Ahmadiyya Muslim students spread message of peace

With the prevalence of negative Islamic images in the media, Ahmadiyya Muslim students are hoping to spread their motto of “Love for All, Hatred for None.”

The newly formed Ahmadiyya Muslim Student Association (AMSA), based on a specific branch of Islam, was created last spring to bring together Ahmadiyya Muslims in the Seattle community and at the UW.

The group is open to all religious backgrounds and was formed to bring awareness about the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, said Tuseef Chaudhry, a Seattle University graduate student and unofficial liaison between AMSA and the Seattle Ahmadiyya community.

“One of the reasons we created AMSA was to do events on campus and foster better relationships,” said Waqas Malik, a youth leader in the Ahmadiyya community involved in AMSA. “We did seminars about creating awareness about our community [to] bring an understanding, because many people fear what they don’t understand.”

Many Ahmadi Muslims believe in interfaith dialogues to clarify questions that people may have about Islam, said Tahir Ahmad, a UW student and president of AMSA.

Chaudhry said that the UW provides an enriching environment, where students and professors help foster different ways of thinking.

“UW is a great environment,” Chaudhry said. “A lot of people are just open-minded to different beliefs and that’s something that I really appreciate about the campus and the city — Seattle is just respectful of people of different beliefs and curious about it.”

AMSA was formed to give back to the community at the UW and Seattle, Malik said.

“It’s important to get what someone’s faith is about by meeting someone who is in that faith,” Malik said. “Last semester we did a blood drive. We plan on doing similar types of events [that have a] positive impact on the university and on society at large.”

While the number of the UW’s AMSA members is small, the Ahmadiyya Muslim community holds events at the national and international level.

“Each chapter has a department dedicated to humanitarian services,” Chaudhry said. “I know here in the Seattle chapter we regularly go to food banks, package food and [participate in] adopt-a-highway. We also do walk-a-thons, … blood drives and other activities.”

AMSA members don’t attend official weekly meetings but discuss ideas over dinner or coffee. The group maintains a great relationship with the Muslim Student Association (MSA) and participates in some of their events as well, Chaudhry said.

“Although we have the same routes and the same fundamental beliefs as other Muslims,” he said, “there are some differences that exist amongst Ahmadi Muslims and other Muslims, and because of those differences, we’re considered as Non-Muslims by many Muslim nations around the world.”

Some key differences between Ahmadi Muslims and other Muslims include their belief that the promised messiah has already come, Ahmad said.

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad started the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in the 19th century. He is believed to be the promised messiah, leading to a revival of Islam, not a change of its original ideals. 

Ahmadi Muslims also believe that Muhammad, while being the greatest prophet, is not the last, Chaudhry said. Prophets, or messengers, after Muhammad simply remind people about Islamic ideas but do not change or add to it.

These differences have brought persecution to the community. However, Ahmadi Muslims believe in non-violent forms of retaliation.

Malik said that writing books or editorials to educate others about Islam is more beneficial than violence.

“The promised messiah taught that jihad of the sword is over and today’s jihad is with the pen,” Malik said.

[Reach reporter Doris Wu at news@thedaily.washington.edu.]