CJP Isa allows Ahmadi community to propagate beliefs

Rating Justification

The iVerify Pakistan team has checked this content and has established that it is false.

To arrive at this verdict, the iVerify Pakistan team has checked Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa’s detailed written verdict on a case heard on February 6, 2024.

HOW IT STARTED

On Feb 21, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman shared a post on social media platform X with the caption: “Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa’s decision to allow Ahmadis to propagate their religion is against Sharia, Constitution and law, which we reject publicly.”

He further wrote, “The references of the Holy Quran presented in the decision are wrong and not based on Quranic verses. Imams and preachers should raise their voice against this decision in their sermons.”

“After consulting the legal team, JUI-F has decided to file a review appeal against this decision”, He added.

The post gained 1.3 million views and was reshared 9,700 times.

Meanwhile, other social media users were claiming that the chief justice had allowed the Ahmadi community to publish its version of the Holy Quran.

METHODOLOGY

The iVerify Pakistan team sought to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality and the dangerous implications of the allegation at the chief justice.

To investigate the circulated claim, the team checked a Dawn report published on Feb 9 to verify if CJP Isa issued such a verdict.

The case hearing occurred on Feb 6 and the detailed verdict was issued on Feb 7.

According to the Dawn report, the judgment emphasised the importance of adhering to legal and religious principles, referencing Quranic verses.

The verdict pertained to the case of Ahmed Sami, who was accused of distributing a proscribed book. The Supreme Court ordered Sami’s immediate release, criticising authorities for disregarding constitutional rights and failing to consider fundamental principles of law and religion.

In the verdict, the team did not find any section in which the chief justice allowed the Ahmadi community to propagate its belief or publish its version of the Holy Quran.

The chief justice simply emphasised the importance of freedom of faith and recounted the rights that are already enshrined in the Constitution.

The relevant section from the court verdict is reproduced below:

“The principle of there being no compulsion in religion mentioned in the Holy Qur’an is enshrined in the Constitution as a Fundamental Right. Clause (a) of Article 20 of the Constitution stipulates that, ‘every citizen shall have the right to profess, practice and propagate his religion’ and clause (b) of Article 20 states that, ‘every religious denomination and every sect thereof shall have the right to establish, maintain and manage its religious institutions’. Article 22 of the Constitution requires and prescribes that, ‘no religious community or denomination shall be prevented from providing religious instruction for pupils of that community or denomination in any educational institution maintained wholly by that community or denomination’. These fundamental rights cannot be derogated from, circumvented or diluted.”

CONCLUSION

The iVerify Pakistan team has determined that the claim regarding CJP allowing Ahmadis to publish the Holy Quran or propagate their beliefs is false.

The detailed verdict of the Supreme Court simply stressed the importance of freedom of belief and reiterated those rights already mentioned in the Constitution.

Evidence and References