New Congressional Ahmadiyya Muslim Caucus Formed

The Washington Times and AFP report on the launch last Friday (2/28) of a new Congressional Ahmadiyya Muslim Caucus, co-chaired by Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) and Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA). Some 15,000 to 20,000 Ahmadis live in the United States. Many orthodox Muslim groups consider the Ahmadis apostates because of their theological beliefs, and they have been persecuted particularly in Pakistan and Indonesia.  An Ahmadiyya spokesman said that the new Congressional caucus will advocate for the rights of all persecuted religious communities.  The Council on American-Islamic Relations expressed mixed feelings about the new caucus, saying: "we question Rep. Wolf’s involvement and genuine concern for issues of importance to our community given his long history of working with anti-Muslim fringe groups and causes." [Thanks to Mahmood Ahmad for the lead.]