Shocking audio has emerged which reveals that the leader of the Ahmadiyya community encouraged a relative to bury allegations of rape.
Mirza Masroor Ahmad can be clearly heard telling the woman, Nida Ul Nasser, to drop a claim of sexual abuse after she complained about it to him.
Ahmad told Nasser, 36, in an Urdu conversation about her allegations of rape and sexual abuse: “My advice to you is, and as a guardian I can only advise you, and my advice to you is that you will save your honour by letting this matter go. If it happens again, if it happened and I don’t know if it happened. Even if it has happened, those people are now so careful that they might have repented.”
Nida Ul Nasser is the granddaughter of the previous caliph Mirza Tahir Ahmad. Both Mirza Masroor Ahmad and Nida Ul Nasser are British nationals and live in London.
The conversation happened in July last year, was recorded by Nida Ul Nasser and released to the public in December.
An official complaint of multiple instances of sexual abuse has been made to the police who are investigating.
The Ahmadiyya community has not challenged the authenticity of the audio but denies that their leader tried to bury sexual abuse allegations.
Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated on the latest news and updates from around the Muslim world!
Conversation between Ahmad and Nasser
5Pillars has translated key extracts from the conversation:
Nida Ul Nasser: You are asking me to keep quiet on (sexual abuse), although Allah has asked us to hide the sins of our fellow Muslims but He has never asked a victim to remain silent on the oppression/exploitation he/she has endured.
Mirza Masroor Ahmad: It is written that you should hide lewdness/indecency, apart from that if you have gone through some oppression/exploitation you can raise those issues but on a proper platform and you have to send a proper application detailing the story about yourself seeking justice. It is proven from the Quran and Hadith that when the Prophet SAW would get cases like these he would ignore these things and would ask people to finish the cases, except if both parties agree to accept the blame. And if one party doesn’t come forward and accept the blame then there is no punishment in Sunnah.
Nida Ul Nasser: But the evidence/proof I have provided you are clear cut, whether you accept that or not.
Mirza Masroor Ahmad: It is not about the evidence/proof. When the Prophet SAW asked whether the other accepts the blame or not, and when it was told he didn’t accept, the Prophet didn’t do anything after that. I can’t do anything about that.
Nida Ul Nasser: No, no, I have sent you multiple verses in which Allah commands when there is oppression/exploitation and if you have to give evidence, become a witness against your parents.
Mirza Masroor Ahmad: To get justice for rape you will need a witness, according to Sharia.
Nida Ul Nasser: On Al Islam (the Ahmadiyya official website) it says otherwise.
Mirza Masroor Ahmad: You need four witnesses, be it man or woman, in order to get justice you need four witnesses.
Nida Ul Nasser: That is for adultery not rape.
Mirza Masroor Ahmad: Adultery, rape, there is no difference.
Nida Ul Nasser: No, no. Absolutely not.
cc-by-sa/2.0 – © Robin Sones – geograph.org.uk/p/3090748
Mirza Masroor Ahmad: Do you know more than me? Listen to me, listen to what I am saying, you are going on about yourself and not listening to me.Mirza Masroor Ahmad
Nida Ul Nasser: But the evidence I have presented is at least 12 indecencies
Mirza Masroor Ahmad: As far as I know, you need witnesses for rape as well.
Nida Ul Nasser: You are not the supreme head of the British Government. A British court will not accept, no court will accept that there is no indecency in it.
Mirza Masroor Ahmad: Ok, when you will call a British national (to court) then it will be seen. My advice to you is, and as a guardian I can only advise you, and my advice to you is that you will save your honour by letting this matter go. If it happens again, if it happened and I don’t know if it happened. Even if it has happened, those people are now so careful that they might have repented.
Nida Ul Nasser: No. No. I will not let this go. Hear this from me. There is no way I will let this go under any circumstance.
Mirza Masroor Ahmad: I am advising you to let this matter go.
Nida Ul Nasser: Your advice is wrong, it goes against Islam.
Mirza Masroor Ahmad: Well I say you leave this as you have given Bayat (allegiance) to me.
Nida Ul Nasser: I think you are compromised, someone else has put you in a difficult situation somehow. If you weren’t compromised, you wouldn’t be saying these things which are not of the calibre of the Caliph.
Mirza Masroor Ahmad: What is the point of staying in my Bay’at if you believe that I am saying things that are not of my calibre and are incorrect and un-Islamic teachings?
Nida Ul Nasser: This is my choice and you cannot dictate my Bay’at.
Mirza Masroor Ahmad: Well, I’m giving you a choice.
Nida Ul Nasser: When this comes in front of the world, I have someone who I know in Huffington Post, and when the world reads about this you handle it the way you want to.
Mirza Masroor Ahmad: There is already an issue doing rounds on social media this will be another one, the world will talk for four days and it is better for you to keep silent.
Nida Ul Nasser: You bully others to remain silent, you want me to keep quiet but you can’t bully me. You are a bully.
Mirza Masroor Ahmad: I am giving you a pious advice to remain silent.
Nida Ul Nasser: You never asked me about the evidence or anything. I have been repeatedly telling you in my letters that I have evidence, you never asked for them. Then I imposed them on you.
Ahmadiyya response
In July Nasser filed a complaint to the London Metropolitan Police, which has confirmed that an investigation is ongoing.
“On July 22, 2021, police received a number of allegations of historic sexual assault reported to have taken place in Wandsworth, Surrey and Dorset between 1987 and 2012. Detectives from the Met’s South West Public Protection team are investigating. A man has been interviewed under caution and enquiries continue,” police said.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Association UK told 5Pillars: “In no way did His Holiness, who was speaking to the complainant as her family elder, prevent the complainant from pursuing her allegations with the police or through the legal process. In fact, after this private conversation, His Holiness referred the entire matter to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association UK (AMA UK) for immediate investigation and necessary action.
“In response, the AMA UK promptly informed the Metropolitan Police as soon as the AMA UK became aware of the matter and has been fully cooperative with the police ever since. Moreover, there was no punitive action ever taken against the complainant when she reported the matter to the police.”
Mirza Masroor Ahmad, 71, is the current and fifth leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. His official title within the movement is Fifth Caliph of the Messiah. He was elected on 22 April 2003, three days after the death of his predecessor Mirza Tahir Ahmad.
Based in London since being elected, he has travelled extensively across the world to meet members of the community and address their annual gatherings.
Masroor Ahmad has frequently met heads of state in different parts of the world and has delivered keynote addresses to the United States Congress, the European Parliament, the United Kingdom Houses of Parliament, the Parliament of Canada and the Dutch Parliament.
The Ahmadiyya movement was founded in British-ruled India in the 19th century by Ghulam Ahmad. Considered heretics by mainstream Muslims, the Ahmadis claim to represent the “true Islam” and say that their founder was the “Promised Messiah.”
All mainstream Muslim scholars are unanimous that Ahmad’s claims are in direct conflict with Islam, which states Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was the final Prophet and none will come after him.
