Unlike other branches of Islam, Ahmadiyya Muslims believe that the long-awaited messiah came in the person of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, whose goal was to end religious wars, condemn bloodshed, and reinstitute morality, justice and peace.
Source/Credit: The Chronicle Herald
By Fram Dinshaw | July 18, 2016
James Sinclair was in many ways a typical Nova Scotian, the son of fishermen parents who lived for a time in Cape Breton.
Now a 32-year-old convert to Islam, he has teamed up with five fellow believers from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at to bring a message of peace and friendship from coast to coast.
Under the hashtag #MobileMuslims, Sinclair and his fellow travellers are spreading the Ahmadiyya message, summed up as ‘love for all, hatred for none,’ to 25 cities over 40 days. They’re stopping in Halifax July 18, five days after officially starting their journey in Cape Spear, near St. John’s, N.L.
“Our goal is to spread the true and peaceful message of Islam, and this is what was presented by the Prophet Muhammad,” said Sinclair.
“I found a lot of truth in Islam.”
Unlike other branches of Islam, Ahmadiyya Muslims believe that the long-awaited messiah came in the person of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, whose goal was to end religious wars, condemn bloodshed, and reinstitute morality, justice and peace.
Born in British-ruled India in 1835, Ahmad also wanted to unite Islam with other religions such as Hinduism and Judaism, and preached the separation of mosque and state.
“We believe in the promised messiah,” said Sinclair. “We’re proud to be here and we’re proud to be Canadian.”
In keeping with their founder’s peaceful message, Ahmadiyya Muslims have strongly and consistently condemned all acts of violence and terrorism, most recently the attack in Nice, France that left 84 people dead.
“This will only add fuel to the fire over misconceptions about Islam,” said Sinclair.
“The acts of a few individuals do not represent the faith in its entirety.”
Among those who first had misconceptions were Sinclair’s parents, who were hesitant at first about his new faith.
But they quickly warmed up to it after noticing positive changes in their son.
As Sinclair and his fellow Muslims drive across Canada in a pickup truck and trailer holding their mobile display, their fellow Canadians are also warming to them.
These have included figures such as Mayor Claude Elliott of Gander, who posed for a photo alongside his Ahmadiyya guests after hosting a meeting with them.
The @IslamExhibition Twitter feed also shows the #MobileMuslims road show being warmly received in communities such as Ingonish in Nova Scotia, where a crowd of local people were photographed at their booth.
The group reached Ingonish on July 16 after hopping a ferry from Newfoundland. On Sunday the group attended the Sydney Rib Fest.
“We’ve been well-received in the Atlantic provinces,” said Sinclair.
As well as spreading the message of Islam, Sinclair and his fellow Ahmadiyyas are using the tour to celebrate 50 years of Ahmadiyya Muslims in Canada.
Read original post here: Canada: Nova Scotian returns home with true message of Islam
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