Mirza Masroor Ahmad, head of the Muslim Ahmadi sect that has some 30,000 followers in Britain and which constructed the biggest mosque in the country, has been accused of trying to suppress rape allegations involving some members of his flock, The Mail on Sunday reports.
This development comes after a recording of what appears to be a lengthy phone call between Ahmad and the alleged victim – a 36-year old woman who is also a member of the Ahmadi sect – surfaced online.
In the recording, the imam can reportedly be heard suggesting that the woman should drop allegations of being raped by her father and three other members of the sect in the UK and the Pakistani city of Rabwah, the "spiritual headquarters" of the sect.
"My advice to you is that you drop this case, even if something happened," the newspaper quotes the imam as saying. "Even if it has, I am sure those involved would have asked for forgiveness already."
The imam erroneously argued that four witnesses would be required for the accuser to prove a rape claim, the newspaper notes, but the woman retorted: "You are not the supreme head of the British Government, no British court will accept your stance."
The newspaper points out, however, that a spokesman for the imam said that the allegation “has been and continues to be taken extremely seriously."
"After his conversation with the complainant, His Holiness [Ahmad] referred the matter to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association UK for immediate action," the spokesman reportedly said. "In turn, AMA UK promptly informed the Metropolitan Police, whose investigation is ongoing. In light of the police involvement, we are unable to comment further."