Source/Credit: The Daily | The Univ. of Washington
By Ravi Venkataraman | February 22, 2011
Senior Adil Humayun defines himself as a Muslim; he follows all five pillars of Islam and believes in God under the teachings of the Quran.
However, the majority of the Muslim community does not consider him to be Muslim.
Humayun, vice president of the Ahmadi Muslim Student Association (AMSA), is an Ahmadi Muslim, which he says there are a total of seven at the University of Washington.
The Ahmadiyya Islam movement, derived from Sunni Islam, arose in India in the late 19th century under the guidance of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, with the belief that Islam is the final law for humanity as revealed by Muhammad, and identifies itself as reviving the belief that Islam is a peaceful religion.
“The distinct claim from the founder of our community was that there needed to be a shift in the role and perception of Jihad,” Humayun said. “Even in persecution, the time for the ‘jihad of the sword’ was over and now was the time for the ‘jihad of the pen.’”
The word “Ahmadiyya” is derived from the name of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, meaning “highly praised” to exemplify the loving and merciful qualities of Muhammad.
As is the case, many may wonder why this is not considered Islam.
“What really separates us from other Muslims is that while all Muslims believe in the second coming of the messiah, or Jesus, we believe that already took place in spiritual form as the founder of our community Mirza Ghulam Ahmad,” Humayun said.
In mainstream Islam, the common belief is that Muhammad is the final prophet, unlike the Ahmadis — followers of the Ahmadiyya Islam movement — who believe that there can be new prophets, but they must be subordinate to Muhammad.
For approximately one century, Ahmadis have been persecuted in Islamic states, especially in Pakistan. In Pakistan’s constitution, it specifically states that “a person who does not believe in the absolute and unqualified finality of The Prophethood of MUHAMMAD (Peace be upon him), the last of the Prophets or claims to be a Prophet, in any sense of the word or of any description whatsoever, after MUHAMMAD (Peace be upon him), or recognizes such a claimant as a Prophet or religious reformer, is not a Muslim for the purposes of the Constitution or law.”
Thus, Ahmadis have not been given equal rights as other Muslims have, and have been barred from mosques and barred from reciting the Quran in any way.
Last week, Islamic scholar Arif Humayun, Adil’s father, came to the UW as a guest speaker. Arif Humayun is the author of three Islam-related books. He discussed both the issues of Islamic states in modern-day society and interpretations of the Quran, and initiated his lecture by reading a section of the Quran and defining Islam.
“The meaning of Islam is peace and submission to the will of God,” Arif Humayun said. “The person who submits to the will of God is a Muslim.”
With his definition, Arif Humayun continued to link that definition and quotes from the Quran to issues today. He argued for a more literal, yet peaceful, version of interpreting the Quran, similar to his own Ahmadi beliefs. He also advocated for a change in lifestyle with the modernization of the world.
“I’d be the first one to say that there is a big gap between the beliefs or the teachings and practices and that is being reflected in two ways,” Arif Humayun said. “One is in the violence you see, in terms of suicide bombings, killings and so forth, and second, the bigger issue, is total silence of the Muslim majority. When they speak, they’re very low-key and passive, and when they don’t speak out, then people take the silence as supporting the radicals.”
Arif Humayun said that the mindset today between Ahmadis and Muslims has not only affected relations in Islamic states but has translated across borders as well.
“Since growing up though, this hasn’t really affected me at all until college when I’m encountering more and more [varieties] of people, including mainstream Muslims,” Adil Humayun said. “It hasn’t been much of a conflict in my life, but where it does come up is as a technicality in business, for example, relations between the Muslim Student Association (MSA) and the Ahmadi Muslim Student Association. The MSA does not recognize us as Muslim ‘on paper,’ so doing official events together is avoided by them, despite efforts for AMSA to reach out and do events with the MSA. In social life and on individual bases, mainstream Muslims have always been respectful to me, so no conflict there, but I still avoid discussions about the intricacies of the differences in our sects out of habit.”
However, the MSA does have Ahmadi Muslim members.
“The main criteria of being Muslim is believing in one God, and his last prophet is Muhammad, may peace be upon him,” MSA President Omar Sarhan said. “Anyone who does not believe this is outside the fold of the stem.”
As the vice president of AMSA, Adil Humayun hopes to reach across borders and discuss varying religious philosophy through healthy discussions.
“The main thing I want to accomplish through AMSA is to increase motivation and opportunity for interfaith and intercultural discussion, because I feel like getting a healthy discussion going is necessary for the progress of society towards open minds and understanding,” Adil Humayun said. “One big issue I want to address though is the issue of labeling Ahmadis as non-Muslim because I don’t think anyone has that power and nor does the religion allow that.”
He added: “I believe that that is a matter between the individual and God.”
Reach reporter Ravi Venkataraman at lifestyles@dailyuw.com.
Read original post here: Branches of faith
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