Ijtema 2008
Majlis Khuddam ul Ahmadiyya (MKA) represents boys and men under the age of forty in the Ahmadiyya Muslim community. This year MKA USA held its Ijtema, or annual convention, in upstate New York in August in which 1,118 members participated. The participants came from diverse backgrounds - Black, White, Hispanic, South Asian. Yes these superficial differences melted away under the common spiritual bond of brotherhood.
As always, the cornerstone of ijtema was “brotherhood”: A reaffirmation of the Islamic teachings that no one can claim superiority based on race or ethnicity and that all are created equal in the eyes of God. However, we can become better human beings through our actions, not through our lineage. As the Holy Quran reminds us, “the most honourable among you, in the sight of Allah, is he who is the most righteous among you.” (Quran 49:14) Thus the key objective of this annual gathering was to promote righteousness, and to pull each other towards this common goal.
A lot can be said about the various activities that took place during the course of the 3-day convention. There were sports, religious knowledge competitions, speeches, discussion forums, and plenty of opportunities to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. However, since this is a publication for converts into Islam Ahmadiyyat, we shall limit our discussion to the experience of converts.
In fact converts to Ahmadiyyat were one of the highlights of this year’s ijtema. As Ahmadiyyat continues to blossom in the United States, one cannot ignore the services and sacrifices rendered by some of the early converts to Ahmadiyyat in the US. In order to honor and recognize such men of courage, MKA organized a special event on the evening of the first day of celebrations.
The ceremony honored four individuals with the “Mufti Muhammad Sadiq Award” for their long service to Islam in the U.S. The award is given in memory of the first Ahmadi missionary to the US, Hadhrat Mufti Muhammad Sadiq. Mufti Sadiq was an early companion of the Promised Messiah, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as). After dedicating his life to the cause of Islam, Mufti Sadiq was sent to the United States as a missionary in 1920. Despite having no financial resources or any other material support upon entering the U.S., Hadhrat Mufti Sadiq succeeded in winning the hearts of almost 700 Americans towards Islam. He also established the first Ahmadi mosque in Chicago, and start a religious magazine “The Muslim Sunrise” which continues its publication to this day.
The four recipients of the Mufti Muhammad Sadiq award this year echo the spirit with which Hadhrat Sadiq spent his life. The four recipients were:
Sister Aliyyah Shaheed from Pittsburgh – She accepted Islam Ahmadiyyat in 1932 and with the grace of Allah she is 95 years old today. She holds the distinction of serving Ahmadiyyat in many capacities, including as National President of Lajna in the United States (auxiliary organization of Ahmadi Muslims representing women). Her award was accepted by her son on her behalf.
Brother Abdur Rahman from Baltimore – He grew up as a Baptist in North Carolina, and converted to Ahmadiyyat in the 1940s in Baltimore. He is currently 99 years old with Allah’s blessings, and has a long list of services for the cause of Islam Ahmadiyyat.
Brother Yousef Abdul Lateef from Boston – He grew up in Detroit, accepted Islam Ahmadiyyat in 1948, and served the community in many capacities since then. He is currently 86 years old, and holds a doctorate in education from University of Massachusetts. He wrote his dissertation on “An Overview of Western and Islamic Education”. Mr. Lateef is also an accomplished world-renowned musician. Many of our readers may recognize his name as the Grammy winning artist in 1987.
Brother Bilal Abdus Salaam from Philadelphia – He accepted Islam Ahmadiyyat in 1961, and was a Christian minister before accepting Islam. He holds the honor of serving Ahmadiyyat in many capacities, his distinction being a lifetime devotee to the cause of Ahmadiyyat (Waqf-e-Zindagi).
The award recipients later addressed the audience and shared their life experiences. They highlighted the struggles they had to go through as early converts to Islam in the U.S. They also highlighted the strength that their faith gave them in overcoming the obstacles in life, and shared their collective wisdom with those in audience.
The ijtema was also attended by recent converts to Ahmadiyyat, some of whom were attending the event for the first time. They shared their Ijtema experience, as well as their experience since joining Islam Ahmadiyyat at an informal lunch gathering with Dr. Faheem Younis, the President of MKA in the U.S. Every convert had a
remarkable story to tell. They shared their spiritual journey from varied backgrounds into Islam. We have been sharing many such stories with our readers through this newsletter over time, including a new profile this month featuring brother Dante from Milwaukee. A common theme of the discussion over lunch was how much people were influenced by the peaceful teachings of Islam, and by the practical demonstration of love and brotherhood in the Ahmadiyya community.
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