Ibrahim Bonsu, Secretary Khidmat-e-Khalq, PAAMA UK
A Muslim community has dedicated itself to the service of Sierra Leone as part of its centenary celebrations in the nation.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Association Sierra Leone was established in 1921, and has received the nation’s highest civil award – Commander of the Order of the Rokel – for outstanding contribution to the development of Sierra Leone.
The Pan African Ahmadiyya Muslim Association (PAAMA) UK marked the centenary with a commemorative event on 3 July.
In 100 years, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat of Sierra Leone has:
• Established 300 schools
• Built hospitals and clinics
• Established clean drinking water wells and hand pumps
• Created a model green village powered by solar energy
• Distributed food, clothing and medicines to the needy and poor during the Ebola crisis and recent Covid-19 pandemic
• Established 1,400 mosques
• Set up 3 radio stations
• Founded a missionary training school
Tommy Kallon Sahib, President PAAMA UK, said:
“Through the services of the pioneer Ahmadi Muslim missionary, Hazrat Maulvi Abdur Rahim Nayyarra of blessed memory, the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam was established in Sierra Leone in 1921. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Sierra Leone throughout the years has not only been a source of spiritual upliftment for many Sierra Leoneans but also a giant partner in the socio-economic development of this West African nation.
“We welcome friends and colleagues to join us as we celebrate such a momentous occasion in the history of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Sierra Leone.”
PAAMA UK is a subsidiary organisation of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association, UK. It was founded in 1986. It aims to unite, empower and inspire the African Ahmadiyya Muslim diaspora to serve Islam, society and Africa at large.