“Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the only Islamic organization to believe that the long awaited Messiah has come in the person of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908) of Qadian, India.”
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| From left: Ajaz Khan, Kamal Ahmed, Jameel Ahmed and Nasir Kamran Latif at Nusrat Mosque in Coon Rapids. Photo by Mandy Moran Froemming |
Source/Credit: ABC Newspaper
By Mandy Moran Froemming | May 22, 2015
In a former bank building on Robinson Drive, members of the Nusrat Mosque are happy to finally have a home of their own.
The mosque, a place of worship for about 60 members of the Minnesota Chapter of Ahmadiyya Community, opened in Coon Rapids about 18 months ago.
But this Saturday members and the community will celebrate the center’s inauguration with a ceremony from noon to 3 p.m. Congressman Keith Ellison is expected to deliver the keynote address at the inauguration, which will be attended by a number of local dignitaries and interfaith leaders. It is also open to the public.
“In a time when most Americans had never met a Muslim, we invite all Americans to join us in this celebration,” said Nasim Rehmatullah, national vice president for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA. “We believe this mosque, which is open to all people, will foster a spirit of community with neighbors and establish interreligious harmony and peace.”
Kamal Ahmed, member and spokesperson, said the Minnesota chapter has been established in the area for 20 years and has been looking for its own location for a decade, having worshipped in rented space around the Twin Cities, including Brooklyn Park and St. Paul.
Membership has grown, largely due to immigration, he said.
The Minnesota chapter of the Ahmadiyya Community is mostly made up of five families, who had been searching for a spot in the metro with easy freeway access because members come from Rochester and Mankato, Duluth and as far as Fargo, North Dakota.
In addition to Minnesota, the footprint for this chapter also covers North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa.
Converting an existing building into an Islamic prayer space comes with distinct challenges.
The building must face a particular way, Ahmed said. And there must be enough space to be divided into areas for men and women, who, while considered equal, worship and congregate separately at the mosque.
In Islam, there are five compulsory worship times throughout the day, starting at dawn and ending at dusk, where members take time to pray. But it’s not for long, sometimes just for a few minutes or as long as 10 minutes.
It’s best to pray as a group, Ahmed said, but that isn’t always possible.
The mosque is a place for the members to pray as a group or take part in education classes and celebrate religious holidays.
Ahmed said education is a two-way street, which is why those who attend Nusrat Mosque also take part in Bible study, growing their knowledge of the Christian faith.
“We want to educate ourselves about others as others learn about us,” said Ahmed, who lives in Elk River with his wife and two daughters and practices dentistry in Plymouth.
Ajaz Khan, a member who has been involved in mosque building in other cities, agrees.
“If you don’t believe what I believe, that’s OK. My religion is between me and my God.”
Focus on peace
The principle of peace is integral to the Ahmadiyya Community, which has rejected terrorism in any form, according to its official website
Their motto is, “Love for all, hatred for none.”
It is difficult for loyal and peaceful Muslims to be lumped in with a small group of extremists who have committed acts of violence in what they say is in the name of their religion, according to several members of Nusrat Mosque.
“They are twisting Islam for their own needs,” Khan said.
The Sept. 11 attacks on the Word Trade Center and the Pentagon, “that was not Islam,” he said.
He said the United States has protected his community’s right to worship, which is much different than in Pakistan, where members of the Ahmadiyya Community are not recognized as Muslims.
There, they have been persecuted since the 1950s, Khan said.
“I have carried the bodies of my cousins in my arms; my own brother-in-law was killed in front of me,” Khan said. “I don’t have any hate for them because in our community hating people does not solve the problem.”
He also said acts of violence are in opposition to what most people want and believe.
“The majority of the word is peaceful. It’s a minority destroying the peace of the world,” Khan said.
The Ahmadiyya Community was established in 1889 and chapters can be found in 200 countries around the globe.
According to the community’s official website, the “Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the only Islamic organization to believe that the long awaited Messiah has come in the person of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908) of Qadian, India.”
The community believes that “God sent Ahmad, like Jesus, to end religious wars, condemn bloodshed and reinstitute morality, justice and peace.”
While Muslims do believe Jesus was one of the most important prophets, Islam differs from Christianity in that Muslims do not believe Jesus was the son of God, commonly referred to as Allah in Islam.
And most Muslims, with the exception of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, believe there has yet to be a second-coming of the Messiah.
The Ahmadiyya Community is also alone in its belief of a central spiritual leader – a khilafat. Five spiritual leaders have succeeded Ahmad, with its current khalif His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad, who is the worldwide spiritual leader for more than 160 million members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
Mirza Masroor Ahmad holds a similar role and status to the pope in the Catholic faith. While visiting North America in 2012, Mirza Masroor Ahmad spoke about peace to audiences that included former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, members of Congress, mayors of major cities including Los Angeles, and the governor of California, as well as the Prime Minister of Canada.
A home of their own
The community is welcome at Nusrat Mosque.
“Anybody is welcome here at any time, or for community events,” said member Jamila Khan.
Now that Nusrat Mosque has a permanent home, making connections and sharing information about Islam will likely become easier.
“I think that now, by having our own space, we’ll be able to connect to the community around us,” member Ayeza Jamil said.
When members gather at the mosque twice monthly for prayers, the women and men each follow with a meeting where they might study the Quran or discuss other religious books and issues. The women sometimes have discussions about health and well-being.
Members are committed to helping others, at home and around the world.
Nusrat Mosque is hosting a fundraising walk June 6 in Coon Rapids to benefit the victims of the earthquake in Nepal.
The mosque has also hosted blood drives – an annual tradition on Sept. 11 – and has been gathering items for the food shelf. Members also volunteer with Feed My Starving Children.
“It’s very important; we really want to be a part of Coon Rapids,” member Touba Khurshid said.
The women wholeheartedly believe in the “Love for all, hatred for none” message.
“We try to show that in our actions and our speech,” Jamil said.
The Ahmadiyyah Community is closely connected with Humanity First, an international aid organization that helps in areas of human development and disaster response in 43 countries.
Editor’s Note: The inauguration of Nusrat Mosque will be held at 11450 Robinson Drive in Coon Rapids. A public tour of the mosque will be held from noon to 1 p.m., followed by the inauguration ceremony at 1 p.m. Lunch will be served from 2-3 p.m.
While Saturday’s inauguration is open to the public, space is limited. RSVP to nusratmosque@gmail.com or call 612-804-9515.
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Mandy Moran Froemming is editor of Anoka County Union and Blaine Spring Lake Park Life.
email: mandy.froemming@ecm-inc.com
Read original post here: Coon Rapids mosque to celebrate inauguration Saturday
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