Pakistan Penal Code 298, 298-A, 298-B, 298-C [pdf], updated by Anti-lslamic Activities of Quadiani Group, Lahori Group and Ahmadis (Prohibition and Punishment) Ordinance XX 1984.
Paragraph 298-A:
Use of derogatory remarks, etc., in respect of holy personages: Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation, or by any imputation, innuendo or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of any wife (Ummul Mumineen), or members of the family (Ahle-bait), of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), or any of the righteous Caliphs (Khulafa-e-Rashideen) or companions (Sahaaba) of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both.Paragraph 298-B:
Misuse of epithets, descriptions and titles, etc., reserved for certain holy personages or places:(1) Any person of the Quadiani group or the Lahori group (who call themselves ‘Ahmadis’ or by any other name who by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation-
(a) refers to or addresses, any person, other than a Caliph or companion of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), as ‘Ameer-ul-Mumineen’, ‘Khalifatul- Mumineen’, ‘Khalifa- tul-Muslimeen’, ‘Sahaabi’ or ‘Razi Allah Anho’;
(b) refers to, or addresses, any person, other than a wife of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace bi upon him), as ‘Ummul-Mumineen’;
(c) refers to, or addresses, any person, other than a member of the family ‘Ahle-bait’ of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), as ‘Ahle-baft’; or
(d) refers to, or names, or calls, his place of worship a ‘Masjid’; shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, and shall also be liable to fine.(2) Any person of the Qaudiani group or Lahori group (who call themselves “Ahmadis” or by any other name) who by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation refers to the mode or form of call to prayers followed by his faith as ‘Azan’, or recites Azan as used by the Muslims, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, and shall also be liable to fine.
Paragraph 298-C:
Person of Quadiani group, etc., calling himself a Muslim or preaching or propagating his faith : Any person of the Quadiani group or the Lahori group (who call themselves ‘Ahmadis’ or by any other name), who directly or indirectly, poses himself as a Muslim, or calls, or refers to, his faith as Islam, or preaches or propagates his faith, or invites others to accept his faith, by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representations, or in any manner whatsoever outrages the religious feelings of Muslims shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years and shall also be liable to fine.
Samia May 30, 2010 at 5:50 am
An application to apply for a Pakistani passport/ID card. Seems to foreign to my American sensibilities:
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs181.snc1/6014_565196948650_2910612_33071309_5111597_n.jpg
omar May 30, 2010 at 9:05 am
Sara, there you go again, applying imperialist orientalist criteria to other cultures…..and in any case, this is a side show. The real issue is the oppression of the people by the puppet regime in Islamabad. By raising such issues you are playing into the hands of the metropole in its refusal of the categories of the imperial culture, its aesthetic, its illusory standard of normative or ‘correct’ usage, and its assumption of a traditional and fixed meaning ‘inscribed’ in the words. Need I say more?
Jonathan Dresner May 30, 2010 at 9:33 am
For the love of God, Omar, I hope you’re kidding.
omar May 30, 2010 at 9:45 am
I am, but some of the postmodernists are not….
Jonathan Dresner May 30, 2010 at 1:27 pm
Sadly, true.
R Alam May 30, 2010 at 4:31 pm
Interesting that the “crime” of calling their place of worship a mosque applies only to Ahmadis, not anyone else.
Then why is everyone in the media calling it “Ahmadis’ places of worship”???
kris May 31, 2010 at 1:35 pm
I know and respect the anger and outrage against the latest
killing of Ahmadis and targeting of their places of worship.
I however ask respectfully, how is any of this new and different
from the laws and treatment meted out to any other non Islamic
community in Pakistan?
For that matter, it is not any longer inconceivable that the constitution
will be amended one day to make Shia’s official not muslim.
Qalandar June 1, 2010 at 1:37 pm
If I just read 298A in isolation, it strikes me as directed against Shiites rather than Ahmedis (since the target seems to be Shiites who criticize the first three/Sunni caliphs, or Bibi Ayesha).
On 298B, where is the provision that makes it punishable to call someone after Prophet Muhammad, a “prophet” (“caliph”, “Umm-ul-Mumineen” etc. are all explicitly forbidden here) — what am I missing?