Ahamadiyyas are not Muslims: Jamiat backs Andhra Waqf Board

“A representation dated 20.7.2023 has been received from the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, vide which it has been stated that certain Waqf Boards have been opposing the Ahmadiyya community and passing illegal resolutions declaring the community to be outside the fold of Islam.

This constitutes hate campaign against the Ahmadiyya community at large and that the Waqf Board neither has the jurisdiction nor authority to determine religious identity of any community, including Ahmadiyyas,’’ the Ministry’s letter to Chief Secretary Andhra Pradesh K S Jawahar Reddy said, asking him to intervene on the matter.

In 2012, the Andhra Pradesh State Waqf Board passed a resolution declaring the entire Ahmadiyya community as non-Muslims. This resolution was challenged in the Andhra Pradesh High Court that issued an order for interim suspension of operation of the resolution.

Despite the HC’s orders, the Waqf Board issued a second proclamation in February this year stating that “In consequent to the Fatwa of Jamaitul Ulema, Andhra Pradesh dated May 26th, 2009, the ‘Quadiani community’ is proclaimed as ‘kafir’ and not a Muslim. Accordingly, it has been acclaimed all over the globe inconsonance with the fatwa issued by many authoritative worldwide organisations and Islamic Universities.’’

A sub-sect of Sunni Muslims and one of the most persecuted sects among Muslims, the Ahmadiyyas, are often referred to as Quadianis as a slur, particularly in Pakistan where they have been declared non-Muslims.

“Union Minister Smriti Irani’s insistence on a different view is deemed unwarranted and illogical since the Waqf Board’s primary purpose is to safeguard the endowments and interests of Muslims, as defined in the Waqf Act. Therefore, properties and places of worship belonging to a community that is not recognised as Muslim do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Waqf Board…The religion of Islam rests on two fundamental beliefs: Tawheed, affirming the oneness of Allah and the belief that Prophet Muhammad is the final Messenger of Allah. Both of these beliefs are integral components of the five basic pillars of Islam. Contrary to these essential Islamic beliefs, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani took a position that challenges the concept of the finality of Prophethood. In light of this principled and factual difference, there is no basis to consider Qadianism as an Islamic sect, and all Islamic schools of thought agree that this group is non-Muslim,’’the Jamiat said in its statement on Tuesday.