“The people who don’t know Muslims, they are afraid of them,” said Syed Sajid Ahmad, a researcher at NDSU, while presenting a national campaign to educate Muslims and non-Muslims on True Islam to the Detroit Lakes Kiwanis Tuesday afternoon.

Ahmad spoke, campaigning for True Islam, inviting people to understand the religion, rather than fear it.

He spoke of the Ahmadiyyas denomination of Islam, which he is a part of, and how they are combating terrorism by helping people understand the religion.

“The Ahmadiyya community is the only community, which has organization–international organization–and it has one leader, which directs its activities all over the world,” Ahmad said. “Our community is more than 200 countries..we have national officers…hold annual meetings…no other Islamic community does that…the other Muslims, they are split between countries, between cities, between towns.” Ahmad stressed that the Sunnis and Shi’ite denominations of Islam, while they are larger sects, they “don’t have the unity” or leadership to control terrorism.

The Ahmadiyya community does have one leader, and their sect works towards peace through understanding with a number of campaigns: “Muslims for Loyalty,” “Muslims for Peace,” “Muslims for Life” and “True Islam.”

“To conquer the current spat of radicalization in the world, we have started some campaigns, and those campaigns address the problems which some of the Muslims have,” Ahmad said.

“Muslims for Loyalty” is a campaign throughout the Islam religion, which teaches that “whatever country you live in, you have to be loyal to that country,” Ahmad said, seguaying into the next campaign: “Muslims for Peace.”

“Muslims for Peace” teaches that “Islam does not allow killing anybody or causing trouble in the land,” Ahmad said.

Next, Ahmad spoke of the campaign “Muslims for Life,” which began after 9/11.

“Every 9/11 we collect blood for life to give life to people,” Ahmad said, adding that Rep. Keith Ellison participates in the blood drive every year, which begins in Minnesota and is held all over the country “to show that we care for life and life is precious, and we have to save lives rather than take lives.”

Finally, Ahmed spoke of the “True Islam” campaign, which has 11 points, the first one being a rejection of any form of terrorism.

“These 11 points define the True Islam. If anybody differs from them, it means he does not understand Islam properly,” Ahmed said.

Ahmed stressed that these campaigns are a way for Muslims and non-Muslims to “take responsibility for what is happening.”

“We have to make the people understand that this is right, this is wrong. And what is… READ MORE AT http://www.dl-online.com/news/detroit-lakes/4100794-true-islam-educating-muslims-and-non-muslims-combat-fear