Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth, Queens Chapter

Pakistan’s Original Sin I do hope that in confronting the horrors of Imran Khan’s persecution, as Pakistan wakes up to the reality of state abuse, tyranny of the political class, and the weaponisation of religion at the hands of fanatics — there is also a reckoning with Pakistan’s Original Sin: the unjust declaration of Ahmadis as non-Muslims by the same extractive ruling elite. That single act not only made Ahmadis forever vulnerable to persecution, but also turned them into an object of hate and convenience for Pakistan’s ruling class to peddle politics, patriotism and religious donations. The true “crime” of Ahmadis was never their faith; it was their small numbers but outsized presence in the bureaucracy, military, business, and academia. Unfortunately, success has its own perils, especially when you’re a tiny minority. Faith was only the excuse; it was always political — for Bhutto, and for all who followed him, desperate to retain power by any means possible. It’s the same script all over again, only the victims have changed — this time it’s a majority.