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

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The letter was sent, in a spirit of goodwill, to respond to some of the remarks made by the Pope during his lecture at the University of Regensburg on Sept. 12, 2006. The letter tackles the main substantive issues raised in his treatment of a debate between the medieval Emperor Manuel II Paleologus and an "educated Persian," including reason and faith; forced conversion; jihad vs. "holy war"; and the relationship between Christianity and Islam. They engage the Pope on an intellectual level concerning these crucial topics – which go well beyond the controversial quotation of the emperor – pointing out what they see as mistakes and oversimplifications in the Pope's own remarks about Islamic belief and practice. The Muslim signatories appreciate the Pope's personal expression of sorrow at the Muslim reaction and his assurance that the words of the Byzantine emperor he quoted did not reflect his personal opinion. By following the Quranic precept of debating "in the fairest way," they hope to reach out so as to increase mutual understanding, re-establish trust, calm the situation for the sake of peace, and preserve Muslim dignity. Christianity and Islam make up more than half of humankind in an increasingly interconnected world, the letter states, and it is imperative that both sides share responsibility for peace and move the debate towards a frank and sincere dialogue of hearts and minds which furthers mutual understanding and respect between the two religious traditions. Indeed, the scholars point out, both religions teach what Christianity calls "the two greatest commandments." The commandment that "the Lord our God is one Lord" and that we shall love Him are enshrined in the first testimony of faith in Islam, "There is no god but God." The second commandment, "to love thy neighbour as thyself," is also found in the words of the Prophet, "None of you believes until he desires for his neighbour (in another version, his brother) what he desires for himself." The signatories also point out the positive contacts the Vatican has had with the Islamic world in the past. The official and full English version of the text along with the complete list of signatories is available now on the Islamica Magazine website (www.IslamicaMagazine.com). (This report was forwarded to us by Br. Khaliel Ghafoerkhan. – Editor.) Dr. Zahid Aziz’s Comments on an Israeli Journalist’s Remarks on the Pope’s Speech The Israeli journalist’s remarks can be read at http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/channels/avnery/1159094813/. In connection with the Pope’s speech, please read the article by the Israeli columnist with comment by Dr. Zahid Aziz. (This article was forwarded to us by Brs. Khaliel Ghafoerkhan and Ross Mahmood.) I quote the following passage near the end of this article: "Every honest Jew who knows the history of his people cannot but feel a deep sense of gratitude to Islam, which has protected the Jews for fifty generations, while the Christian world persecuted the Jews and tried many times ‘by the sword’ to get them to abandon their faith. The story about ‘spreading the faith by the sword’ is an evil legend, one of the myths that grew up in Europe during the great wars against the Muslims – the reconquista of Spain by the Christians, the Crusades and the repulsion of the Turks, who almost conquered Vienna. I suspect that the German Pope, too, honestly believes in these fables. That means that the leader of the Catholic world, who is a Christian theologian in his own right, did not make the effort to study the history of other religions." 6
Jama‘at News AAIIL, Oakland, California, USA Br. Mohammad Mustapha, President of the Jama‘at. reports that Rupees 60,000 ($990) of the donations collected on the night of the Great Du‘a has been remitted to Lahore for the benefit of medical expenses incurred on behalf of Br. Usman Ahmad who recently underwent a second major delicate operation in Pakistan. A similar amount was remitted to a brother in need of medical expenses in the Fiji Islands. Jazakallah! May Allah bless the work of this Jama‘at. Br. Zafar Abdullah, President of AAIIL, Hayward, California, USA telephoned to say that on Saturday 21 October, Lailat-ul-Qadr was observed at the Oakland Mosque and he was amongst several speakers who spoke that night. Alhamdollillah! We are pleased to learn that the Oakland Mosque provides a suitable venue where our Northern California Ahmadi brothers and sisters can conveniently meet to fulfil their religious obligations. Report from Fiji Islands From a recent circulation by the Central Anjuman we learned that on October 9, 2006, the Fiji Times reported that religious bodies met for a week to promote interfaith harmony and understanding. The Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat-i-Islam of Fiji is amongst the organisations listed as members of this interfaith movement. Alhamdollillah! As a result, our brother, Jalal UD Dean of Suva, Fiji, wrote as follows: “Thanks for the circulatory article on the Fiji Times regarding Interfaith Search Fiji. Interfaith Search is non-political. AAII (Lahore) is a foundation member since 1987. This formation came about following coups d'etat in Fiji and overtly possessive action by the Methodist Church in Fiji to take control of the government system and to declare Fiji as a Christian Methodist State. My brother (Nizam Ud Dean) and I are active members since 1987. Currently I am the National Vice- Chairperson of the Interfaith Search in Fiji. We hold gatherings on 10th of each month at religious centres on a given topic. The methodology involves reading out excerpts from the scripture that validates our views and actions. Then there is reflection and discussion to better understand each other's faiths. In addition, we write on topical religious issues for discussions in public gatherings. Participation from Qadianis is seldom. Participation from Sunnis is zero.” “Spiritual Gift” Br. Riaz Ahmadali has provided the community with a free “Spiritual Gift” by giving our valued readers online access to spiritual songs recorded for their enjoyment. At our request Br. Riaz has kindly agreed to leave the songs online until 15 November, by which date you can download and save the songs. We have found these songs extremely melodious and full of spiritual blessings. Alhamdollillah for a great effort! May Allah bless them all. (Ameen.) The “Spiritual Gift” letter circulated by IVISEP is reproduced below. “On October 14 2006, the Institute for Islamic Studies and Publications released the CD "Look with your Heart", containing Islamic songs for different occasions. The CD was presented to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Suriname, Drs. M. Hassankhan, on October 17. You can read more about this here. 7
Page 1 and 2: October 2006 AAIIL Worldwide Editio
Page 3 and 4: “And those who come after them sa
Page 5: On October 8, 2006, the first anniv
Page 9 and 10: 2. Please read the new, 90-page boo
Page 11 and 12: All About Us Hazrat Maulana Muhamma
Page 13 and 14: As for his academic life, his colle
Page 15 and 16: that are dealt with in the notes, b
Page 17 and 18: Santoe Marhooma Brigadier Mohammad
Page 19: the destitute exorbitant un-Islamic

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

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