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| Imam Azhar Hanif |
Source/Credit: Royal Gazette
By Sara Westhead | Mar 7, 2011
Equality.
Unity.
Peace.
These some of the foundational creeds of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community around the world.
Relatively new, in the grand scheme of things, the Ahmadiyya community was established in India in 1889 when Mirza Ghulam Ahmad declared himself to be the expected messiah, metaphorically, of Islamic theology. Today, the group has centres in more than 190 countries and has millions of adherents worldwide.
Imam Azhar Haneef has been a missionary within the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the US for the last 22 years, and has been visiting Bermuda this week to rest and make connections.
“The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is an international organisation in over 190 countries,” he explained. “Our sense of purpose is to at least bring a very timely message to this world.”
That message is the same as the one the Prophet Muhammad brought 1,400 years ago, which Ahmad then came to clarify and re-focus, of peace.
In an era where much of the Middle East seems to be in political upheaval and conflict, tand ten years after the September 11 attacks in the US, the message of peace seems to be all the more important.
“It is a tumultous time,” the Imam agreed. The attack in 2001 not only lead to a tragic loss of lives, according to the Imam, but also singled out Muslims.
“Muslims were hurt that their faith was being tarnished,” by those who sought a political uprising, and not a call to pure Muslim faith.
In reaction, the Ahmadiyya Community has launched an initiative called the “Message of Peace Campaign” and Imam Haneef sees the task of the Ahmadiyya as two-fold:
“To stand up against those who are the terrorists and extremists and are against the the teachings of the faith, and to help others understand the dynamics of true faith.”
For the most part, the Imam sees that the Message of Peace has been well received, and has consisted of national advertising campaigns on billboards and buses, as well as a message on the mega-screen in Times Square, New York.
The group also see that part of their job is to better equip Muslims in understanding what the believe and how to communicate that with others.
“If you are not confident in what you believe, you can’t stand up and answer those questions.”
The Ahmadiyya have also had an enomous outreach to other religious groups, and Imam Haneef himself has had the opportunity to travel the world to share the message of peace, including at the 2010 World Religions Conference in Kitchner, Ontario.
“We need to live in harmony with our neighbours,” Imam Haneef explained of his message. “We believe all religions are teaching peace.”
As far as the current situations in countries like Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain and Libya, “it’s beyond religion; it’s about human rights”.
“They want some basic rights. It’s a reaction to those in authority and the the sense of morality of the leadership. It is a movement to demand rights.”
Much of the fear surrounding Islam in the West is based on a lack of understanding of the religion.
“We are victims of misinformation and misunderstanding that goes back decades, even centuries.”
“Extremisim where does it fit in the big picture? It’s like the ‘Crazy Uncle’ who comes to the party.” Every group, Christians included, the Imam affirmed, have their fanatics which bring fear to others. However, Westerners find it much easier to differentiate between Christian extremists who commit crimes than their Muslim counterparts.
“The West hasn’t reached that level of maturity in regards to the faith of Islam.”
“Muslims have the same fears [of extermists. It’s not even good for us. These things are not good for moderate, peace-loving Muslims.”
For many of the terrorists and extremists, the only concern is the cause, according to the Imam. The goal is political and their motivation does not come from scripture.
“The overall view is that they want to make a statement, destroy and they have no understanding of the sanctity of life.”
A greater understanding of Islam and its tenants of justice, kindness and love are vital for greater understanding and the breaking down of walls of fear.
“We need to begin to truly look beyond and try to understand the people or the faith which the actor has come from... The human heart and mindset are the same everywhere.”
Stepping back and opening up peaceful dialogue will help the world return to a time like before September 11, 2001.
“Let those reasons slowly resolve themselves, rather than putting on the pressure [to solve them now]. We need to step back and allow [people] to get through this and get back to where we were on 9-10,” Imam Haneef said.
Read original post here: Imam brings a message of goodwill
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