Reporting with Integrity: Academic Reflections on the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light

In an epic exchange between Professor Massimo Introvigne, Professor Aria Razfar and our host Hadil El-Khouly we were given an incredible and rational insight into the experiences and opinions of two incredibly focused minds on the topic of new religions, the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light and press responsibility on reporting to the wider public about new religions in general.

Both distinguished guests are professors in their relevant fields and both are highly esteemed for their works. 

Professor Massimo Introvigne:

  – Italian sociologist teaching at universities in Turin and Pisa.

  – Managing director of Cesnur (Center for Studies on New Religions).

  – Editor of the daily magazine Bitter Winter.

  – Author of over 70 books and has served as a representative for the OSCE on issues of racism, xenophobia, and religious intolerance.

Professor Aria Razfar:

  – Professor of education and linguistics at the University of Illinois Chicago.

  – Recognized scholar in applied linguistics, education, and learning sciences with over 70 publications.

  – Research funded by the US Department of Education and National Science Foundation.

  – Served as lead editor for prominent journals and special issues related to literacy and interfaith dialogue.

  – Awarded for editing "The Goal of the Wise, the Gospel of the Riser of the Family of Muhammad."

Following on from the conference titled The Supremacy of God Conference, held at the University of Buckingham Apollo campus and attended by a delegation of professors, local municipality representatives, media, and members of the faith community. The conversation started with a brief summary of the conference, which was actually a follow up to the conference held in 2024 at Crewe Hall where the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light was first introduced to academics from all over the world specialising in theology and new religions. It then flowed onto the subject of persecution of believers in this faith for their beliefs and why this phenomenon exists whereby established religious beliefs drive people to persecute those who hold different and usually newly established beliefs which may or may not challenge their own beliefs.

The conversation culminated in the highlighting of the responsibilities laid at the feet of mainstream journalists and how a crucial part of responsible journalism is to verify claims made by people looking to oppose the views emanating from a new religious movement. In the case of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light recent coverage by the mainstream UK press has sought to label the religion as nothing more than a cult with a dangerous set of values and using accounts of apostates who are vehemently against the success of the religion for whatever reason. The message was loud and clear - critically assess their sources and the impact of their reporting, reminding them that their work could inadvertently empower oppressive regimes in the oppression, persecution and torture of people and, in the worst cases, their murder.

Journalists must take extra care when reporting an innocent group because portraying it as in any way being criminal may result in backlash and this is something which will unfortunately always exist. Ethical journalism is crucial to avoid empowering oppressive regimes.