Charity is Now a Crime: Ahmadi Man Jailed for Distributing Biryani in Pakistan
Blasphemy by Biryani (Curry Rice)? When Compassion Becomes a Crime and the Courts Enable Apartheid
On July 6, 2025, in the city of Gujranwala, Pakistan, an Ahmadi Muslim man, Mr. Munawwar Ahmad, was arrested and charged under Section 298-C of the Pakistan Penal Code—for distributing biryani to his neighbours on the Day of Ashura.
His “crime”? Performing an act of charity while being an Ahmadi.
Let that sink in.
According to the FIR and court proceedings, Mr. Ahmad was accused of “posing as a Muslim” simply because he and his brother offered food to the poor and needy. A pot of biryani (curry rice) has now become “evidence” in a blasphemy case. His bail was denied on July 15 by Magistrate Sidra Gul Nawaz, citing the “serious repercussions for law and order” of an Ahmadi performing public charity.
This is a new trend. This is not a case—it is an indictment of Pakistan’s legal apartheid.
Link to social media: https://x.com/faith_defence/status/1942287991461843415
Pakistan’s Apartheid Laws Have Now Criminalized Human Decency
What began with prayer restrictions has now reached acts of compassion:
- Prayers are criminalized
- Mosques are sealed and demolished
- Graves are desecrated
- Charity is now banned
Section 298-C—Pakistan’s blasphemy law that criminalizes Ahmadis for “posing as Muslims”—has now been expanded in interpretation to include giving biryani to the hungry. This is a new low in Pakistan’s descent into religious tyranny.
The Court’s Role: Justice Denied, Prejudice Institutionalized
The judicial order by Magistrate Sidra Gul Nawaz is not only devoid of legal sanity—it is an alarming signal of how Pakistan’s judiciary has capitulated to religious bigotry. The court accepted the presence of a cooking pot as incriminating evidence and declared that Ahmadis distributing food on a holy day could provoke “serious law and order” threats.
Instead of safeguarding civil liberties, the court has made compassion illegal for a persecuted community.
This ruling isn’t justice—it is judicial persecution with a robe.
When the System Hunts the Innocent and Protects the Mobs
This case is not an anomaly—it is part of a systemic campaign to erase Ahmadi identity from public life:
- Ahmadis jailed for prayer
- Mosques desecrated with police collaboration
- Children arrested outside prayer spaces
- Now, acts of compassion are painted as criminal provocations
Meanwhile, those issuing death threats against Ahmadis on social media, those vandalizing mosques, and those inciting genocide—walk free.
We Demand Immediate Global and Domestic Action
To the Government of Pakistan:
- Release Mr. Munawwar Ahmad immediately.
- Repeal Section 298-C and abolish Ordinance XX.
- Stop criminalizing the Ahmadi identity.
- Ban extremist groups like TLP and prosecute those weaponizing religion to persecute.
To the Judiciary of Pakistan:
- Cease becoming enforcers of apartheid.
- Uphold constitutional protections, not sectarian biases.
- Restore dignity to courts by resisting mob pressure and ideological prejudice.
To the International Community:
- Acknowledge this as systemic religious persecution.
- Designate Pakistan’s apartheid regime against Ahmadis as a human rights emergency.
- Sanction officials and institutions complicit in this abuse.
- Demand justice for Mr. Munawwar Ahmad and all others punished for their beliefs.
This is not about biryani. It is about the right to exist.
When an Ahmadi can be jailed for feeding the hungry, the world must understand: Pakistan has institutionalized cruelty.
If charity is blasphemy, then silence is complicity.
