Persecution of Ahmadi Muslims

The international community must pay attention to the persecution of Ahmadi Muslims around the world.

On 13 July 2021, UN human rights experts expressed deep concern over the lack of attention to the serious human rights violations perpetrated against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community worldwide and called on the international community to redouble its efforts to end the ongoing persecution of Ahmadi Muslims.

"It is of utmost importance to shed light on the persistent human rights violations and increasing acts of discrimination against Ahmadi Muslims around the world, which is of deep concern to us," the experts said.

"We call on the international community to be vigilant and take coordinated action to respond to the violations faced by Ahmadi Muslims around the world, particularly in countries where their lives are most at risk."

While Ahmadis constitute a global religious community with a rich history and tens of millions of members, we have received, for over 15 years, reports of religious intolerance, discrimination and violence perpetrated against this community by state officials and non-state actors in several countries, including Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

As Special Procedures mandate holders, we have intervened with the governments concerned and raised the international community's awareness of the dire situation in which the Ahmadis find themselves and expressed serious concerns about the range of human rights violations they suffer. These violations are not limited to existing discriminatory institutional and legal contexts, but also extend to coordinated acts and campaigns of discrimination, stigmatisation and blatant aggression against their identity, cultural, social and political existence, often on the basis of a perceived and politically instrumentalised perception of doctrinal disagreement about Islam, and the entrenched prejudice that they should not be regarded as "true Muslims".

We note with concern the existence of laws and regulations that promote and institutionalise the dominance of majority ethno-religious communities over minorities and the promotion of certain religions and beliefs over others. Such institutional and legal frameworks impose significant obstacles to the enjoyment of the rights of persons belonging to minorities, including the principle of non-discrimination, the rights to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief, freedom of opinion and expression, as well as cultural and socio-economic rights guaranteed in international human rights instruments, including the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the 1981 UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief and the 1992 UN Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities.

Of particular concern are constitutional provisions, special ordinances, ministerial decrees or religious edicts that stigmatise and discriminate against the Ahmadi community in countries such as Indonesia and Pakistan, prohibiting Ahmadis from identifying themselves as Muslims, freely expressing their beliefs, practising their faith, and from participating effectively in public life. Ahmadis are often denied access to employment in the public service on religious grounds and are particularly vulnerable to violations of laws on religion-related offences (blasphemy laws). They are also targeted by laws regulating new technologies and social media platforms, aimed at suppressing their dissenting views and beliefs, enhancing control of their minority communities and further increasing their persecution through coordinated online hate campaigns and, in certain cases, coordinated online acts of collective punishment.

Furthermore, we note with grave concern the implementation of discriminatory regulations that appear to be aimed at denying Ahmadis' fundamental freedoms as citizens, including, inter alia, their right to vote and their access to identification documents, as well as the imposition of administrative obstacles in the enjoyment of their right. to form and maintain associations.

In addition to discriminatory legislative and policy frameworks, Ahmadi Muslims have often been subjected to discrimination, exclusion, hate campaigns and violence, including arbitrary arrests and detentions, verbal and physical attacks in the public sphere, as well as attacks on their cultural sites and places of worship. Ahmadi women are particularly affected, as they face harassment and discrimination because of their distinctive traditional Ahmadi dress, which makes them immediately recognisable, while Ahmadi children and youth are often denied admission to schools and institutions of higher education because of their faith, and face constant bullying and harassment, forcing them to drop out and interrupt their studies. Reports also indicate that Ahmadis continue to be portrayed negatively in school textbooks, while Ahmadi educational institutions are often confiscated and administratively closed down by state authorities.

Furthermore, the recent pandemic outbreak has exacerbated existing religious intolerance and discrimination against minority communities and vulnerable groups around the world, including Ahmadis, who have been particularly affected by increased hate speech and stigmatisation, and the spread of misinformation, making them responsible for the development and spread of the COVID-19 virus.

We recall international standards on non-discrimination and prohibition of any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence. We also draw attention to the authoritative interpretation of Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which provides for the protection and promotion of all rights under the Covenant, including the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief (Article 18) and the rights of minorities protected under Article 27, including in cases where a particular religion is recognised as a State religion, or is established as official or traditional, or its followers constitute the majority of the population. The protection, promotion and fulfilment of the human rights of the followers of any religion or belief does not depend on the official recognition of that religion or belief. At the same time, the institutionalisation and official recognition of certain beliefs or religions should in no case become a reason or basis for discrimination of any kind against followers of other beliefs or religions.

We strongly urge all States to:

• Repeal all laws that discriminate against Ahmadi Muslims, including laws that restrict their right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief, opinion and expression, offline and online, and amend them in accordance with international human rights standards;
• In particular, repeal all blasphemy laws or at least amend them in accordance with the strict requirements of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its Articles 2, 19 and 26;
• Strengthen legislative and institutional responses to effectively address hate speech and incitement to national, racial or religious hatred, in accordance with established international human rights standards and integrating the guidance provided in the Rabat Plan of Action;
• Ensure the equal and effective participation of Ahmadis in public life and decision-making processes affecting them, including by guaranteeing their political representation and the free exercise of their right to vote; ensuring their access to employment and public services of any kind, and protecting their right to form and maintain their associations and organisations;
• Address the multiple and intersecting forms of violence and discrimination faced by Ahmadi women, children and refugees;
• Repeal any ban on Ahmadi publications and ensure that Ahmadis fully enjoy their right to seek, receive and impart information and ideas, including through any medium of their choice;
• Protect and safeguard Ahmadi cultural and religious sites against attacks and desecration;
• Eliminate discrimination and exclusion of Ahmadi children in education and vocational training; adopt appropriate legislative and policy measures to address physical and psychological violence and harassment within and outside school premises; and review and amend national curricula and textbooks to eliminate prejudicial references that perpetrate stigma against minorities, and with the aim of strengthening human rights education and promoting inter-religious and intercultural understanding and dialogue.
• Ensure accountability and prosecution of all those responsible for violations and attacks against Ahmadis and other minorities, and design and implement human rights awareness and training programmes for all relevant state institutions and public officials, with the active participation of Ahmadi communities as well as religious leaders representing different faiths.