If you're a regular viewer of 7News, you should know the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat very well. The group of Islamic missionaries have gained a strong community foothold here over the last 5 years.
And they've done that not by asking Belizeans to come and worship Allah, but by their deeds, spearheading very many community-based outreach initiatives - such as the hugely successful basketball league.
And now they're hoping to parlay that popularity into support for their first mosque in the country. This morning, they hosted a press conference to tell the general public that construction will begin tomorrow and that when it is completed, all well-intentioned individuals are welcomed to visit.
Two leaders from the Ahmadiyya Community in Canada and Trinidad and Tobago flew to Belize for this occasion, and here's what they had to say about the stronger foothold that the Belize chapter of the community is trying to establish:
Naveed Mangla - President, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Belize Chapter
"This mosque, well, the construction will be starting from tomorrow. The foundation stone of this mosque will be laid tomorrow, and this is located on the Western Highway, George Price Highway at 2 miles. The property itself is about I.82 acres, but only 0.9 acres will be utilized currently, and we have the rest of the property kept for future - the phase 2 could be a school, which we wish to build, or maybe a big community center. That's yet to be decided."
Reporter
"So, does that mean that the Ahmadiyya headquarters will move to that new location?"
Naveed Mangla
"We have been staying here for the last 3 years or so, and this was a rented unit. So, we'll be giving it back. The property that we have purchased now, is the very first property that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat purchases, and yes, the headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat will eventually move over there."
Imam Lal Khan Malik - National President, AMJ Canada
"Opening up a Mosque in Belize is good news for all of us because the purpose of the mosque is not only to worship God but to bring about peace in the society. Every person who goes to worship in a Mosque becomes an ambassador of peace. Our motto is love for all, and hatred for none, and this is based on the basic Islamic principle that God created all human beings as equals. He loves them all equally, and we cannot please God. Pleasing God is the highest achievement of humans, and we cannot do that unless we love all his creations."
Imam Ibrahim Bin Yaqub - Missionary in Charge, AMJ Trinidad and Tobago
"The mosque that is being built here is not not only for the Muslims. Even though it belongs to the Muslim community of Belize, anybody can go worship there. It is a place of God Almighty. It is a symbol of peace, tranquility, love, and affection. The Ahmadiyya Muslim community the world over, wherever we have been, the people who come to realize our presence, they come also to know that we are people who resonate peace. We practice peace."
Reporter
"You guys have been here for a number of years doing great community work. Do you feel the welcome of the Belizean populace to the Ahmadiyya?"
Naveed Mangla
"By the grace of God, we had our struggles at the beginning and rightly so. When we newly got established here, people were a little bit reluctant, particularly due to what was going on in the media. At that particular time when we established a community, there was a lot of terrorism going on. Every now and then, you would hear that a Muslim has done this or that. So, people were a bit hesitant. But, like you said, through the humanitarian services of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat in Belize, people now able to recognize that these Muslims are different, and they are here for the betterment of Belizeans. So, they have welcomed us, and we look forward to making more of a difference here in the country."
The groundbreaking ceremony for this Masjid Noor - or Mosque of Light - happens tomorrow at 11:00.
Email
Print