamization in the 1980s. Everyone in Pakistan is threatened by the misuse of these laws, even Muslims; however a disproportionate number of victims targeted by these laws have come from two minority groups, the Ahmadis and Christians. Dr Qaiser Julius focuses on how these two groups have been affected by Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, their different reactions to these laws, and more specifically, why they are responding differently despite living under the same circumstances. In this well-structured and understandable study, Julius provides a valuable tool for Christians to understand what it means to be a minority in a hostile culture. This thorough analysis presents a way forward for the Christian church in Pakistan, providing hope amidst the discrimination and persecution.

Purifying the Land of the Pure

Purifying the Land of the Pure
Author: Farahnaz Ispahani
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2017
Genre: History
ISBN: 0190621656
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In Purifying the Land of the Pure, Farahnaz Ispahani analyzes Pakistan's policies towards its religious minority populations, both Muslim and non-Muslim, since independence in 1947.

The Ahmadiyya in the Gold Coast

The Ahmadiyya in the Gold Coast
Author: John H. Hanson
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Total Pages: 308
Release: 2017-10-16
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0253029511
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The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, a global movement with more than half a million Ghanaian members, runs an extensive network of English-language schools and medical facilities in Ghana today. Founded in South Asia in 1889, the Ahmadiyya arrived in Ghana when a small coastal community invited an Ahmadiyya missionary to visit in 1921. Why did this invitation arise and how did the Ahmadiyya become such a vibrant religious community? John H. Hanson places the early history of the Ahmadiyya into the religious and cultural transformations of the British Gold Coast (colonial Ghana). Beginning with accounts of the visions of the African Methodist Binyameen Sam, Hanson reveals how Sam established a Muslim community in a coastal context dominated by indigenous expressions and Christian missions. Hanson also illuminates the Islamic networks that connected this small Muslim community through London to British India. African Ahmadi Muslims, working with a few South Asian Ahmadiyya missionaries, spread the Ahmadiyya's theological message and educational ethos with zeal and effectiveness. This is a global story of religious engagement, modernity, and cultural transformations arising at the dawn of independence.

The Politics of Religion in South and Southeast Asia

The Politics of Religion in South and Southeast Asia
Author: Ishtiaq Ahmed
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2011-05-04
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1136727035
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The notion of a ‘politics of religion’ refers to the increasing role that religion plays in the politics of the contemporary world. This book presents comparative country case studies on the politics of religion in South and South Asia, including India, Pakistan and Indonesia. The politics of religion calls into question the relevance of modernist notions of secularism and democracy, with the emphasis instead on going back to indigenous roots in search of authentic ideologies and models of state and nation building. Within the context of the individual countries, chapters focus on the consequences that politics of religion has on inclusive nation-building, democracy and the rights of individuals, minorities and women. The book makes a contribution to both the theoretical and conceptual literature on the politics of religion as well as shed light on the implications and ramifications of the politics of religion on contemporary South Asian and South East Asian countries. It is of interest to students and scholars of South and South East Asian Studies, as well as Comparative Politics.