Algeria intensifies its unjustified religiously motivated crackdown on Ahmadiyya Muslims

“Algerian government has continued its unjustified and cruel crackdown on members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the country. The Ahmadiyya Community in the country has expressed concern over the religiously motivated arrests and prison sentences.”

From June 2016, onwards, the authorities in Algeria targeted members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, arresting at least 70 in Blida and Skikda provinces and other parts of the country on account of their faith. Mass arrests of Ahmadis seem to have commenced in early 2016, but took a more intense turn in July 2016 when Algerian authorities commenced a “dismantling procedure” of the group’s offices in Blida. According to some sources this resulted in the arrest of hundreds of people.

Algerian newspaper EnNahar revealed that the crackdown against the Ahmadis in Algeria started in the first week of June, the investigation was spread over three states and during the course of the investigation the security forces raided the Ahmadiyya headquarters in the state of Blida. During the month-long crackdown dozens of Ahmadis were arrested and charged with violating social peace, and the under-construction community centre in the state of Blida was also demolished by the local Municipality.

In November 2016, 20 Ahmadis were sentenced to prison in Skikda, and the following month 33 individuals were arrested in Sétif. Media reports indicate, on Friday, November 25th 2016 Algerian security forces raided a house in the coastal town of Béni Saf and arrested six Ahmadis while they were performing Friday Prayer. In late February 2017, there were reports of arrests of National President and the General Secretary of the Ahmadiyya Community in Algeria. On 2 March 2017 the High Islamic Council of Algeria issued a Fatwa calling for an end to “Ahmadi activities,” and on 13 March 2017, another 15 Ahmadis were arrested in Bejaïa.

Ahmadis in Algeria have experienced a number of social problems, including expulsion from work, social boycotts and breaking up of families. The religious clergy have issued edicts against Ahmadis and in some cases ordered the wives of Ahmadis to separate from their husbands or vice versa. By way of example this has been seen in the Ain Sefra and Ghardaya cities.

To date, total 228 members of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Algeria have been persecuted in this religiously motivated crackdown. Out of the 228, 24 persons have been put to jail with most sentenced to 3-year jail by court, while others await their horrifying decisions from court. Other than the 24 persons already in jail, 204 persons are being dragged through the criminal investigations and legal system. Many of these 204 persons also await their decisions from court, and fear that the court could deliver a jail sentence to them as well.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Finland strongly condemns the systematic persecution of Ahmadiyya Community members, which is being done through blatant violation of basic human rights and freedom of religion by the Government of Algeria.

We urge the international community to take note of the worsening situation of Ahmadis in Algeria and to intervene to put an end to this persecution. We also urge the Government of Algeria to free the Ahmadis who have been imprisoned and to stop this current state of harassment and persecution of Ahmadis.

 

Read more on our website: www.ahmadiyya.fi

 

For further information, please contact:

Ataul Ghalib, National President, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Finland, +358451340710, alislam.finland@gmail.com

Musawer Ahmad Shahid, Imam & Missionary Incharge, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Finland, +358449758181, musshah38@gmail.com

Ahmad Farooq Qureshi, National Director of External Affairs, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Finland, +358401845162, extaffairs@ahmadiyya.fi

 

AHMADIYYA MUSLIM JAMAAT WORLDWIDE

Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat is the promised revival of Islam, international in its composition which spans over 200 countries. This is the most dynamic denomination of Islam in modern history. Its current headquarters is in the United Kingdom.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat was established in 1889, by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS) in a small and remote village of Qadian, in Punjab, India. He claimed to be the expected reformer of the latter days, the awaited one for the world community of religions. The movement he started is a benevolent message of Islam – peace, universal brotherhood and submission to the will of God in its pristine purity. Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat worldwide is the leading Islamic organization to categorically reject terrorism in any form. The Movement was founded under Divine guidance to rejuvenate Islamic moral & spiritual values.

It encourages interfaith dialogue and diligently tries to correct misunderstandings about Islam. It advocates peace, tolerance and understanding among followers of different faiths. In doing so it has faced denial of basic human rights, targeted attacks, violent persecution extending to targeted killings and massacres. Still, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community continues to be an advocate for universal human rights and protections for religious and other minorities. It champions the empowerment and education of women. Its members are among the most law-abiding, educated, and engaged Muslims in the world.

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