Recently, an enraged mob destroyed the minarets and dome of an Ahmadiyya place of worship in Ghughiat in Pakistan’s Sargodha.
According to the annual report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in 2021, there have been numerous reports of attacks on Ahmadiyya places of worship in Pakistan since 1974 when Pakistan’s Constitution was amended to declare Ahmadis as non-Muslims.
About Ahmadiyya
- The origins of the religious sect are in Qadian near Amritsar in Punjab, India. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad founded the movement in 1889.
- In opposition to some aspects of Islam, he preached that he was the promised messiah who had the task of bringing God’s teaching into harmony with the present-day world.
- He said his coming was awaited not only by Muslims but by Christians and Jews as well.
- There are around 2-5 million Ahmadis in Pakistan. The community is also present in India, and some estimate their numbers at around 1 lakh.
- The sect has long been opposed by hardline Muslim clerics, some of whom consider Ahmadiyyas to be heretics.
- However, Ahmadiyyas do not dispute the centrality of the Prophet in their religion.
