Ibrahim Bonsu, President Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Leicester, UK
Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Leicester organised a Religious Founders Day event virtually on 20 November 2021, on the theme ‘Love thy Neighbour’.
The event was attended by guest speakers from four religious communities and the keynote speaker was Ataul Mujeeb Rashed Sahib, Missionary-in-charge UK.
The host for the event was Ibrahim Bonsu Sahib, President Jamaat Leicester.
After the recitation from the Holy Quran and introduction of the theme, the programme followed with an introductory video about Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya and the blessings of the system of Khilafat.
The first guest speaker was Father John Patrick Kenrich from the Roman Catholic Parish, who drew the attention of the audience to the dire need of mankind to love one another so that atrocities in the past such as the Holocaust are never repeated. He said the struggles of mankind since time immemorial were evident that there was always the need for a Higher Power to guide us in order to achieve societal peace.
The second guest speaker was Janet Perry from the Quakers Meeting. Janet spoke on the theme with reference to the Quaker faith and practise guidelines, highlighting the need to respect one another to achieve a stable and harmonious society.
The work of Humanity First International and how they are positively impacting the lives of disadvantaged people and disaster struck areas around the world was showcased in a video presentation.
The next guest speaker was Harinder Singh representing the Sikh community. Harinder threw light on the theme, further emphasising that our neighbours were not only limited to human beings but also plants, animals and our environment.
The final guest speaker, Sanjiv Patel from the Hindu BAPS Swaminirayan Mandir, drew guidance from one of their spiritual heads calling on mankind to recognise the many commonalities among us and to avoid dwelling on the minor differences.
In his keynote address, Ataul Mujeeb Rashed Sahib spoke at length highlighting the beauty of Islam in the promotion of love for our neighbours. He drew attention to the theme with references to the Holy Quran and ahadith on the importance of understanding the true meaning of the word ‘love’ and what was meant by ‘neighbour’.
The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks by Hammad Amjad Sahib, Outreach Coordinator of Jamaat Leicester.
The event was a success with many positive comments from viewers.
Watching from YouTube, Narendra Waghela (a member of the Hindu Community) commented:
“I am bowled over by your bold venture to choose a subject close to everyone’s heart, congrats and I pray you continue to spread the right message which will definitely make changes”.
The event can be viewed on the Ahmadiyya Muslim Outreach UK YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpIwg54MIwk