The 63rd Jalsa Salana, the Annual Convention of the Ahmadiyya Muslim  Community concluded on July 3, 2011. The event which commenced on July 1, 2011  at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center, Harrisburg, was attended  by 5,800 delegates from all over the country. Prominent government officials  joined the leaders of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the oldest Muslim  organization in the USA, to celebrate American and Islamic ideals of  freedom.

The Jalsa Salana was initiated by the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim  Community, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, in 1891. According to him the purpose  of this convention is “to enable every sincere individual to personally  experience religious benefits.” He further said, “Among its secondary  benefits is that this congregational meeting together will promote mutual  introduction among all brothers, and it will strengthen the fraternal ties  within this Community.”

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is a reformist movement within Islam. The  Community was established in 1889 in Qadian, India. It spans over 190 countries  and has membership exceeding tens of millions. It is the only Islamic  organization which believes that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908) of Qadian is the  metaphorical second coming of Jesus of Nazareth and the divine guide, whose  advent was foretold by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

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