This text written by Yasser Latif Hamdani highlights the political, physical and social injustices experienced by Ahmadis living in Pakistan. Hamdani is Lawyer based in Lahore. He got his education from the University of Punjab and Rutgers University. His famous cases include the Bhagat case and the Youtube case. He is well known for his advocacy to end the persecution of Ahmadis and to give them equal voting rights. His purpose in writing this text is to inform the people of Pakistan, especially the Muslims, of the persecution is being endured by the Ahmadis. This text was written in 2012, but it has become relevant once again recently due to the increasing attacks on Ahmadis and their places of worship these days.
In the text, Yasser informs the Pakistani people of all the major injustices done with Ahmadis. He starts off with the fact that the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Yousaf Raza Gillani and all the members of the Pakistan People’s Party look favourably upon the 1974 constitutional amendment, which declared Ahmadis as non-Muslims and view it as an achievement. He tells us that Ahmadis are educated people and struggled for Pakistan throughout the 1940s and the opposition against them started in 1953, but the government was able to put down the riots and protests. By 1974 Ahmadis were constitutionally declared non-Muslims and by 1984 they could not legally identify themselves as Muslims. The identification law was challenged constitutionally, but the courts dismissed the challenge. Since the law passed in 1974, Ahmadis have been persecuted greatly by the Pakistani people. Many examples of persecution are given in the text. In Rawalpindi, the police stopped Ahmadis from offering Eid prayer at their place of worship, t...
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...ustices which are being endured by the Ahmadis. It tells us that how the Ahmadis are being deprived of their basic human rights by using examples and facts which are a result of an extensive research. The examples are relevant and speak for themselves without any exaggeration. The vocabulary used is relatable by the audience and is quite effective. At the end, the reader realises that Pakistan is not a safe place for Ahmadis and thinks about what can be done to make the situation better.
Total Words: 1872
Works Cited
Hamdani, Yasser L. "Do Ahmadis Deserve to Live in Pakistan?" Editorial. The Friday Times Aug.-Sept. 2012: n. pag. The Friday Times. Web. 08 Apr. 2014. .
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Ismail, Salwa. 2004. Being Muslim: Islam, Islamism and Identity Politics. Government and Opposition, 6, 614-631.
In the light of above analysis, one can say that the article is well structured with arguments in simple language so that the reader can easily comprehend it. The emotional appeals that the author uses in the article incline the reader towards it. The article serves well to provide knowledge to the common people about the conditions of Ahmadis in Pakistan. However, the biasness of the author and unclear historical reference affects this stance. The author also compares two different situations which confuses the reader and makes him wonder whether the condition is really as worse as depicted in the article. Despite all the weaknesses of the writer, the article is good enough to convince the readers to some extent and make them ponder over the minority rights in Pakistan.
Preview: Today we look are going to look at the different types of injustice that happen to the Muslim people because of their belief. Second, I am going to talk about what could be causing this problem in our society today. Finally, I am going to suggest some solutions that could help the people get through their lives with
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Ikram, S. M. Modern Muslim India and the Birth of Pakistan, 1858-1951. Lahore: Sh. M. Ashraf, 1965. Print.
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