UK: Caliph of Islam says extremists are “enemies of all of mankind”

Representatives of all major religions gathered for the inaugural ceremony of the new GBP675,000 Mosque in Catford, which had been funded entirely from voluntary donations from the Ahmadiyya Muslim community.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch |
Source/Credit: Afro News
By Afro News | February 17, 2012

Caliph: Extremists are “enemies of all of mankind”

Acts of a small number of extremists who destroy the peace and security of society at large contribute to the fear some people hold of mosques and of Islam itself.

Such people are “enemies of all of mankind” and their acts are “not at all in keeping with the real teachings of Islam,” said the worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad.

The fifth Caliph of the community recently opened the new Tahir Mosque in South East London, and led its inaugural prayers.


He urged Muslims to cast aside differences of religion, ethnicity and nationality for the sake of peace and unity in the UK. “It is essential that a Muslim should never usurp the rights of others and instead he should cast aside all differences of religion, nationality or ethnicity and seek to become the means of support and love for all others. If someone comes to a Muslim for help, then it is the duty of the Muslim to try and fulfil that need,” he said.

Representatives of all major religions gathered for the inaugural ceremony of the new GBP675,000 Mosque in Catford, which had been funded entirely from voluntary donations from the Ahmadiyya Muslim community.

At the opening ceremony, also attended by Heidi Alexander, MP for Lewisham East and Sir Steve Bullock, Mayor of Lewisham, cheques totalling GBP5000 were presented to the MP’s charity, Youth AID Lewisham, and to the Mayor’s charity the Lavender Trust. This adds to the hundreds of thousands of pounds donated to British charities by the community each year.

The purpose of a mosque, His Holiness Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said, is to serve as a beacon for peace.

“Peace in society is a two-way process and can only be established if all parties work together towards mutual reconciliation,” His Holiness said. “We must set aside our own personal desires and instead be concerned for the future existence and well-being of our next generations. We must adopt selflessness rather than selfishness. When we all join together and come to respect each other’s feelings and sentiments then and only then will an atmosphere of mutual love develop. It is then that we will truly see the beautiful society that all peaceful people desire.”

The National President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK, Rafiq Hayat, said: “Love for All, Hatred for None defines the ethos of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and it underpins our mission in every mosque. These are abodes of peace where we worship God and give thanks for His blessings.

“The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community built the first mosque in London in Putney in 1924 and at the turn off this century, we opened western Europe’s biggest mosque, again in London. The new mosque in Catford will share the vision that is common to all our mosques and that is an ongoing commitment to build bridges between communities and to strive for peace.”

The mosque will serve some 300 worshippers and features prayer halls for men and women.


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