SOCIETY

Ahmadiyyas conduct mass marriage

     Qadiyan (Punjab): At least 25 couples have tied nuptial knots at the 115th International Congregation of the controversial Ahmadiyya sect in Punjab's Qadiyan town. "I wanted to marry in this congregation. My dream has been fulfilled today and I am very happy," said Kamal, an Indian Ahmadiyya who married a Pakistani girl. Ahmadiyya Muslims from Pakistan urged Indian government to ease visa restrictions. "Ahmadiyya Muslims should be granted visas without hassles. It makes possible for us to meet our brethren and attend each other's functions. We should meet each other regularly but it is not possible till the visa system is eased and people are free to move across the border," said Arshad Khalid, an Ahmadiyya Muslim from Pakistan. Nearly 30,000 people from across the world are participating in the annual congregation, which began on December 26. The Ahmadiyya Muslim sect sees its leader, Mirza Ghulam Ahmed, as the last Prophet. This, for mainstream Muslims is blasphemous, who believe the last Prophet was Mohammed. While Ahmadiyyas deny considering their leader as the last Prophet, radical Muslims are against them, wanting them to be declared un-Islamic. Members have since widely said the community faces persecution in Pakistan. Several human rights groups too have been highlighting the persecution faced by the Ahmadiyyas in Pakistan. The Ahmadiyyas are not allowed to read the Quran or visit mosques to offer prayers like other Muslims. They have now taken asylum in over 170 countries around the world and are carrying forward their movement from these places. While Ahmadiyyas make only three percent of Pakistan's population, they constitute 20 percent of its literate populace.
-Dec 28, 2006

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