“The teachings and verses are all about peace and saving all of mankind and most people are surprised to learn that given what they see in the media.”
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| Photo: Mandy Marciniak - Imam Imtiaz Ahmed (front left) and the volunteers from the ‘Demystify Islam’ open house on Jan. 23. |
Source/Credit: Kingston Heritage
By Mandy Marciniak | January 28, 2015
News –Recent terrorist attacks in Jakarta, Istanbul, San Bernardino and Paris have spurred a number of attacks right here in Canada; over the past six months, there has been an increase in hate crimes against Muslims and one group is trying to put a stop to these crimes using a very important tool – education.
On Jan. 23, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association (AMYA) visited the Isabel Turner branch of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library and held an open house from 1 to 5 p.m. The event, entitled ‘Holy Quran Open House to Demystify Islam’, invited community members to come and ask questions and learn more about Islam and Muslims.
“We are travelling to different towns to educate people about Islam,” explained Imam Imtiaz Ahmed, Imam at Ahmadiyya Muslim Mosque. “There are certain perceptions about Islam and mainly those include terror and violence, but these simply aren’t true and we want to clear that up.”
The open house in Kingston was part of a nation-wide campaign that started in December, 2015. During this campaign, the youth of Ahmadiyya will hold over 135 open houses and make 270 visits to more than 35 towns all across Canada in an attempt to spread peace, demystify Islam and create religious harmony.
The response has been great so far and Ahmed has answered many interesting questions, but the question he gets most often is in relation to the events in Paris and San Bernadino and why so many Mulsims are involved in violent acts.
“If someone calls himself or herself Muslim and commits nefarious crimes in the name of Islam, that doesn’t make them Islam,” he explains to those who ask. “Islam says that killing of one soul is as if you have killed all of humanity; this is a core teaching of Islam and a person who doesn’t follow these teachings, their claim to be Muslim is hollow.”
Ahmed emphasizes that Muslms are very peaceful and when people take time to get to know their teachings, they are surprised by what they learn.
“The teachings and verses are all about peace and saving all of mankind and most people are surprised to learn that given what they see in the media,” he said.
Ahmed was joined at the event by a number of volunteers, including Mizra Tahir Ahmed, head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama Association of Kingston. Tahir has been actively holding information events in Kingston over the past year and he was happy to be part of the open house too.
“We respect other religions and we want the same respect in return, but people need to understand us first,” he said. “We are peaceful people and or motto is ‘love for all and hatred for none’ and that is very important for people to learn.”
Over the past few weeks, Tahir Ahmed has been visiting members of the community to promote the open house. He spent a lot of time going door to door and he was overwhelmed by the response he received.
“People were very receptive and they felt that something like this is necessary and they were glad we were doing it,” he said. “Many of them showed up today and that was very encouraging.”
The overall response to the open houses has been very positive and Imtiaz Ahmed hopes that they continue to promote positive change.
“We are providing an open and inviting space and an opportunity for people to ask questions they may not have asked otherwise and that is very important,” he said.
“We want to build bridges with people of different religions and this is a chance to do that.”
For more information about Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association visit www.amadiyya.ca
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Mandy Marciniak is a reporter for the Kingston Heritage and Frontenac Gazette. She can be reached atmmarciniak@metroland.com . Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
Read original post here: Canada: Group working to ‘Demystify Islam’ makes a stop in Kingston
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After all the recent tragic events that have taken place around the world, the religion of Islam is being maligned. This young and small Ahmadi group is doing great things by going city to city, not only to spread the true, peaceful message of Islam, but to clear any misunderstandings that one might have. Religion is becoming a greater and greater barrier everyday and it is important to break down these walls - not with weapons, but with love and lovable actions.
ReplyDeleteThe ahmadiyya Muslim jamaat is working day and night to promote the true message of Islam. Apart from the commendable work of demystifying Islam which is making tireless efforts, there is also the true Islam campaign which has brought the real message of Islam to many. Keep up the amazing work. It is the need of the time.
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