Rabwah Times

Communities Minister Andrew Stunnell has praised an Islamic community’s services to humanity on the occasion of the launch of a new blood donation drive at London’s oldest purpose-built mosque.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is organising the blood donations as part of the community’s commitment to be of service to Queen and country. It is being launched on Thursday 2 February 2012 at the Fazl Mosque (also known as the London Mosque) in Southfields, Putney.

Andrew Stunell, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government said:

“All faith communities have within their teaching, the values of compassion, care and social justice.  One of the ways that their members put these values into everyday practice is by giving to others. The Ahmadiyya Muslim community has long served local communities. Charity walks have raised over a million pounds and their work with the National Blood Service (NBS) has been running for the past decade. With more than 1,200 units of blood collected last year, the target this year is 2,000 units. This is a very valuable, practical initiative to promote social action. I wish your campaign every success.” Read the full story

As the political and judicial crises deepen in Pakistan, the only winners emerging from the scene seem to to be the extremists. Lashkar e Taiba has reemerged with the new name of Jammat ud Dawa led by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed. Jammat ud Dawa was a declared a terrorist organization and Saeed its terrorist leader in 2008 by the UN.

Even though Jammat ud Dawa was declared a terrorist organization by the UN it operates freely in Pakistan and has so far enjoyed the full protection of Punjab’s political leadership and is trying to gain political points by inciting anti-Indian sentiments. As soon as you enter Lahore you are met with countless posters and banners filled with anti-India slogans plastered all over the walls and back of Rickshaws. But Pakistan’s economic and civil situation has forced the masses to ignore this hoopla with most of the households immersed in Indian TV series revenge from India is the last thing on their mind. Read the full story

“General Zia singled out Ahmadis in an open and vicious hate campaign of persecution. He and members of his administration made numerous public speeches urging Pakistanis to seek out, expose and even to kill Ahmadis.”

In 1977, Gen Mohammed Zia ul Haq usurped the constitution of Pakistan and enacted Operation Fair Play by seizing power in Pakistan. He declared martial law and imprisoned the democratically elected Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and in the first of many lies and broken promises declared that his only desire was to facilitate elections in 90 days, after which he faithfully promised he would step down. Ignoring world public opinion and despite the wishes of the citizens of Pakistan he remained entrenched in power and consolidated his brutal dictatorship over the coming years. Zia would have remained a hated peripheral figure had fate not intervened following the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. This event rapidly propelled Zia from world pariah status to center stage as he was lauded as the West’s bulwark and friend against the spread of communism. Read the full story

How the Canadian ‘Office of Religious Freedom’ should function?

Yesterday, Canada’s Foreign Minister, John Baird MP, visited the World Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad at the Fazl Mosque in London. His Excellency, Gordon Campbell, the Canadian High Commissioner to the UK and other members of staff were also present at the meeting which lasted around forty minutes.

During the meeting, the Foreign Minister mentioned how the Canadian Government was in the process of setting up an ‘Office of Religious Freedom’ and sought the views of His Holiness about how such an Office should function. In response, His Holiness explained that Islam taught that every person should be free to practise his religion openly and without fear of discrimination. He said that irrespective of religious differences, all members of a society should live together with a spirit of unity, peace and tolerance and that this was what the Office of Religious Freedom should strive to achieve throughout the world. Read the full story