QadianiorQadiyani (Urdu: قادیانی, Hindi: क़ादियानी; pronounced[qäː.d̪ɪjäːniː]) is a religious slur used to refer to Ahmadi Muslims, primarily in Pakistan.[1][2] The term originates from Qadian, a small town in northern India, the birthplace of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of the Ahmadiyya movement. While it is pejorative[3] to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, it is used in official Pakistani documents.[4]
Pakistan officially persecutes Ahmadiyya and uses the term Qadiani to label members of the religion. Pakistan's Second Amendment to the Constitution officially declares Ahmadiyya to be non-Muslims.[5]Ordinance XX officially labels Ahmadi Muslims as Qadiani and prohibits them from any religious or social practices of the Muslim faith.[6] The fourth caliph of the community, Mirza Tahir Ahmad, was forced to flee Pakistan under threat of arrest in 1984, prompting a diaspora of followers to the UK, Germany, and Canada.[7] Ahmadiyya members are targets of death threats by majority Muslims, both inside Pakistan and in diaspora refuges.[8]
