“I had the opportunity to work with various churches, media, and other charity organizations where our members volunteered regularly. Working in Lloydminster, it was very special in this regard.”
Source/Credit:
By Tyler Marr | March 16, 2017
After working to promote peace, love and acceptance over the past three years in the community, Tariq Azeem, Imam with the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, will be moving on to begin another chapter in his missionary work.
Relocating to Vancouver at the month’s end, Azeem sat down with the Meridian Booster to talk about his time in the Border City.
“As missionaries, we feel like we have been given the responsibility to spread the message of peace to wherever we have been asked to go,” Azeem said.
“I am happy with what I have been able to achieve here, with the help of my community members and other residents of the town who have shown support throughout these years.”
During his time in the Border City, Azeem oversaw rapid growth for the over 200 member-strong local Muslim chapter.
From helping to usher in the inauguration of a Mosque for the group, to securing a visit from their spiritual leader in November, Azeem was proud of the work he was able to achieve while in Lloydminster.
“It was a very big occasion,” Azeem said when asked about the visit from the Caliph, his Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmed, who made Lloydminster one of his stops during his Canadian visit, which also included Calgary, Regina, Toronto and Ottawa.
“That moment when he was here was definitely the most special moment of my time in Lloydminster,” he added.
Azeem was also proud of the opportunities he had been presented with to work alongside and get to know a number of locals in Lloydminster very closely.
He said this was a “pleasure you can only have while working in a smaller town” compared to the large metropolitan centre he will soon call home.
“I had the opportunity to work with various churches, media, and other charity organizations where our members volunteered regularly. Working in Lloydminster, it was very special in this regard.”
With the growing rise in Islamophobia and rising misconceptions about the faith, Azeem hoped his work in the Border City helped to quell rumours and answer a number of these questions.
“Many people hear things in the media and through different channels, and they start believing them,” he said.
Through his three years, Azeem has helped carry out a number of educational events, programs, and open houses in an effort to reach out and paint a more true picture of Islam.
“It is peace, and our religion teaches peace,” he said. “If Muslims follow the book, they are very tolerant and peace loving people. This is the message I hope will stay with the people.”
He explained how his community has worked to establish the equal treatment of all, and how they must “love everyone and must not differentiate between human beings.”
“For this reason, our motto always has been and is ‘Love for all. Hatred for none’ and I hope and pray that every single person in this town lives by this motto and treats everyone with peace and love.”
Though it was currently unknown as to who would be taking his place, Azeem hoped the new missionary would be able to continue the work of conveying and practice the message of peace.
“I hope the local residents, both Muslim and non-Muslim in the town, will continue to work with each other and continue to build a tolerant and peace loving society.”
Read original post here: Embarking upon a new chapter
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 Times of Ahmad. Times of Ahmad is not an organ of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, nor in any way associated with any of the community's official websites.
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.