"People do get a bit jittery when they get to know that we are Ahmaddiyas. Earlier we used to have clerics standing outside our centre, asking people to refrain from stepping inside. The number of such people has, however, fallen now."
Source/Credit: The Indian Express
By Zeeshan Shaikh | April 11, 2016
Forgoing the set up of any formal religious gathering, a handful of middle-aged men gather every week in a quaint 150-year-old bungalow called Al Haq (The truth) at Mumbai Central to discuss Islamic principles and review the the latest teachings of their spiritual master.
Using simple themes of ‘Love for All’ and ‘Humanity first’ and building a disciplined multinational organisation, the Ahmaddiyas, one of Islam’s youngest sects, have transformed themselves from a small persecuted sect to one of the most well-networked religious movements.
The group which has a strength of a little more than a lakh in India is deemed to be heretical by the larger Islamic community. It was recently lauded by Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi for its “religious tolerance and universal brotherhood”.
In Mumbai, the community has less than 200 members and nearly everyone from the fledgling community takes out time to visit the Al Haq building which doubles up as a mosque and a religious centre.
“The centre is not only a place for prayers but we also conduct many social programmes to ensure the betterment of society at large. This week, we are holding a medical camp for local residents,” said Masarrat Ahmad Mundasgar, president of the Ahmaddiyya Muslim Jamaat, Mumbai.
The sect’s origins lie in Qadian in Punjab. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad founded the movement in 1889. Rejecting orthodox Muslim beliefs, he preached that he was entrusted the task of bringing God’s teaching into harmony with the present-day world. He also said that he was the Messiah whose advent was awaited by Muslims, Christians and Jews, alike, as well as the incarnation of Krishna.
The origins of the community in Mumbai are, however, hazy.
“The first Ahmaddiya probably came to Mumbai in 1914. The movement was later institutionalised and we had the first mission house in this city in 1946,” said Mahmood Ahmed, a community elder.
Unlike other sects like the Ismailis and the Dawoodi Bohras which have a strong presence and visibility in Mumbai, the Ahmaddiyas have been largely unnoticed.
“A lot of the community’s population here is floating. People come from outside for jobs and then move out again. Unlike other sects, we do not have strong moorings in Mumbai,” said Ahmed.
The need to keep a low profile also stems from the suspicion that the sect can face difficulties from traditional hardline Muslim clerics.
In 1974, in neighbouring Pakistan, the government of Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had brought in a constitutional amendment and declared the Ahmadiyyas to be non-Muslims in the eyes of the law. Soon after that, there had been widespread violence and persecution against the community.
Indian law, however, regards them as Muslims. The Kerala High Court in 1970 upheld their legal status as Muslims. It ruled that Ahmadis were Muslims and that they could not be declared apostates by other Muslim sects because they held true the two fundamental beliefs of Islam: there was no god but Allah and Muhammad was a servant and messenger of God.
The community, meanwhile, does not face the same degree of persecution in India, but a sense of foreboding remains.
“People do get a bit jittery when they get to know that we are Ahmaddiyas. Earlier we used to have clerics standing outside our centre, asking people to refrain from stepping inside. The number of such people has, however, fallen now,” said Ahmed.
The community, meanwhile, says that it espouses the true spirit of Islam. The founder of the sect, in his writings, had reinterpreted the Muslim concept of jihad, or holy war, saying the battle against unbelievers was to be fought by peaceful and not warlike means.
Meanwhile, as a sermon of Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the present caliph, airs on a community channel and he speaks about love and compassion for our neighbours, Mahmood Ahmed turns around and asks, “Hearing this man speak do you think there is anything un-Islamic or dangerous about us?”
* A part containing factual inaccuracy has been omitted in the cross-post
Read original post here: India: Preaching ‘humanity first’, Ahmaddiyas in Mumbai have carved a niche for themselves
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