Sir, Iqbal Sacranie, the Secretary-General of The Muslim Council of Britain, denies the right of Ahmadis to call themselves Muslims and wishes to quibble about their true numbers worldwide (letter, July 29). If the numbers are nearer to his lower figure of ten million, perhaps this may be due to the consistent persecution faced by this minority Muslim community in many countries.
For example, in Pakistan Ahmadi Muslims are banned from practising their faith and face protracted jail sentences for doing so. Amnesty International has long documented such breaches of human rights. Perhaps if The Muslim Council of Britain were to put pressure on its co-religionists internationally, Ahmadi Muslims might be less afraid to stand up and be counted.
Yours faithfully,
ALASDAIR HUSSAIN,
High Trees House,
Fairfield Street, SW18 1BW.
July 29.