After the UK based religious group ‘The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light” was raided by police, with nine arrests for modern slavery and child marriage, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has issued a formal statement distancing itself from the organisation.
Due to the similarity in name, what followed was a wave of public confusion triggered by recent media reports.
A clarification statement issued by the UK president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Mr Rafiq Hayat, explains that the organisations are entirely unrelated and asked media outlets to ensure this distinction is made clear in all future reporting — including previously published online material.
The Community has proposed a standard clarification line for journalists: “The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light is a separate organisation and is not associated with the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community that has a historical presence in the UK and whose members are known as Ahmadis.”
Whilst the BBC has already issued a clarification, this statement encourages other media outlets to also do so, suggesting that both friends and stakeholders of the community as well as members of the community have been confused by the media coverage.
The Ahmadiyya Community which has been established in the UK since 1913 and built London’s first mosque in 1926 which is still functioning, have long established themselves as a Muslim sect which abides by the motto “Love for All, Hatred for None.”