When a Pakistani hears the word ‘Freemasonry’, their mind crowds with conspiracy theories, satan worshipping, Jews taking over the world, and other hogwash. The truth is that they are not the only ones who stigmatize Freemasonry, it is done all around the world since the practice started. Historians have been unable to find a fixed date of when the fraternity started but the estimation of the organized group is the 16th century. Freemasonry itself is said to be born out of the stonemasonry guilds in the Middle Ages.
One of the probable reasons behind the world’s suspicion around the fraternity exists because there is a lot of hush-hush promoted by freemasonry itself when it comes to certain aspects of organizations within. Even though there is not a specific organized movement against Freemasonry, its critics are present all over the globe. Freemasonry is abhorred by many due as it is considered to be against the main principles and teachings of organized religions, full of corrupt activities, a group that can promote people to heights of undeserved and unimaginable power, and a cult that partakes in “evil rituals”. Most of them are prejudice that people hold against the fraternity yet all of them seem to hold a lot of weight all over the world.
Despite it being labeled a secret club, there is a lot of information available to the public about how the fraternity works, how it is constituted, where it operates, and more. Freemasonry’s recruits have been some of the most popular names in the world like Mark Twain, Ben Franklin, George Washington, and others. The total members of the fraternity are estimated to be around 6 million worldwide and a lot portion of them are concentrated in the United Kingdom. The oldest Masonic Lodge in the world is said to be the Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary’s Chapel) No. 1 in Scotland.
Masonic Lodges are the basic operative units of Freemasonry and are of two types; the Grand Lodge and Lodges. The Grand Lodge or Oriental Lodge works on a regional level and supervises the Lodges which come under its jurisdiction. Three Masonic degrees are conferred by the Basic Blue or Craft Lodge. A member of the fraternity progresses through levels via these degrees which allow them to start Entered Apprentice then move onto Fellowcraft and finally become Master Mason.
When talking about what happens in the fraternity, Nigel Brown, grand secretary of the United Grand Lodge of England, explains, “There are many different reasons why people join the Freemasons – one of the main reasons is camaraderie. Many friendships made through Freemasonry endure for life, and lodge dinners which follow our formal meetings offer members the opportunity to enjoy each others’ company in a more relaxed and informal environment.” He further adds that a huge takeaway from the organizations that members get is a sense of belonging and having a structure in their life. Members tend to develop a spirit of charity. Brown emphasizes that Freemasonry is mainly about enjoying one’s self which is why people tend to remain a Mason for their entire life.
Not many local people are aware that Freemasonry used to exist in Pakistan back in the day. Different parts of now Pakistan had Lodges where Masonic rituals, social gatherings, initiations, other teachings, and meetings used to take place regularly. Before the Partition, Freemasonry peacefully and roaringly found its place in the region called Pakistan under British rule. After the independence, conspiracy theories started circling in the country about Freemasonry. The public ‘s opinion started to become sour in 164 when a brawl between the Freemasons of Karachi required the Army to intervene and order all commissioned officers to resign from Freemasonry.
The main concern of Pakistanis was that the fraternity is anti-Islamic and anti-state. Brown explained the religious element in the basic principles of Freemasonry as he said, “The prime qualification for admission into Freemasonry is a belief in a supreme being. Having some form of religious belief is the one thing that all Freemasons have in common, whatever their backgrounds might be.” As a Pakistani Freemason wrote trying to clarify the virtues of the fraternity, ‘…the District Grand Lodge, has scrupulously maintained a clear-cut policy that always has spoken and still speaks clearly and unequivocally, namely, that no Brother shall discuss or bring politics or religion under discussion into Freemasonry in any form whatsoever.’
It was not enough for the locals who feared that all the lodges were a hub of Zionist activities, corrupted political activities, and even evil witchcraft. The end of the 1960s saw locals bloodthirsty for a complete ban on the practice and existence of Freemasonry in Pakistan. A newspaper clipping from May 1969 contained headlines like ‘Ban on Freemasonry in Pakistan urged — Vehicle to promote Zionism’, ‘1,300 Freemasons in West Pakistan’ and ‘Freemasons under surveillance’. Xenophobia and religious extremism were on the rise when Misbah-ul-Islam published content in 1968 which alleged that Pakistani Freemasons drank alcohol which in itself was evidence that they did not practice Islam. He based his argument on this allegation alone and called Masons a ‘threat to our economic, political and ideological freedom.’
The first ban came in the 1970s by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and the second one that eradicated Freemasonry from Pakistan was Martial Law Regulation 56 by General Ziaul Haq on June 16, 1983. The Martial Law Regulation ordered that the organization of Freemasons was banned and disbanded, properties owned by the organization were to be given to the provincial governments, and Masons cannot claim in regards to the aforementioned properties. It further ordered that the organization will have no right to petition any court of law in the country. Lastly, the provincial governments were given the reigns to ask for help from the federal government and if anyone caused obstruction in regards to the implementation, they can be sentenced to 3 years in jail with a fine.
The structures of former lodes that are still standing in Pakistan have all been turned into government buildings. The Hope Lodge was built in 1914 in Karachi which is now run by the Sindh Wildlife Fund. The inside of the building still holds the grand staircase, plaques that hold inscriptions, and more that are telltale signs of the bygone era of the Masons. Perhaps the most interesting piece is the plaques that hold the names of the Pakistani Masons. The names show that the members belonged to different religions, and some of them like Ayoub Aliani, M. M. R. Sherazi, and M. G. Hassan were Muslims.
The first lodge erected in Lahore in 1859 was the ‘Hope and Perseverance Number 782’ where the famous Rudyard Kipling was initiated and his poem ‘The Mother Lodge’ is about this particular lodge. The second lodge that was built in the city was the ‘Prince Albert Victor Lodge Number 2370’. The structure was a sight to behold as Justice Sidhwa of the Lahore High Court, a Freemason, wrote in 1969, “a pleasing piece of architecture which with its sweeping driveway and high porte-cochere, retains a stately and serene air of grandeur … on the ground floor, heavy teak doors open into a waiting hall floored with marble tiles and panelled with teak …”
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