By Shahid Pervaiz, Bangalore

Ahmadiyya Mosque at Saidabad in Hyderabad was attacked and the worshipers were locked inside for more than 3 hrs, today.

Youm e Messiah-e-Moud was being celebrated today (Sunday being a public holiday) at many Mosques and Mission Houses around India.

At the Saidabad Mosque “Masjid ul Hamd” the Jalsa had started at 11am and by 2:30pm it was getting over. Few of the members were outside the gates in a bookstall organized by the Jamaat, selling books and distributing free literature.

Since morning many visitors had come and bought books and took literature along with them. Around 2:30PM Qaed Sahib Khuddamul Ahmadiyya instructed the book stall team to take book stall inside Masjid premise so that our Jamaat members could visit book stall. As soon as we took book stall inside, miscreants started gathering outside and soon turned into a mob and started hurling stones and shouting slogan against us. More people joined from nowhere, soon there was a mob of about 600+ protesters (trouble makers).

Mullahs started instigating and gave Naras (slogans) asking followers to defend Islam from Qadianis.

Soon the mob started pelting stones at the Mosque. Our members closed the gates from the inside. Inside the Mosque there were about 400+ members including women and children.

The glasses in the Mosque and of vehicles parked outside the mosques were damaged.

Police appeared at the scene, but were not able to disperse the crowd at that point of time and asked our members not to come out citing more tensions.

All the members were locked inside for 2-3 hrs until few political leaders of the local Muslim party went to the police station to lodge complaints against the Jamaat, these leaders were followed by the mob allowing the police to disperse the remaining crowd from around the mosque due to this our members could come out at about 5pm, unharmed.

About 150 policemen including (Rapid action force) turned up at the scene.

Most of the people who were a part of the Mob didn’t even know why they were there !! when asked by a couple of khuddams who went along with them, they said they were informed that Islam and the Honor of the Holy Prophet (saw) was under attack. They were all on their cell phones calling out others to join them.

Press Conferences were called by Sadr sb where we gave our statements in front of Print and TV Media.

A Mullah appeared on “Four TV” a local private channel that belonged to a Muslim Political party, at 10pm and gave reasons why the Mosque was attacked.

He told that on the 18th of Feb the local WAKF board had declared Ahmadis to be Non-Muslims, that they were assured by the Police that the “Kalima” would be removed from all our Mosques in the City. He warned that Folders, leaflets and other literature of the Jamaat must not contain any Islamic images and personalities like the images of Mecca, Medina and should not make any references to the Holy Prophet(saw) and Quran.

They (Ahmadis) can do Tablig but like how non-Muslims (Hindus and Christians) are doing i.e. without referring to anything Islamic. Out stalls must not contain any material related to the Holy Prophet (saw) or the Quran and we must not make any efforts to change the minds of general Muslim masses disguising as Muslims. Our Mosques must not be referred to a “Masjids.”

It seems the police has assured them of the above and if Ahmadis continue to go against these then action will be taken !!

Posters and Banners have started turning up around many places in the city calling Ahmadis – NonMuslims.

It is very unfortunate that the largest Democracy in the world is allowing such attacks on the Freedom of Religion.

I request every reader to kindly remember the members of the Hyderabad Jamaat in your prayers.