The speakers and several audience members agreed that the basic teachings of major religions – requiring peace and respect for all – are essentially the same.
Source/Credit: The Intelligencer
By Luke Hendry | January 10, 2016
Members of a Muslim sect spoke of peace Saturday at the Belleville Public Library as part of their ongoing effort to demystify Islam.
Their Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is a minority sect, the followers of which call themselves the Ahmadi.
The group, based in Maple, Ont., has made several past trips to Belleville, and Saturday’s stop was one of hundreds being made to more than 35 Canadian towns and cities.
Organizers said the goal was to present “the true Islam.” They described their sacred text, the Holy Qur’an, as requiring all Muslims to leave peacefully. They also denounced violence, especially terrorism, saying it was based upon flawed interpretations of the Qur’an.
“‘Love for all, hatred for none’ is our slogan and we are spreading it all over the world,” said member Aziz Hafiz-Zadeh, one of three men who spoke to the audience.
Zaki-Ud-Din, the group’s outreach co-ordinator, said the term “jihad” has been misconstrued. The root word, they said, refers to a person’s internal struggle.
“Jihad is not to kill anyone,” Hafiz-Zadeh said. “Jihad is to reform yourself.”
The speakers and several audience members agreed that the basic teachings of major religions – requiring peace and respect for all – are essentially the same.
“If you are really sincere, live out the commandments of God Almighty. The world would be a very different place,” said Hafiz-Zadeh.
Of the 47 people who attended, about two-thirds – nearly all white retirees – stayed for the more than one-hour opening talk.
Zaki-Ud-Din invited listeners to research Islam.
“Everything is open,” he said.
The Ahmadi said many of the misperceptions of Islam are the result of cultural or political differences.
“A lot of people mix culture and religion and people think it is the same thing,” said Hashir Ahmed.
“Islam gives permission to defend oneself,” Ahmed said, noting the prophet Muhammad fought only in self-defense.
He said new Arabic editions of the Qur’an must be exact copies of the original.
But scholars have made inaccurate translations and other errors, Ahmed said, and those versions are used by some radical groups. Though the basic principles of Sharia law are in the Qur’an, Zaki-Ud-Din added, “wrong interpretations” of Sharia law are used for “fanatical ideas.”
Asked about the role of women – and the absence of women in the delegation – the Ahmadi said women speakers are part of the tour but no women were available for the Belleville open house.
Hafiz-Zadeh said women have “different roles to play” but are not faith leaders in Islam.
That is not unlike the Roman Catholic church, Belleville resident David Milne said.
Hafiz-Zadeh said Muslim women hold other leadership roles, including those of head of state, and are “the nation-builders.”
Ed and Hilary Hawman of Belleville, who once lived in Indonesia, said they had no negative views of Islam but were still curious to know more.
“It was good to come see what they’re doing and learn a little bit about it,” Ed said.
In Indonesia, said Hilary, residents “have learned to live side-by-side – all the different religions.”
Though the open house was orderly, one unidentified woman later raged against the Ahmadi after most guests had left.
Organizers listened patiently as the woman unleashed rant after rant against Islam and Syrian refugees, saying an “undercurrent” in Canada is “objecting horrifically” to refugees’ arrival. She said Canadians would not “tolerate people coming in to change our life.”
She referred to the hosts as “you radical Islam.” Describing herself as a first-generation Canadian who was born Roman Catholic and of Irish descent, she claimed terrorism “started with the damn Irish.”
Other audience members suppressed smirks and shook their heads in disbelief at the comments. The Ahmadi speakers, however, listened politely and repeated their statements that Islam is a peaceful religion and that refugees had no plans to change Canadians’ ways of life.
Trenton’s Flo Fobert, a retired chaplain of Belleville’s Nicholson Catholic College, commended the Ahmadi “for doing what they can to allay prejudicial fears, because they lead to violence.”
She said “it was good to hear” their definition of jihad because the term “has been bastardized.
“We all know Christians that don’t follow the Bible to the letter,” Fobert said.
She also said people should be aware of “the danger of literalism in any culture.”
She said Canadians who are not of indigenous descent should consider when their own families emigrated here.
Read original post here: Muslim sect promotes peace, condemns terror
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 Ahmadiyya Times. Ahmadiyya Times is not an organ of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, nor in any way associated with any of the community's official websites.
.jpg)
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.