By Geoffrey P. Johnston

http://www.thewhig.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2227342

According to Human Rights Watch's 2009 annual report, two Ahmadis were murdered last year after "a popular talk-show host ... declared Ahmadis appropriate targets for murder under Islamic law." The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom alleges that Sunni Muslim extremists are often responsible for attacks on Ahmadis. It also alleges that the government sometimes collaborates with the attackers.

When the central government isn't turning a blind eye to religiously motivated murder, it is actively harassing the Ahmadi. For instance, the U. S. Commission on International Religious Freedom reports that in May of 2008, Ahmadis in the town of Rabwah openly "celebrated their faith through distinctive clothing, badges with religious slogans, lighting displays, and fireworks." The police responded by charging the whole community under the anti-Ahmadi laws.