The murder of a Glasgow shopkeeper has reignited a sectarian argument over whether his sect’s members are Muslims.

Asad Shah, an Ahmadi, died in hospital on March 24 after being discovered outside his shop on Minard Road with stab wounds. The 40-year-old had posted a Facebook message wishing all Christians a happy Easter just hours earlier.

Tanveer Ahmed, 32, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, is charged with the murder and took the extraordinary step of issuing a statement saying: “If I had not done this others would”.

“Asad Shah disrespected the messenger of Islam the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. Mr Shah claimed to be a Prophet,” the statement said.

The statement later prompted the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) to clarify its position on Ahmadis, saying Muslims should not be “forced” to regard them as belonging to their religion.

It also prompted the BBC Asian Network to ask listeners whether there is “too much pressure on Muslims to accept Ahmadis as Muslims”, which was branded “sick” by former Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate Maajid Nawaz, who also condemned the MCB.

Ahmadis believe that another prophet, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, came after Mohammad, which some Muslims argue puts them out of the fold of Islam.

There are about 25,000 Ahmadis in Britain, organised in 150 chapters across the country.

There are 2.7 million Muslims in Britain at the time of the last census.

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