Ontario - Canada: Ahmadiyya holds open house at Kincardine Library branch

"If you look at the teachings of the Jews, or even Jesus, what are they about? They are about changing behaviour, not forcing people to believe. If you asked to have anyone that was ever forced to believe by Mohammed to come forward, no one would."

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch |
Source/Credit: Kincardine News
By John F. Adams | May 4, 2011

"Love to all; Hatred to none." That is the motto of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at Islamic community, and a message they shared with people at an information session held at the Kincardine Public Library on Saturday, April 30.

"We do not support terrorism in any form," explained Abdul Tayyab. "Those are the actions of extreme fundamentalists, and not in keeping with Islam."

Tayyab went on to explain that followers of the Ahmadiyya Muslin Jama'at in fact hold that all worshippers of God and places of worship are holy, and should be protected.


"We love Jesus and all the prophets, and believe that the Messiah has returned to us."

This view, as well as other aspects of the Ahmadiyya Muslim faith, has resulted in the Ahmadiyya community being actively evicted from a number of Muslim countries.

"We believe that the prophesied return of the Messiah has already happened. That is the reason we have been evicted from so many countries and treated with extreme viciousness," added Ataul Lahayd, a member of the community for 27 years, and former resident of the Kincardine area.

The viciousness Lahayd refers too was seen quite graphically in May of 2010 in Pakistan when two Major Ahmadi mosques were attacked during Friday prayers, resulting in 93 deaths. Similar incidents have occurred in Bangladesh as well.

While the concept of a Jihad, or holy war, is often portrayed as Muslims killing infidels or unbelievers, the Ahmadi community holds a different view entirely.

"The word Jihad means struggle," explained Mohammed Hanif. "It is not about the slaughter of innocents, it is an internal struggle against your inner wishes."

"If you look at the teachings of the Jews, or even Jesus, what are they about?" asked Lahayd. "They are about changing behaviour, not forcing people to believe. If you asked to have anyone that was ever forced to believe by Mohammed to come forward, no one would."

"It is the struggle of all people to live a proper, clean, and moral life. Those fundamentalists that preach about Jihad are turning people into animals. That is not right," added Tayyab.

It is the view of the Ahmadi that the Messiah has returned and that he is the head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Mirza Masroor Ahmad. While the Holy Bible refers to Jesus Christ, or the Messiah, returning in physical form as a man, the Ahmadi's hold that the return is a metaphysical one.

"He (referring to Ahmad) is the second Messiah. He is the Jesus of this age" stated Lahayd.

The community came to Kincardine to hold the Holy Qur'an Open house since they had never been to the area previously, and are open to setting up interfaith conferences with other area churches.

"Everybody must be respected," said Mr. Tayyab. "And He (referring to God) must be honoured."

For more information about the Ahmadiyya Muslim faith, please contact Ataul Lahayd at 213-404-4512.


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