Tariq Family Must Stay

Malik Mohammed Tariq, his wife Ferhat and children Sohaib aged 20, Asma aged 17 and Reema aged 14 are Ahmadi Muslims who fled religious persecution from Pakistan. They currently live in Nottingham where there is an Ahmadi community. Among the community are the Dar Family and the Malik Family who are also campaigning against deportation.

The Ahmadiyya minority is a religious sect who claim that their founder Mirza Ghulam Ahmad is the Promised Messiah and a prophet. They adhere to the Islamic faith and consider themselves to be Muslims however, their belief in Ahmad's prophetic status contravenes orthodox Islam which contends that Mohammed was the last prophet. This has resulted in their persecution. Since the 1970's a series of laws have been passed in Pakistan aimed at restricting the religious freedoms of Ahmadis. In 1974 they were declared "non-Muslims" during the administration of President Z.A. Bhutto. State repression continued in 1984 when an ordinance on un-Islamic activities made Ahmadis liable to prosecution for a number of "offenses" including, calling themselves Muslims, preaching, using an Islamic greeting or calling their place of worship a Mosque. In 1986 the penal code was amended to allow for the death penalty as punishment for breaking the ordinances. http://www.hrw.org/reports/1993/pakistan/

Repressive legislation continued to be passed and Ahmadi's have suffered from violent reprisals as a result. By July 1987 more than 2,000 Ahmadi's had been charged with offenses under these laws which not only violate a persons right to practice their religion freely but as the US state department notes, "encouraged an atmosphere of religious intolerance which has led to acts of violence directed at Ahmadis" and other religious minorities.

Anti-Ahmadi feeling runs at dangerously high levels and is not prevented by the police. In June 1987 an Ahmadi lawyer and community leader was shot and killed. In July 1992 anti-Ahmadi feeling resulted in the murder of one Ahmadi awaiting trial under these laws. In 1999 the home of an Ahmadi religious leader in the Punjab was looted and burned after he was accused of planning to build an Ahmadi house of worship. The Police did nothing to stop the crowd from damaging his property and instead registered a blasphemy case against him and his two sons. Persecution and violent attacks on the Ahmadi community persist. In 2000 five people were killed and seven injured when an Ahmadi prayer meeting was fired on.

For more information on the persecution of Ahmadi Muslims go to www.thepersecution.org 

Mr Tariq and his family suffered persecution dating back to 1996 when they moved from their home village of Dulmial in the Chakwal district to Wah Cant in order to escape from anti-Ahmadi tensions. In 1997 the Mosque in his village of Dulmial which was run by his father, was attacked by a mob of around 300 people who threw stones at the building and fired guns into the air. At the time there were 30-40 people inside the Mosque praying. The local court ordered they could not call the building a Mosque or use it for religious purposes. There followed a period of harassment of Ahmadis including the desecration of Ahmadi grave stones in the local cemetery and graffitiing of Ahmadi homes and businesses.

In 2002 the persecution became more acute. In March the electricity meter from Mr Tariq's spare parts shop was stolen. The family began getting threatening phone calls and their doorbell was rung day and night but when they went to answer it no one was there. Fire works were thrown at their home. This continued throughout June and July. Mrs Tariq became mentally unstable as a result of the stress inflicted on the family and would faint when the attacks started often remaining unconscious for up to half an hour. Mr Tariq went to the police to complain about this twice but nothing was done. The children were threatened at school. Mr Tariq's son was excluded from taking Islamic Studies at school because he is an Ahmadi. His daughters were told they could not drink from the same water tap as other students. They were told they could not read from the Quran. In June they received an anonymous letter from Chakwal threatening Mr Tariq, his father and his children, the author saying that he knew where they attended school. Also in June Mr Tariq received a letter from his sister in Chakwal warning them not to visit as anti-Ahmadi activities had increased in the village. Meanwhile the persecution of the family in Wah Cant had intensified with more threatening phone calls and racial abuse. The police were informed but no action was ever taken. On July 17th 2002 gun shots were fired at the family's home after midnight. Mr Tariq saw two men wearing balaclavas. One of them was holding a pistol. Bullets were shot through one of the bedroom walls and the kitchen wall. Mr Tariq moved his family to his cousins house nearby. The next morning he went again to the police to report the incident and they came to see the bullet marks in the walls of the house. Mr Tariq had already booked tickets for his family to travel to the UK to attend an annual convention of the Ahmadi Community held in Surrey and were due to travel the next day. They arrived at Heathrow on July 18th and immediately sought asylum.

Mrs Tariq still suffers from anxiety attacks and fainting spells due to the terror inflicted on the family. She needs time to recover in a peaceful atmosphere. Mr Tariq says,

"In view of the circumstances as explained above, I am fearful that if my family and I return to Pakistan, our life would be again put at risk. I would not have sought asylum if my family were not shot at. We want to remain in the UK where my family and I can profess and practice our religion and feel safe."

What you can do to help
Fax/write to the Home Secretary David Blunkett, using the model letter 'Attached', which you can copy/amend/write your own.
Fax no: 020 7273 3965 from outside the UK + 44 20 7273 3965

Or write to:

David Blunkett
Home Secretary
Home Office
50 Queen Anne's Gate
London SW1H 9AT

Please take time to send a copy of anything sent to:
Tariq family Campaign
c/o NCADC
Cambridge House
131 Camberwell Road
London SE5 0HF
Enquiries/further information:
Allison Bennett
Phone: 020 7701 5197
ncadc-london@ncadc.org.uk