“I’m glad we were able to have so many guests here today. We see the community leaders, but don’t always get to connect with them. Many of the guests here today are women in leadership (positions) in the Oshkosh area, and we hope that when they leave this mosque that they have more knowledge of our community.”
Source/Credit: The Northwestern
By Nathaniel Shuda | March 17, 2014
Women from all walks of life can make meaningful contributions and take on leadership roles no matter what their background or beliefs.
That was the message Wisconsin’s first lady Tonette Walker shared Monday with about two dozen members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Oshkosh at the Qamar Mosque.
The community’s Lajna Ima’illah, or women’s auxiliary, hosted the wife of Gov. Scott Walker as part of a dinner focusing on women’s leadership. The first lady spoke during the event which included a glimpse into the Islamic religion and culture.
“It’s so exciting to be up here because when we’re together and we’re talking, we’re just like another mom or woman or someone in a leadership role,” Walker said in an Oshkosh Northwestern Media interview after Monday’s event. “We’re exactly the same. We just come from different backgrounds and have different beliefs, but when we really get down to what’s important — our families and our children and our love for Wisconsin and things around us — it’s just like being with anybody else.
“It’s important for us all to be respectful and to get to know each other and other people and other communities,” Walker said. “It’s humbling to be able to come into a community and listen to them.”
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is a Jamaat or congregation of about 50 members that has held Salat or worship at the Qamar Mosque along North Eagle Street since 2010, said Raazia Riffat, one of the auxiliary’s leaders. It is the only Islamic organization to believe Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was the along-awaited Messiah — or the metaphorical second coming of Jesus of Nazareth and divine guide — as foretold by the prophet Muhammad. Members emphatically reject terrorism and promote tolerance and dialogue among various religious communities.
For Hajra Ahmad, a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and secretary of health and fitness and food for the auxiliary, having Walker come to share her views on leadership and to learn about Islam in northeastern Wisconsin, underscores the importance of working together to understand different backgrounds.
“I’m glad we were able to have so many guests here today,” Ahmad said. “We see the community leaders, but don’t always get to connect with them. Many of the guests here today are women in leadership (positions) in the Oshkosh area, and we hope that when they leave this mosque that they have more knowledge of our community.”
Nathaniel Shuda: (920) 426-6632 or nshuda@thenorthwestern.com
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