August 2014 Editor: Nasir Ahmad B.A. LL.B.

IN MEMORY OF JALAL-UD-DIN AKBAR IBN-I ABDULLAH, SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA

Vol. No. 7, Issue No. 23

VISIT TO NETHERLAND AND SURINAME MAY 2014

REPORT BY DR ZAHID AZIZ

A visit to Suriname by Mr Shahid Aziz, myself (Zahid Aziz) and my wife Mrs Fauqia Aziz was arranged for May 2014 by Sjaikh Kasiem of Almere, Netherland. The plan was similar to the visit arranged earlier by Mr Kasiem for May-June 2013, when Hazrat Ameer Dr A.K. Saeed, Mr Shahid Aziz and Dr Zahid Aziz went to Suriname to deliver training courses for imams of our mosques and to give talks and speeches at general meetings of the Jamaa’ts.

Holland, Friday 9th to Sunday 11th MaySome functions had been arranged at the Hague by Jama‘ats in Holland for the three days prior to our flight from Amsterdam to Paramaribo, Suriname. On 9th and 10th May the Stichting Ahmadiyya Anjuman arranged to hold its 25th anniversary. On 11th May, 7 Lahore Ahmadiyya organizations in Holland arranged a large meeting to mark the centenary of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement’s founding in Lahore at the Tropical Hall, Hague. Besides the three of us from U.K., Azhar Ahmad and Mustaq Ali with his family also participated in these functions.

Hospitality was provided for all of the U.K. Jama‘at participants at the Hague by our members in Holland, for which we are deeply grateful to all involved. They welcomed us into their homes and made our stay very comfortable.

On Friday, Mr. Shahid Aziz and I led the Friday prayer in different cities in our Jama‘at mosques. On Saturday morning, there was a meeting with imams, board members and officials, at which we, along with Dr Noman Malik of USA, answered a number of questions relating to Islam and the Ahmadiyya Movement. In the evening session, Mr. Shahid Aziz gave a speech on the mission of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement, and Mrs. Fauqia Aziz spoke about the role of women in Islam.

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On Sunday, from afternoon to late evening, was held the large meeting to mark the centenary of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement. Here I spoke under the title A Message of Peace and Harmony — Founding of the Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha‘at Islam Lahore in 1914. It was largely an English trans-lation of the speech I had delivered at Lahore in December last at the Salana Dua’iyya. The text of the speech had already been translated into Dutch by the organisers of the meeting and printed copies of this translation were available to the audience.

Below are some photographs from the meeting on 11th May, showing the audience:

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SURINAME, 12TH TO 29TH MAY

As at the previous visit, accommodation was provided for us in the guest rooms adjacent to the offices of the SIV in the Cultural Centre building which is next to the mosque in Keizerstraat. See photographs of these buildings on the next page.

Bro. Sjaikh Kasiem, who arranged our visits in 2013 and 2014

From left: Dr Robbert Bipat, President of SIV, with Mrs Fauqia Aziz, Mr Shahid Aziz and Dr Zahid Aziz

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The guest rooms are located on the upper storey just behind the sign “Cultureel Centrum S.I.V.” These photographs were taken by me during our 2013 visit.

ActivitiesThe pattern of this visit was much like that of the previous year’s visit. Mr. Shahid Aziz and I present-ed training courses in a class room in the Cultural Centre on the floor on which we were staying. The lecture room is equipped with a large screen television which can be connected to a computer for presentations. The training sessions were generally in the morning, while a few were in the evening when there was no other evening function or visit to go to.

Opening sections from the book Masih Mau‘ud (The Promised Messiah) by Maulana Muhammad Ali and the final sections from the book Mujaddid-I Azam, vol. 2 by Dr Basharat Ahmad, which I used as course material were printed by the organisers in the form of copies of for those attending the course.

On the day after our arrival, a “senior’s day” had been arranged in the Cultural Centre. This was a cultural and social programme. See the photographs below, showing the audience and myself giving a talk:

The photograph above shows the Cultural Centre building from the same car park

The photograph above shows the Keizerstraat Mosque from its side towards its car park

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CoursesIn the courses the following topics, among others, were covered by Mr Shahid Aziz:

1. History of how British rule was established in India: In a slide presentation, he showed that British rule expanded in India because at all stages there would be some Muslim leader or group who sided with the British to defeat other Muslims. This all took place long before the Ahmadiyya Movement came into existence. Therefore the common charge is patently false which alleges that Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was on the side of the British against other Muslims.

2. Original beliefs of the Qadiani Jamaat which caused the Split in 1914: Present day members of that Jamaat are not aware that their leadership declared all other Muslims as kafir, which caused the Split.

3. Misconceived beliefs held by Muslims generally: To stress the need for the Ahmadiyya Movement, he went through certain common beliefs propagated by religious leaders, especially relating to the marriages of the Holy Prophet, which provide Western critics with material with which to attack him. One example of such Muslim literature that we showed in the course was the book Muhammad by Martin Lings (who was a Muslim), which repeats the false story about how the Holy Prophet came to marry Zainab. This book is highly praised by Muslims and won an award from the Pakistan government when first published in 1983. The story of Zainab in it is quoted and exploited by the critics of Islam (for example, the ‘Answering Islam’ website).I covered the topics occurring at the beginning of the book Masih Mau‘ud, which are: (1) Creating the Ahmadiyya Movement does not amount to the setting up of a new divisive sect in Islam, (2) what is actually sectarianism and sectarian division, (3)how the cause of Islam benefits from the issues raised by the Ahmadiyya Movement and the claims to be Promised Messiah and Mahdi, (4) the Quran as the final authority between Muslims on all issues of disagreement. I showed how the Ahmadiyya interpretations, especially about the “descent” of Jesus, are based on plac-ing the Quran as supreme over all other sources including Hadith.

To add variety to the topics, I also went through some of the inspiring injunctions of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad to his followers on the moral teachings of Islam which he emphasised that they must follow. These were quoted from Izala Auham (p. 825 to 835) and Kishti-I Nuh (section entitled

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‘Teaching’ or Ta‘lim). I also presented briefly a slide presentation on the claims of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad.

Mosque speechesThe second key feature of our visit, apart from the training course, was the meetings held at various SIV mosques. Generally, these were held in the evenings, and began with Maghrib and Isha com-bined prayers led by myself (Zahid Aziz). At every meeting, all three of us made speeches. Afterwards dinner was served.

Zahid Aziz goes through a writing of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad

Another sessions begins, showing participants saying prayer.

A course session begins with prayers led by an imam. Presenters Zahid & Shahid Aziz are sitting.

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The first meeting held on Thursday 15th May was in the main Jam‘iah Mosque located on the road called Keizerstraat . I spoke on the topic of what Islam teaches as to how Muslims should respond to verbal abuse against Islam and the Holy Prophet (sas). Mr. Shahid Aziz spoke on the necessity of creating the Ahmadiyya Jama‘at and importance of financial contributions. Mrs Fauqia Aziz spoke on how members of the Jama‘at should treat each other to create a brotherhood. On Friday 16th May, Mr. Shahid Aziz delivered the khutba at Friday prayers at the Keizerstraat Mosque.

The other mosques where meetings were held during our stay are the following in chronological order :1. Mufidul Islam mosque, where three jamaats were joining together (Qamarul Islam, Azmat-i

Islam and Mufidul Islam) to celebrate 100 years of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement.2. Shane Islam mosque3. Taqviatul Islam mosque4. Shamsul Islam5. Haqiqatul Islam6. Mosque Sadr Tartiboel in Nickerie7. Imdadia Mosque8. Mosque Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat Islam MeerzorgAll these mosques are Lahore Ahmadiyya Jama‘at mosques. All of them except number 6 are located in the Paramaribo area.

After the meetings at mosques (1) to (5) in this list, we travelled to Nickerie on Thursday 22nd May, where a meeting had been organised at the Sadr Tartiboel Mosque in the evening. Nickerie is about 240 km or 150 miles road distance from Paramaribo. On Friday 23rd May, the khutbas at this mosque was delivered by Shahid Aziz, who went through chapters 108 to 110 of the Quran (Al-Kauthar, Al-Kafirun and Al-Fath) and explained the connection between them as regards the start, end, and complete success of the mission of the Holy Prophet Muhammad.

Topics coveredThe three of us spoke on several topics at the mosque meetings. These included the following:• The interpretation of Islam as presented by the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement.• The role of women as it should be, according to Islam.• Why we belong to this Jama‘at, and the necessity of its work.• Damage done to the cause of Islam by wrong interpretations of the general Ulama.• Need to give Zakat and make financial contributions to the work of the Jama‘at.• Status and supreme importance of the Quran according to Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad.• Love of Allah and love of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas) as expressed by Hazrat Mirza

Ghulam Ahmad.• The system of administering the Ahmadiyya Movement as laid down by its Founder.• Maulana Muhammad Ali’s instructions to the officials elected and appointed to manage the

Jama‘at affairs.• Beliefs and practices of the Qadiani/Rabwah Jama‘at which violate the teachings of Hazrat Mirza

Ghulam Ahmad.• Definition of a ‘Muslim’ according to Quran and Hadith.

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SCENES OF THE AUDIENCE AT VARIOUS MOSQUE MEETINGS

Dr Zahid Aziz giving dars after Fajr in the main mosque.

Mr Shahid Aziz delivering khutba in the main mosque.

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WE SPOKE AT VARIOUS MOSQUE VENUES, AS BELOW

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The full moon can be seen to the right of the top of the minaret

The main SIV mosque at Nickerie, on Friday 23rd May 2014

Other activitiesThe Youth Commission of SIV organized an information session with us on 18th May. I was asked to speak on the social life of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, and Shahid Aziz on the impact of social electronic media on Islam and what can be done to make Islam interesting to the youth.

On 20th May we were taken to meet the mayor (Districtscommissaris) of Wanica district, Mrs Roline Samsoedien, who is a member of our Jama’at. At the moment she is the head of all the mayors. We had a long talk with her about her work and the area she serves. Shown below are a couple of photographs we took in her office. She was also present at the function, mentioned further below, where the ladies of SIV board members hosted a “brunch” for us.

We were taken to two radio stations, where each of the three of us recorded a talk of length about 10 minutes. At one of the stations, the audio recording was made as a video, which was to be broad-cast both on radio and television. These were to be broadcast after our return.

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Brunch hosted by SIV LadiesOn Sunday 25th May the ladies of SIV hosted a brunch for us at a restaurant in the centre of Paramaribo.

Throughout our visit we were invited by various members to their homes for lunch or dinner. We wish to express our thanks to all of them for their generous hospitality.

The late Dr Khaliel Ghafoerkhan — In memoriamWe were invited for lunch by Dr Khaliel Ghafoerkhan and his wife Mary at their home on 19th May. They both also came to visit us a number of times and attended some of the mosque meetings despite Dr Ghafoerkhan’s ill health. Sadly, just over a month after our return home to the UK, Dr Ghafoerkhan passed away — inna lillahi wa inna ilia-hi raji‘un. May Allah admit him to His mercy and grant him forgiveness and protection, Ameen.

Photographs of Dr Khaliel Ghafoerkhan marhoom, taken in May 2014, with the visiting team of Br. Shahid Aziz, Dr. Zahid Aziz and Mrs Fauqia Aziz from UK

Dr Khaliel Ghafoerkhan is on the right. His wife Mary is second from left. Photo taken at the main Lahore Ahmadiyya Mosque in Paramaribo.

SOME MORE PHOTOGRAPHS WITH LATE DR. KHALIEL GHAFOERKHAN

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Photo at lunch on 19 May 2014. From left: Dr Ghafoerkhan, Mr. Shahid Aziz, Dr. Zahid Aziz, and Br. Sjaikh Kasiem (who arranged the visit to Suriname)

Dr Khaliel and Mrs Mary Ghafoerkhan at-tending evening meeting at one of Lahore

Ahmadiyya mosques, where our visiting team made speeches.

On 16 May 2014 we were taken to visit one of our Jama’at cemeteries, in particular the grave of the parents of Dr Ghafoerkhan. His brother Ikbaal (pointing with his finger) is standing to his left

and his brother Lal is to his right, followed by Mr. Shahid Aziz and Dr. Zahid Aziz.

At another of the mosque meetings: Dr Ghafoerkhan with Mrs Fauqia Aziz and Dr

Zahid Aziz

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blessings of Allah be on him). LOVE also generates peace and happiness in the society. Follow the commandments of ALLAH and His Messenger, the Holy Prophet MUHAMMAD and earn an ever-lasting life here in this world and in the Hereafter. May Allah bless you all.

Ahmad Nawaz, Hayward, California I have just finished reading the February 2013 issue of the HOPE Bulletin dedicated to the memory of the late Br. Akbar Abdullah. I must say that your team has worked very hard to collect facts about the life and contributions made by our late Br. Akbar. The formatting of the Bulletin and photographs have made it very impressive and visual. Br. Akbar deserved such a beautiful dedication. I wish to congratulate you for making the Bulletin more than just a news bulletin. The brief life history of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas) by our new sister in the fold of Islam, Christiane Backer, is very impressive and shows how his Perfect Example has inspired her thoughts and behaviour. I am sure her book “From MTV to Mecca” must be worth reading. Thanks for introducing the autobiography of a highly popular figure in the Western media, who, by her own study, has adopted Islam, and is facing challenges with firm faith and conviction.

CONTACT INFORMATION

The HOPE Bulletin E-mail address: thehopebulletin@hotmail.com

ISLAM stands for: I SHALL LOVE ALL MANKIND

Photographs : Dr. Zahid AzizDesign & Formatting : Erwan Hamdani, Jakarta, Indonesia

Photo of parents of Dr Khaliel Ghafoerkhan on their grave

At the cemetery, from left: Mr. Ikbaal, Dr. Khaliel Ghafoerkhan, Mr Shahid Aziz and Mr

Abdus Santoe

And from the past: Dr Khaliel Ghafoerkhan’s father Fateh Khan with Maulana Abdul Haq Vidyarthi in Suriname at the airport, 24 June 1959