Source / Courtesy: Kincardine News
By John F Adams
“Love for all, Hatred for none.”That is the motto of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at , an Islamic community, and a message they shared with people at an information session on Holy Qur’an which was held at the Kincardine Public Library.
Ahmadiyya Scholars (Mohammad Hanif, Abdul Haleem Tayyab and Ataul Lahey) at Qur'an Exhibition in Kincardine Public Library.
“We do not support terrorism in any form,” explained Abdul Tayyib. “Those are the actions of extreme fundamentalists, and not in keeping with Islam.”
Tayyib went on to explain that followers of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at in fact hold that all worshippers of God and places of worship are holy, and should be protected.
“We love Jesus and all the prophets, and believe that the Messiah has returned to us.”
This view, as well as other aspects of the Ahmadiyya Muslim faith, has resulted in the Ahmadiyya community being actively evicted from a number of Muslim countries.
“We believe that the prophesied return of the Messiah has already happened. That is the reason we have been evicted from so many countries and treated with extreme viciousness,” added Ataul Lahayd, a member of the community for 27 years, and former resident of the Kincardine area.
The viciousness Lahayd refers too was seen quite graphically in May of 2010 in Pakistan when two Major Ahmadi mosques were attacked during Friday prayers, resulting in 93 deaths. Similar incidents have occurred in Bangladesh as well.
While the concept of a Jihad, or holy war, is often portrayed as Muslims killing infidels or unbelievers, the Ahmadi community holds a different view entirely.
“The word Jihad means struggle,” explained Mohammed Hanif. “It is not about the slaughter of innocents, it is an internal struggle against your inner wishes.”
“If you look at the teachings of the Jews, or even Jesus, what are they about?” asked Lahaye. “They are about changing behaviour, not forcing people to believe. If you asked to have anyone that was ever forced to believe by Mohammed to come forward, no one would.”
Categories: Ahmadiyyat: True Islam, Americas, Canada, Quran, Religion