Ahmadiyya Muslim Community heralded as antidote to extremism

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: 
August 18, 2014

Civic, political and religious leaders lauded the efforts of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA during its 66thAnnual Convention this past weekend in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  More than 7,000 people attended the oldest and longest lasting Muslim convention in America to participate in its presentations and breakout meetings. The focus of this year’s convention was to discuss faith’s role as the antidote to the world’s crises. The weekend-long convention was streamed live, with simultaneous Spanish translation also provided.

At a special interfaith session during the weekend-long convention, political, civic and religious leaders commended Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s track record of bringing people and the world toward peace.  In addition, foreign diplomats lauded its affiliated charitable organization, Humanity First, particularly for its humanitarian work in Sierra Leone, Uganda, Guatemala and the Marshall Islands.

Patty Kim presented the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community with a citation from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives extolling their efforts to create new pathways to peace, saying that Islam had in the past “been unfairly labeled” as anything but a peaceful religion.

Shaarik Zafar, the U.S. State Department’s newly appointed Special Representative to Muslim Communities addressed the crowd, saying: “Now more than ever it’s important for members of all faiths, including those of no faith, to come together to promote peace…the entire Unites States government stands with the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.”

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA presented its annual Humanitarian Award during this session to two recipients. The first was U.S. Congressman Andre Carson (D-IN) who addressed the convention attendees via a video message by thanking the community and its international Khalifa, His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad. Citing the violence in Palestine, Pakistan and at the hands of ISIS, Congressman Carson concluded by recognizing the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, saying: “You have dedicated yourselves to the improvement of our communities.”

More: