Syed Mukarram Nazeer, Canada Correspondent
On Sunday, 11 September 2022, Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Brampton East held a local community barbecue event and invited people to visit the Mubarak Mosque located in the city of Brampton, reported the local Secretary Tabligh, Mirza Suleman Baig Sahib.
A team comprising of local missionaries and amila members visited six places of worship in Brampton and invited their representatives and community to the event.
Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya was given the task of distributing 1,400 flyers/door hangers in the immediate neighbourhood of the mosque. 37 Khuddam worked 61 hours and completed this task two days before the event. As a result of this, several neighbours visited the mosque, many of whom had never been to a mosque before.
44 volunteers carrying posters stood near various major intersections for a total of 64 hours, drawing the attention of drivers to the event. The banners and signs were placed on the periphery of the mosque property itself, announcing the event.
Upon arrival, the guests were welcomed and registered. Multiple faiths were represented, including Hinduism, Sikhism, Bahai, Islam and Christianity. Many guests shared their contact information for follow-up.
Once registered, the guests were provided with a guided tour of the Mubarak Mosque facility. This included the Mubarak Mosque itself, an exhibition and a bookstall. The exhibition presented a history of Islam and Ahmadiyyat, using video screens, posters, flyers and displays. The bookstall was set up with close to 50 titles on display. These included the Holy Quran with translation into multiple languages, books of the Promised Messiahas,writings of Khulafa-e-Ahmadiyyat and scholars of the Jamaat. Several small booklets, pamphlets and copies of The Review of Religions were also on hand for free distribution.
Lajna Imaillah made arrangements for female guests. They set up an Islamic art exhibition. In addition, they set up a Hijab Booth, where guests could try out various Hijabs if they wanted to.
Gift bags containing introductory leaflets, commemorative pens, and copies of The Review of Religions were prepared and gifted to dignitaries.
A barbecue was arranged for everyone on the grounds of the mosque. Food was served for almost the entire duration of the event. Approximately 300 people were served.
A total of 110 non-Ahmadi guests attended the event. Feedback from some of the guests is given below:
A group of four Iranians of the Bahai faith spent time in the mosque and visited the exhibition. They asked questions about Khilafat and women’s rights. They took some literature and said they were going to Iran and would take it with them.
A Christian from Afghanistan came from the neighbouring city of Mississauga. He showed keen interest in the teachings of Islam Ahmadiyyat and asked many questions.
A neighbour next to the mosque came with his family. His mother said she saw the mosque daily from her window but never had the opportunity to visit it. She always wanted to see the mosque and today she had that chance. The family was happy to learn about Islam and said many misconceptions were removed during the event.
A Christian woman wanted to learn how daily prayers are offered and so she decided to wait and see how we observed salat.She also asked many questions about wudu (ablution) and what is read during the salat.
Another women guest came and was given a guided tour. At the ‘Hijab Booth’, she tried on a hijab and took some pictures while wearing it. She asked if she could keep a hijab and was provided one.
A person came to the mosque to distribute flyers about his local municipal election campaign. He was invited for lunch and given a guided tour. He was very happy to learn about Islam and Ahmadiyyat and when asked if he was not getting late in his flyer distribution, he replied that he was, but what he was learning about Islam that day was more interesting and important.
A group of Sikh guests attended and were given a guided tour of the facility and were informed that Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya started in a small town in India. They were introduced to how the Jamaat is serving communities across the world. One guest was inspired by this and raised the slogan, Ahmadiyyat Zindabad!