Source: jconline.com

Imran Malik, right, leads prayers as members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community take part in Eid al-Fitr celebrations Aug. 9 at the Morton Community Center in West Lafayette. Ahmadiyya Muslims believe that their founder, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908), is the long-awaited messiah. / John Terhune/Journal & Courier

Born into the Ahmadiyya sect of Islam, Saeed Ahmad was part of a religious minority in Pakistan, where mostly Sunni Muslims reside.

“It’s difficult to be a (religious) minority in Pakistan,” he said. “By Pakistani constitution I cannot call myself Muslim. There was a lot of name-calling and threats. Two of my brothers went to jail just because of being (Ahmadiyya).”

In 2003, Ahmad fled the religious persecution and came to the United States. He moved to West Lafayette three years ago for a position as a hospitalist with Indiana University Health Arnett.

Saeed Ahmad stands next to a photo of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim faith, in his West Lafayette home. / Taya Flores/Journal & Courier

“It is not (only) the safety that is important, it is the religious freedom,” he said. “There shouldn’t be any forceful imposition of the religion. In the United States, you are free to practice religion and you are free not to practice any religion. That is actual freedom of religion.”

“I want people to be religious in the world but I respect their right to choose and be free; that’s what I love about this country and the people around me,” he said. “It’s amazing.”

For the past 15 years, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has had a presence in Greater Lafayette. Nationally, there are about 30,000 known members of the faith, with about 80 members in Indiana and 10 local families.

Purdue University is a draw to Ahmadiyya international students, …

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