THE 20TH ANNUAL CONVENTION OF THE AHMADIYYA MUSLIM COMMUNITY OF GUATEMALA UNDERWAY IN THE CAPITAL CITY

Islam does not have anything to do with terrorism. Terrorist activities are not part of the Islamic teachings. Maulana Naseem Mahdi.

Guatemala City (Ahmadiyya Times | Staff News) November 7, 2009

Many dignitaries from North America and elsewhere descended on Guatemala to attend the annual conference of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (AMC) of Guatemala which started with the Friday Prayers on November 6, 2009. The proceedings will continue until Sunday.

This is the 20th Jalsa Salana being organized by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Guatemala. The Baitul Awal Mosque of Guatemala was inaugurated in 1989 by Late Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, the Head of the Worldwide Ahmadiyya Community at the time.

“We are very happy that since its establishment 20 years ago in Guatemala, the community is already growing and we find the conditions very favorable for the spread of the Ahmadiyya message of ‘Love for all, Hatred for none’, said Maulana Naseem Mahdi, the incoming Missionary In-charge of the AMC of the United States.

According to AFP report, Maulna Nasim Mahdi announced undertaking of the legal steps necessary for the establishment of Humanity First in Guatemala. Humanity First is an international charitable organization run by the Worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in many countries where they help the poor in disaster relief and communities’ rebuilding efforts.

Malulana Naseem Mahdi is part of the delegation from the United States and Canada who arrived here along with Dr. Waseem A. Sayed, a member of the Executive Body of the AMC-USA; and Munum Naeem, National Vice President of the AMC-USA and Chairman of the Humanity First - USA.

In addition to the local community leaders and the invited dignitaries, the National President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Guatemala, Maulana Abdus Sattar, is also scheduled to speak at the convention.

Arranging of the annual conventions, more affectionately known as Jalsa Salana among the members of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, is a tradition adopted everywhere to promote brotherhood and unity. The gatherings provide opportunities for the members to listen to the special messages from Hazrat Khalifatul Masih, the spiritual head of the Worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and the discourses by the learned members of the community.

The very first Jalsa Salana of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was held in 1892 in Qadian, India, under the guidance of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

Stating the purpose of the Jalsa Salana, Hazrat Ahmad wrote in a brochure distributed on December 7, 1892: “The primary purpose of this Convention is to enable every sincere individual to personally experience religious benefits; They may enhance their knowledge and –due to their being blessed and enabled by Allah, The Exalted- their perception [ of Allah ] may progress. Among its secondary benefits is that this congregational meeting together will promote mutual introduction among all brothers, and it will strengthen the fraternal ties within this Community...”

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the leading Islamic organization to categorically reject terrorism in any form. Over a century ago, Hazrat Ahmad  emphatically declared that an aggressive “jihad by the sword” has no place in Islam. In its place, he taught his followers to wage a bloodless, intellectual “jihad of the pen” to defend Islam. To this end, Hazrat Ahmad penned over 80 books and tens of thousands of letters, delivered hundreds of lectures, and engaged in scores of public debates. His rigorous and rational defenses of Islam unsettled conventional Muslim thinking. As part of its effort to revive Islam, AMC continues to spread Hazrat Ahmad’s teachings of moderation and restraint in the face of bitter opposition from parts of the Muslim world.

The Community has been at the forefront of worldwide disaster relief through an independent charitable organization, Humanity First. Humanity First serves communities worldwide through various projects by engaging volunteers from local communities and partnering with other organizations with similar humanitarian service goals. Humanity First directs more than 93 cents of each dollar raised towards the humanitarian projects it pursues.

Ahmadiyya Times | Staff News.