Ahmadiyya Movement

Ahmadiyya movement was one of the socio-religious movements in Bengal that aroused during British rule. The movement was started in Punjab by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad on 23rd March 1889. 

The movement was against the Christian missionary and Arya Samaj activity that was prevailing in 19th century. The movement revitalized Islam.

The Ahmadi movement has been very conservative in social morals, sticking with  polygamy, veiling of women, and the classical rules of divorce. 

The Ahmadis have their own mosques and do not pray with other Muslims. A split occurred in the movement in 1914 and it came to be divided in two groups

The Qadiyani and the Lahori which does not believe in the prophet hood of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad.

Mainstream Muslims do not consider Ahmadis to be Muslims, citing in particular the Ahmadiyya viewpoint on the death and Return of Jesus. The supporters of Ahmadiyya movement proclaimed themselves as a distinct religious community and also claimed that they were the only upholders of `True Islam`.