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Members of the #Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in #Chakwal #Pakistan attacked at their mosque by a mob of nearly a thousand - NO ARRESTS MADE! pic.twitter.com/SywIoEtnwh — Safwan Choudhry (@SafwanChoudhry) December 12, 2016

One of the names near the top of the petition was Haji Malik Rashid Ahmed, whom Ahmadiyyas say is a Canadian. A news website that reports on the Ahmadiyya community, Rabwah Times, said he had spoken about the issue at mosques in the Chakwal area. A video posted by the site appears to show him talking to police in the aftermath of the attack.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Canada, which represents Canadian Ahmadiyya Muslims, raised the issue at a meeting with Global Affairs Canada, said Asif Khan, the organization’s director of public relations.

Khan said he informed federal officials that a Canadian was possibly involved and sent them the relevant documentation. He also asked whether Global Affairs would inform the RCMP, or if his organization should do it.

“We don’t want stuff like that here,” Khan said Tuesday. While violence against religious minorities is commonplace in Pakistan, he called the conduct “un-Canadian” and said he hoped whatever laws applied would be enforced.

I know him because he comes to our mosque in Mississauga. … He’s not a violent guy. He’s not a bad person

In Pakistan, Ahmadiyyas are prohibited from “indirectly or directly posing as a Muslim,” publicly declaring or propagating their faith, building mosques or referring to them as such, and making public calls to prayer, according to Human Rights Watch.

Such intolerance, together with regular attacks, have prompted many Ahmadiyyas to resettle in such countries as Canada, but they still face a degree of stigmatization from those who do not recognize them as genuine Muslims.