Copy of certification by Islamic clerics published in Roznama Ummat (January 14, 2012)
Pakistan's QMobile, a telecommunications and technology products firm, was recently mired in controversy over its Islamic identity after being accused of belonging to Qadianis – i.e. Ahmadi Muslims who have been declared non-Muslims under Pakistani laws and are barred from using Islamic symbols and from calling their places of worship "mosques."
Rumors spread in Pakistan that the letter "Q" in the company's name stands for Qadian, the northern India birthplace of the Ahmadiyya Movement, and that QMobile is out to defame Islam and to cause disrespect for Islam's Prophet Muhammad. Ahmadi Muslims, who are members of the Ahmadiyya Movement, are accused by Pakistani clerics of not believing that Prophet Muhammad was the last prophet of god.
Rumors that QMobile stands for Qadiani-Mobile, thereby calling for the company's boycott, were strengthened by a software glitch on QMobile products that did not enable its users to write the word "Muhammad" in Urdu or Arabic script.
QMobile Statement: "After the Last Prophet of Arabia Muhammad… [We] Consider Any Claimant to Prophethood As False, Liar, Accursed and Infidel"
Copy of the statement by QMobile official Mian Pervez Akhtar
Following the controversy, QMobile and the Aalami Majlise Tahaffuze Khatme Nabuwwat (International Council to Protect the End of Prophethood), an organization of Islamic clerics which leads a forceful campaign against Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan issued a joint advertisement in the Urdu-language daily Roznama Ummat.[1]
In the ad, Mian Pervez Akhtar of QMobile wrote: "We apologize to our clients that they experienced difficulty due to a problem in QMobile software and due to which the word 'Muhammad' peace be upon him could not be written. But this issue has been resolved completely….
"Actually, this is a software problem and has no connection to Qadianiat [beliefs of Ahmadi Muslims]. Praise be to Allah! We are Muslims and have complete faith in the end of prophethood on Muhammad peace be upon him. After the Last Prophet of Arabia Muhammad peace be upon him, [we] consider any claimant to prophethood as false, liar, accursed and infidel. May Allah bless us to be steadfast on Islam. Amen…."
Islamic Clerics' Organization: "We have Reached the Conclusion that the Company's Owners… are Muslims and … Consider Any Claimant of Prophethood After… [Muhammad] as False, Liar, Accursed and Kafir [Infidel]; We Verify That Have Nothing To Do With the Qadiani Sect"
The QMobile statement was part of the ad that contained a fatwa (Islamic decree), certifying that the company belongs to Muslims and not to Qadianis. The fatwa issued by the Aalami Majlise Tahaffuze Khatme Nabuwwat (AMTKN, or the International Council to Protect the End of Prophethood) and signed by its Emir for Karachi Muhammad Ejaz Mustafa stated:
"This is to verify that we have met with the owners of the D.G. Com Trading Private Limited (who have been carrying out the QMobile business in Pakistan for a long time) and have investigated their beliefs.
"We have reached the conclusion that the company's owners – by grace of Allah – are Muslims and have the firm faith that the Last Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him is the last prophet of Allah; and they consider any claimant of prophethood after Him [Muhammad] as false, liar, accursed and Kafir [infidels]. We verify that they have nothing to do with the Qadiani sect."
[1] Roznama Ummat (Pakistan), January 14, 2012.
