Barrow Muslims heading to UK’s largest Islamic convention

Young Muslims from Barrow are heading to the UK’s largest Islamic convention this weekend to learn about being “loyal” to their country and “of service” to their communities.Jalsa Salana is celebrating its 60th anniversary and is expecting 50,000  members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community from more than 100 countries to attend the festival in Alton, Hampshire.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim community was founded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in British India in the late 19th century and is estimated to number between 15 and 20 million worldwide.The annual Jalsa Salana festival is their biggest event of the year and will be led by the global leader and fifth caliph of the community: Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad.

Tauheed Ahmad, who is travelling down from Barrow with his younger brother Musawir, is most excited to hear the caliph speak.He said: “When he is giving his speeches it is always the highlight. It’s a good reminder for us of how we should be as Muslims, how we should be as human beings, civilians, good towards one another, loyal to our country and being of service to others.

“I think it’s a good reminder in a world which is becoming increasingly selfish and more individualistic. It’s nice to hear that message of being good to other people, being kind.”

The 21-year-old medical student has lived in Barrow since he was nine and believes his family are the only Ahmadi Muslims in the area.

Ahmadis face a lot of discrimination from others within the faith because of the belief that their founder Mirza Ghulam Ahmad is the divinely appointed reformer. Most Sunni and Shia Muslim scholars hold the core belief that Muhammed is the last prophet.

“My dad and most of our family actually moved to the UK for the very reason that our community is persecuted in Pakistan,” said Tauheed.

The Pakistani government officially declared Ahmadi Muslims as non-Muslims through a constitutional amendment in September 1974 and Ahmadi’s have experienced persecution in the country ever since.

Tauheed said: “A lot of Ahmadis have now moved from Pakistan to the West in order to essentially seek refuge from a government that was trying to actively persecute them.

https://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/26406451.barrow-muslims-heading-uks-largest-islamic-convention/