Asad Shah, his Community, and his Murderer

After I raised the issues of Asad Shah’s mental issues and how his family and community should have stepped in much earlier, the usual Qadiani Ahmadiyya suspects started commenting on it as ‘baseless’ and ‘rubbish’. Like any other cult followers, they did not venture to seek the facts, but picked up the rubbished 2010 campaign to vilify Khatm-e-Nubuwwat Academy in London. Mis-quoting, ad hominem attacks on me and a petition to ban KN in the UK by an enterprising Qadiani Ahmadi journalist, Sadaf Ahmed, followed.

Then their leader, Mirza Masroor Ahmad, spoke. The head of the Mirza-family faction of the Ahmadiyya, he is known to be too simple for his own good:

The leader mentions ‘bouts of mental illness’ suffered from Asad Shah when he abused both him and the founding prophet of the Ahmadiyya, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani.

Then he mentions the ‘press and the government’ which are the real audience of this charade. As an ex-Ahmadi, I know that it is impossible that the Mirza or Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (his deputy) did not know and keep close tabs on Asad Shah, his claim of being a rival prophet, and his budding following. Why did they not protect him from his mental illness? Why did they leave him to be targeted by fanatics when they knew the risk. He then coyly mentions that ‘bouts of mental illness caused him to burn inside but nevertheless the regional president tells me that when he last met him, Asad Shah always expressed allegiance to the Khilafat [Mirza Masroor himself]. Some people have this misunderstanding that he left the community’. See how glibly he offloads the knowledge to the ‘regional president’, maintaining deniability for the future. Every Qadiani Ahmadi knows that every president and priest reports up the chain in detail as in any cult. So, the regional president was keeping tabs on him, and never advised him or his family on the risk despite the risk that everyone knew.

The Risk in Plain Sight

Let me now talk about the risk: prophetic careers have never been easy, and very few are successful. If your mentally ill son walks about naked in the street or calls himself the return of Jesus, he is probably not at much risk except the odd brickbat. When he starts to preach to Jews that their Messiah has arrived, or to Muslims to follow him (among whom is a niche fanatical ‘love-of-Prophet’ group) the risks multiply. The Ahmadiyya leadership fled from Pakistan and sits in London precisely because of that risk. I knew the risk and spoke about it, then why did the Qadiani Ahmadiyya leadership not know of it or advise Asad Shah’s family. Did they want a British ‘martyr’ that badly? No wonder the Qadiani branch of the Ahmadiyya is known as the ‘death cult’ in some circles — it thrives on exaggerating its persecution and counting the dead bodies: almost any Ahmadi who is killed in Pakistan is a martyr, although even during the recent terrorist spike in Pakistan, their murder rate remains below the general population rate based on their self-reported population in Pakistan.

Could Asad Shah Have been Ahmadi?

Take a look at what Asad Shah wrote and can any Ahmadi tell me that the Qadiani leaders will own a person who writes this — sending curses on the founder of the Ahmadiyya, the great-grandfather of Mirza Masroor Ahmad? Impossible, unless he is killed, of course:

(Asad Shah sending curses on the founder of the Ahmadiyya)

And has the Qadiani Ahmadiyya ever entertained a ‘prophet’ outside the family, as Asad Shah advertised for a number of years:

(Asad Shah’s ‘prophet’ campaign)

His Murderer

The despicable fanatic who murdered had a statement read out by his lawyer, which the misleading media called ‘bizarre’ and ‘rambling’ although it is to the point and shows his fanatic mindset, but also declares the motive. I will not dignify him by mentioning his name or quoting the full statement:

“This all happened for one reason and no other issues and no other intentions.

“Asad Shah disrespected the messenger of Islam the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. Mr Shah claimed to be a Prophet.

…

“If I had not done this others would and there would have been more killing and violence in the world.

“I wish to make it clear that the incident was nothing at all to do with Christianity or any other religious beliefs even although I am a follower of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him I also love and respect Jesus Christ.”

The Ahmadiyya PR machine first touted that he was killed because he posted a ‘Happy Easter’ message and the media (BBC and Daily Mail mostly) lapped it up. Then they started to vilify Muslims, the Khatm-e-Nubuwwat movement, and claimed the first ‘Ahmadi’ martyr in the UK, which they have been relentlessly trying to score for the last 8 years (see my next article on 2010 events). Why did they not wait for the investigation before sending their ‘dossier’ to each and every media outlet in the UK, as Rafiq Hayat (the Ahmadiyya president of UK) is asking now to wait for the police investigation? Why is Rafiq Hayat saying that he is not supporting the petition to ban the Khatm-e-Nubuwwat organization in London, which he has been asking for more than a decade?

The murderer said he did not kill Asad Shah because of Christianity or ‘any other religious beliefs’ which means the Ahmadiyya. In his fanaticism, he killed him precisely because he was advertising for followers as a ‘prophet’. This is what we said, and this is what the Ahmadiyya leadership knew. The murderer should be punished, but the Ahmadiyya leaders should hang their heads in shame for abandoning the gentle and mentally ill Asad Shah, and then trying to capitalize on his murder. Instead of asking to ban the Khatm-e-Nubuwwat organizations, they should ask the government to investigate who and what inspired the murderer. Chances are that the trail will lead back to some Qadiani Ahmadiyya operative.