Source & Credit: The Sault Star
By Michael Purvis | July 15, 2010
Ansar Raza, an Ahmadiyya missionary, is travelling across Northern Ontario with four student missionaries dispelling myths about Islam and promoting harmony among religions.Michael Purvis QMI Agency
Five Muslim men made their way to Sault Ste. Marie on Wednesday on a mission to dispel myths about Islam and promote harmony with other faiths.
Ansar Raza, an Ahmadiyya missionary leading the group, said he is trying to teach Canadians of other faiths that Islam is not a "religion of terrorism," while at the same time pointing out common ground with other faiths.
"We try to tell them this is not what Islam says, this is what (some) Muslims say to other people when they are in power," said Raza.
The missionaries, members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, which has its national headquarters in Maple, Ont., are on a Northern Ontario tour, speaking with mayors, police chiefs and members of other religions.
Having met with officials in the Sault in September, Raza said he expected Wednesday's visit to focus on the multi-faith community.
Part of the reason for the trip is to try to shore up support in the West for members of the minority Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Pakistan and other countries, where they are often denounced by other followers of Islam.
Raza said Ahmadis face persecution in their home territories, where their activities are officially banned and their teachings prohibited. In May, an attack on an Ahmadiyya mosque in Lahore, Pakistan, killed more than 100 people.
"The snipers killed more than 86 people while they were gathered for prayer," said Raza.
He said Ahmadis are also trying to point out the many commonalities that exist between faiths.
"We need to tell the Christian priests and Jewish rabbis that we have so many things in common," said Raza.
Raza's group met with Sudbury Mayor John Rodriguez on Tuesday and were to arrive in Terrace Bay, Ont. on Thursday to meet with officials there.
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