Here is a note to the folks out in Hagerstown who voted last week to bar a Muslim group from building a mosque and retreat center out there in Frederick County. First read this to come to speed on this issue.

The Ahmadiyya Muslims who want to build this facility aren't al Qaeda by a long shot. Not only have they been denounced as not being true Muslims, they've been continually persecuted, especially in Pakistani Punjab. And what for? Its 19th century founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, said he was the Islamic "mahdi" (messiah), making him greater than Muhammad, the founder of Islam. This has not gone over well in mainstream Islam. In 1984, the Pakistani government, under General Zia-ul-Haq, banned proselytizing by Ahmadis and also banned calling Ahmadis as Muslims.

According to this ordinance, any Ahmadi who refers to oneself as a Muslim by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation, directly or indirectly, or makes the call for prayer as other Muslims do, is punishable by imprisonment of up to 3 years.

They also believe that Jesus survived the crucifixion and travelled towards India to search for the lost tribes of Israel. Furthermore, they claim that his tomb, containing his body, has been recently discovered in Kashmir.

Agree or disagree with this group (their web site is here if you want to know more), they have never been connected with violence.

courtesy of www.alislam.com

I just happened upon Pickled Politics, a blog that compared Ahmadiyya Muslims to Mormons in that they both believe in continuing revelation. Both were founded in the 19th century by men (Joseph Smith, Mirza Ahmad) who claimed to be reformers calling both religions (Christianity, Islam) back to their original pure states. Neither have been accepted by these religions as bonified.

Considering how the Admadiyyas have been hounded non-stop for claiming to be Muslim, chances are they simply wanted a piece of Maryland countryside they could call their own and be left in peace. The zoning appeals board there needs to get a better grip on the differences between violent and non-violent Muslims. The town's claim that it could not sustain an annual Ahmadiyya camp-out of 5,000 to 10,000 people there is bogus. Small towns host Christian music festivals all the time that attract similar crowds. I don't hear them complaining about being overwhelmed.

— Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times