SUMMARY REPORT
Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya UK (MKA) the youth wing of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat UK, successfully held its annual conference from the 25th to 27th September 2009. Over 3000 people attended the event from all over the United Kingdom. The programme included various academic and sporting competitions; speeches regarding the role of Islam in contemporary society and a charity cheque presentation in which over £112,000 was donated to various charities based in the UK.
The President of MKA, Mr Tommy Kallon, used the conference to highlight the achievements of the organisation. He said that for many years it had been involved in supporting the disadvantaged through various means. Quoting various examples he said:
“When there was genocide in Bosnia, it was the members of Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya UK who risked their lives driving aid trucks into war torn regions… At the height of the civil war in my native Sierra Leone, Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya UK organised an aid container full of food, clothing, medical supplies and even artificial limbs to Freetown.”
The conference was greatly blessed by the attendance of the Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad. As well as attending the traditional Saturday evening barbecue, His Holiness chaired the concluding session on Sunday afternoon and delivered an inspiring address about the role of Ahmadi Muslims in society.
His Holiness observed that young people often had problems with anger management and this reflected in their behaviour not only with the outside world but also with their wives and children. He said that if a Muslim truly believed in God then he should treat others with respect and tolerance because those qualities actually formed part of a belief in God.
Continuing, he said, the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) were of kindness and love. Yet many people had deviated from these teachings to such an extent that they indoctrinated others from childhood into an atmosphere of hatred and terror. Those people had blood on their hands; suicide bombings had nothing to do with Islam. He said:
“Those who instruct and indoctrinate suicide bombers claim they are acting righteously. They are doing nothing of the sort. Suicide bombing is not based on righteousness; it is based solely on evil.”
Regarding the controversial and generally ill-understood concept of Jihad, His Holiness explained that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) never sought, nor was granted permission to conquer by force. Under conditions of extreme and sustained cruelty he was given permission to defend himself when he, his followers and their places of worship were attacked. In today’s world the so called Muslim leaders who urged others to fight in the name of Islam, could not have distanced themselves further from the true teachings of Islamic faith.
In conclusion His Holiness urged all Ahmadi Muslims to represent Islam on the basis of its real teachings. These teachings were of decency, purity and tolerance and ought to be exhibited both in a person’s personal life and within their social and community lives. He concluded:
“The new century of the Ahmadiyya Khilafat will not be decorated by mere words but through our prayers and through our good deeds.”