"Don't be a Qadiani," I often heard my mom yell back at me to shut my sass mouthiness. Qadiani? I always wondered what that meant ... what, or rather who, was Qadiani?
It took me a while to have the "ah ha" moment... but when I did find out, it was more of "hmmm?" moment. Por qoui? Basically, the Ahmaddiya movement started in the late 1800's when an Indian Muslim named Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, Punjab started teaching a syncretic, 'reformed' version of Islam. It could be compared to the Baha'i movement in Iran, also taking place around the same time. Mirza basically proclaimed he was the promised Messiah, the Mahdi, and the Mujaddid - all rolled in one. He tried spreading his message in the Islamic world, as well as to other faiths in distant lands. Unfortunately, his message of being the Messiah - the last prophet - did not appeal to the world's established faiths, particularly to the majority Muslims who saw him as a heretic (Prophet Muhammed was deemed the Last Messenger).
Last week, there was a three day Ahmaddiya congregation in Dhaka ... the 86th Jalsa Salana. I was invited by one of my colleagues - though I would've found myself there regardless since the mosque is two blocks away from my apartment. The religion junkie that I am, I threw myself in the crowd for two of the days. It was interesting to say the least - a largely Bengali-speaking population was lectured by Bengalis, Pakistanis, Arabs, and even a Bosnian. I was amazed to see the dispersal of the sect, and also their ability to use a multilingual approach, technological advances, and modern issues to address the needs of their community. They called for tolerance and unity - something Bangladesh can offer if it follows its constitution wholeheartedly. The Ahamaddiya Caliph concluded the Jalsa Salana calling for nothing more than world peace. Amen.
share on: facebook
0 comments:
Post a Comment