With love, brotherliness, 265 Muslims ride bicycles to convention - Travelled from Burkina Faso to Ghana

Some of the cyclists with their bicycles.
Photo: Adebayo Waheed Adebayo Waheed, who was in Ghana for the Ahmadiyya convention, reports how 265 Muslim youths defied all odds and rode on bicycles all the way from Burkina Faso to Ghana, to be part of the convention.

THE Khilafat Ahmadiyya Centenary Jalsa (convention) of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission of Ghana brought with it experience and lessons that will linger, not only in the minds of members of the Islamic organisation, who were major participants, but the people of Ghana and those who witnessed the ceremony which was declared opened by His Excellency, Mr. John Kufour, the President of the Republic of Ghana.

The annual convention which took place at an open field of about 410 hectares of land, was witnessed by not less 210,000 people across the world. They included the children, young and old who thronged the venue to witness the spiritual rejuvenation of the Ahmadis in the old Gold Coast.

The presence of government officials including the president and the vice president showed the Islamic organisation’s closeness to the seat of power and this might not be unconnected to its contributions to the socio-economic development of Ghana.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that the spiritual leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community worldwide, Hazrat Mirza Masoor Ahmad, who was present at the three-day convention had, in a research conducted by him, spurred Ghana into mass production of wheat which is now a major revenue base for the ecountry. The research had led to Ghana being one of the leading growers of wheat in the world.

A point of attraction at the venue of the ceremony was the presence of 265 young men between the ages of 25 and 35, who stormed Ghana from Burkina Faso on bicycles.

Nigerian Tribune learnt that the cyclists had put aside all odds by coming to Ghana on bicycles that could not be rated among those being used by the professionals.

The leader of the team, Toe Sekou told Nigerian Tribune that the cyclists decided to ride on bicycles because of their determination and love for the Ahmaddiya leader. The journey which took them 10 days, he said, saw the cyclists taking a break at seven different places before they finally arrived in Ghana.

Sekou who claimed that some of the cyclists were students and artisans, said there was no support for them from any quarters. According to him, they embarked on the journey on their own bicycles.

Though, he claimed that the cyclists came across different difficulties on their way from Burkina Faso to Ghana, Sekou, who is the leader of the Ahmadiyya youth in Burkina Faso, said they were however not frightened as they overcame the difficulties.

“They claimed that they were happy to be in Ghana because they have not only come to see the Khilafatul but to share from the benefits of the convention,” he said.

Some of the people who came from United States of America and United Kingdom for the convention told the Nigerian Tribune of its significance to the Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Rasheed Gale Ayanru, a professor of special education in one of the universities in New York, told the Nigerian Tribune that the convention had confirmed the Ahmadiyya’s love for everybody and hatred for none.

According to her, the Ahmadis are not terrorists as being speculated in some quarters. We are not aggressive or fanatics. We have love for mankind and ready to serve Allah and humanity and this has been expressed in the theme of this year’s convention titled “Love for all, hatred for none,” she said.

Another America-based Muslim, Alhaji Jamil Ahmad, said it was a blessing for Allah who has given him the golden opportunity to witness the convention. He said the message he would take back to the Americans was for them to take a journey back to Africa so that they could make life better for the Africans.

He said that he would continue to spread the message of love for all, hatred for none and let the Americans see the need for peace to reign, not only Africa, but in the whole world.

The Minister of Education, Science and Sports in Ghana, Professor Dominic Fobi, who was one of the guest speakers at the convention, told the Nigerian Tribune in an interview that the purposeful 100 years of Ahmadiyya history was a great occasion worth celebrating and that the presence of the leader of the mission worldwide was not only a blessing to its members but to Ghana as a country.

According to him, the ideals upon which Ahmadiyya was founded 100 years ago have continued to thrive.

He enumerated Ahmadiyya’s contributions to the socio-economic development of the old Gold Coast to include the provision of healthcare facilities through the construction of hospitals and clinics and construction of schools in different parts of the country. He explained that enrolment of students in the schools and provision of healthcare facility were extended to the people irrespective of their religion affiliations.

The Vice President, Alhaji Aliu Muhama said it was a privilege for him to be at the closing ceremony of the convention to celebrate the 100 years of successful succession in the Ahmadiyya.

While describing the mission as a peaceful movement in Ghana, he said it had exhibited tolerance and cooperation towards other religious organisations to ensure peace not only in Ghana but in the entire world.

According to him, the mission, which had provided a pathway between man and Allah believes in peace, harmony and tolerance and regulates the conduct of mankind through enlightenment.

He added that the mission had contributed immensely to the socio-economic development of Ghana, while the theme of the conference ‘Love for all, hatred for none,’ was appropriate especially for a country like Ghana.

“The meaning of the theme of the convention is deep for us as a country devoid of discrimination that creates imbalance. Our desire is to love and save mankind irrespective of ethnic, religion and political affiliations. Government is committed to peaceful co-existence in the country. We can avoid violence,” he said.

The head of Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission in Ghana, Dr. Wahab Adam, in an interview with the Nigerian Tribune, identified commitment and determination to the successful staging of the convention. “The whole story was put as self-help because we decided not to depend on anybody for any assistance. We have focus and our focus is to host the convention without depending on anybody,” he said.

He, however, thanked some government officials in Ghana, the missions in Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Benin for their contributions for the success of the convention.

Adam who recalled that the various committees set up for the purpose of hosting the convention met 98 times, that is, once in a week before the convention, said the result showed their commitment and desire to achieve result.

As a result of the mission’s contributions to the socio-economic development of Ghana, he said government had issued four different postage stamps to commemorate the centenary celebration of Ahmadiyya in the country.

The spiritual head of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community worldwide, Hazrat Masroor Ahmad (Khilafat V) in his message at the convention challenged Muslim parents to set a high moral standard for their children so that they could contribute positively to the socio-economic development of their various countries.

While noting that education was a factor binding the people together, the Ahmadiyya leader stated that as parents, they had roles to play in the spiritual upbringing of their children through prayers.

He urged them to equip their children with good behaviours so that they also could contribute to the positive growth and development of the countries of the world.

He stressed the need for the Ahmadis to enforce the covenant they made with the founder of the mission, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, saying that it was an opportunity for making changes within selves.

In his special message at the opening ceremony, Ahmad who reminded the people of the founder’s saying. “It is unfortunate that some prominent members of the Jama’at did not appreciate the status of the office of Khilafat. Conspiracies continued to be hatched, but the tree planted by the hand of God continued to grow,” he said.

While recalling that the Jama’at had to face great sufferings and severe opposition, he said, yet, with the blessings of Allah Khilafat had continued to successfully move forward.

He said: “I am a humble person and I am not very knowledgeable, yet, Allah has united at my hand the whole Jama’at. Everyday, the relationship between me and the community grows stronger and stronger.

“The world thought that perhaps I would not be able to look after the Jama’at and that they would see the end of it (Jama’at) for which they had been waiting in the last 100 years. But they forgot that this tree has been planted by God. No human being is responsible for planting it and making it flourish.

“Rather, whatever is happening is because of the divine promises and support. And Allah is fulfilling the promise made to the promised Messiah in the revelation,” he said.