In our rapidly accelerating culture, taking a moment to reflect peacefully sometimes seems impossible. Thankfully, the grateful Thanksgiving tradition continues to offer space to reflect on our shared national values, regardless of class, creed, race, gender or orientation.

“Love for all, hate for none,” is the message shared by Middletown resident Miyan Zahir Muhammad Mannan, director of Outreach for the Baitul Aman, the Meriden-based “House of Peace” mosque. Established in the 1980s by Zahir’s father, Miyan Manzur-ul-Mannan, the Connecticut chapter of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community preaches a “jihad of peace, of love, of understanding,” said Muhammad Mannan.

“Both the Holy Quran and the U.S. Constitution teach sanctity of each and every life irrespective,” added Muhammad Mannan, who follows teachings of an Islamic sect founded in 1889 by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, considered the messiah by his followers. Ahmad set in motion a nonviolent “jihad of the pen,” Muhammad Mannan said.

The belief that Ahmad is the messiah is considered heresy by other Muslim sects who persecute believers, Muhammad Mannan said.

After the shooting last year by mosque neighbor Ted Hakey Jr., who drunkenly fired shots into the unoccupied Meriden mosque on the night of the deadly November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, a positive series of events put the mosque in a stronger, more visible, positive place in community than ever before, Muhammad Mannon said.

As the first-year anniversary of the mosque shooting passes, members reflect on this “blessing in disguise” that managed to change the hearts and minds of many, including the shooter, who quickly apologized, Muhammand Mannon said.

The tragic event amplified a message of love rather than fear or hate, and a narrative that proves love triumphs over hate, he said.

“We know we can impact our neighbors with true love,” said… read more at source.