Topic > Yasser Latif Hamdani - 1634

This text written by Yasser Latif Hamdani highlights the political, physical and social injustices experienced by Ahmadis living in Pakistan. Hamdani is a lawyer based in Lahore. He studied at Punjab University and Rutgers University. His famous cases include the Bhagat case and the Youtube case. He is well known for his support of ending the persecution of Ahmadis and granting them equal voting rights. His purpose in writing this text is to inform the people of Pakistan, especially Muslims, about the persecution faced by Ahmadis. This text was written in 2012, but has become relevant again recently due to the increasing attacks against Ahmadis and their places of worship these days. In the text, Yasser informs the Pakistani people of all the major injustices committed against the Ahmadis. He starts from the fact that the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Yousaf Raza Gillani, and all members of the Pakistan People's Party look favorably on the 1974 constitutional amendment, which declared Ahmadis as non-Muslims, and consider it an achievement. He tells us that Ahmadis are educated people and fought for Pakistan throughout the 1940s and that the opposition against them began in 1953, but the government managed to repress the riots and protests. In 1974 Ahmadis were declared constitutionally non-Muslim, and in 1984 they could no longer legally identify as Muslims. The identification law was constitutionally challenged, but the courts rejected the challenge. Since the law was passed in 1974, Ahmadis have been severely persecuted by the people of Pakistan. Many examples of persecution are given in the text. In Rawalpindi, the police prevented Ahmadis from offering Eid prayers at their place of worship, amidst paper documents being endured by Ahmadis. He tells us how Ahmadis are deprived of their basic human rights using examples and facts that are the result of extensive research. The examples are relevant and speak for themselves without any exaggeration. The vocabulary used is recognizable by the audience and is quite effective. In the end, the reader realizes that Pakistan is not a safe place for Ahmadis and thinks about what can be done to improve the situation. Total: 1872 Works Cited Hamdani, Yasser L. “Do Ahmadis Deserve to Live in Pakistan?” Editorial. The Friday Times August-September 2012: n. page The Times on Friday. Network. 08 April. 2014. .