NEW DELHI, INDIA, February 19, 2001: In some of the remote parts of Gujarat’s Kutch district, Muslims affected by the January 26 earthquake are refusing relief from an Islamic sect and turning to Hindu organizations instead. Muslim clergymen in Kutch have reportedly called for a boycott of a group of Ahmadiyas who are trying to propagate their brand of Islam while distributing relief. The Ahmadiyas are not recognized as Muslims by the rest of the Islamic community. Kutch Muslims are instead accepting relief from volunteers of Hindu organizations like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal, as they are not pushing any religious propaganda. The Ahmadiya sect has a substantial following in Pakistan, where it was banned during the tenure of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. The sect is also banned in several other Islamic nations.
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