Ahmadiyya and other faiths
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The Ahmadiyya branch in Islam has relationships with a number of other religions. Ahmadiyya consider themselves to be Muslim, but are not regarded as Muslim by mainstream Islam. Mainstream Muslim branches refer to the Ahmadiyya branch by the religious slur Qadiani, and to their beliefs as Qadianism[1] a name based on Qadian, the small town in India's Punjab region where the founder of Ahmadiyya, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was born.
See also: Dajjal in Ahmadiyya Islam
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of the Ahmadiyya branch, engaged in debates, prayer duels and written arguments with Christian missionaries. The Ahmadi teaching that Jesus survived crucifixion, traveled east in order to preach to the Lost Tribes of Israel and died naturally, as promoted by Ghulam Ahmad, continues to be a source of friction with Christianity, in which vicarious atonement and the resurrection of Jesus are central tenets.[2] The historian Francis Robinson states:
At their most extreme religious strategies for dealing with the Christian presence might involve attacking Christian revelation at its heart, as did the Punjabi Muslim, Ghulam Ahmad (d. 1908), who founded the Ahmadiyya missionary sect.[citation needed]
Ahmadiyya teachings also identify the emergence of the Antichrist (Al-Masih ad-Dajjal) as foretold in Islamic eschatology with the missionary expansion and colonial dominance of European Christianity.[3][4][5][6] Ghulam Ahmad, who wrote extensively on this topic, identified the Antichrist principally with colonial missionaries who, according to him, were to be countered through argumentation rather than by physical warfare.[7][8] While the term Dajjāl is taken as a reference to the forces of falsehood in matters of ideology and religious belief, prophecies concerning Gog and Magog (or Yaʾjūj and Maʾjūj) are taken as relating to the duplicity in the realm of politics and the shattering of world peace by the same forces – whose ancestors are thought to be the Slavic and Teutonic peoples – and are seen as embodied by the political (as opposed to religious) dominance of European powers.[9][10][11] The conflict between Russia and the United States as two superpowers, or the militant rivalry between the communist and capitalist systems and their impact over the nations of the world, are thus seen as having occurred in accordance with prophecies concerning Gog and Magog.[12][13] These views, too, have proven controversial with some Christians.[citation needed]
Sikhism
Ahmadis have recognised Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, as a holy man since Ghulām Ahmad carried out a detailed study of him and the history of Sikhism. Ahmadis believe that historically, Sikhism was a Sufi sect of Islam, a view strongly opposed by modern Sikhs.[14]
Hinduism
Ghulām Ahmad was involved in debates with leaders of the Arya Samaj movement of Hinduism and wrote several texts on the subject.
Ahmadis, like other Muslims, believe that the last, perfect message from God was brought to Muhammad. However, unlike mainstream Muslims, Ahmadis believe that many founders or significant figures of various faiths, including Krishna and Buddha, have brought messages from God. Ghulām Ahmad claimed to be the Kalki Avatar, the last avatar of Vishnu, whom Hindus were waiting for. However, he did not agree with the Hindu concept of incarnations of God. He considered Krishna and Rama human prophets who preached to others about the One God, and he believed that Hindus had distorted this view into polytheism over many thousands of years.[15]
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