Ahmadiya

a Muslim sect which arose in the late 19th century in the Punjab (India). It was founded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad from the town of Qadian. The Ahmadiya believe that he is the prophet of the Muslims, the messiah of the Christians, and the reincarnation of the Hindu Krishna. The leading group of the Ahmadiya included the Muslim bureaucracy, large landowners, and merchants. During the colonial period in India the Ahmadiya movement took on a pro-British character. After India won its independence and partitioning took place (1947), the center of the Ahmadiya was transferred to the town of Rabwah in West Pakistan. The Ahmadiya sect has more than 1 million adherents in Pakistan, as well as in India, Afghanistan, Iran, and some African countries. The head of the sect (1969) is Hafiz Mirza Nasir Ahmad.