Now, Islamic clerics say ‘mosque-type domes’ cannot adorn non-Muslim places of worship in Pak

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Lahore, May 21: Religious clerics in Sultanpura, Pakistan have demanded for the demolition of an Ahmedi place of worship, which looked too much like a mosque.

The clerics are reportedly unhappy with changes made to the building’s facade and have demanded that the building’s dome be demolished.

Previously, the administration of Baitul Hamd, the worship place, covered the chhatri (flattened dome) at the entrance by installing a hoarding in front of it on May 4 and a day earlier, Misri Shah police had removed some tiles with the Kalma and Quranic verses from the building’s entrance.

The changes were done by the administration after Rana Muhammad Tufail, a cleric, and Advocate M Badar Alim Sheikh filed an application with the police complaining that the worship place looked too much like a mosque.

They had sought a case against the Ahmedis under Sections 295-B and 298-C, which were made part of the Pakistan Penal Code via the ‘Anti-lslamic Activities of Qadiani Group, Lahori Group and Ahmedis (Prohibition and Punishment) Ordinance’ of 1984.

Tufail said that under the law, Ahmedis were non-Muslims, and therefore, cannot have any building or place of worship that was domical in structure. He insisted that only Muslims or Islamists could have buildings with the typical arched nature.

“We will not let them make their worship place like a mosque. They are misleading Muslims. We have told the police to stop them, otherwise we will organise protests and they will be responsible for any untoward incident,” The Express Tribune quoted Tufail, as saying.

Sheikh accused the Ahmedi community of taking the law into their hands and “posing as Muslims”.

He said that the Constitution of Pakistan had declared them non-Muslims and claimed that he would pursue legal action against the Ahmedi community “to make them mend their ways”.

Fazal Ahmed, a member of the Baitul Hamd administration committee, however, said that they had tried their best to make the place look less offensive to the complainants, but they were still not satisfied. He said the place of worship had been around since before Partition. (ANI)