Spiritual beliefs, practices, and shadows of the Ahmadiyya Jama’at in Fiji

Abstract

This doctoral thesis examines the self-perceptions and lived experiences of Fijian Ahmadis - members of a transnational religious minority who self-identify as Muslims under the spiritual leadership of the Khalifa based in London, UK. The global Ahmadiyya Jama’at positions its adherents as divinely appointed bearers of the truest form of Islam, uniquely entrusted with leading others “from darkness to light”. At its core, this thesis poses a central question: how do Fijian Ahmadis pursue and sustain their religious identity and practices in a remote Pacific context, within a pluralistic yet predominantly Christian society? Drawing on six months of ethnographic fieldwork in Fiji, complemented by additional research among Ahmadis in New Zealand, this study explores how Fijian Ahmadis conform to doctrinal orthodoxy, navigate communal authority, articulate theological claims and interact both internally and with other Fijians. In this thesis, I critically examine the tensions Fijian Ahmadis face in balancing their local religious life with the global aspirations of the Ahmadiyya Jama’at - addressing certain contradictions while allowing others to remain obscured in the shadows of rigorous daily practice. A strong sense of communal exclusivity is shown to be sustained through the movement’s bureaucratic apparatus, which promotes submission to its centralised hierarchy, religious discipline, and personal sacrifice. I contend that by prioritising religious identity and communal purity, this framework reorients Fijian Ahmadis away from their immediate social environment towards alignment with the global Ahmadiyya Jama’at, thereby limiting their deeper engagement with broader Fijian society. Further, this thesis addresses gendered expressions of religiosity and modesty, illustrating how the practice of purdah among Fijian Ahmadis both embodies and reinforces traditional gender roles. Finally, while the community publicly promotes values of tolerance and humanism, these ideals often remain bounded by religious and moral distinctiveness. The tension between rhetorical inclusivity and lived exclusivity becomes especially evident in the Ahmadiyya leadership’s controversial response to the ongoing conflict and genocide in Gaza.