Hafiz Hamid Raza, the Sialkot Imam who can be heard callously enjoying the destruction of the Ahmadi mosque, (which can be heard in the background), visited the United Kingdom and spoke at the Khatame Nabuwat conference in Derby in 2014. We have listed the video below and which confirms his entry into the United Kingdom.
Hafiz Raza was central to the incitement that led to the destruction of the Ahmadi mosque on the 23rd of May in a town that has not had such sectarian tensions below. Residents of Sialkot have generally been immune to sectarian tensions and this development is therefore even more shocking. The destruction of the mosque took place a few days ago as people literally tore the place of worship apart brick by brick.
Anti-Ahmadi hatred pervades widely into Pakistani society and has gone unchecked for decades, though it is also found in the United Kingdom. Anti-Ahmadi statements, graffiti on mosques and intimidation outside Ahmadi mosques have taken place in this country and continue to take occur without any real focus on the intolerance and institutionalised hatred that impacts on this well integrated and peaceful Muslim community. It is as if, institutional anti-Muslim hatred, does not exist for some Muslims when it affects Ahmadi Muslims in the UK.
Entry into the UK
Hafiz Raza’s central role in the destruction of the Ahmadi mosque should bring into question, his future access and entry to the United Kingdom. According to Home Office guidelines and rules, his actions should essentially bar from him future entry to the United Kingdom, as his presence would more than likely be considered to be ‘not conducive to the public good’. Yet, it also brings into question the kinds of speakers that attend Khatame Nabuwat conferences.
We will be reviewing the situation as it develops.
Pictures of the Destruction in Sialkot
