Ahmadiyya is a sect of Islam that believes the Messiah returned as Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908) in Qadian, India. Its members believe in the strict separation of mosque and state and are opposed to any form of violent holy war.
Source/Credit: Mississauga News
By Jan Dean | July 6, 2013
MISSISSAUGA — There's a reason Ahmadiyya Muslims are so enthused about Canada — they’re free to practise their faith here.
This weekend (July 5-7) at Malton’s International Centre they're celebrating their 37th annual Convention with more than 20,000 of the faithful from across Canada and the U.S. in attendance. They'll be joined by well-known politicians like Mayor Hazel McCallion and Brampton Mayor Susan Fennell on Saturday afternoon.
The organization will present the Zarfulla Khan Award for Public Service to Senator Art Eggleton. There will also be lectures, prayer and socializing.
Ahmadiyya is a sect of Islam that believes the Messiah returned as Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908) in Qadian, India. Its members believe in the strict separation of mosque and state and are opposed to any form of violent holy war. Those beliefs have made it difficult to practise their religion in many parts of the world. In fact, in certain Muslim countries the Ahmadiyya are seen as heretics and infidels.
"In Pakistan, just saying ‘I am Muslim’ would have me in prison for three years," said Lal Khan Malik, national president Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at of Canada.
The freedom to practise their faith in Canada is something they never take for granted. Since the 1960s, they have been coming to Canada where Malik says they are proud to be "loyal and peaceful citizens of the land."
He says the only way to deal with problems is legally and politically.
"Disorder in the land is most distressing," he said. "When there is a terrorist event, we all tremble. We fear the backlash."
An army of volunteers has been busy organizing the event for months. Farzan Qureshi is Ahmadiyya and volunteers every year. The Oakville resident says while traditional prayers are still said in Arabic, English is the language of the young people who have been raised in Canada.
The programs at the Convention are either presented in English or with translations from Urdu.
Read original post here: Ahmadiyya Muslim convention draws thousands
This content-post is archived for backup and to keep archived records of any news Islam Ahmadiyya. The views expressed by the author and source of this news archive do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of Ahmadiyya Times.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your comments. Any comments irrelevant to the post's subject matter, containing abuses, and/or vulgar language will not be approved.