In My View: Nidaul Haq on how we should break down barriers and build a society where faith and values truly unite us
Like thousands of volunteers from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, I have the privilege of serving at Jalsa Salana UK, the largest annual Muslim convention in the country. At a time when over half the population believes Islam is not compatible with British values, I find myself reflecting on a very different reality – one I witness first-hand each summer. According to a recent YouGov survey commissioned by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, 53% of people in Britain believe Islam clashes with British values. Only a quarter think they align.
As a British Muslim, these figures are hard to read though, sadly, not surprising. Years of selective media coverage, sensationalist headlines and viral disinformation have shaped public perception more than real-world experience ever could. Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the keynote speaker of the Jalsa Salana, has said: “A well-known saying of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is that ‘love for one’s nation is a part of one’s faith.’ “Given this, how can it be suggested true Muslims are not loyal citizens or likely to sow seeds of division in society? “I believe integration requires an immigrant to always seek the betterment of his adopted nation, to be ready for all sacrifices for it and to endeavour to serve his people with sincerity.” This idea of serving one’s community and country is something I see lived out every year at Jalsa Salana UK.
Around 10,000 volunteers, men, women and children alike, give up their time off work each year – not for a festival or political campaign, but simply to serve. At this year’s event, which was held at Alton, Hampshire, at the end of July, I was part of the security team, stationed around the perimeter of the main marquee. Do I have a background in security or risk management? Not at all. I work in the medical devices sector, supporting hospital teams in high-stakes procedures.
But during Jalsa, I trade hospital corridors for open fields and scrubs for a hi-vis vest. And I consider this very humbling but no less important by any means. What continues to strike visitors is how smoothly it all runs. With so many guests, you might expect confusion or friction. Instead, you find calm, order and care. This isn’t because of heavy-handed control, but because of the values of mutual respect and service that underpin everything. These are not foreign values. They are British values. And they are, in fact, Islamic values too.
So when I read that more than half the country doubts whether Islam and British life can co-exist, I feel the genuine urge to invite people to come and see for themselves. Walk through the fields of Hadeeqatul Mahdi. Witness volunteers offering water to guests in the summer heat, guiding traffic in the rain, scrubbing down toilets all day and night, or manning kitchens to feed tens of thousands – all without pay, recognition or complaint. This is what service looks like, and this is how we live our faith.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community contributes across British society – through charity walks, food banks, blood drives, peace campaigns and civic engagement. We believe our faith compels us to give back to the communities we are part of and to build bridges wherever we can. We raise the Union Jack alongside the flag of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community at Jalsa, not out of contradiction, but out of harmony, because we sincerely believe that to love one’s country is part of our faith. There is no clash of civilisations here. Only a clash between perception and reality. To those who still harbour doubts, I say: come and meet us. Speak to the people who give up their weekends to build something meaningful. Spend one hour at Jalsa and see what true Islam in Britain really looks like. Because understanding begins with connection, and only by breaking down barriers of fear and misunderstanding can we build a society where faith and values truly unite us, rather than divide. This is the Britain we believe in, and the Islam we live every day.
