Basharaat-E-Ahmadiyya Newsletter December 2012 - The Lahore ...

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20 Basharaat-E-Ahmadiyya Volume 2012 • December 2012 LOCAL ACTIVITIES OF THE USA JAMAAT Fazeel Khan with Muslim and Christian attendees. Muslims. The generosity of the church has inspired the Lahore Ahmadiyya Islamic Society to reciprocate in some way. It has come to our attention that many churches provide food to the needy during the holiday season but have difficulty doing so on Christmas day due to most members being unable to volunteer because of spending time with family. We will be trying to fill this void this year by having our members (and possibly some other Muslims) volunteer on Christmas day so that the needy normally being served by these churches do not face an interruption in services. Another project that Lahore Ahmadiyya members participate in is the Feed the Needy Program offered at the YWCA. The shelter accommodates about 250 homeless women and children at one time. The current economy has made resorting to this program for food a necessity for many. Various organizations supply food to the shelter. The Lahore Ahmadiyya Islamic Society, in coordination with CAIR, also do so. Dr. Mohammad and Sr. Lubna Ahmad volunteer every month with a group of other Muslims to supply food items and services to the indigent. Tables are set, food is served and dishes are washed. Alhamdulillah, an average of 200 people are served every month. The USA Jammat also participates in a Prisoner Rehabilitation Program at the correctional institution in Chillicothe, which is located approximately 90 minutes drive away from Columbus, Ohio. Dr. Mohammad and Sr. Lubna Ahmad participate in collaboration with an interfaith group, twice or thrice every month to attend the Horizon Program at the institution. This program caters to the spiritual needs of about 70 inmates, including eight Muslims. Holy Qurans and Muslim prayer books have been given to Muslim inmates. This program is designed to teach inmates different techniques to help them develop a positive attitude towards life. According to statistics, the men who attend this program and follow the guidelines, once released, have a very low rate of recidivism. One of the organizers of the program has recently requested Fazeel to pres- ent an interactive class to the prisoners, from a Muslim perspective, as part of a “Spiritual Development” course that is being offered. Another program that our members regularly participate in is the Spiritual Sharing Program hosted by the Interfaith Association of Central Ohio and held at the Main Downtown Library of Columbus, Ohio. The meetings are held on the first Wednesday of every month. Members of different faiths and traditions participate. The atmosphere is extremely cordial, with the purpose of promoting respect, tolerance, mutual learning and understanding. Topics, ranging from respect for parents to existence and attributes of God are discussed. Dr. Mohammad and Sr. Lubna Ahmad have been attending these meetings on a regular basis, for the last four or five years. Many of the attendees have benefited from Dr. Ahmad’s and Sr. Lubna’s participation, having gained a much better understanding of the true teachings of Islam. The annual Interfaith Confer - ence in Florida hosted by Brother Imtiaz Isakh (under the banner of “The Islamic Sunrise”) was again a success this year (Alhamdulillah). Many people participated including persons of different faiths, students, professors and interfaith enthusiasts. Dr. Ahmad gave some opening words and Fazeel introduced the Lahore Ahmadiyya Islamic Society Fazeel Khan, Dr. Noman Malik, Samina Malik with guests from Turkey.
21 Basharaat-E-Ahmadiyya Volume 2012 • December 2012 LOCAL ACTIVITIES OF THE USA JAMAAT Fazeel Khan with a member of the Episcopal Church. to the audience. Br. Imtiaz moderated the forum and provided insightful comments and direction throughout. The interfaith speakers comprised of a Rabbi, a Sikh, a Hindu and Maulana Kemal Hydal (as the Muslim representative). The conference provided a valuable opportuni- ty for persons of different faiths to get to know one another and discuss ways in which peace between members of faith traditions may be achieved. In response to the tragic shootings at the Gurdwara in Wisconsin, the Sikh Community in Columbus � CONDOLENCES TO THE SIKH COMMUNITY Dr. Tarunjit Butalia addressing the gathering at the Gurdwara Commemoration event. held a Commemoration at the Guru Nanak Religious Society in August of this year. The event was very successful. Community and religious leaders participated and members of the central Ohio community filled the prayer hall. The Lahore Ahmadiyya Islamic Society issued a statement of condolence, which was published on its website www.muslim.org and reproduced below: Members of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Islamic Society express our sincere condolences to our brothers and sisters from the Sikh community for the senseless killing of innocent worshippers at the Wisconsin Gurdwara. We pray that Almighty Rabb (Lord) grants the families and the entire community patience, strength and fortitude in this time of great loss. We have a long-standing bond with the Sikh community, as Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement) revered Guru Nanak as a very holy and saintly personage, going so far as to write a book (Sat Bachan) defending him from criticism and attacks made against his character. We stand in solidarity with the Sikh community during this tragedy and genuinely feel as if we lost members of our own family.
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