Source: Express & Echo
Ahmadiyya Muslim Association will have adverts on 100 buses in Devon and Cornwall, UK
Buses displaying messages of peace will be rolled out across Devon in the next week as part of a campaign aimed at preventing the spread of Islamophobia.The move will see a fleet of more than 100 buses displaying messages of peace across the Westcountry.The death of a 31-year-old student in Colchester this week is the latest in a string of suspected hate crimes across the UK, in which Muslims have been targeted specifically because of their faith. Even in Cornwall, which had no previous history of anti-Muslim feeling, a community centre at Quenchwell near Truro was daubed in offensive graffiti and set alight in 2012.
In a bid to spread what they describe as “positive awareness of Islam”, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association has taken out advertisements on 125 First buses in Cornwall and Devon. Under the slogan of “loyalty, freedom, equality, respect, peace” the community has also launched a website: LoveForAllHatredForNone.org.
Fareed Ahmad, former president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association in Devon and Cornwall and now the organisation’s national secretary, said he hoped bus passengers and others across the region would respond positively to the campaign, which begins on Monday.
“This is part of a national initiative and I’m really pleased the South West will be taking such a prominent role,” said Mr Ahmad. “As well as the 125 First buses carrying the banners, we will also be distributing leaflets to explain our message in more detail.”
He said the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, which celebrated its UK centenary last year, launched the campaign to deliver a message of peace to the wider world.
“Living a peaceful life is one thing,” he added. “But in the light of the growing negative publicity generated about Islam, it has become even more important to take the message of peace and tolerance to our fellow citizens.”
Muhammad Noman, regional president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the South West, said: “There remains a concern about Islam, especially in the light of events carried out by Jihadist groups. We believe in Jihad – but the true concept of Jihad is one of self-reformation and not of harming others.
“A true Muslim can never raise his voice in hatred against his fellow citizens, nor against the ruling authority or government of the time. He should remain loyal and fully abide by the laws of the land of which he is a subject.”
The bus campaign comes at a time when there are renewed debates about what constitutes “British values”.
“The true peaceful Islam is poles apart from the exclusion and hatred preached by a minority,” said Mr Noman. “Such extremists do not represent Islam, yet their words and deeds have a damaging impact on Muslims and non-Muslims every day. By emphasising the values highlighted in our campaign we hope to facilitate a better understanding of Islam so that people are able to judge for themselves the actions of those who claim to speak and act in its good name. Islam stresses the promotion of peace in words and deeds.”
Additional Reading
Two Hundred Verses about Compassionate Living in the Quran
Visit the website: Love for All Hatred for None
