The Re-emergence of Islamic Enlightenment — Page 17
ISLAMIC PRINCIPLES ON EDUCATION & SERVING HUMANITY 17 On the one side, extremists, who have distorted the teachings of Islam, claim that a violent Jihad and the slaughter of non- Muslims will take a person to heaven. Yet the Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught that the way to enter heaven was by educating and instilling moral values within girls. Based upon these teachings Ahmadi Muslim girls across the world are educated and are excelling in various fields. They are becoming doctors, teachers and architects and entering other professions through which they can serve humanity. In countries like Pakistan, where the literacy rate of girls is just over 50%, we ensure that girls are given equal access to education as boys, and as such, the literacy rate of Ahmadi Muslim girls in the developing world is at least 99%. Besides education, Islam was the religion that first gave women the right to inheritance, the right to divorce and many other human rights. Furthermore, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) strongly emphasised the rights of one’s neighbours and said that Allah the Almighty had placed such great emphasis upon their rights that he came to think that neighbours would be classed amongst a person’s rightful heirs. 9 Thus, the Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) established universal human rights that were due to each individual, irrespective of their beliefs, social status or ethnicity. I have just spoken about how the Holy Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) focused a great deal on the