Saturday, December 18, 2010

What if Jesus were to visit Pakistan?

by: Imam Shamshad A Nasir
Source: San Bernardino Sun | December 16th 2010

If Jesus Christ descended from heaven as expected by both mainstream Muslims and Christians, what would be his fate were he to travel to Pakistan? Would he be welcomed with open arms or open hostility?
According to the laws of Pakistan, anyone who claims to be a prophet, messenger or a reformer of any kind can be forbidden to preach, arrested and charged with blasphemy.

In 1974, under pressure from Islamic religious groups, the Pakistani National Assembly amended the country's constitution to declare that anyone claiming to be a prophet, messenger or any kind of reformer is false and cannot be true because the Holy Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam, is the last prophet.

To put teeth in this amendment, the Pakistani penal code was amended in 1984-1986 (by the order of Gen. Zia-ul-Haq, then the dictator of Pakistan) to criminalize the practice of Islam by those deemed non-Muslims, specifically Ahmadi Muslims. Penalties under the blasphemy laws range from fines to imprisonment and even capital punishment.

This law is unjust on more than just legal grounds because no political assembly has any religious authority or right to interfere with anyone's chosen religious beliefs. As a result of these laws, religious minorities in Pakistan are not only deprived of their basic human right of religious freedom, but these laws are frequently and grossly brought to bear to settle personal grievances and obtain by legal theft the property and resources

of others.
If, for instance, a Sunni Muslim hankers after his Shia, Christian, Hindu, Sikh or Ahmadi neighbor's store, home or other property, all he needs to do is accuse that person of blasphemy against Islam or the Prophet Muhammad or desecrating the Quran and an angry mob and/or the police will appear to dispense vigilante justice.

The grist for this mill of hatred comes from the belief by mainstream Islamic scholars that, in deference to the honor and status of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, no prophet or reformer can appear after the Holy Prophet.

Contradicting this is the previously stated belief held by virtually all Muslims and Christians that Jesus Christ, whom Muslims view as the Jewish Messiah and whom Christians view as the literal Son of God and/or God, will come again.

Confusing the situation still more is the belief of mainstream Muslims that the Imam Mahdi (the God-guided spiritual leader) will appear after the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) but that he won't be a prophet. This begs the obvious question then of just who will be guiding him? Not God?

Another point to be remembered is that without any divine authority or guidance, Jesus (peace be upon him) would be unable to reform anyone in Pakistan.

How would Jesus preach if he is an ordinary person and not a reformer, a prophet or a messenger? Let us clearly examine and understand this issue.

The Holy Quran clearly states: "Jesus was sent as a prophet to the Children of Israel" (3:50), but the so-called Islamic scholars insist that Jesus (pbuh) will teach Islam to the Christians and Jews after Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Why oppose the blasphemy laws in Pakistan anyway?

On May 28, an attack was made on two Ahmadi Muslim mosques in Lahore, martyring more than 80 Ahmadis. Religious terrorism against Ahmadis is the result of Pakistan's 1974 constitutional amendment and its 1984-1986 blasphemy laws, none of which have any Quranic validation to defend or support them. Ahmadi Muslims seek only to be true Muslims in the eyes of God, rather than in the eyes of people. God knows all hearts.

I urge all my American Christian friends that if Jesus does in fact come, do not let him go to Pakistan or he will be put to death again, because this is the law of Pakistan.

Ahmadi Muslims believe that the Second Advent of the Messiah has been fulfilled in the person of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, who claimed to be the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi (the guided one from God).

Read Complete article at: http://www.sbsun.com/ci_16879048?IADID=Search-www.sbsun.com-www.sbsun.com#ixzz18WISGvEF

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