History was made in Majuro last week with the official opening of a newly built mosque for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
Located in the downtown section of the capital, directly across the street from the courthouse, the new mosque was blessed and then people enjoyed food as part of the celebration.
The opening included reading from the Holy Quran and translations into Marshallese language.
Falah Shams, the national president of the Ahmadiyya, spoke and also led the group in prayer, and recently arrived Imam Matiullah Joyia read from the Quran. The recitation of the Quran and Shams’ speech were translated to Marshallese by Billa Typhoon and Sannia Nena.
Ahmadiyya Muslims are persecuted in several Islamic countries and this has led many Ahmadis to emigrate and settle elsewhere.
Falah Shams and Imam Matiullah Joyia emphasised the message that from its founding in 1889, Ahmadiyya has explicitly rejected “jihad by the sword.”
Mr Shams says instead the community has promoted an “intellectual jihad of the pen to defend Islam” and rejects terrorism in any form.
Rongelap’s mayor James Matayoshi welcomed the religious group as one that “rejects violence” and thanked both the Ahmadiyya and its sister organisation Humanity First for their work with local government to establish computer centres and training for local people.
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