Message to the Seventh Ahmadiyya Convention — August 21–29, 1975
by Dr MA Aziz
The Light (Pakistan), 16th February 1976 Issue (Vol. 56, Nos. 6–7, pp. 12)
I send praise to God Almighty for his graciousness and munificence in granting me and my family this great privilege and experience of attending this Convention. On behalf of all our brothers and sisters in the Western Hemisphere who cannot be here for this momentous occasion in the history of our movement and on my own behalf as President-General of the Council of the Ahmadiyya Anjuman for the Western Hemisphere, I wish to convey greetings and salutations to all our brothers and sisters, and friends here today from far and wide for a very successful and historic week of activities.
I firmly believe that
“God [Allah] is with us” [The Holy Quran, 9:40].
Those of us who are dedicated to the cause of truth and the propagation and promotion of Islamic values in the wider-world cannot be hindered or impeded in our conviction by the unfortune happenings in Pakistan. The situation is analogous to the sun hidden by an overcast. This is a temporary phase, for this overcast is short-lived. The sun still shines beyond that dark and dismal cloud. So too does the sun of Islam shine through the Ahmadiyya Movement and will again dissipate the darkness and ignorance that has clouded the minds of those unfortunate Muslims who have fallen a prey to bigotry and intolerance.
The migration of Muslims from the East to the West must be to the advantage of our Movement for in this transplantation Muslims and particularly the young generation are confronted with new problems of culture and environment. Islam can make this transition easy for them but only Islam as interpreted by our Movement in this changing world.
“God will not change the condition of a people until they bestir themselves to change it,”
says the Holy Quran [13:11].
Let us hope that the past is a lesson in history for us and let us look head to the future with nobler aspirations for renewed vigour and greater sacrifices to effect change for the better of our ailing humanity.
Again I wish this convention all the success it richly deserves and would like to pay public tribute to London organising committee for a job well done.
Dr. MA Aziz, FRCS
President-General of the Ahmadiyya Anjuman, Western Hemisphere, Trinidad