Ordinance XX

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ordinance XX^[1] is an ordinance of the government of Pakistan that was promulgated under the dictatorial regime of General Zia-ul-Haq and is meant to prevent "Anti-Islamic activities". It does not allow Ahmadi Muslims to call themselves Muslim or to "pose as Muslims" punishable by three years in prison. This Ordinance and the 1974 amendment in the constitution effectively gave the state of Pakistan, the exclusive right to determine the meaning of the term "Muslim".^[2]

According to this ordinance, Ahmadis are debarred from the use of any honorific titles and modes of address specific to the Prophetic community, from building mosques and calling the Adhan, from undertaking Muslim modes of worship, and from making any citations from the Quran and the Prophet's hadith. The Penal Code is adjusted to provide two years of imprisonment to anyone caught doing any of the above. In effect, this ordinance criminalises the everyday life of Ahmadis. reciting the Kalima (Muslim creed) and greeting with peace in the Muslims way is a criminal offence for Ahmadis in Pakistan.^[3] In the following four years from the regulation of the ordinance, there were more than 3,000 cases of Ahmadis charged with various offences under the regulation, 6 were sentenced to 25 years imprisonment and 4 were sentenced to death. Such cases have though subsided in recent years. The United Nations Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities has called on the Commission on Human Rights to "call on the Government of Pakistan to repeal Ordinance XX."^[4]

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• 1984 Anti-Ahmadiyya Ordinance

This Islam-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e

This article about government in Pakistan is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e