A Message for Our Time — Page 64
64 I slaamnl ter ior Publ national or political reasons; rather, they were motivated by their hatred of religion itself. The verse warned that if the Muslims did not take firm steps to stop the cruelties and injustice, it would lead to the end of all religions and freedom of belief would cease to exist. The verse cat- egorically says that churches, synagogues, temples, mosques or any other places of worship, would not be safe if they were permitted to wage war if their attacks were not retaliated. Thus, rather than imposing restrictions or curtailing freedoms, the truth is that the world’s first and foremost universal charter of religious freedom was the Holy Quran itself. Moreover, as Islam has enshrined freedom of belief as a basic human right, it natu- rally follows that true mosques are symbols of religious freedom and shining beacons of love, mutual respect and compassion. Certainly, I hope and expect that in your interactions with Ahmadi Muslims in the past, you will only have felt a spirit of love and respect from them towards you. Now this mosque has been officially opened, this spirit will only increase and our message of peace and humanity will reverberate ever louder and echo in all directions. The local Ahmadi Muslims will intensify their efforts to fulfil the rights of the neighbours of this mosque. Indeed, the Holy Quran has repeatedly instructed Muslims to fulfil the rights of their neighbours and to treat them with the utmost love and affection. I should clarify that our neighbours are not only those who live close to the mosque or close to the homes of Ahmadi Muslims; rather, the circle of neighbours, according to the Holy Quran, spreads much further afield and includes a person’s colleagues, subordinates, travel companions and many other people besides. In essence, all the people of this city are our