Jesus was not the son of God

Earlier this week, I sat listening to a Chicago based Christian preacher whip his congregation into a frenzy as he described what it meant to be a believer in Jesus Christ. The preacher, who was wailing and walking from side to side on the stage, was passionate and emotional in his belief that Christians should not be afraid to ask this question:

“Do you believe that Jesus Christ was God, who returned to earth, through the spirit and body of Jesus?”

The preacher went on to say that anyone who did not profess the belief that Jesus was God on earth was not of God. If you did not accept this belief then you were not from God nor could you return to God.

During his sermon, the preacher exhorted members of his congregation not to listen to members of the Mormons and that they should not accept Bibles published and distributed for free by the Mormons. He then went on to make offensive remarks about Muslims, Jehovah Witnesses and followers of the Baihi faith.

The preacher then went from bad to worse as he exhorted his followers to be prepared to offend people who did not accept the belief that Jesus Christ was God. In his own words: “I’m prepared to offend anyone to hell or heaven – whatever it takes and I’m not afraid to be offensive as a matter of faith.”

As the preacher pranced around on the stage with a growing sense of authority and power, as the audience moved with him in a trance-like state, the overwhelming weight of what we must resist and fight in this country began to hit me like a gigantic weight on my shoulders.

Such preaching should be offensive to anyone who is a lover of Almighty God and believes in the uniqueness and oneness of Almighty God. It is mean-spirited and such preaching by a Christian has nothing to do with the pristine teachings of the Prophet Jesus (a.s.).

The aim of religion, as we are taught, should never be to offend, but to reveal the truth. Those who preach these hideous thoughts are not interested in the truth. Their method of sermonizing is to capture the minds of people with little knowledge for the sake of control. We are reminded of the words of Russia’s Karl Marx who said: “Religion is the opiate of the people.”

During a question and answer session, Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, the Head of the Ahmadiyya Community, addressed this subject under the title: “Distortion of Religion.”

Hazoor said our philosophy is that there has to be a single entity of religion, not a divided one. The condemnation of other faiths is a problem for all religions and it must be resolved. According to the Holy Qur'an, said Hazoor, God originally revealed every religion on earth. His chosen servants were given a light from God, there was no difference between that light – all prophets came with the same fundamental message that had two aspects.

1. Bow to the authority of Allah, the Almighty God, and not to bow to the authority of anyone else other than God.
2. To discharge one’s duty to others and to treat others kindly.

In every message delivered to mankind by His Prophets – a group of spiritually trained representatives of God – they were humans, not gods or manifestations of Gods.

What we have seen in commonality with these prophets is that initially they are rejected and opposed by the people that they come to who threaten to kill them. Hazoor says that this hatred is always expressed and manifested in the first stage of a Prophet’s declaration of appointment by God.

After a going through a long period of trials and sacrifices, these messengers eventually gain attention and wider acceptance but once accepted a process of “distortion” takes place raising the status of the messenger to a “super human” status.

As the distortions grow in time, prophets become sons of god, brothers of god and relatives of god. This is what we see today in society. These distortions take on a life of its own and have been a part of the history of man.

Hazoor says we should not condemn the religion, but we should condemn is the trait in human beings of ultimately distorting whatever message they are given though a Messenger of God. He said that all people are guilty of this and, therefore, condemnation of one group by another does not resolve anything.

Instead of condemnation, our position is to change attitudes by changing distorted attitudes regarding religion that will ultimately cause people to think differently about religion – about Islam.

The Holy Qur'an says: “Say, O People of the Book! Come a word equal between us and you – that we worship one but Allah, and that we associate no partner with Him, and that some of us take not others for Lords beside Allah.’ But if they turn away, they say, ‘Bear witness that we have submitted to God.’ (Chap. 3 v.65)

The verse is an invitation to Christians and Jews to free their hearts and seek dialogue on the original belief in the Oneness of God and to give up the belief in false deities. The aim of religion, as we are taught, should never be to offend, but to reveal the truth.

We believe that Allah is to be worshiped and he is One. He has no partner. He has no competitor. He Alone can be called Samad (Self-Sufficient and Independent). The word Samad is applied to a being without whom nothing can be accomplished.

Our responsibility and duty is to change attitudes, hearts and minds by ignoring the small time preachers who seek to hide the truth. The truth can never be hidden as long as we cry out to the world:

“All praise belongs to Him alone. He is the Lord and Sustainer of all the worlds. He is Allah the Gracious, the Merciful, He is the master of the Day of Judgment.”

Abu Hurairah relates that the Holy Prophet Muhammad, sallallaho alaihe wasallam, said: That I should say: Glory be to Allah, and to Allah belongs all Praise, and there is none worthy of worship save Allah, and Allah is Great, is dearer to me than the whole universe. (Muslim)

Spend your life in modesty and humility

It is incumbent upon the righteous that they spend their lives in a state of modesty and humility. This is one branch of righteousness through which one has to fend off unjustified rage. For many great saints and men of truth, the last and most difficult stage (in the quest for righteousness) is to guard against rage.

Rage gives birth to conceit and arrogance. Sometimes conceit and arrogance create rage itself because rage is the outcome of sheer egotism. I do not want the members of my community to look down on each other, or exhibit pride over each other, or be arrogant towards each other.

Almighty Allah knows who is great and who is small. This is a form of contempt, which harbors hatred. It is feared that such hatred will grow like a seedling and destroy the perpetrator. Some people are very courteous in the company of the high and mighty but the truly great is he who listens with sympathy and humility to the words of a humble person and shows respect to what that person says, who honors his word and does not utter anything vexatious that causes hurt.

Allah Almighty says:

“And defame not your own people, nor call one another by nick-names. Bad indeed is evil reputation after the profession of belief and those who repent not are the wrongdoers. (49:12)

You should not call each other by nicknames. Only ungodly and wicked people behave in this manner. He who taunts others will not die until he himself is thus afflicted. Do not be contemptuous towards your brothers.

When all of you drink from the same fountain, who can say which among you is destined to drink the most? No one can be judged honorable and respectable by worldly standards. In the sight of Almighty Allah, it is the righteous one who is the great one:

“Verily, the most honorable among you is the sight of Allah is he who is the most righteous among you. Surely Allah is All-Knowing, All-A ware. “(49:14)

Who are the Righteous?

The Word of God (the Holy Quran) tells us that the righteous are those who walk (the earth) in a meek and humble manner. They do not speak arrogantly; they speak as a humble person speaks to one of higher status.

In any situation our behavior should be conducive to furthering our own moral and spiritual betterment. Allah Almighty does not favor anyone. He wants us to be righteous. Only the righteous are able to attain the highest status.

In the words of Hazrat Ghulam Ahmad:

I tell you truly that on the Day of Judgment, next after association of anything with God, no vice shall rank as high as arrogance. This is a vice that humiliates a person in both worlds.

Divine mercy rescues every believer in Divine Unity, except an arrogant one. Satan also claimed that he believed in the Unity of God, but as he was afflicted with arrogance and looked Contemptuously upon Adam, whom God loved, and found fault with him, he was ruined and became accursed. Thus the first sin whereby one was ruined forever was arrogance (Ayenae Kamalale Islam).

I admonish my community to shun arrogance, as arrogance is hateful in the eyes of God, the Lord of Glory. You may not perhaps fully realize what is arrogance. Then listen to me as I speak under the direction of God.

Everyone who looks down upon a brother because he esteems himself more learned, or wiser, or more proficient than him is arrogant in as much as he does not esteem God as the Fountainhead of all intelligence and knowledge and deems himself as something.

Has God not the power to afflict him with lunacy and to bestow upon his brother whom he accounts small better intelligence and knowledge and higher proficiency than him? So also he who, out of a mistaken conception of his wealth, or status, or dignity, looks down upon his brother, is arrogant because he forgets that God bestowed his wealth, status and dignity upon him.

He is blind and does not realize that God has power to so afflict him that in a moment he might be reduced to the condition of the lowest of the low, and to bestow upon his brother whom he esteems low grater wealth than him.

In the same way he who takes pride in his physical health, or is conceited of his beauty, or good looks, or strength, or might and bestows a scornful designation on his brother making fun of him and proclaims his physical defects is arrogant, for he is unaware of God Who has power to afflict him with such physical defects as to render him worse than his brother and to bless the latter so that his faculties should not suffer decline or be stultified over a long period, for he has power to do all that He wills.

So he who is neglectful of Prayer on account of his dependence upon his faculties is arrogant for he has not recognized the Fountainhead of all power and strength and relies upon himself

Therefore, dear ones keep all these admonitions in mind lest you should be accounted arrogant in the estimation of God Almighty unknowingly.

· He who out of pride corrects the pronunciation of a word by his brother partakes of arrogance.

· He who does not listen courteously to his brother and turns away from him partakes of

· arrogance. He who resents a brother sitting next to him partakes of arrogance.

· He who mocks and laughs at one who is occupied in Prayer partakes of arrogance. He who does not seek to render full obedience to a commissioned one and Messenger of God partakes of arrogance.

· He who does not pay full attention to the directions of such a one and does not study his writings with care also partakes of arrogance.

Try, therefore, that you should not partake of arrogance in any respect so that you may escape ruin and you and yours may attain salvation.

Lean towards God and love Him to the utmost degree possible and fear Him as much as anyone can be feared in this life. Be pure hearted and pure intentioned and meek and humble and free of all mischief so that you may receive mercy (Nuzulul Masih)


Hasan

Who was Dr. John Alexander Dowie?

Part III - The continuing story of Dr. Dowie's American Dream


Dr. John Alexander Dowie

John Alexander Dowie was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1847. His family moved to Australia in 1860. He began working at his uncle's shop as a shoe salesman. He had a bad temper and once during a disagreement he threatened to hit his uncle with an iron rod. Dowie did a few odd jobs here and there as a clerk and, in 1867, moved back to Scotland for further studies. He studied theology and some other subjects for 2-3 years. As his father could not afford to continue funding him, he was asked to return to Australia.

In 1872, he came back to Australia and began a job search in the Church. Finally he was accepted at a congregational church in the small city of Newton near Sydney. Later, he moved and became a minister in a Melbourne Church. In 1878, he organized the International Healing Association. He was arrested many times during his stay because of his extreme protests against the wickedness that, according to him, abound in that area. In July 1888 he moved to the United States and arrived in the San Francisco area.He began his healing activities here; initially he was given a warm welcome, but later he began calling all those who helped him as apostates. He extensively traveled up and down the west coast. Passing through Utah, he arrived in Evanston, Illinois.

This is where he began his ministerial work in a small wooden hut near the World Fair facilities. In 1896 he formed his own church, the Christian Catholic Church. He had an enrollment of 500 followers. In 1897, he established the Central Zion Tabernacle. In 1895, he was arrested over a hundred times for protesting against alcohol use and practicing medicine without a license. Slowly he began buying large parcels of land some 42 miles north of Chicago while keeping the attention of the media in his controversial pursuits in Chicago.

On New Year's Eve, he gathered all his followers to an all-night service at the Central Zion Tabernacle. As the clock struck 12, Dowie drew the large curtain 25 ft high and 25 ft wide that was hiding the blueprint of the new City to be founded that he named Zion. The blue print was a piece of land 6600 acres in area along the bank of Lake Michigan. This was the beginning of the City of Zion. From this point on, he began to progress with leaps and bounds.

Such a man was Dowie, who conceived the idea of a "City of God." Born in Edinburgh, Scotland on May 25, 1847, Dowie was endowed with faculties that have characterized other builders and dreamers. A precocious child in several ways, he read the Bible through at the age of six and signed the temperance pledge the same year. While in grammar school, he won the Dux Medal for excellence in his studies. To what extent his parents encouraged his latent capability is unknown. Nei­ther his father, John Murray, a tailor and occasional preacher, nor his mother, Ann, an illiterate widow at the time of her marriage, were known for any unusual accomplishments.

In 1860, the Dowie family moved to Adelaide, South Australia, where John Alexander was employed by his uncle, Alexander Dowie, who owned a shoe shop and was engaged in the import business. After a short time he left his uncle and became a clerk in a wholesale dry goods firm. There he received extensive business training and rose to a junior partnership in the firm. Business, however, did not satisfy young Dowie's yearnings and he began to receive tutoring to prepare for the ministry. He returned to Scotland in 1869 and entered the University of Edinburgh.

The diary he kept on the voyage to Scotland shows his interest in the scripture and evangelism, a fierce dislike for liquor, and an eagerness to discuss its harmful effects. Accordingly, during the three month trip, he was regularly involved in personal witnessing, directing a Sunday school, and helping to plan and lead worship ser­vices aboard ship. At the University he studied the classics and political science. His classes included Latin, Greek, Logic, and Moral Philosophy. Like other students, Dowie had not entirely made up his mind about his future. He had wanted to leave Edinburgh in 1870 and go to Berlin where he could preach, learn German, and study philosophy at the university. The start of the Franco-Prussian war, however, made this impossible.

While at Edinburgh he served as an unofficial "chaplain" in the infirmary. This permitted him to attend lectures in medicine. He ob­served patients, listened to diagnoses, and was present during surgeries. As he heard professors "admit that they were only guessing in the dark" and saw the results of surgical procedures, he developed a lasting skepticism toward the medical profession.⁸

Upon his return to Australia, he was ordained into the ministry on April 21, 1872, and became pastor of the Congregational Church at Alma, near Adelaide. Apathy and overconsumption of alcohol among the parishioners provided the major frustrations in this first assignment. In 1874, he became pastor of the Newtown Congregational Church near Sydney, New South Wales. While there he was active in temperance and social reform work. Students and professors of Camden, the Con­gregational College, attended his services.⁹ On May 26,1876, he married his cousin, Jane Dowie, of Adelaide, over the objections of the couple's Parents. Three children, Gladstone, Jeannie, and Esther were born. The Dowies knew personal tragedy; Jeannie, their second child, died at an early age from an unidentified illness. References to his children in his correspondence show the young minister was an indulgent, affectionate Parent.¹⁰

In 1876, the first noted healing occurred in Dowie's ministry. He did not know this at the time, but healing eventually became the hallmark of his ministry. An epidemic had already killed forty of his flock. Dowie later wrote that as he was sorrowing and meditating in his study about the thirty others lying sick, whom he had just visited, the words of Acts 10:38 "stood before him all radiant... revealing Satan as the Defiler and Christ as the Healer." He already believed that disease was not God's will but was the work of Satan consequent upon sin. As his heart was being strengthened from this reminder of the work of Jesus and the power of God, he received a call to come to the bedside of a young girl who was dying. Dowie's anger burned. He said he wanted "some sharp sword of heavenly temper keen to slay this cruel foe who is strangling that lovely maiden like an invisible serpent, tightening his deadly coils for a final victory."

Dowie hurried to the bedside of the stricken girl, where he joined the family. When the Christian doctor who was present asked, "Sir, are not God's ways mysterious?" Dowie said that the weapon he wanted was in his hand—"The Spirit Sword, the Word of God." "God's way!" he answered, "How dare you... call that God's way of bringing his children home from earth to heaven? No, sir, that is the devil's work, and it is time we called on Him who came to destroy the work of the devil." Dowie was frenzied, he said, with "Divinely imparted anger." Immediately the girl was healed in response to his prayers. The remain­der of his parishioners recovered as well. Dowie had won a tremendous spiritual victory. His faith was increased for other major accomplish­ments. The many healings which followed in his ministry strengthened his belief that God was the source of all that was good."

Because he had little formal preparation in theology, the preacher's beliefs were based primarily on his own interpretation of the scriptures. As a young minister, he made up for his lack of schooling by spending long hours studying so he could rightly interpret the Word. For one who was to establish a new faith, his scant theological preparation seemed to be no hindrance. Dowie looked to no authority other than the inspiration of the Spirit and did not need a denominational frame­work for his ministry. By 1877, he had decided to found "by God's help, a Free Christian Church" in Sydney.

In a letter to his wife, the young pastor explained how he had turned down the opportunity to accept a call to the Waterloo Congrega­tional Church and how the deputation which invited him had applauded his reasons for leaving the Congregational Church. He said:

I told them I would more firmly than ever proclaim the infallibility of the Bible as the Word of God. I told them ... that I was determined to be independent in every way of the "Congregational Union," which was in its corporate capacity an aggregation of ciphers so far as spiri­tual power was concerned, and because Mammon seemed to be Presi­dent, and mean Cliqueism seemed to be the standing Committee which managed its affairs;... I told them I had ... a radical want of confi­dence in a system which asserted the liberty of members, ministers, and churches, but which really killed individual energy, made denomi­national tools of many ministers, or worse, made them rich and worldly minded men's flunkies, and which separated the churches more than it united them, and then tying them in a heartless Union together, left them high and dry and useless for the most part—good ships, but badly steered, and terribly overladen with worldliness and apathy... .¹²

Dowie was going to order his own affairs in his service to God and democratic, denominational devices would never bind him.

Subsequently, in 1878, Dowie left the Congregational Church to begin independent evangelistic work. Later explaining this move, he said that he had become convinced that it was wrong for a minister "to sell and for a church to buy any man's spiritual power or services." Here, perhaps was the beginning of his later extreme independence and antagonism to denominations. In his own mind, Dowie was certain where most of the authority in the church body should lie, for he fre­quently said that he believed that the shepherd should call the sheep and not vice versa.¹³

In 1880, Dowie traveled the road of other preachers of the social gospel who entered politics, and ran for Parliament from Sydney, New South Wales. When he lost, he attributed his defeat to the liquor inter­ests he had attacked in his campaign. Writing to his parents, he said, "Mammon and Bacchus are the supreme rulers in the political arena here, and unless God prevents they will enchain and drag down fan-Australia into the depths of an awful political hell." He believed that political chicanery in vote buying, as well as the machinations of secret societies, contributed largely to his defeat. Gradually he was becoming more involved in the ministry of healing, and in 1882 he moved to Melbourne where he established a church, built a tabernacle, and founded the International Divine Healing Association.¹⁴

Zion City: Dr. John A. Dowie's dream come true

Dr. John Alexander’s greatest achievement - Part II

Dr. John Alexander Dowie’s first major achievement was the formation of The Christian Catholic Apostolic Church in 1896. By 1900 his vision and became a reality when he unveiled the map of Zion, a city developed for Christians.

His utopian dream of a Christian community where strict regulations regarding social behavior and morals could be enforced. He would ban liquor, taverns, the selling of tobacco and other merchandise he considered being injurious to Christian health. He believed in salvation, healing, and holy living, and Zion City was to exemplify these beliefs.

By the end of December 1899, 10 square miles of land adjoining Lake Michigan had been acquired. Dowie, with others, dressed as itinerant workers, ‘spied out’ this particular parcel and choose it when a dark December sky gave way to a bright and beautiful sunny day for 10 minutes and then clouded over for the rest of the day. For Dowie this was a sign of God’s approval of the land.

The land could be leased only to the members of the Christian Catholic Apostolic Church. The lease was for 1100 years and carried certain restrictions forbidding the manufacture, selling or use of tobacco, liquor, swine’s flesh, and shellfish. The operation of drug stores, theaters, and dance halls was also forbidden and even drinking coffee and chewing gum was frowned upon.

A civil engineer was given the task of laying out the city. Under Dowie’s direction, the streets were laid out symmetrically, with a great 1200-acre park named Shiloh (The Messiah). At its center was the Temple of the Christian Catholic Church, an edifice that would seat 16,000.

The major thoroughfares would lead to the temple in the center of the city and each street was to be named for something or someone in the Bible. The street names were laid out in alphabetical order from the east starting with Aaron and to the west starting with Lydia. Damascus, where the Lord spoke to Saul, Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist, Gabriel, after the angel himself, Horeb, the mount where the Ten Commandments were delivered, Shiloh which means “The Messiah”, and many more. Only two avenues did not receive Biblical names; Caledonia, an old Roman name for Scotland, Dowie’s native country; and Edina, an old Roman abbreviation for Edinburgh, Dowie’s birthplace. Even though a few of the boulevards were never fully developed, a map of present day Zion looks much like it’s earliest ancestor. In 1901 the City of Zion was officially founded. The Zion City Land Office was one of the first administrative buildings erected in the community. Many of the transactions regarding land leases and the establishment of business interests was completed in this building.

Near the temple in Zion, was Shiloh House the residence of Dr. Dowie. This stately three-story 25-room mansion was built in 1901-1902. Paul Burkhardt, the architect was born and educated in Switzerland. Consequently the Swiss Chalet design in Shiloh’s upper stories was his personal signature. Remarkably unique, the $100,000 Shiloh House was built by the combined efforts of the town’s craftsmen. The brick masonry, the sandstone construction, the wainscoting and flooring were all contributions of these people. The tile roof is original, and has a distinct design depicting the triangular pattern of the Trinity, or lightning signifying the power of God.

Today, Shiloh House is the headquarters of the Zion Historical Society located at 2500 Shiloh Blvd. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Sites

Dowie Barn, also called Shiloh Cottage or the Carriage House is located at 2413 Elisha, across the street from Shiloh House. It was erected in 1902 at the same time as the house for the drivers and caretakers, horses and carriages belonging to and working for Dr. Dowie. The north side of the barn included the carriage house and stable, with an upper loft where fodder was stored. The barn was quite unique, having four solid oak stalls and a large ventilating shaft that insured a constant circulation of fresh air. On the south side of the building were three floors with apartments for the drivers, caretakers and their families.

In May of 1902 Dowie presented the City with an official seal preceded by an address: (partial excerpt below):

I hold my hand upon the lever of that which is, perhaps, the most important outward sign of a city organization, and that is the seal which I shall presently ask the mayor and the council to accept as a gift from the General Overseer.

“I am glad that we have reached this place, where very quietly the municipal government of the City of Zion can organize, and become a factor, and adjudicate legal government. I don’t think that the danger to Zion from without is worth considering. The only real danger that can ever come to Zion is from within. With my hand upon this lever, I hand to you tonight and to the generations to come a seal which contains all that Zion wants to be.”

Zion City Ordinance: Corporate Seal — That the common seal of the City of Zion shall be circular in form and be so constructed as to impress upon the paper the words Corporate Seal above and ‘The City of Zion, Illinois,’ below in the outer edge thereof, with a Zion Banner in the center, surmounted by the declaration, ‘God Reigns,’ such banner having the word ‘Zion’ below, and a dove with an olive branch above; a cross at the left, and a sword and a crown at the right, requiring that the same shall be and hereby is so declared to be the Corporate Seal of the City of Zion.” Look at the dove, which is the emblem of the Holy Spirit bearing the message of peace and love over the seas.

“The cross represents everything to us in Redemption, Salvation, Healing, Cleansing and Keeping Power.

“The Sword is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. The crown is the crown of Glory, the crown of Joy, the crown of Righteousness, the crown of Rejoicing.

“I shall pass away — at the longest it will not be long but this seal is one that I hope will never pass away from Zion City, until the end shall come and a new heaven and a new earth be created.”

The first city election was on April 7, 1902 after Dr. Dowie had formed the Theocratic Party. “Theo” from the Greek meaning God, Zion was to be the City of God, for God fearing and Christ loving people, with the slogan, “Where God rules man prospers.”

Dr. Dowie surrounded himself with men of great talent and financial standings. Many experienced healing episodes and felt indebted to Dowie and his dream. With this support the city flourished. All economic, educational, social, political and religious activities were coordinated through church leadership. Besides residential homes, there was a manufacturing district to the east of the North Western Railway tracks (Bakery, brick kiln, Candy Factory Electric Plant, Lace Mill, Laundry, Lumbering Mill, and Printing Publishing House.

Dowie’s greatest achievement was to build a city of God, where his people could work and play, polarized from the so-called sins of the world. The dream was far-reaching and most ambitious.

And it took a dangerous turn when Dowie proclaimed that he was indeed Elijah the Prophet. It was about this time that Dowie after an ill-fated trip to New York, long standing financial mismanagement overtook the church and swept away the dreams. The 16,000-seat temple was never built. The industries began to suffer from lack of funds. The schools, located for the convenience of the children, graduated only two classes (1905 and 1906) before being closed.

In 1906 Dowie was terminally ill, and the city/church properties were in receivership. Population was declining and unemployment rising. These crises led to confusion and disagreement concerning the policies of Dowie’s successor, Rev. Wilbur Glenn Voilva. In 1907, the same year that Dowie died, the church filed bankruptcy.

This man who used to live in greater ease and luxury than is available to princes, was now reduced almost to beggary and was not provided even with the necessaries of life. He then had an attack of paralysis and the feet under which he had said he could crush the Promised Messiah like a worm were disabled. His troubles unhinged his mind and shortly after he died in great misery and pain. In 1907 the City of Zion and the Dowie holdings were thrown into bankruptcy.

A sign from God in Zion, Illinois

The American City of Zion, Illinois witnessed a powerful Sign of God near the beginning of the 20th Century. It was an undeniable proof of acceptance of prayer and the victory of Love over Hatred. We ask that you the reader revisit a portion of Zion’s lost history:

Dr. John Alexander Dowie, an American faith healer, had a profound hatred of Islam and its prophet, the Holy Prophet Muhammad. In fact, he was known to use the most profane language in describing the Holy Prophet of Islam -- whom he referred to as "the king of impostors."

He not only prophesied that Islam would meet its destruction at the hands of Zion, but he used to pray daily that the followers of the religion would be purged from the face of the earth.

In 1902, one of the issues of "Leaves of Healing," a Zion publication, carried a prophecy of John Alexander Dowie that all the Muhammadans living on the face of the earth would be destroyed unless they bowed before the Cross. He further prophesied:

"That nation, that people and that kingdom that will not recognize him and the Christian Catholic Church of the Zion as the forerunner of the Church of the living God, that nation and that kingdom will perish because God has said it so."

In a remote and distant little town in India called Qadian, the news of Dowie’s abuse of the Holy Prophet of Islam reached a man, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, who said he was the Promised Messiah. Upon learning of Dowie’s prayers to rid the world of Muslims, the Promised Messiah challenged Dowie and invited him to join in a prayer duel. It was to be a simple test to determine that whosoever is the liar and false prophet should die in the lifetime of the one who is true.

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian took note of Dowie’s tall talk. He addressed a polite letter to him which was published in a relatively unknown English magazine, The Review of Religions, in the issue of September 1902. Ahmad’s request was simple. He made a plain invitation saying:

"Since Dr. Dowie is the messenger of the powerful deity who was crucified by the Jews, I would entreat him to refrain from destroying the whole body of Muhammadans living on the face of the earth. If they do not take the son of Mary for their God, the fault is not theirs. Where is the requisite proof of Jesus’ deity and how can they be convinced of the divinity of the one whose very tomb has been discovered in this very country.

"Nay, more than this, they have in their midst the Promised Messiah whose appearance is in accordance with the Prophetic promises, at the close of the sixth and on the commencement of the seventh thousand year and with a host of heavenly signs."

Alexander Dowie did not take notice of this polite invitation. He ignored this straightforward assertion and continued to be abusive. His followers encouraged Dowie to accept the invitation. In the issue of December 27, 1902, of the Leaves of Healing, he replied with great contempt:

"In India, there is a foolish Messiah who writes to me often telling me that the tomb of Jesus Christ is in Kashmir and the people sometimes say to me, why do you not reply to this and that or other things. Reply! Do you think, that I shall reply to these gnats and flies. If I put my foot on them, I would crush out their lives. I give them a chance to fly away and live."

Dr. John Alexander Dowie

At another place, in the same month of December, in another issue of the Leaves of Healing, Alexander Dowie displayed his arrogance, when he observed:

"My part is to bring out the people from the East and the West, from the North and the South and to settle them in the cities of Zion, until the time shall come, when all the Muhammadans are swept away."

In the face of this boastful language, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad still tried to reason with Dowie. He repeated his plea and invited Dowie to a more convincing method of deciding who is the liar. Using, in his usual way, the language of moderation, Hazrat Ahmad said:

"Whether the God of Muhammadans or the God of Dowie is the true God, may be settled without loss of millions of lives which Dr. Dowie’s prediction intended. The method is simple and plain. Without threatening the whole body of Muhammadans with destruction, he should choose me as his opponent and pray to God that of us two, whoever is the liar may perish first. I look upon the son of Mary as a weak human being, although I recognize him as a Prophet of God, while Dr. Dowie takes him as the Lord of the Universe.

"Which of us is on the right path is the real point at issue. If Dr. Dowie has the courage to accept the challenge, he will hereby open a way for all others to follow and accept the truth. "Dowie fixes the appearance of the Promised Messiah within the next 25 years, while I give him the tidings that the Promised Messiah has already appeared. Let Dr. Dowie, like an honest gentleman, obtain permission from his Lord to accept the challenge and take his stand against me.

"I am an old man of 66 years and Dr. Dowie is eleven years younger (Dowie was 55) therefore on grounds of age he need not have any apprehension. Moreover, I am suffering from various diseases and my life does not depend on health but upon the Will of God. If the self made deity of Dr. Dowie has any power, he shall certainly allow him to appear against me and procure my destruction in his lifetime, and he will have in his hand a clear manifestation of his mission."

Hazrat Ahmad waited for a reply to his challenge, but none was forthcoming. On August 23, 1903, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad made a further public announcement:

"It should be borne in mind that Dr. Dowie has not given any reply to my challenge made in September last (1902) nor has he even so much as mentioned it in his paper (i.e., Leaves of Healing). For an answer to my challenge, I will wait for a further period of seven months from this day (i.e., August 23, 1903).

"If he accepts the challenge within this period and fulfills its conditions,as published by me, and makes an announcement to the effect in this paper, the World will soon see the end of this contest. I am about 66 years of age, while Dr. Dowie is about 55 years. Therefore, compared to me he is still young. Since the matter is not to be settled by age, I do not care for this great disparity in years. The whole matter rests in the Hands of Him, Who is the Lord of Heaven and Earth, and Judge over all the Judges and He will decide it in favor of the true claimant.

"But, if Dr. Dowie can not even now gather courage to appear in the contest against me, let both the continents bear witness that I shall be entitled to claim the same victory as in the case of his death in my lifetime. If he accepts the challenge, the pretension of Dr. Dowie will be settled.

"Though he may try hard as he can to fly away from the death which awaits him, yet his flight from such a contest will be nothing less than a death to him and the calamity will certainly overtake him in Zion for he must face the consequences of either acceptance of the challenge or its refusal."

The text of the handbill of August 23, 1903 was again extensively published by the newspapers of Europe and the United States, and these papers kept on commenting on it. About forty papers editorially commented on this challenge. Judging from the extent of the publicity that it gained, it could be safely said that nearly two and a half million people came to know about the proposed prayer duel.

At one point, during the next few years, Dowie, who had been silent and kept himself out of this contest with Ahmad, unwittingly entered this contest, when he described Ahmad as a "Worm," and said he could kill him with his foot.

On February 20, 1907, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad issued another handbill announcing "The appearances of another heavenly sign." The Handbill stated:

“God has informed me: I will reveal a fresh sign which will be a great victory. This will be a sign for the whole world. (i.e., its appearance will not be confined to India only). The sign will be at the Hand of God and everyone should wait for it. God will manifest this sign shortly. It will be an evidence of divine help. It will be in testimony of this humble being who is being abused by all. Blessed is he, who hearkens this sign.”

Within a fortnight of the publication of this handbill came the death of John Alexander Dowie in the first week of March. The death of Dowie within the lifetime of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad caused a great sensation. The news of the death of Dowie was extensively published in the United States.

It was not merely the death of Dr. Dowie that received publicity, but also the disgrace and the shame which this modern, self-proclaimed, “Elijah” faced at the hands of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. Also. It was noted that both the contenders invoked divine help and assistance and how tellingly the words of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad were fulfilled.

There is much more to the story of Zion, Illinois USA and the fate of a False Prophet.

Hasan

Modesty and Humility: A Sermon

It is incumbent upon the righteous that they spend their lives in a state of modesty and humility. This is one branch of righteousness through which one has to fend off unjustified rage. For many great saints and men of truth, the last and most difficult stage (in the quest for righteousness) is to guard against rage.

Rage gives birth to conceit and arrogance. Sometimes conceit and arrogance create rage itself because rage is the outcome of sheer egotism. I do not want the members of my community to look down on each other, or exhibit pride over each other, or be arrogant towards each other.

Almighty Allah knows who is great and who is small. This is a form of contempt, which harbors hatred. It is feared that such hatred will grow like a seedling and destroy the perpetrator. Some people are very courteous in the company of the high and mighty but the truly great is he who listens with sympathy and humility to the words of a humble person and shows respect to what that person says, who honors his word and does not utter anything vexatious that causes hurt.

Allah Almighty says:

“And defame not your own people, nor call one another by nick-names. Bad indeed is evil reputation after the profession of belief and those who repent not are the wrongdoers.
(49:12)

You should not call each other by nicknames. Only ungodly and wicked people behave in this manner. He who taunts others will not die until he himself is thus afflicted. Do not be contemptuous towards your brothers.

When all of you drink from the same fountain, who can say which among you is destined to drink the most? No one can be judged honorable and respectable by worldly standards. In the sight of Almighty Allah, it is the righteous one who is the great one:


“Verily, the most honorable among you is the sight of Allah is he who is the most righteous among you. Surely Allah is All-Knowing, All-A ware. “(49:14)


Who are the Righteous?

The Word of God (the Holy Quran) tells us that the righteous are those who walk (the earth) in a meek and humble manner. They do not speak arrogantly; they speak as a humble person speaks to one of higher status.

In any situation our behavior should be conducive to furthering our own moral and spiritual betterment. Allah Almighty does not favor anyone. He wants us to be righteous. Only the righteous are able to attain the highest status.

ARROGANCE:

I tell you truly that on the Day of Judgment, next after association of anything with God, no vice shall rank as high as arrogance. This is a vice that humiliates a person in both worlds.

Divine mercy rescues every believer in Divine Unity, except an arrogant one. Satan also claimed that he believed in the Unity of God, but as he was afflicted with arrogance and looked Contemptuously upon Adam, whom God loved, and found fault with him, he was ruined and became accursed. Thus the first sin whereby one was ruined forever was arrogance (Ayenae Kamalale Islam).

I admonish my community to shun arrogance, as arrogance is hateful in the eyes of God, the Lord of Glory. You may not perhaps fully realize what is arrogance. Then listen to me as I speak under the direction of God.

Everyone who looks down upon a brother because he esteems himself more learned, or wiser, or more proficient than him is arrogant in as much as he does not esteem God as the Fountainhead of all intelligence and knowledge and deems himself as something.

Has God not the power to afflict him with lunacy and to bestow upon his brother whom he accounts small better intelligence and knowledge and higher proficiency than him? So also he who, out of a mistaken conception of his wealth, or status, or dignity, looks down upon his brother, is arrogant because he forgets that God bestowed his wealth, status and dignity upon him.

He is blind and does not realize that God has power to so afflict him that in a moment he might be reduced to the condition of the lowest of the low, and to bestow upon his brother whom he esteems low grater wealth than him.

In the same way he who takes pride in his physical health, or is conceited of his beauty, or good looks, or strength, or might and bestows a scornful designation on his brother making fun of him and proclaims his physical defects is arrogant, for he is unaware of God Who has power to afflict him with such physical defects as to render him worse than his brother and to bless the latter so that his faculties should not suffer decline or be stultified over a long period, for he has power to do all that He wills.

So he who is neglectful of Prayer on account of his dependence upon his faculties is arrogant for he has not recognized the Fountainhead of all power and strength and relies upon himself

Therefore, dear ones keep all these admonitions in mind lest you should be accounted arrogant in the estimation of God Almighty unknowingly.

· He who out of pride corrects the pronunciation of a word by his brother partakes of arrogance.

· He who does not listen courteously to his brother and turns away from him partakes of
· arrogance. He who resents a brother sitting next to him partakes of arrogance.

· He who mocks and laughs at one who is occupied in Prayer partakes of arrogance. He who does not seek to render full obedience to a commissioned one and Messenger of God partakes of arrogance.

· He who does not pay full attention to the directions of such a one and does not study his writings with care also partakes of arrogance.

Try, therefore, that you should not partake of arrogance in any respect so that you may escape ruin and you and yours may attain salvation.

Lean towards God and love Him to the utmost degree possible and fear Him as much as anyone can be feared in this life. Be pure hearted and pure intentioned and meek and humble and free of all mischief so that you may receive mercy (Nuzulul Masih, pp. 24-25).

Southern Baptist's Islamiphobia

This is a speech I made at the US Ahmadiyya Muslim Jalsa Salana (Annual Convention) October 4, 2004


Earlier this month, the Rev. Jerry Vines, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, at the group’s national meeting in St. Louis, blamed many of America’s problems on religious pluralism.

In his hatred spewing rhetoric, Rev. Vines abused Islam, the Holy Prophet Muhammad, sallallaho alaihe wasallam, and concluded by saying: “Islam is not just as good as Christianity.

His remarks, of course, sparked the usual shockwaves of disbelief as Muslims and followers of other faiths condemned him, but the damage was done. Shortly afterwards a poll was taken by 1,823 Americans and 51 per cent of those polled indicated they were in agreement with Rev. Vines’ statement about Islam.

Those abusive words of Rev. Vines and his denigrating remarks about the Holy Prophet Muhammad, sallallaho alaihe wasallam, were still hanging in the air when the largest convention of Black Baptists followed the Southern Baptist Convention in St. Louis. The hate-mongering virus left behind by Rev. Vines immediately infected them.




We are living in a day and age when Islam is being attacked on all fronts and it stands in the face of innumerable odds. That’s nothing new to Islam and it has stood firm over the test of time. As it held strong in the times of the Holy Prophet sws, so shall it hold strong in the times of the Promised Messiah AS.

However, most interesting about this present day dilemma is the fact that one of our worst enemies is the Muslim community itself, and the ignorance that has festered within the Muslim community over the centuries. It’s now time for Muslims to embrace the fundamental Islamic virtue of tolerance by heeding the words, thoughts and deeds of the Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah (a.s.)



Islam has always upheld the highest virtues of morality and manners….even to the extent of smiling when greeting your fellow man…even to the extent of moving obstacles on the road….even to the extent of showing generosity and kindness to the orphan, the widow, the sick, the poor, the hungry, and all animals.

So I ask you, how could such an intensely deep and profound message as Islam, overlook the fundamental teaching of tolerance? The fact of the matter is, Islam holds the highest value to tolerance. We see this teaching clearly in the Holy Quran where it says:

“There is no compulsion in religion. Surely, right has become distinct from wrong…” (Chapter 2, Verse 257)

We hear this verse all the time…but let’s make some sense out of it….let’s think about it on a practical level. We all agree that religions are designed to promote a relationship of love with our Creator, God.


So what is the punishment we should exercise against someone who doesn’t accept Islam? The answer is simple….the punishment is absolutely nothing. That’s right, absolutely nothing. No better place can we see this, than in the Holy Quran itself. Allah, the Almighty, says:

“…If they accept [your teachings], then they will surely be rightly guided, but if they turn back, then your duty is only to convey [the Message]….” (Chapter 2, Verse 21]

It also states:

“ …Truth has come to you from your Lord. So whosoever follows the guidance follows it only for the good of his own soul, and whosoever errs, errs only against [his own soul]. And I am not a keeper over you.” (Chapter 10, 109)

So there you have it….we are not keepers over anybody and we are certainly not responsible for exercising any punishment to anyone who rejects Islam. And why should we? If Islam brings about the betterment of one’s life, isn’t it punishment enough to reject something good in your life?

For example, if I reject education, isn’t ignorance enough of a punishment for me? If I choose not to eat nutritious food, isn’t my resulting poor health enough of a punishment for me to suffer? This is the Natural Law that Allah has set in motion…we suffer the consequences of our own actions and our choices.

Islamic teachings overflow with the tolerance towards others. We accept all the Prophets sent to all the Nations throughout time; whether we know their names or not. Isn’t that a monumental victory for tolerance?

Allah, we believe, sends down prophets to many people and directed them to preach his commandments. The Holy Qur'an shows no hatred toward any religion; it accepts them all as paths leading to the Unity of God. It is a unique feature of Islam that a Muslim has to believe in all the messengers of the past be they from the Judaic dispensation or from outside the family of Abraham.

The Holy Qur'an says: “This Messenger of Ours believes in that which has been revealed to him from his Lord and so do the believers; all of them believe in Allah and His angels and in His Book and in His Messengers, saying ‘We make no distinction between any of his messengers,’ and they say, ‘We have heard and we are obedient. Our Lord! We implore thy forgiveness and to thee is our return. (Ch.2: v. 286)


It is a major platform in our faith that we accept their profession of believing in God, and we accept their different names as expressions of the One True God, Allah, whether they call him Jehovah, Yahweh, Ahura Mazda, Brahma or the Great Spirit. The Holy Quran commands us to respect their expressions of God, and we are forbidden to insult that which they worship. [Chapter 6: Verse109]

One of the most powerful examples of tolerance we see in Islam is that Muslims must not only protect the peace of Muslims, but also the followers of other faiths. Allah the Almighty says:

“And if Allah had not repelled some men by means of others, it would have surely resulted in the destruction of cloisters, churches, synagogues, and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is continually glorified.” (Chapter 22, Verses 40 & 41)

Tolerance is one of the prized jewels of Allah’s teachings. Anyone who opposes these self-evident Truths is spiritually termed a pig. They roll around in the filthy philosophies, which sow the seeds of dissension and destruction to communal harmony. That’s why Jesus says in the Bible, “Do not cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample over them.”

Similarly, this is one of the prophecies in Bukhari, that when the Promised Messiah would appear in the latter days, he would “kill the swine”. We have all witnessed the fulfillment of this prophecy in Zion, Illinois. A man by the name of Dr. John Alexander Dowie personified the epitome of intolerance.

He used profane rhetoric against the Holy Founder of Islam, peace be upon him, and Islam in general. His intolerance didn’t stop there. His intolerance spread to other Christian groups and contagiously victimized anyone who disagreed with his interpretation of Christianity.

He would have continued with his version of Islamaphobia but a lone voice was heard from a remote, unheard of village in India….Qadian to be exact. This was no ordinary voice though. The Hadith say that this man’s voice alone would dissolve disbelief. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian stood up against Dr. Dowie and his intolerant views and abuse of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, sallallaho alaihe wasallam. His only weapons were his pen and his prayers; but those were pretty potent weapons.

And the whole world was forced to testify how this prophecy was fulfilled. Now standing in Zion is a building on the corner of 173 and Gabriel, which boasts the motto, “Love for all, Hatred for none”. It shouts out at you as you drive by, and you can’t miss it. That happens to be the house of worship of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. People throughout the area now repeat our motto of peace and love in their own literature.

Zion does not only bear the historic evidence of the victory of the Promised Messiah, but it stands as a testament to the victory of tolerance over the forces of bigotry, hatred and ignorance.



The Promised Messiah and Mahdi of this age declared more than 100 years ago, in his book “A Message of Peace”:

Irrespective of whether we are Hindus or Muslim, and though we have many differences, we believe in God who has created this world and all that is contained in it. We also claim commonality as human beings and we live in one country as neighbors. It is our duty that we should become friends with a clear conscience and honest intentions.

We should sympathize with each other on all matters temporal or religious. My Friends! That faith is no faith that does not teach sympathy for mankind. A human being is not human unless he displays some element of sympathy.

Our God has made no distinction in any nation. Whatever faculties were given to the ancient nations have been given to the Arabian, Persian, Chinese, Japanese, European and American nations. The earth serves as a common ground for all and the sun, the moon and the stars perform common service for all mankind.

These Divine Manifestation teach us that we should, also treat each other equally, with amity and with tolerance. Narrow-mindedness or hard-
heartedness have no place in human relations.’”

As we can see, tolerance is fundamental to Islam and is inseparably woven into the fabric of our teachings. As Ahmadis, according to the teachings of the Promised Messiah (a.s.) we must instill the Islamic principles of tolerance in our daily lives. Learn to tolerate differences in your communities….understand that people have just as much a right to believe their views, as you have a right to believe yours.

Remember that tolerance is simply the capacity for, or practice of, recognizing or respecting the behavior, beliefs, opinions, practices, or rights of others, whether agreeing with them or not.

In conclusion, Islam has no tolerance for intolerance. As the Promised Messiah (a.s.) said: The earth serves as a common ground for all and the sun, the moon and the stars perform common service for all mankind.

Like the sun and the moon, Islam should perform its duty and show its love to everyone alike. The sun showers its brilliant rays upon the whole world, and the moon gives its cooling light, dispelling the darkness. In the same way, Islam should dispel the darkness and evil we now face in America as Muslims.

If all of us do our jobs and teach Islamic tolerance it should give cooling love to all hearts. And if we do nothing more than to teach Americans these few simple words – “Love for all, hatred for none.

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.

Hasan

The evil silent stalker -- Intolerance

A good friend of mine, who just happens to be a Pakistani, introduced me to his son, who wrote the following about intolerance. Today, I share it with you.


In the minds of great philosophers and scientists, the seemingly obvious flaws of humanity are understood and controlled through laws.

Thomas Kuhn, for example, saw the seemingly obvious flaws in man’s interpretation of The Structure of the Scientific Revolution; hence he created the idea of paradigms.

Paradigms allowed humans to greater understand the evolutionary process that science takes, as well as the miniscule details we humans overlook.

Although the idea of paradigms were exclusively created for the application to the scientific process, in an altered state, paradigms can be applied to what we cherish most—our lives.

Paradigms allow us peer deep into what makes one’s life work, as well as why one’s life works. Paradigms represent essential laws that every human lives by and abides by to further enhance or create a better future.

Seeing the limitless amount of laws people live by in this day and age; one, such as myself, must find a paradigm which encompasses all the laws that make the lives of my community work.

The paradigm that I choose to live my life with is a paradigm many in foreign countries side with—Islam.

Not taking the word—Islam—for face value, we must look deeper into the meaning of this truly wonderful word. The predecessor of many languages of today—Hebrew, Arabic and Amarana—was Ancient Semitic.

The meaning of Islam in Ancient Semitic was simple yet elegant, tolerance. In fact, tolerance is what inspired so many people of the past to band together to create a new way of living, a new way of interpreting life, a new way by the name of Islam.

In our society we encounter many social and civil injustices, each resulting in a flurry of severe problems. Only if people could see how much they are alike, would people realize to live with their neighbors in complete harmony and avoid the evils and arrogance that, at times, come with our society.

Only if people saw the underlying message of Islam, could we better understand our society as a whole. Bearing in mind the challenge that society is faced with, I saw myself as a crusader who would live with rules, and also, spread the message to the greater populous.


When coming to the United States from Punjab, Pakistan, I was quick to judge all the people who were in the United States. I saw Americans as people who were not caring and people who looked down upon the poorer parts of the world—Pakistan—with an incredibly crass attitude. I was extremely intolerant of my neighbors, the Americans.


In a family, the message of intolerance is something that cannot be nurtured, rather something that must be stripped away before it can do any harm.

My parents saw the fire that was in my eyes, they saw why I was unhappy with Americans; most importantly, they understood what I was going through. On a faithful night, my mother explained to me that if I choose to live a life in which I am intolerant of all Americans and their way of living, I am one who will obviously not prosper, rather fall short into the grips of arrogance.


At the time, the words from my mother’s mouth seemed shocking, but with them came a life-changing message; everyone is different, no one is the same as you, the only way to live life is to live it with diversity—tolerance.


With my first attempt to become tolerant with my counterparts in America, a window in my life gradually opened—a window that still exposes me to the diversity that lies in the world this day.

I started to become a character that would converse with people who were American in background, but also people who were primarily multiracial.

A great awakening happened in my mind; for once I saw what I had missed for so many years—diversity.

What I found in myself and a person of my kind was priceless, what I found in the hearts of different people were something that was equally priceless, but to me, it was astonishing.


A paradigm—a law—which I was not receptive to as well as ignorant of from the start, became the primarily way of living in my life. The law of tolerance was a key factor that opened my life to different people and different cultures; to this day I am feeling the effects of such a great awakening.


To the message of tolerance that lays deep in the philosophies of Islam, I am thankful; for if I had not considered this law of life, I would still be plagued by the evil silent stalker—intolerance.

Requesting your prayers, Hasan

Where is the love and concern for our brethren in Bangladesh?

Where is the love and concern for our brethren in Bangladesh? What does it take for Americans to comprehend what is happening in Bangladesh?

For years we have watched the debacle and devastation in Pakistan, as intolerance and Mullah dictated fundamentalism, has resulted in violence and lawlessness against members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

The Pakistani template for wanton destruction to basic human rights has become a guiding force in the nightmarish subjugation and suppression of minorities in a country that was founded on freedom and protection of human rights for all people. Islamic principles were touted and hailed as the unique umbrella of freedom for Pakistani citizens, but now that very country is redefining the meaning of Islam, as drafted by architects of fundamentalism. Government influenced by intolerant bigots and religious zealots now decide who is a Muslim and who is not a Muslim.

Now, in Bangladesh, a similar dark scenario is being imitated, as the world looks on while mob action, assassinations at the hands of crazed zealots armed with bombs, machetes and guns terrorize the peace-loving people of that country.

There are more than 100,000 Ahmadi Muslims in Bangladesh. They are in the middle of this madness and are threatened weekly by mullahs and instigators who want them declared “non-Muslim.” Ahmadis have sacrificed lives and property as they endure and prevail over the dictates of the pompous and self-absorbed mad mullahs.

And as you read these brief words, Bangladesh society is being sabotaged and shortchanged by known and unknown political fundamentalists who seek to destroy religious freedom and expression in the name of Islam.

It is heart breaking as we watch this draconian plot, but it is even more heart breaking if we sit by in America and distance ourselves from the plight of our brethren in Bangladesh. We cannot let this madness go on regulating it to a mere news item in our humdrum daily lives – a distraction to our so-called overwhelming theological and worldly concerns in America.

American concerns about the latest movie, same-sex marriage or the dilemma of Catholics and sexual abuse, should not supersede our collective effort to tighten the screws on the Bangladeshi government. As we sit comfortably in our homes, a wave of violence is threatening to overwhelm Bangladesh cities and communal violence is slowly taking shape.

The enemies of freedom are gaining ground as they become bolder in their assaults on those tolerant voices that speak out and protest forcefully against the Mullahs and extreme elements of intolerance in Bangladesh.

We cannot sit back in the comfort of America and allow thugs and miscreants to destroy Bangladesh. Our Jama’at is an easy target for the mischievous mullah and our inaction gives him license to spread the infectious virus of his beliefs. How can we sit back and enjoy life and ignore the growing madness in Bangladesh? We have to send a message to the elected leadership of Bangladesh and to those fighting to protect and maintain freedom in that country.

We have to continue to write letters, knock on the doors of our elected representatives with enthusiasm and passion until our voices are heard. We seek justice and protection for our brethren in Bangladesh. There is no shame in using every ounce of energy we have to bring this issue before federal, state and local elected representatives. We will not and cannot marginalize this issue while members of our community are living under the threat of death.

How do we go about it? We have to be unbending and relentless in seeking absolute justice for all Bangladeshis. It is the Ahmadis who are going to be the most vulnerable to attacks by bloodthirsty mobs in Dhaka. Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community can never forget the 1999 deaths and devastation from a time bomb that was planted in a Khulna Ahmadi mosque. The Bangladesh government, so far, has failed to protect Ahmadis and bring to justice those who are responsible for inciting attacks and the murder of our latest Ahmadi martyr.

There exists a very tense situation in Bangladesh. Oppresive opponents of peace-loving people have given warnings that they will attack Ahmadiyya Muslims. May Allah protect us and save us from evil.

Now is the time to show some love for Bangladesh. Contact me if you can help in the fight against oppression in Bangladesh.


Bangladesh Ahmadis

Hasan