Mirza Zain Ahmad, founder of the high-end fashion label Rastah, tied the knot with Aima Baig in an intimate Nikah ceremony held in Canada.
The announcement, shared through heartfelt Instagram posts ignited heated debate online over this interfaith union.
Zain Ahmad, born into a prominent Ahmadi family, is the great-grandson of the community’s third Khalifa (Khalifa III) and a direct descendant of the movement’s founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad—revered by Ahmadis as the Promised Messiah. Traditionally, Ahmadi members are expected to seek community approval before marrying outside the sect, a rule strictly enforced on ordinary members but often perceived as flexible for elite families.
Critics within the community are calling out what they see as hypocrisy. Social media users and former Ahmadis argue that while average members face social shaming and disciplinary measures for marrying outside the Jama’at, high-profile figures connected to the leadership appear exempt. “Rules for thee, not for me,” one commenter wrote, citing similar past cases involving the Mirza family.
The controversy deepened when questions arose over whether Zain, given his lineage, would retain privileges such as burial in Bahishti Maqbara—the community’s sacred cemetery—despite marrying outside the faith. Detractors claim this is a clear case of “one set of rules for the elite, another for the rest.”
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Aima Baig is also facing immense criticism for marrying an Ahmadi, a community that many Muslims consider non-Muslim.
One user wrote, “So Aima Baig married the grandson of the founder of the Qadiani group… Qadiyanis are non-Muslims”.
“What’s the big deal? Two non-believers married each other, it doesn’t affect Muslims,” one user stated. Another argued that Aima Baig had never adhered strictly to Islamic values, so her choice of partner should not surprise anyone.
Overall the debate is heating with the passage of time with many requiring government to take legal action against this interfaith marriage which is prohibited on both sects.
