The Amadiyya Muslim Community was founded on 23 March, 1889, when Mirza Ghulam Ahmad proclaimed himself to be the awaited Messiah and Mahdi, the metaphorical second coming of Jesus, as prophesied in the Koran in Surah Al-Jumuah 62:3-4.Rather than succeeding or usurping the Prophet Muhammad, the Ahmad’s role was to bring the people of Islam back to a purer representation of the faith, and to bring unity.According to the Amadiyya Muslim Community website, www.alislam.org:“Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the only Islamic organisation to believe that the long-awaited Messiah has come in the person of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908) of Qadian. Ahmad claimed to be the metaphorical second coming of Jesus of Nazareth and the divine guide, whose advent was foretold by the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad. Ahmadiyya Muslim Community believes that God sent Ahmad, like Jesus, to end religious wars, condemn bloodshed and reinstitute morality, justice and peace. Ahmad’s advent has brought about an unprecedented era of Islamic revival. He divested Islam of fanatical beliefs and practices by vigorously championing Islam’s true and essential teachings. He also recognised the noble teachings of the great religious founders and saints, including Zoroaster, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Krishna, Buddha, Confucius, Lao Tzu and Guru Nanak, and explained how such teachings converged into the one true Islam.” (http://www.alislam.org/introduction/index.html)The group rejects violent jihad in any form, and believes that an intellectual ‘jihad of the pen’ be used to defend Islam, and the group teaches moderation and restraint. It also advocates a separation of mosque and state.The Ahmadiyya differ from many mainstream Muslim groups, in that they believe that the Messiah has come, and also that Jesus did go to the cross, but did not die. Born of a virgin, yet fully human, Jesus survived the and went on to live a a full life, travelling to India to find the lost tribes of Israel, and he died and is buried in a tomb in Kashmir, under the name Yuz Asaf.The Ahmadiyya Community also believes that the message of Islam is protected through a khilafat, or a spiritual successorship. Five leaders have followed since Ahmad’s death in 1908, and the current spiritual leader is Mirza Masroor Ahmad, who resides in the United Kingdom.For more information on the Muslims for Peace movement of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, visit www.muslimsforpeace.org