October 2006 - Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha'at-e-Islam Lahore

On October 8, 2006, the first anniversary of the earthquake in Kashmir, Yahoo News reported an ABC/
Associated Press article, “Pakistani quake survivors still fearful.” You can read the story by clicking on
the link, http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061007/ap_on_re_as/pakistan_quake. (To access the article on this
site, type “Pakistan quake survivors still fearful” in the SEARCH box as this link may have expired by
now. Or do a search on All News to see the article.)
A Christian Woman’s Letter to Muslim Women
The Harouns of the United Kingdom were kind enough to provide us with this very interesting article in
which a Christian woman is giving advice to our Muslim sisters. Kindly open the article by clicking on
the following link:
http://crescentandcross.com/index.php?page=articles&author=joanna_francis&subpage1=sisters1
Minister Louis Farrakhan Stepping Down Due to Illness
On learning from a press report that the US Nation of Islam’s Louis Farrakhan is stepping down due to
illness, Hazrat Ameer wrote.
“I am grieved by the sad news of Farrakhan’s health and his decision to step down. His hospitality
and understanding of the Ahmadiyya message which I delivered to him will always be appreciated
by me”
We sent to the Honourable Minister Louis Farrakhan a get-well card as desired by Hazrat Ameer. The
latest report is that the Honourable Minister has delegated the day-to-day responsibilities of the Nation of
Islam to the Board of Directors of the governing body in the United States. We all pray and wish him
good health and a speedy recovery.
W.D. Mohammad’s Ramadan Sessions
During the weekend of October 13 to 15, Imam Warith Deen Mohammad conducted Ramadan sessions in
the auditorium of the Convention Center of Homewood Hotel in Illinois, USA. Thousands of his
followers attended this spiritual gathering. I attended the Friday session which was so full that many of
the attendees had to be accommodated in the hallway and other adjoining rooms. During his deliberation,
which lasted several hours, Imam Mohammad repeatedly mentioned that he learned from his teacher,
making reference to Maulana Muhammad Abdullah Marhoom.
Open Letter to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI by Thirty-eight Leading Muslim Scholars and
Leaders
In an unprecedented move, an open letter signed by thirty-eight leading Muslim religious scholars and
leaders around the world was sent to Pope Benedict XVI on Oct. 12, 2006. The letter, which is the
outcome of a joint effort, was signed by top religious authorities such as Shaykh Ali Jumu'ah (the Grand
Mufti of Egypt), Shaykh Abdullah bin Bayyah (former Vice-President of Mauritania and a leading
religious scholar), and Shaykh Sa'id Ramadan Al-Buti (from Syria), in addition to the Grand Muftis of
Russia, Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, Slovenia, Istanbul, Uzbekistan, and Oman, as well as leading figures
from the Shi'a community such as Ayatollah Muhammad Ali Taskhiri of Iran. The letter was also signed
by HRH Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal of Jordan and by Muslim scholars in the West such as
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf from California, Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr of George Washington University
in Washington, D.C., and Professor Tim Winter of the University of Cambridge.
All the eight schools of thought and jurisprudence in Islam are represented by the signatories, including a
woman scholar. In this respect, the letter is unique in the history of interfaith relations.
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