Mohammad Arsalan, Belgium Correspondent
Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Belgium had the opportunity to serve and help in the organisation at the vaccination centre in Uccle, Brussels for five consecutive months.
As the Belgian government started to open vaccination centres in all localities across Belgium, so was the case in the council of Uccle which was to receive 900 to 1000 people a day to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
The Councilor of Health and Religious Affairs of Uccle, Mr Daniel Hublet asked the Jamaat if we could help them. Immediately, the Jamaat presented its service and started to help at the vaccination centre with the organisers. Other centres had to hire services from professional companies, but alhamdulillah, the Jamaat was fortunate enough to present its services to the local council where Jamaat Belgium’s first mosque, Baitul Mujeeb is situated.
Members of Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya and Majlis Ansarullah were present every Wednesday from 9am to 5pm and sometimes the shifts would continue till 9pm.
Now, as the vaccination centres are closing down, the Belgian government has decided to award all the volunteers who presented their services during these difficult times.
On 12 September 2021, government officials came to Baitul Mujeeb Mosque and officially presented Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Belgium, its auxiliary organisations and Humanity First with certificates of appreciation for the volunteer work and extraordinary services during these past months.
The event was moderated by Sharif Ahmed Sahib, National Secretary External Affairs, Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Belgium.
The event commenced with a recitation from the Holy Quran and its French translation by missionary, Mohammad Arsalan Sahib.
The welcoming speech was delivered by Dr Idrees Ahmed Sahib, Amir Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Belgium.
After this, a short presentation was delivered by the missionary-in-charge, Hafiz Ehsan Sikundar Sahib, in which he highlighted the Jamaat’s services at the vaccination centre.
Honourable guests were then invited to say a few words and express their thoughts. Amongst the guests were present Mr Daniel Hublet, Councilor of Health and Religious affairs of Uccle, Mrs Stéphanie Hugo, Police Commissioner of Uccle and Deputy Director of Brussels Police department, Mr Frédéric Tits, responsible for the Red Cross in the Municipality of Uccle and neighbouring municipalities, Mr Marco, President of the Association of Merchants of Calevoet, and Mrs Fatiha Alami, Honourary Advisor for the Council of Uccle.
Daniel Hublet, Councillor of Health and Religious Affairs of Uccle, said:
“The Ahmadiyya Community has been very prompt in every aspect of the way in which they claim their service for humanity. We could notice that you were well organised and humble in your service. Which helped us a lot […] Our council will always be at your disposal.”
Stéfanie Hugo, Police commissioner of Uccle, expressed:
“The service of the Ahmadiyya Community was of a big help for us. Especially where there could be a necessity for police surveillance, as per the case in most of the vaccination centres, but here in Uccle, we could rely on your help and organisation and concentrate on other issues. On behalf of the police department, I thank you for your services.”
Mr Frédéric Tits and Mr Marco both expressed that the Ahmadiyya Community has done a marvelous job in the service they gave at the vaccination centre. They both expressed a personal thought, that when the project for the mosque was about to be launched and leaflets were distributed in the neighbourhood, they were frightened by the thought of having a mosque in their area and what would happen to them. But they both said that they were wrong and that Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya has proven to be peaceful and righteous by its practices and teachings.
At the end, the honourable councillor awarded the certificates and the event ended with a silent prayer led by Amir Sahib Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Belgium.