Ahmadis are accusing authorities in Rawalpindi of leaving them exposed to acts of terror by removing security cameras from one of their places of worship. Local police removed four cameras from the “Ewan e Tawheed” mosque on Friday after a crowd numbering around 700 -- most of them Islamic seminary students -- staged a protest outside. During the protest there were several calls for suicide attacks on the mosque. A similar protest last month forced Ahmadis to remove barricades at the front of the building. Many Muslims consider the Ahmadis a heretical Islamic sect and the removal of the cameras has alarmed the community even further,” said Ahmadi spokesman Saleem ud Din. “The cameras were meant to keep a watch on roads for any possible threat of terrorist attack. Our rights to pray and congregate, as well as we ourselves, have thus been exposed to grave danger,” he said. “The police watched an unlawful assembly gather in front of the gate and made no attempt to stop it,” he said referring to Friday’s protest. “It is clear to see that attempts are being made to deprive Ahmadis of their right to pray and congregate peacefully. Law enforcement agencies appear to be pandering to the militants and bending under their pressure,” he continued. Joseph Dayal, spokesman of the Christian Progressive Movement, a political party based in nearby Islamabad, demanded strict action against fundamentalists. “Ahmadis were declared a minority but they still deserve their rights. The government should stand up against those who spread hate instead of submitting to them,” he said. Related Reports Ahmadis fear further persecution
