Muslims preach love at annual convention in face of growing Islamophobia

Tens of thousands of Ahmadiyya Muslims came together for three days in the UK to celebrate and renew their faith despite a rise in Islamophobia in 2017.

Over 30,000 members of the Ahmadiyya community came from all over the world to the blistering summer heat and humidity in order to attend the annual Jalsa Salana convention in Alton.

This gathering took place with the knowledge that anti-Muslim abuses rose in the UK by 26 percent according to the monitoring group Tell Mama.

A major theme of the convention was “love for all, hatred for none”, which was printed on banners that were posted throughout the maze of tents that contained the event.

During the joumah prayer service, the caliph of the community, Mirza Masroor Ahmad, gave an hour-long sermon in Urdu about showing respect for both the volunteers working at the event and the guests in attendance. Live translations were provided on headphones to those who required it.

Many people explained how important this event was to them as it brings people from all different faiths and backgrounds together in order to combat hate with love despite the event revolving around the Ahmadiyya community.

The main festivities ended with Caliph Mirza Masroor Ahmad raising both the flags of the Ahmadiyya and the UK simultaneously to symbolise the importance of supporting both one’s community and country no matter where they may be from.