The Ahmadiyya religious movement is not a “new religion” but is in fact Islam, insists a follower.

 

In a forum organised by NGO Projek Dialog, Ahmadiyya follower Salahuddin Syed Ali said this was especially true as its followers believe in the five pillars of Islam and the six articles of Islamic faith.

 

Despite this, followers of the movement - which was founded near the end of the 19th century by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad - have always been targets of persecution due to slander, said Salahuddin.

 

“The slander by Islamic scholars are sometimes spread through their lectures which are full of hate,” said Salahuddin.

 

As a result, an Indonesian Muslim mob beat three Ahmadiyya followers to death in 2011, while Pakistan has witnessed several riots which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Ahmadis (followers of Ahmadiyya). 

 

Salahuddin claimed that there is even a fatwa (religious edict) that states that it is permissible to kill an Ahmadi. 

 

Although Malaysia has not seen any Ahmadis being killed due to their faith, Salahuddin said there had been cases where Islamic authorities had forced married couples to divorce as one spouse was an Ahmadi.

 

Fatwa by authorities

 

“I have never been attacked physically because when I go out, people don’t know that I’m an Ahmadi.

 

"But if we don’t control it (the persecution), the same thing which has happened in Indonesia can happen here,” he said.

 

He claimed there was an instance in Sabah where the place an Ahmadi had sat on was “cleansed”. 

 

“It just goes to show how we are made to seem ‘dirty’ to others," he said.

 

According to the national e-fatwa database, the Selangor Fatwa Committee has ruled Ahmadiyya followers as ‘ kafir ’ (non-believers) and that any individual who follows Ahmadiyya teachings is an apostate.

 

Ahmadiyya is therefore deemed an outlawed sect by the authorities.

 

When asked whether the Ahmadiyya community in Malaysia had attempted to have dialogues with the Department of Islamic Development (Jakim), Salahuddin claimed that the religious authority had responded by saying there was “no need to have dialogues with ‘orang sesat’ (heretics)".

 

Jakim does not allow Ahmadis in the country to perform the Muslim Friday prayers in their central mosque in Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur to which Salahuddin argued, “Where else can we pray then?”

 

Teachings not new

 

While Ahmadis profess to be Muslims, they believe that the Prophet Isa (Jesus) has died and that the second coming of Jesus is metaphorical in nature. 

 

They also believe that their founder, Mirza, has fulfilled the second advent of Jesus and is the Imam Mahdi (the Promised Messiah). 

 

They also believe that Prophet Muhammad was Khataman Nabiyyin (Seal of the Prophets) and that more prophets will be sent to mankind. 

 

“We agree that Prophet Muhammad is the most noble prophet, but prophet-hood can be given by God whenever He wants to and to whomever He wants to give it to," said Salahuddin.

 

Stressing that Ahmadiyya founder Mirza did not bring new teachings, Salahuddin said Mirza merely continued with Prophet Muhammad’s teachings and was considered a prophet.

 

Salahuddin was speaking at a ‘Getting to know the diversity of minority religions’ workshop organised by Projek Dialog yesterday.

 

The event was held at the Malaysiakini’s new premises in Petaling Jaya.