Source: Chatham Daily News –
Members of the youth wing of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Canada held an open house at the Chatham- Kent Public Library Saturday.
Naseer Mirza, a businessman from Brampton, participated in the community- reach project “to give people some introduction of Islam.”
Mirza emigrated to Canada about 20 years ago. He left his homeland of Pakistan because he said he could not practice Islam without condemnation. Mirza said one of the main misconceptions is that Islam represents terrorism.
“The word Islam means peace within you,” Mirza said.
A few local Muslims were surprised to see a Holy Qur’an exhibition in the library.
Their response, according to Mirza was, “Wow that’s something new.”
John Spicer, of Chatham, was attending a Bible studies session in the library and dropped in to see the display.
“I’ve read the Holy Qur’an twice,” Spicer said, adding since having a stroke he’s reading powerful things to improve his reading and speech.
A pamphlet handed out during the open house describes Jihad as an individual’s inner struggle to control one’s passions and to avoid sin.
“A misconception is that Jihad means guns and battle and stuff. Islam has never allowed that kind of Jihad,” Mirza said.
“Jihad means that you try to correct yourself,” Mirza explained, adding “to fight your own evil.”
Women’s rights under Islam is another misunderstanding that the open house focused on.
Asked about the so-called “honour killings” involving a Muslim family currently on trial in Kingston for killing three girls and a wife, Mirza answered, “they are following their own man-made teaching.”
“Islam never allows these kind of brutal killings of anyone, let alone your own children,” Mirza said.
“I think it’s been a good dialogue here,” Mirza summed up the visit.
Categories: Ahmadiyyat: True Islam, Americas