USA: Harris Zafar, of Southwest Portland's Rizwan Mosque, condemns religious attacks in Indonesia

“... Indonesia is losing the right to call itself a tolerant nation that promotes or protects diversity. Instead, due to failed policies, its government has allowed a real militant threat to grow within its borders."

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: The Oregonian
By George Rede | February 15, 2011

As a freelance writer and local religious leader, Harris Zafar of Southwest Portland has been a frequent op-ed contributor to The Oregonian and OregonLive.com and a voice of moderation on any number of issues involving Islam and its followers.

Now, he’s on The Huffington Post with a piece ("Indonesia -- Land of Tolerance or Terror?") questioning the Indonesian government’s commitment to religious tolerance in the wake of deadly attacks on two different religious groups earlier this month, including members of his Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.


“... Indonesia is losing the right to call itself a tolerant nation that promotes or protects diversity. Instead, due to failed policies, its government has allowed a real militant threat to grow within its borders.

Last summer, The Oregonian’s Nancy Haught mentioned Zafar, among others, in a piece that profiled Portland’s Ahmadi Muslims, a group of 80 people who belong to a minority movement that has been shunned by mainstream Muslims.

“Ahmadi Muslims were founded in 1889 by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, a native of India who said he was the messiah foretold by the Prophet Muhammad,” Haught wrote. Most Muslims believe Muhammad was the Last Prophet.

Zafar is the national spokesperson and director of youth outreach for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA. Here is a sampling of his op-eds:

— "Terrorists grow where freedom does not"
— "There is no freedom to insult or kill"
— "Silencing the voices of reason"


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