Speech at the English Jalsa Salana, July 28-30, 2023

Ahmad Najib Burhani. (www.mta.tv)

Ahmad Najib Burhani 

Assalamu’alaikum Wr Wb

I attended the Jalsa Salana, albeit virtually, for the first time in this country, England. It was in 2006 when I took my Master’s degree at the University of Manchester. I live in Groove House, near the University and not far from the Ahmadiyya Mosque. At that time I attended Friday prayers led by the Caliph of London. It has been 17 years since then I was finally able to come here again to attend another Jalsa. I am honored and very grateful for the invitation.

After completing my studies in Manchester, I moved to California, USA in 2007 where I began my studies on Ahmadiyya. I often attended Ahmadiyya activities there. I visited Ahmadiyya mosques for Friday or Ramadan prayers several times.

When I started writing my dissertation in 2011, there was a tragedy in Indonesia where three Ahmadis in Cikeusik were brutally murdered. Shockingly, instead of offering condolences, most Indonesian media and many people blamed the victims and declared that they deserved to be discriminated against, expelled from the village, even killed. This tragedy and the response of the community became the point where I believed that I needed to study Ahmadiyya carefully, not to defend this community, but simply to speak and express the truth of Ahmadiyya.

I humbly have no power to defend, but at least I hope my works can clarify and correct misconceptions, stereotypes, and prejudices against this community.

I completed my dissertation at the University of California Santa Barbara in 2013 and the title of my dissertation was “When Muslims are not Muslims: The Ahmadiyya Communiity and the Discourse on Heresy in Indonesia”. I received the Charles Wendell Memorial Award from the University for that dissertation. Some professors consider my dissertation successful in opening the eyes of Islamic studies. It also paved the way for studying variants of groups within Islam, in addition to Sunnis and Shias. That there is diversity in Islam.

Since graduating, I have published a number of articles, chapters, and books on Ahmadiyya. Here I have nine of the most important, lengthy articles, in English, that have been published by international journals or book publishers of academic and credible repute, such as Routledge, ISEAS Singapore, Contemporary Islam, Sojourn, Indonesia and the Malay World, TRaNS, and Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations.

I would like to share with you only two abstracts of my studies: The first is “On the Ahmadiyya translation of the Quran”, and, second, on “the Conversion to Ahmadiyya”.For the first article, Ahmadis are accused of following a different holy book from other Muslims, namely Tadhkirah instead of the Qur’an, a charge denied by Ahmadis. In fact, the Ahmadiyya Jama’at is very active in the field of Qur’an translation and can be seen as a pioneer in translating the Qur’an into various languages. Especially in the first half of the 20th century, the Ahmadiyya translation of the Qur’an was held in high esteem and served as an important source of knowledge about Islam and its principles for many Indonesian Muslims who were unable to access the holy book which was originally in Arabic.

Ahmad Najib Burhani. (www.mta.tv)CONTINUE READING THE ARTICLE BELOW

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My article examines the characteristics of Ahmadiyya translations circulating in Indonesia, and their influence on Indonesian Islam, focusing on the following questions: What unique characteristics does the Ahmadiyya translation of the Qur’an display? Why did Ahmadiyya translation play such an important role in Indonesia in the first half of the 20th century? What was the appeal of these translations to the Indonesian intelligentsia? And finally, what is the contribution of these translations to the study of the Qur’an?

The second article provides an analysis that people join Ahmadiyya not solely because of their distinctive strategy of spreading their faith, but more often because of three other factors. First, the close and strong ties between Ahmadiyya members, such as mutual assistance in economic development. 

Second, Ahmadiyya spiritual and mystical beliefs, such as their messianic beliefs and belief in God’s involvement in assisting Ahmadis in worldly affairs. Third, the ethics and morality of Ahmadis, as reflected in the conscious and zealous behaviour of its missionaries, especially when they are insulted by their opponents.

I received awards from several institutions for my academic work, especially on the study of Ahmadiyya. In 2021, I received the Muhammadiyah Award, the largest modernist movement in Indonesia. I also received an Award from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences in the social science research category in 2020. And I was chosen as the Icon of Pancasila, the ideology of Indonesia, in 2020.

Sorry, I don’t actually have any mandate or permission from Ahmadiyya, but I have been the Ahmadiyya spokesperson for non-Ahmadis since 2013, especially among academics. I have been invited to several universities and countries to speak about Ahmadiyya, such as: TUFS Japan, Kyoto University, Leiden University the Netherlands, Asia Research Institute Singapore, National University of Singapore, RSIS Nanyang Technological University, ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute Singapore, Hamad bin Khalifa University Qatar, Freiburg University Germany, Oxford University, Tammasat University Thailand, IIUM Malaysia, Science Po France, North Carolina University USA, University of Texas Austin, University of California Santa Barbara, and University of California Los Angeles.

In summary of my speech, here I would like to thank the Ahmadiyya and Ahmadiyya Jama’at. My studies in this community have put me in a good academic position. Not only in Indonesia, but also internationally. I am a fellow at IIIT US, Drew University US, CSEAS Kyoto University, and currently a senior fellow at ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute Singapore. My position is also good at BRIN, as chairman of ISSH.I would like to close my speech by telling me a story about my friend, an Ahmadi and a brilliant academic. Her name is Intan Suci Nurhati. His mother is here at this Jalsa. Intan is the director of the Deep Sea Research Center. He is a very rare academician who has many scientific achievements and awards. Last year, she received a lot of funding from National Geographic for her research on Srikandi Bahari. No one in BRIN knew that he was an Ahmadi, except me. I think he will be another Abdus Salam from Ahmadiyya and from Indonesia.

I hope Ahmadiyya can produce more Abdus Salam and more Intan (diamonds) in the future.

Nara Takbir! English Jalsa Salana!Ahmadiyya Islam!

source [OPINION] Seventeen Years with the Ahmadiyya Community (idntimes.com)