To my friend Fazal

Dear Fazal,

I write these lines to you driven by a shame that won't leave me — the shame of what they are doing to you in this country that, until recently, we thought was plural and welcoming.

I realized that our friendship has been going on for almost eight years. We met at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lisbon, when you were my student at the Institute of Culture and Portuguese Language. At the end of the semester, I had the privilege of getting to know your community — the Ahmadis — better and their unprecedented commitment to peace, precisely because that is the condition that is denied to you in Pakistan. That is precisely why it is so difficult for me to watch what is happening to you. Seeing you being treated with suspicion, reduced to a number or a stereotype, is not only a mistake: it is an injustice. And it is also a sign of what is collectively failing.

I learned from you that the Ahmadis, being a dissident expression of Islam — as if there could be orthodoxy in the intimate relationship of each being with the divine — are brutally persecuted in Pakistan . You often tell me about attacks, the destruction of mosques , public lynchings — blind and systematic violence. Now I see how the same intolerance, the same fanaticism, the same ignorance is spreading in Portugal . A nameless stupidity. In Pakistan, they are persecuted and killed for not being considered Muslims. In Portugal, they are persecuted and insulted for being Muslims. This injustice is intolerable. And always, in your eyes, the serenity of those who resist without hatred. Portugal cannot forget that its identity was built at the intersection of worlds. To deny the presence of others — especially those who came here to build their lives with dignity — is to betray one's own history.

It was at your invitation that I attended the Ahmadiyya Peace Symposium in London, a remarkable experience. I told you that I am agnostic and that I deeply admire Buddhist thought, but that I recognize that all religions offer possible paths to spiritual development. What struck me most was the total absence of proselytism in your community. On the contrary, you celebrate religious differences. You find the ultimate meaning of existence in dialogue, acceptance and peace.

I have seen how active you are in English society: businesspeople, academics, professionals from all walks of life – a dynamic part of the social fabric. That same year, I had the honour of meeting your Caliph, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad. Since that inaugural meeting, I have followed many of his speeches and messages. Your presence in the world is a constant call for universal peace, without exclusions or sectarianism.

The creation of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Prize for the Advancement of Peace is proof of this. Since 2009, this award has recognized personalities and institutions from various latitudes who are dedicated to the cause of Peace. I will mention just a few of the recent laureates: in 2017, Dr. Leonid Roshal, a Moscow pediatrician and WHO expert, for supporting children victims of war; in 2018, Fred Mednick, founder of Teachers Without Borders; in 2019, Barbara Hofmann of ASEM, who has helped more than 180,000 children victims of conflict; in 2020, Adi Roche of Chernobyl Children International; in 2022, Tadatoshi Akiba, former mayor of Hiroshima and activist against nuclear weapons; in 2023, David Spurdle, founder of Stand by Me, who has rescued more than 20,000 children in 11 countries.

For years, we have regretted that you were unable to join the Portuguese delegation at these meetings, as you have been waiting for Portuguese citizenship for over a decade. Only very recently did you obtain your passport and the freedom to travel. However, you have always fulfilled your fiscal and civic duties like any other citizen. A paradox as blatant as having bought a piece of land and requested permission to build a temple, only to see it ultimately prevented due to ignorance and xenophobia.

I know that the Ahmadi community in Portugal has two great dreams: to receive a visit from their Caliph and to build a dignified headquarters where they can celebrate their faith in peace and security. They have always believed that Portugal was fertile ground for this. They believed that here, unlike in Pakistan, they would be respected as believers and as human beings.

I deeply regret that this hope has been betrayed. I regret that you have discovered, in the cruelest way, that fanaticism, intolerance and fear of others also live here. I am ashamed, my friend. Ashamed of the ignorance that prevails, of the stupidity that is rising, of the violence that threatens you. Your presence enriches us. And that is why, in writing to you, I do so not only as a friend, but as a citizen. I feel it is my duty to bear witness.

This is not the country I recognize myself in. But as long as I can write, speak and testify, this will also be the country of your dignity.

With friendship and respect always renewed,

Vasco Medeiros