Souvenir on Baitur Rahman Mosque USA Inauguration — Page 9
Message of the Amir, U. S. A. It is Allah's great bounty and mercy that He has enabled the small number of Ahmadi Muslims of U. S. A. to triple the number of new mosques and mission houses in the U. S. A. since 1983. The moral and spiritual devaluation which has taken place in the West, the misconceptions about Islam so widely and unjustly held by so many through ignorance of its true message and teachings, attracted the attention of Hazrac Khalifar:ul Masih N and he called upon the U. S. A. Jama' at for a renewed commitment and resolve to redouble our efforts for the spread of Islam's true message. One specific target given was to collect 2. 5 million dollars, outside the budget, for the construction of mosques or acquisition of mission houses to serve as Centers for the task ahead. The Jama' at's response was splendid and heart warming. Its members and in particular members of the Ahmadiyya Medical Association, contributed generously. The amount contributed was indeed many times the high target fixed by Hazrac Khalifa cul Masih and increased the number of mosques and mission houses from 7 to 29 during the last decade or so. The latest addition is this Washington Mosque whose inauguration (on October 14, 1994) is being blessed by Hazrac Khalifatul Masih IV, the Supreme Head of the Worldwide Ahmadiyya Community. Our gathering today is not so much a celebration as it is a symbol of our renewed commitment and resolve to make this inspiring mosque 9 a center for righteousness, carbiyyac (training) and spread of Islam. It should be made into a shining minaret which dispels all darkness and sweeps away all misconceptions and false notions about Islam. The divine message brought by Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa, the Holy Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) be spread and practiced throughout in its purity. Violence, tyranny and terrorism all now associated with Islam in people's mind in the West are in fact violation of Islamic morality, its code of conduct and its laws. The suffering humanity should be rid of its ailments and strife through the renaissance of true Islam for which Hazrat Ghulam Ahmad, founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam and a servant of the Khatamun Nabiyyin, the Holy Prophet of Islam, established the Ahmadiyya Jama'at under divine command. May Allah bless our humble efforts to fulfill the task which lies ahead and enable us to win back the lost glory of Islam, spread its teachings and divine message and usher an era of peace, interfaith harmony and service of the suffering humanity. M. M. Ahmad A:mir, U. S. A. October 14, 1994