Khilafat Centenary Souvenir 1908-2008 — Page 77
This was Huzur's ra last trip outside Pakistan, during which he visited the following countries: England, West Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Holland, England, Spain, Nigeria, Ghana, Canada and USA, in three Continents. The trip started onjune 26 , 1980 and ended on October 28, 1980. Part of the European trip included 14 press conferences in which Huzur '• addressed media representatives and dignitaries. On August 1, 1980, Huzur'• performed the opening ceremony of the first Mission House in Norway. On October 9, 1980, Huzur'• laid the foundation of the first Mosque in Spain. After visiting seven countries of Europe and two countries of West Africa, Huzur '• arrived in Canada on September 4, 1980. In Canada , Huzur'• stay ed for 10 da ys in Toronto and Calgary. Upon Huzur'sra arrival in Canada , the following members of the USA Jama'at went to the Airport to receive Huzur'•: Muzaffar Ahmad Zafr, Mian Muhammad Ibrahim, Haji Ameenullah and some other members of the Detroit, Tro y and Da yt onJama'ats. Members of Lajna Imaillah, USA also welcomed Huzur ra and Begum Sahib a (his wife) at the airport and presented a bouquet of flowers to Hadhrat Begum Sahiba. When Huzur '• left Toronto for Calgar y, Mian Muhammad Ibrahim, Missionary, Mid-West region of the USA accompanied Huzur '• in the airplane. On September 11 , 1980 , Huzur '• left Calgary by air for San Francisco where the following members received him and Begum Sahiba: Maulana Ataullah Kaleem, Sy ed Mir Mahmood Ahmad Nasir, Muzaffar Ahmad Zafr, Haji Ameenullah of Dayton, Abdur Rab Anwar and Rafaqat Ahmad of Los Angeles, Dr. Karimullah Zirvi of San Diego, Sy ed Sajid Ahmad , Lieutenant lntisar Ahmad Abbasi and Sy ed Anwar Husain Shah of San Francisco. Huzur '• shook hands with all and then left for Hotel Amfac, where his entourage was staying. At the hotel, flowers were presented by a Till and a Nasira to Huzur'• and Begum Sahib a. The next da y, Huzur '• delivered the Friday Sermon at the Ahmadi yya Mission House in the Walnut Creek area. Along with San Francisco Jama ' at members, members from the Los Angeles, San Diego, Merced, Sacramento, Tuscon, Portland and Seattle Jama 'ats were also present to listen Huzur'sra Friday Sermon and to ha ve family mulaqaats with Huzur'•. Huzur'• delivered the sermon in Urdu, and at the same time himself gave sentence- by-sentence translation of the sermon in English for the benefit of the English speaking audience. The San Francisco Jama' at had arranged lunch. All male members ate lunch in the company of Huzur '• while the Lajna members ate in the company of Hadhrat Begum Sahiba. Huzur'• went sightseeing on one da y of his visit. On the last day of his stay in San Francisco, Huzur'• had invited all the members who had come to San Francisco for lunch. This special event was held in the Hyatt Hotel where two large halls had been reserved. After lunch, Huzur'• shook hands with all Ahmadi and non - Ahmadi guests. In the evening, at the Hotel Amfac, a Majlis-e-Irfan (meeting of knowledge, traditionally a question and answer session) was held. Huzur'• inquired from members about organizational and (Continued on page 79)