New Year Dinner hopes for solution to tackle terrorism

Glasgow's Ahmadiyya Muslim Community held a New Year Dinner in their west end mosque last Sunday (January 17) on the theme of 'Tackling Extremism.'
New Year DinnerNew Year Dinner
New Year Dinner

Ahmed Owusu-Konadu, external affairs secretary and event organiser, said: “The last few years especially 2015 saw a major rise in Islamic extremism. Terrorists groups like IS-Daesh, Boko Haram are causing terror around the world. The question is, why do they do this?

Muhammad Akbar Rana, President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Glasgow, said: “The cure to Islamic Extremism lies in the hands of Muslims themselves and hence we are taking the lead on this around the world to help defeat this monster.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community condemned the most recent barbaric attacks in Burkinafaso in West Africa which killed more than 20 people at the event was used to condemn extremism and provide ways of curbing extremism among the Muslim youth and the community at large.

It attracted about 160 people from all walks of life, faith and non-faith alike saw all in solidarity against the extremists and their bad practices and ideologies which is terrorising the world today.

The keynote speaker, Imam Ataul Mujeeb Rashed, a renowned Islamic scholar and the vice president of the Alhamdiyya Muslim Community UK, said: “All must refrain from using phrases like Islamic-Extremism and Muslim-Terrorists because these two words are opposite to each other. Islam means peace and Muslims practice peace and give peace and love all. So there simply can’t be a true Muslim who would be a terrorist.

“It is the responsibilities of the Government bodies, the media, Muslim groups, school authorities, parents etc to ensure that they are giving the correct teachings of Islam and other faiths to the youth and children so that our future generation are protected from becoming extremists or prejudiced.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Deputy Provost of East Dunbartonshire Council, Anne Jarvis, said: “This was an excellent event and it was good to hear about the work of the Ahmadiyya mosque members. Christianity has many different aspects and we learnt that the many different aspects of Islam are very similar. There is an obligation on all of us to work together for peace.”

Related topics: