Doncaster Muslims return from huge UK gathering with important message on women’s rights
Muslims from Doncaster who attended one of the UK’s biggest Islamic conventions have returned home with an important message on women’s rights.A powerful indictment of societies that deny women their God-given rights was made at the three-day gathering in Hampshire, which attracted more than 26,000 people from across the country. Members of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Doncaster were at the three-day Jalsa Salana at Alton and addressed by the world leader of the community, His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad.In his final address, televised globally, he pressed home the rights of women and the fight for true equality as enshrined by God. And he reminded the community – men and women alike – that the rights of women were protected by Quranic law – revealed over 1400 years ago- and that it was not for men to deny women their rights.
His Holiness told the worldwide community: “In today’s world there are many social movements or organisations promoting ‘gender equality’. Yet their way of establishing ‘women’s rights’ is rarely based on fair principles or for the sake of establishing true equality for women. “For example, they raise slogans in favour of women’s rights, whilst at the same time they deny religious women the freedom to act upon their faith and force them to abandon their religious teachings. Rather than bringing men and women closer together, all they do is drive them further apart.”His Holiness added: “Today’s social movements raise mere slogans of gender equality and consider that they have achieved a remarkable feat. However, their efforts are superficial and they are failing to reflect upon the finer details of how true equality can actually be achieved. They do not pay proper heed to what laws or policies will lead to equality between the sexes.
“Are such ill thought-out plans increasing the peace of the world or actually leading to more disharmony and polarisation of society? Are they helping to foster better domestic relations or actually destroying families? Sadly, they do not seem to care.” “Almost all the Islamic references I have presented today refer to the rights of women, whilst the rights of men have not been stipulated separately by Islam or certainly not to the same degree as women’s rights have been. “This is because in every society one sees that men have sought to assert their power and dominance, sometimes unjustly… For example, in less educated and under-developed nations, the rights of women are very often trampled upon by men.
“Thus, Islam has given much stronger emphasis to establishing the rights of women. Yet despite this, the opponents of Islam claim that Islam does not give due rights to women.” The Caliph of the community said equality established by God and set out in the Holy Quran was true equality. He further said: “Worldly people and organisations seek to establish rights to fulfil their own vested interests but Islam teaches one to establish the rights of humanity with a spirit of selflessness and for the greater good of society.”
Bilal Mahmood, President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association Doncaster said: “The Jalsa was very well attended and while there were some restrictions on attendance the support for Jalsa was excellent. We have received more than 120 messages of support from political, faith and civic leaders from across the UK, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and other countries across Africa, North America and Europe. “His Holiness’s messages in his various addresses at the Jalsa were extremely insightful and he provided clear guidance on how to achieve greater social and world peace.” The three-day conference, which ended on Sunday August 7, saw delegates from across the UK gather for spiritual discussions, prayer and strengthening of community ties.
