Congress Urges Emergency Intervention to Stop Violence Against Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan

[Silver Spring, MD] — Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA welcomes and strongly supports a bipartisan appeal by 23 Members of the United States Congress urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take immediate diplomatic action in response to the worsening persecution of Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan.
In a detailed letter delivered to Secretary Rubio yesterday, lawmakers cited an alarming rise in state-sanctioned violence and religious discrimination against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. The letter documents recent demolitions of mosques, mass arrests of peaceful worshippers—including children—and the criminalization of core religious practices, all taking place under the growing influence of the extremist group Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). Letter can be viewed below

“These horrifying attacks are not isolated incidents,” said Amjad Mahmood Khan, National Secretary of Public Affairs for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA. “They reflect a dangerous and systemic effort to erase the identity and existence of Ahmadi Muslims from Pakistan. We are grateful to these Members of Congress for their principled stand for religious freedom.”
The congressional letter details egregious abuses, including:

• Demolition of a historic Ahmadi mosque in Daska (January 2025), originally built by Pakistan’s first Foreign Minister and UN General Assembly President, Sir Zafrullah Khan.
• A mob-led assault in Karachi (March 2025) that resulted in the arrest of 25 Ahmadi Muslims, including 8 children.
• A surge in faith-based killings across multiple cities in April and May.
• Nationwide disruption of Ahmadi Eid prayers in March, including forced closures and police-enforced bans.
  The letter urges Secretary Rubio to press Pakistan on five key points:

1. Compliance with international human rights obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
2. Immediate release of Ahmadis imprisoned for their faith.
3. Full restoration of equal citizenship rights and protections for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
4. Redesignation of Pakistan as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act.
5. Lifting any waiver that excuses Pakistan from consequences tied to its CPC status.

“These urgent recommendations reflect what the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has long maintained: that legal apartheid and extremist violence in Pakistan must be met with clear diplomatic consequences,” said Amjad Mahmood Khan. “The United States must demonstrate moral leadership and act to prevent unspeakable cruelties against vulnerable religious communities.”
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA continues to call on all democratic governments to stand against religious apartheid and demand accountability from states that permit faith-based persecution.

About the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community:
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is a dynamic, reformist and fast-growing international movement within Islam. Founded in 1889, the Community spans 213 countries with tens of millions of members. Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA, established in 1920, is the oldest American-Muslim organization.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the only Islamic organization to believe that the long- awaited messiah has come in the person of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908) of Qadian, India. Ahmad claimed to be the metaphorical second coming of Jesus of Nazareth and the divine guide, whose advent was foretold by the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad. The Community believes that God sent Ahmad, like Jesus, to end religious wars, condemn bloodshed and reinstitute morality, justice and peace. Ahmad’s advent has brought about an unprecedented era of Islamic revival and moderation. He divested Muslims of fanatical beliefs and practices by vigorously championing Islam’s true and essential teachings.