USA: Chino Imam meets with two Inland Empire mayors

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Imam Shamshad’s mission is to inform the citizens of Southern California in general -- and its religious and civic leaders in particular -- about the true teachings of Islam and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: BHM News Service
By Jonathan M.A.Ghaffar | April 2, 2014

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s Baitul Hameed Mosque on Ramona Ave. in Chino is celebrating its 25th anniversary in July, and its Imam, Shamshad A. Nasir, is on a mission -- a public relations mission that’s been on-going since the mosque was built and which he has continued since being stationed at the Chino Mosque as the worldwide Ahmadiyya Community’s southwest regional missionary in the US.

Imam Shamshad’s mission is to inform the citizens of Southern California in general -- and its religious and civic leaders in particular -- about the true teachings of Islam and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). A large part of that mission involves making contact with the mayors, police chiefs and other elected public officials in his outreach area. In March the Imam visited the mayors of Colton and Upland to formally introduce himself and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community to these Inland Empire city leaders.

On March 17th, Imam Shamshad traveled to the city of Colton to meet with Mayor Sarah Zamoro and some of her staff. The Imam was accompanied by Baitul Hameed Mosque members Asim Ansari, Imran Jattala, Rahman Abdul Aleem and Jonathan M.A.Ghaffar.

Imam Shamshad gave the Mayor a brief overview of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, detailing its founding in Northern India in 1889 by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, who proclaimed that God had appointed him the Promised Messiah awaited by the followers of most of the world’s religions (including Christianity and Islam), as well as the Imam Mahdi (the guided spiritual leader) expected by the Muslims.

Imam Shamshad presented Mayor Zamoro with a copy of the book “World Crisis and the Pathway to Peace” by Mirza Masroor Ahmad, who is the Ahmadiyya Community’s 5th Khalifa or spiritual successor of the founder. The Khalifa’s book is a collection of speeches he has delivered around the world before legislative and policy-making bodies, including members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives on Capitol Hill, the British House of Commons, the European Parliament in Brussels, the Military Headquarters at Koblenz in Germany, and a Peace Symposium in London.

The book also contains letters written by the Khalifa to the leaders of America, Canada, Israel, Iran, France, Russia, Saudi Arabia, China, Germany and the United Kingdom. The letters urged striving for peace and not war so that the devastating effects of a Third World War can be averted.

Imam Shamshad inquired about Interfaith activities in Colton and expressed a desire to be involved in them, along with any community service projects such as blood drives and food or clothes distributions. The Chino Mosque has been the site of regular blood drives since 2011 as part of the nationwide “Muslims for Life” blood donation campaign to honor the victims of 9-11 by saving lives all across America. The mosque also conducts twice-weekly outreach programs to help feed the homeless in Pomona.

The Imam’s next visit on his “IE mayors” tour took place on March 21st when he stopped in to see Upland’s Mayor Ray Musser. The Mayor has met the Imam informally at Upland City Council meetings, the last being on March 10th where Imam Shamshad delivered the opening prayer invocation calling for peace to start with ourselves and extending out into the world. The two also met at SB County Supervisor Gary Ovitt’s annual Pastor Appreciation Breakfast in Chino Hills on March 20th, but this was the first time the Imam has paid an official friendship visit to the Upland Mayor. Accompanying the Imam were fellow Ahmadis Imran Jattala, Rahman Abdul Aleem, Jonathan M.A.Ghaffar and Fateh Qureshi.

Imam Shamshad gave the Mayor some background information on the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, presenting him with some literature and a copy of the landmark book by the Community’s founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908), entitled “The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam.” It was written in 1896 and delivered as a lecture at a World Religions Conference in Lahore, India. The book was predicted by its author to be the winning entry at the Conference, and by unanimous verdict of those in attendance, it was indeed judged to be the best speech from dozens of entries.

Mayor Musser thanked the Imam and his members for coming, for the book and for the other Islamic information materials. When prompted for some background information about himself, the Mayor spoke at length in a relaxed, folksy manner about his childhood and religious education growing up in the Mennonite Church in Pennsylvania. He later became a member of the Brethren in Christ Church. He has worked in the insurance field for many decades, and now as Mayor of Upland, he looks forward to bringing positive change and economic growth to the city. He is also committed to creating more housing and other resources to help the homeless and lower-income residents. In the 45-minute meeting, it was clear the Mayor genuinely loved his city and wanted the best for his constituents.

Who are the Ahmadi Muslims?

Ahmadis are members of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, established by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi, in 1889. Their motto is: “Love for All – Hatred for None.” Ahmadis are the only peaceful, non-political and unified body of Muslims in the world. They are united under a spiritual leader (Khalifa) who condemns all terrorism and works tirelessly for global peace and interfaith harmony. For more information, call Imam Shamshad at 909-627-2252 or 909-636-8332 or go online to: Alislam.org

  --  USA: Chino Imam meets with two Inland Empire mayors


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