Pakistan’s Anti-Blasphemy Laws: The Case of the Ahmadiyya Community October 7, 2009

Host: Hudson Institute. The status of religious freedom needs to be a central focus as Washington prepares to spend an unprecedented $1.5 billion in non-military assistance for Pakistan in the coming year, intended to help strengthen the civilian government there. Human rights activists Mujeeb Ijaz and Amjad Mahmood Khan will present an overview of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Pakistan and describe how constitutional changes between 1974 and 1984 have deprived the Ahmadiyyas of their rights as Muslims and facilitated the rise of extremism in Pakistan. Our speakers will chronicle the history and development of Pakistan’s anti-blasphemy laws, with particular emphasis on their legal and constitutional underpinnings, and show how these laws oppress the Ahmadiyya Muslims. They will discuss some of the root causes of extremist power and why redressing human rights abuses, particularly those arising under the anti-blasphemy laws, is consistent with U.S. foreign policy objectives in Pakistan.

Official Website: http://www.hudson.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=hudson_upcoming_events&id=714