Pakistan: Information on a ring worn by members of the Ahmadi faith
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 July 1993 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | PAK14757 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Pakistan: Information on a ring worn by members of the Ahmadi faith, 1 July 1993, PAK14757, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac1e50.html [accessed 4 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to a representative of the Canadian chapter of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at in Toronto, some members of the Ahmadi faith wear a ring inscribed with a verse of the Quran. This verse was revealed by God to Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of their religion, and reads "Is not God sufficient for His servant?" (15 July 1993). According to the same source, Ghulam Ahmad had this revelation engraved on a ring that he wore for the rest of his life, and his followers, to show respect for their leader, chose to wear similar rings (Ibid.). This ring is not mandatory and is by no means a symbol of the Ahmadi faith, since it can be easily purchased in local stores or markets and worn by Ahmadis and other Moslems alike (Ibid.). However, according to Mujeeb-ur Rehman, author of Persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan: An Objective Study, Ahmadis have been prosecuted in the past for wearing rings bearing the inscription of a Quranic verse (1993, 65). The same source indicates that an Ahmadi was recently condemned to a a three-year prison term for wearing a ring bearing such an inscription (Ibid.). No additional and/or corroborating information on this topic is currently available to the DIRB in Ottawa.
Reference
Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at, Toronto. 15 July 1993. Telephone Interview with Representative.
Rehman, Mujeeb-ur. 1993. Persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan: An Objective Study. Maple, Ontario. Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at, Canada, pp. 16-50.
