OnIslam.net

NEW DELHI – A three-day exhibition of the meanings of the Noble Quran organized by a deviant Muslim group in India has been closed after protests from Muslim scholars in the South Asian country.

“Scholars across the world and in India have given a collective verdict that Ahmadiyyahs are not Muslims,” said Shahi Imam Syed Ahmad Bukhari, India Express reported on Sunday, September 25.

“They are posing as true Muslims, but are distributing their own literature. They are misleading innocent Muslims."

The exhibition, organized by Ahmadiyyah Muslim Jamaat-Delhi, opened its doors on Friday, September 23.

It showcased the Noble Quran in 53 languages, translated by their group.

The exhibition was planned to go through September 23-25, yet it was shut down on Saturday noon after protests from Muslim groups.

As the protests grow, police detained 56 people, including the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid and his younger brother, in preventive custody.

Police troops were also deployed to prevent any violence.

"They were planning a rally towards the Constitution Club. We took them into preventive custody so that law and order is not disturbed,” said a senior police officer.

However, Imam Bukhari insisted not to leave before shutting down the exhibition.

“I will not leave jail till the exhibition of Quran is closed,” he said.

Opposition against the exhibition appeared from its first day after Kamaal Farooqui, a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, camped outside the venue "educating people walking out of the exhibition that Ahmadiyyah are not Muslims, and that they have no right to meddle with Quran”.

Non-Muslims

Imam Bukhari said that the widespread opposition to the exhibition stemmed from the changes Ahmadiyyah made to the Noble Qur’an.

“We are saying that they can do whatever they want, but they should stop using the name of Islam/Muslims and Quran for their propaganda,” he said.

The Muslim scholar also accused the ruling Congress party of being behind the Ahmadiyyah exhibition.

“The hall for the exhibition has been booked by Congress MP Pratap Singh Bajwa. When we asked him to cancel the booking, he refused,” he said.

Ahmadiyyah was declared a deviant group by the Indonesia Ulemas Council (MUI), the country's highest Muslim authority, last January.

Ahmadiyyah was founded in the beginning of the 20th century by Ghulam Ahmed, from the village of Qadiyan in Punjab.

He claimed to be a Messenger of God and his followers believe Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him) was the best but not last Prophet.

In 1914, the sect was divided with the overwhelming majority belonging to the Ahmadiyyah Community, also known as Qadyanis, while the other minor group is known as the Lahore Ahmadiyyah.

The Lahore group does not believe in Ghulam Ahmad as a prophet but rather as Mujaddid (renovator) but still believes Prophet Muhammad was not the last prophet.

Scholars of Islam unanimously consider the followers of both groups to be non-believers.