Africa Speaks — Page 70
He was given tremendous ovation when he arrived in Freetown. The UNITY carried the following report in its issue of 6th May. BIG WELCOME FOR AHMADIYYA HEAD The Supreme Head of the Ahmadiyya Movement, Hazrat Mirza Nasir Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih III, flew in to a tremendous welcome yesterday to begin a nine-day visit to Sierra Leone. The spiritual leader flew in from the Gambia, accompanied by his wife, Sahibzada Mirza Mubarak Ahmad, to be greeted by hundreds of enthusiastic Ahmadis gathered from all over Sierra Leone. He was met on arrival by the Deputy Minister of Defence, Mr. E. J. Kargbo, who represented the Sierra Leone Government. At Kisay Ferry Terminal, hundreds more, including school children mobbed the car carrying their spiritual leader to Freetown. Speaking at a Press conference at the Lodge where he is staying, Hazrat Ahmad said that the purpose of his visit was to win men's hearts. He said he believed a time was coming when love will triumph over hatred. He spoke of the possibility of extending its work from the educational field in Sierra Leone, to the medical field. The Ahmadiyya Movement in Sierra Leone now had 24 schools, four of which are secondary schools. During his stay in Sierra Leone, the spiritual leader will visit Leicester where he will dedicate a new mosque, and 80 where he will lay the foundation stone of the Ahmadiyya Central Mosque. A series of receptions have been arranged in his honour. This evening, there will be a reception at the British Council Hall. On Friday, the Sierra Leone Muslim Congress will hold another reception in his honour at the Town Hall. 71