Right Particle, Wrong God: Pakistani Nobel Winner’s Existence Erased In School Books Due To His Religious Beliefs

You would think that the claimed discovery of the Higgs boson — or God’s Particle — would lead to a new round of celebration in Pakistan over its own Nobel laureate, Adbus Salam. After all, Salam helped develop the theoretical framework that led to the apparent discovery of the subatomic particle. However, before laying the ground work for discovering the God Particle, Salam picked the wrong God in the view of many Pakistanis. Salam, who died in 1996, has been stricken from school textbooks and public acknowledgments because he was a member of the Ahmadi sect that is viewed by Muslims as heretical.

The Ahmadi have been persecuted in Pakistan by both Taliban and government officials. Ahmadiyya is based on the teachings of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908), who believed that Islam is the final dispensation for humanity as revealed to Muhammad. Ahmadis believe that God sent Ahmad, like Jesus, to end religious wars and stop religious killings to create a peaceful world. Followers notably do not subscribe to the extreme beliefs of the hardline Muslim community in many parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Salam and Steven Weinberg shared the Nobel Prize and predicted the existence of the Higgs boson. Pakistani children however are not told of his existence, let alone his work, because of his faith.

Source: Guardian