USA: Ahmadi Mulims Mourn for Victims of Oklahoma Tornado

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Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA is ever ready to help mankind in times of hardship and prays to God Almighty to protect all mankind from harm.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA
By Press Release | May 23, 2013

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community offers condolences and prayers for affected families

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA offers its deepest condolences to the Oklahoma Tornado victims’ friends and families. The Community prays that all individuals affected by this tragedy—whether physically or emotionally—are granted a speedy recovery, patience, and solace.

“Our hearts are deeply moved for the victims of this tragedy,” said Wasim Malik, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA’s National Vice President. “May God help the injured and be with the families of the victims during these trying times.”

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA is ever ready to help mankind in times of hardship and prays to God Almighty to protect all mankind from harm.

UK: Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Says "Extremism Has No Place in Great Britain"

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"Such evil acts have no place in Islam and we continue to stand resolutely against those who carry out extremist acts in the name of Islam."

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | UK Desk
Source/Credit: The Ahmadiyya Muslim Association UK
By AMA-UK Press Release | May 23, 2013

LONDON: The Ahmadiyya Muslim Association UK (AMA) condemns in the strongest of terms the heinous murder of a British citizen in Woolwich on Wednesday.

"It is particularly saddened to learn that the victim was a member of the Armed Forces who nobly dedicated his life in the service of the nation," the community's press release stated. "We hope that the murderers and their accomplices are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

Rafiq Hayat, National President of the AMA, said:

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim of this horrific murder and his family and we will be gathering at various Mosques across the country to pray for them.

"The actions of the perpetrators of this crime bear no resemblance to the true peaceful Islam that we know and love. The teachings of the Qur'an and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) are unequivocal in rejecting murder and extremism and the Quran states quite clearly that, 'He whosoever killed a person…it shall be as if he had killed all mankind.'(Ch 5.V33 )"

Such evil acts have no place in Islam and we continue to stand resolutely against those who carry out extremist acts in the name of Islam.

Pakistan: Elections no guarantee of liberal democracy

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In the early 1990s Nawaz Sharif's Government amended this law by removing the option of "life sentence" for those convicted of blasphemy making the death sentence mandatory.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch |
Source/Credit: Online Opinion
By Riaz Hassan | May 23, 2013

The recent Pakistani elections have been universally hailed as a democratic milestone in the country's chequered political history. Will this democratic milestone bring a reprieve for Pakistan's minorities who have been victims of Pakistan's draconian blasphemy laws? The evidence from the election campaign is not encouraging.

During their campaigns the leaders of all three main political parties- Pakistan Muslim League (N), Pakistan Justice Party and Pakistan Peoples' Party, have either reaffirmed their support for blasphemy laws or simply ignored that they are an instrument of persecution of the minorities.

PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, the prime mister in waiting, reaffirmed his support for blasphemy laws. It was not surprising since he was an architect for introducing section 295- B of Pakistan's blasphemy law which makes wilful damaging or desecration of the Quran an offence punishable with life imprisonment. And later a more draconian section 295-C which reads: "whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall be also liable to fine".

Vatican denies that Pope Francis performed exorcism

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"The Pope had no intention of doing an exorcism, so it is absolutely false that this has been done.  He simply prayed for the sick person."

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: Fox News / AP
By FoxNews.com | May 22, 2013

The Vatican is adamantly denying that Pope Francis performed an exorcism on a man in St. Peter's Square, saying Wednesday that the claim is "absolutely false."

Suspicions arose that the pope had performed an exorcism after video surfaced of Francis laying his hands on a man's head and reciting a prayer, upon which the man heaved deeply a half-dozen times, shook, then slumped in his wheelchair.

"The Pope had no intention of doing an exorcism, so it is absolutely false that this has been done," Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi told Catholic News Agency. "He simply prayed for the sick person."

The man, who uses a wheelchair, was identified by the Associated Press as a 43-year-old husband and father who traveled to Rome from Mexico to attend Francis' Mass on Sunday in St. Peter's Square. According to the Rev. Juan Rivas, the priest who brought him, the man was possessed by the devil.

Pakistan: Blasphemy conundrum

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The case has obviously put the Pak authorities in a quandary. Evidence of this is that following the initial reports, the case together with Lee Ping has vanished from the face of POK. There have been no follow up reports.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch |
Source/Credit: Business Standard India
By Business Standard | May 23, 2013

This is a heady cocktail.

The cast- an unlikely villain- Iron brother Chinese,

The locale- Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK),

The narrative- the blasphemy laws with their death penalty,

The timing- just days prior to the visit of big bother Li Keqiang.

Every now and then Pakistan erupts with reports of someone having been lynched by a mob or hundreds of house burned to ashes for desecrating the Koran.

Retribution is swift as it is sure.

Not this time.

On May 17, 2013, a Chinese supervisor Lee Ping threw the Koran on the floor. The incident happened close to Muzaffarabad where the Chinese consortium for whom Lee Ping works is building the Neelum Jhelum Hydropower project.

Canada: B.C.'s biggest mosque opens

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"We fully support the Government of Canada in this endeavour. We will fully cooperate with them in every possible effort to establish religious freedom throughout the world,"

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: The Delta Optimist
By Sandor Gyarmati | May 22, 2013

Over 1,000 attend ceremony Saturday at Ahmadiyya Movement's grand facility on Delta's River Road

The largest mosque in B.C. officially opened in Delta last weekend.

Over 1,000 people, including MPs, MLAs and municipal politicians from across the region, were on hand Saturday for the opening of the Baitur Rahman, or House of Gracious God, a grand mosque for the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam, located at 9750 River Rd.

The mosque, which covers over 33,000 square feet on four acres, has a 76-foot minaret with a large dome.

It's to be a central point for prayers, meetings as well as social and religious interfaith gatherings. A gymnasium is also part of the complex.

With an occupancy capacity of 1,100 people, the structure has a contemporary, modular design with clean, straight-edge lines aimed complementing the surrounding scenery.