Originally published in The Columbus Dispatch
As an Ahmadi Muslim, I often hear about the persecution of our community members in Middle Eastern and South Asian countries. However, until Monday, this never really struck home for me. This week, Dr. Mehdi Ali Qamar, a cardiologist who practiced in Lancaster, was gunned down in cold blood in front of his wife and 2-year-old son as he left an Ahmadi cemetery in Rabwah, Pakistan.
Having known Qamar for many years, I was shocked when I heard the news. He was there only to volunteer his medical expertise at an Ahmadi hospital, 94 percent of whose patients are non-Ahmadi. Qamar now is one of 137 Ahmadis martyred in Pakistan in the past four years, and one of two in a week.
I can only hope and pray that one day Pakistan will end its state-sponsored terrorism brought on by its notorious blasphemy laws and not allow terrorist attacks against religious minorities, such as Ahmadis, to go unpunished.
