Vancouver Sun: They are a small religious sect in Canada.
But I receive more emails and news releases from the Ahmadiyya Muslims than I do from the rest of Canada’s roughly one million Muslims combined.
The Ahmadiyya are not shy about seeking converts in Canada, mainly by connecting with politicians and offering hundreds of public talks and “interfaith” forums each year.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is among those keenly aware of the Ahmadiyya, also known as Ahmadi. He made his Feb. 19 announcement about the new $5-million Office of Religious Freedom from Ahmadiyya headquarters.
The Ahmadiyya formed in 1889 around Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, an Indian mystic who claimed to be the world’s messiah, “the second advent of Jesus.”
There are fewer than 25,000 Ahmadi in Canada. Many of them are refugees from Pakistan. Ahmadi Muslims represent about one per cent of all the world’s Muslims; most live in South Asia and Africa.
They formed in 1889 around Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, an Indian mystic who claimed to be the world’s messiah, “the second advent of Jesus.”
Categories: Ahmadis And Pakistan, Ahmadiyyat: True Islam, Americas