The evolution of the Ahmadiyya Community through Jalsa Salana UK 2023

Religion and culture normally go hand in hand. This has been the case historically, and it seems that it will continue to be so in a future that cannot even be glimpsed. And, although in many cases - probably the majority - it is a matter of intrinsic convictions and family roots, in others it is the result of a path of personal development. It is the culmination of the burning of stages that results in a new way of understanding existence and facing our passage through the world.

This is how it is for some of those with whom ATALAYAR has been able to share the experience of the Jalsa Salana UK 2023 organised by the Ahmadiyya Community. But before getting to know the event, it is necessary to understand the background, the reason for the Ahmadiyya Community, its creation, development and, above all, its message of peace.

The Ahmadiyya Community

It is a community within Islam which, paradoxically, is persecuted in every Muslim country. This is not such a great paradox if one understands the reasons for this situation, which, as is usual in this religion, is due to the different interpretations of the holy book of the Qur'an.

However, the Ahmadiyya Community invites people to read it and for each individual to understand the true message of Islam, which is very different from the one conveyed by those who tarnish the image of this religion. A belief which, as this Jalsa Salana has shown, is based on hospitality, kindness, peace, affection and brotherhood. Values that are being tarnished by those who use it to impose and radicalise, hence the importance of showing the world the true message of Islam, represented thanks to this community.

It was founded less than 150 years ago, which makes it a young community compared to the most widespread religious currents. Despite this, more than 200 million people around the world belong to a community that has more than 700 followers in Spain alone. This success can be understood through the reading of the Koran and the increasingly widespread idea of an Islam based on respect for other beliefs.

And this is how it is seen by those who sustain the Ahmadiyya Community, which does not accept donations from countries or organisations, only from the members of the community itself. They are the ones who demonstrate an unwavering faith in Islam as a way of life. A good example of this is the Jalsa Salana UK 2023 convention held on the outskirts of London, which has shown the world what this religion is really like.

Jalsa Salana UK 2023

If there is one thing that makes this congregation stand out, it is the atmosphere among what were once strangers and are now considered brothers and sisters. All those who contribute to the construction of the three-day convention complex are volunteers who come from all corners of the world. Without expecting any reward in return, many of them take time off from their jobs to spend a month erecting tents and tents where tens of thousands of people will later gather.

One of the key sites, the central tent, where Caliph Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad leads daily prayers. Thousands of Ahmadis gather to listen to the spiritual leader's speeches in what for outsiders is a truly impressive event. Even more impressive is the moment when the vows of faith are renewed and new members of the community are welcomed, in an event held on the last of the three days when the whole pavilion joins in by the shoulder of the nearest person until everyone is connected to the Caliph.

It is really interesting to observe how the people of the Ahmadiyya Community treat each other. Greetings, hugs and smiles are a constant among all those who flood an event of superlative magnitude. In which, in addition, all the people who attend are fed free of charge, which makes it impressive to observe the way the cooks work, with 192 active fires cooking rice, pasta, chicken and lamb, to which is added the massive production of bread, with nine thousand units per hour.

These figures show the extent to which the Ahmadis are committed to the well-being of the community and the smooth running of the Jalsa Salana. When you walk from one place to another, there is no lack of interest in knowing if you have eaten or if you need anything, interest in whether everything is going well and gratitude for attending a meeting that is so important to them. It is something that makes everyone who attends the convention feel integrated, regardless of their origin or beliefs.

It is precisely talking and getting to know the experience of those who make up this community that adds value to this experience. Sharing moments with people who lead a life dedicated to others, such as the countless Ahmadi missionaries, such as those who have been part of this community for less time and come from all over the world.

ATALAYAR has had the opportunity to talk to Italian Ahmadis living in Iceland or Irish Ahmadis who had to leave their country after being attacked after rejecting Catholicism to embrace Islam. Even Spaniards like Marisa and Antonio who, after getting to know the community, became part of it. People who one can hardly imagine converting to Islam, but who are Muslim converts like any other Ahmadi.

Converts from the Ahmadiyya Community

Marisa and Antonio, from Tomelloso and Granda, respectively, are two examples of the many who abandoned their former beliefs to become part of the Ahmadiyya Community. Antonio González de Haro explains how, after meeting an Ahmadi - in this case the father of one of the important men in the community and a contributor to this magazine, Qamar Fazal - he became acquainted with this spiritual option. And it was then that, after hearing "four things about Islam that he had never heard in his life", in his own words, "his heart said: I found it".

"Mine was a radical change. In two weeks I stopped eating pork and drinking alcohol because it was clear to me". Antonio González de Haro, Muslim convert from the Ahmadiyya Community.

"One of the biggest problems in my family was 'what people would say'," says Antonio about telling his parents that he had decided to become a Muslim. A complicated situation that did not prevent him from taking the path he felt he had to follow and which has led him to join the Ahmadiyya Community. Now integrated like anyone else, he highlights one of the fundamental aspects that he should have taken into account at the time of his conversion, namely learning Arabic.

The Quran must be read in Arabic. It is the holy book that probably loses the most information in its translation into different languages, as Muslims never tire of repeating. Both for reading The Quran and for praying, it is essential to learn Arabic in order to understand the message accurately. Although it is true that there is no rule that makes it compulsory to pray in Arabic, since one can pray in one's own language, the reality is that all those who decide to convert do so with the firm conviction to learn Arabic.
 
Another fact that shows the commitment of all those who are part of this religion. Collaborating selflessly in events such as the Jalsa Salana, learning the language in order to accurately understand the belief, making hospitality and affection a flag... These are all fundamental pillars of a way of understanding life that wants to show itself to the world and put an end to the racism and prejudices imposed by those who use Islam to radicalise and impose violence, going against all the principles of this religion among which, above all, peace reigns supreme.