Guyana participates in grand Muslim festival in UK

By: Devina Samaroo, UK

Ahmadis from across the globe will participate in the grand three-day Muslim festival which begins today (Friday) in Hampshire, United Kingdom (UK).
Guyana will be among 100 countries attending the event called the Jalsa Salana, an annual celebration now in its fiftieth year.
The weekend-long activities are marked by prayers and speeches where worshippers celebrate the teachings of Islam and esteemed leaders address pertinent issues impacting the expanding Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
Participants also use the forum to discover new countries and experience new cultures, taste various dishes and perhaps even learn another language.
This unique gathering, considered the largest of its kind in the UK, is also attended by parliamentarians, civic leaders and diplomats from various countries.

The key feature is the presence of worldwide movement’s fifth Khalifa of the Ahmadiyya Community, His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad.
On the final day of the celebrations, new followers pledge allegiance and existing adherents renew their pledges to His Holiness who serves as the worldwide spiritual and administrative head of this religious organisation, with membership exceeding tens of millions reaching over 200 countries.
The religion was founded by Mizra Ghulam Ahmad in India in 1889, however, today it is still not accepted in some countries because its faith does not recognise Muhammad as the final prophet.
While the general sect of the Muslim world believes Jesus Christ will return as the Messiah, the Ahmadis believe that the awaited Messiah came as Mizra Ahmad, who was the first Khalifa.
In fact, they are considered apostates by other sects of Islam and in some states such as Pakistan, they are banned.

Nonetheless, as time progressed, the community membership increased and eventually its first mosque was constructed in South West London in 1924.
Then in 2003, the Baitul Futuh Mosque (House of Victories), belonging to the Ahmadiyya community, was inaugurated. Stretching across approximately five acres and with an accommodation capacity of 10,000 persons, it is Britain’s largest mosque and one of the largest in Western Europe.
Leading up to the Jalsa Salana, guests from all over the world flocked both mosques, to enjoy the camaraderie through which they have meals and say prayers, all the while sharing their enthusiasm for the grand festival.
There are approximately two million Ahmadis in the world. In Guyana, the community is numbered at about 300.
Speaking to Guyana Times at the events site on Thursday where many preparatory activities were ongoing, Head of the Guyanese arm of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, Aftadudin Nassir explained that the culture is very vibrant locally.
“We go out there and we do the work. We preach Islam, we are out on the streets and we talk to people and give the message of Islam to them. We are a small community but we are not deterred. We know we will grow,” Nassir said.
Guyana will be hosting its 33rd local Jalsa Salana before yearend, celebrating decades of the presence of the religion within the country.
Ahmadiyya Muslims in Guyana was established in the late 1950s in Sisters Village, Berbice. Its first and oldest mosque is located in that community. There are other places of worship across the country and the local organisation is hoping to commission a brand new mosque in Mahdia, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) before yearend.
The faith was introduced to Guyana through a missionary who was posted in Trinidad and Tobago to spread the message of Islam. He soon became the first missionary in Guyana and thereafter, more missionaries were posted to continue to spread the message of peace which is the undertone of the community’s motto, “Love for all, hatred for none”.