Woman who lives on in people’s hearts

Source/Credit: The Times of Malta: Thursday, July 28, 2011 , by:

Laiq Ahmed Atif, president, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Malta, Ta’ Xbiex

Death is as real as life and death is an integral part of life. The life of a human being is limited on this earth and everyone has to leave this world to join the hereafter. It is true that death physically separates a person from its dear and loved ones but those who live in hearts cannot ever be separated from them.

Mary Fenech Adami, a great person, highly respected and loved, was a real example of this, because she was a person who lived and no doubt lives in the hearts of thousands.

The former First Lady lived her life with great determination, passion for serving others, feeling others’ pain and helping the needy. She dealt perfectly with her public as well as family life.

She brought up five children, giving them all the attention they needed, and at the same time meeting with people, asking about their problems, offering them help and support, listening to the ordinary people and giving them proper attention. She was a courageous and strong person. She was an example of honour and dignity for the country. She was a woman Malta should be proud of.

A few months ago I read the news about a head of state who went to the US with his delegation to demand aid and help for the country as the country was suffering from a bad economy. But I was astonished to read that the rent of the hotel he was staying at was $5,000 a night.

Isn’t it very strange? Begging for help and staying in such a luxurious hotel!?

What a great and positive example we have in the shape of Mrs Fenech Adami. Peppi Azzopardi wrote that when she went to visit Maltese patients in the UK, she instructed staff to keep expenses to a minimum: “Mrs Fenech Adami, sitting on a bench in the centre of London, making sandwiches for us to eat. When I saw passers-by looking at us, I said to myself: ‘They would never believe that she is Malta’s First Lady’!” Because of deeds such as this she will live forever in the hearts of people.

She was a great but humble lady, who was loved by all. Her death is a great loss to this country.

We want to show our sincerest condolences to President Emeritus Eddie Fenech Adami, her son Beppe Fenech Adami, member of Parliament, her daughter, sons and her friends and to all her dear ones. May God bless them with the strength to deal with this tragedy.

We pray that her beautiful soul will rest in peace forever and may God bless her with His everlasting love and pleasure. Amen.

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Ahmadiyya commemorated Women’s Day centenary

(L-R) Mrs. Catherine Gonzi, Mr. Laiq Ahmed Atif and Mrs. Michelle Muscat

Source/Credit: www.di-ve.com - editorial@di-ve.com; 21 July 2011

Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Malta commemorated the centenary of International Women’s Day by organising a seminar about women on Friday, June 17 at the Waterfront Hotel, Gzira.

In this respectful gathering talks were delivered by Catherine Gonzi, wife of Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi; Michelle Muscat, wife of Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat; Nadya Anne Mangion, the vice president of the National Council of Women; Rev Lawrence Attard and Laiq Ahmed Atif, president Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Malta.The programme was presented by Valerie Vella.

All the speakers highlighted various subjects regarding women, and expressed great honour and dignity for women.

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Inspiring speeches

Source: Wednesday, 20 July 2011

BY: GODFREY MAGRI - ATTARD MALTA

The annual convention of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat was held in Karlsruhe, Germany, between 24 and 26 June. Over 30,000 members participated and prayed in a great community spirit.

The Leader of the Community, Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, made two inspiring speeches. In the first speech he emphasised the loyalty to one’s nation, explained that suicide was against Islam, warned that terrorism only creates disorder and leaves behind it bloodshed, widows and orphans and that we must pray God for guidance and protection. The message of the Quran is a message of peace, love and respect.

In the concluding speech and the message for the future, the Head of the Community, spoke about Satan’s free hand. However, we must pray God to help us, as His Messengers have suggested, and God will respond. We must have fear of God and obedience to His laws. The modern electronic devices, if badly used, can be poison. We must distance ourselves from evil and misdeeds. Our journey in this world has to be justified; there must be fear of God in both letter and spirit. God wants love and brotherhood. Fasting is not enough, one must lead by examples and by the way one lives.

Piety and soft hands do more good than violence. He finally concluded by reminding us that our prayers to God will help us to remove our weaknesses and to reform ourselves.

Although these speeches were made to the members of the Ahmadiyya Community, they also appeal to all humanity.

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Human dignity and honour of women

Source/Credit: The Times of Malta: Friday, July 15, 2011 , by Laiq Ahmed Atif

Human beings have explored more civilisations with the passage of time and we are now in the 21st century. But, in some countries and societies that is merely a technicality and nothing more. The archaic and often criminal notions of justice and honour, particularly the treatment meted out to women, speak of a society that remains mired in a mediaeval mindset. This is evident judging by news from different countries and societies and because the world has emerged as a global village such news and stories are easily accessible.

Respect and tolerance towards each other is one of the great human values. It is said that “love creates love”. I also believe that “respect creates respect”. And when everyone tries to respect one another and when men and women are equally respected in a society, then the social and family system will become stronger and healthier.

Women constitute almost half of the world population and are one of the main stakeholders of a society. Women play a great role in the social and family system. Sometimes, a woman appears as a mother, sometimes as a wife and sometimes as a daughter. All these roles are respected and dignified.

But, most unfortunately, we sometimes find that women are not treated well and are dishonoured and, in some countries, the situation is even worse. A recent survey by the Guardian indicated that Afghanistan is the worst place in the world for women to live and that the Congo, Pakistan, India and Somalia also fail females, with rape, poverty and infanticide being rife.

Violence against women is rampant in all corners of the world. Such violence is a human rights violation that manifests itself in a number of ways, including: violence against women in custody, women trafficking, forced and unwilling marriages, acid burning, dowry and inheritance deaths, genital mutilation, domestic violence, stoning to death and so-called honour killing.

Also, it is a bitter reality that, every year, thousands of women become victims of these crimes. According to Amnesty International, at least one woman in every three has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in her lifetime around the world. Every year, violence in the home and the community devastates the lives of millions of women. Gender-based violence kills and disables as many women between the ages of 15 and 44 as cancer.

Here, I strongly and categorically condemn and share a recent story of a middle-aged woman who was pulled out of her house by at least four men, stripped naked and dragged through the streets in Neelor Bala village in Haripur district, Pakistan. Reportedly, the entire village witnessed the ugly and inhuman spectacle but no one dared intervene because the assailants were armed and declared that if anyone came forward to help the woman, they will be shot. One wonders what her crime was. Why was she dishonoured and became the victim of a heinous crime? It is reported that one of the offenders accused her son of having illicit relations with his wife but there were no accusations against her.

This continued for a full hour and those ill-natured people paraded her naked and kept beating her in front of the entire village. The woman says: “Through­-out I was asking myself why this curse had befallen me from nowhere. What had I done? I was begging them to stop. But they didn’t listen.”

And, finally, after all the humiliation, when they released her, she ran to her home, covered herself with clothes and went to a forest and spent the whole night there with her younger son because she couldn’t face her family members. She describes her position saying: “Before all this, I was poor but I had a respectable life, I was happy. But after something like this, my life is finished.”

This incident and the words of that woman are indeed saddening and every sane and sensible person would certainly feel pain at this barbaric act. This act was beyond humanity. Even animals show more respect than these people. This act and every similar act of mistreatment of women are condemnable. Women deserve more respect and dignity because they are as equal as men in respect and honour.

Sadly, the underlying issue remains a barbaric and heinous mindset in which an innocent woman is held for personal interests. It was a case in which people took the law into their own hands and, with the power of a gun, abused the dignity of a woman. The police investigated the case and arrested some of the suspects. But different questions arise: Will the culprits be punished? Will justice be done? Will such humiliation and violence against women end? Will that woman regain her honour and dignity?

amjmalta@gmail.com; The author is president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Malta.

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Documentary tilted ‘Lenti’ on TVM about Ahmadiyya

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07A9-chGk7I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ProRhNg-U2I&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNzFh8Mf8eM&feature=related

Laiq Ahmed Atif, President Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Malta in 'Lenti' programme on TVM. Programme was presented by Mr. Albert Marshall.

Ahmadiyya condemns Human Rights Violation in Pakistan

Download the English Translation of this leaflet:

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Malta strongly condemns the Human Rights situation in Pakistan. In recent weeks media has reported many incidents of human rights violation and provocative acts in Pakistan; and so-called religious clerics and extremists are spreading hatred throughout the country, which already has caused thousands deaths of innocent people. Some clerics and hardliners are demanding the banning of the Holy Bible[i], in the country. Infamous blasphemy laws are being misused and innocent people are becoming the victims of those laws. Tolerance, freedom of religion and speech is lacking rapidly and extremists are fulfilling their agenda. Provocative and hate campaigns are started against minorities and people of other faiths.

Most recently, a hard-line Islamist “Khatme Nabuwwat” Organization (organization Prophet Hood Seal) in Pakistan has launched a campaign in Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan, in order to kill Ahmadi Muslims (the members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat). They have been distributing leaflets calling for the murder of Ahmadi Muslims and calling it a real Jihad; and orchestrating a boycott of Ahmadi businesses, doctors, teachers and all prominent members of the community. And they are repeatedly calling the Ahmadi Muslims “Wajib-ul-Qatal” means “liable for death”.

The brochure promotes the open murder of Ahmadis and explains that this is a meritorious act, protective spirit of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) with honor and reward in paradise[ii].

The Asian Human Rights Commission issued a press release under the title “Extremists are planning openly to kill hundreds of Ahmadiyys, the government turns a blind eye”, on Saturday, 11^th June 2011[iii].

The organization has issued an open letter and published a list of the elite among Ahmadiyya Muslims, ie doctors, teachers and businessmen in Faisalabad. It has motivated, inspired and manipulated the society with the message:

“Wake your conscience! And be fearless, holy warriors of Khatme Nabuwwat, kill the followers of the Ahmadiyya doctrine and get martyr status.”

In Faisalabad, the situation is very unstable and dangerous. No Ahmadi is guaranteed safety or security. Nor the Pakistani government, police or judicial system have issued any official statements on the announcement of the open message that is causing this tremendous fear. Children are afraid to go to school and businessmen are afraid to open their daily businesses.

A few months ago four Ahmadi Muslims were shot dead in Faisalabad because of these types of statements.

The federal government has not taken any effective action to halt and eliminate the extremist activity that continues to undermine the values ​​on which Pakistan was founded on.

Political parties in Pakistan have not shown any signs of confronting religious fanaticism, extremism and violence that has shattered the social and economic fabric of society.

Human Right situation in Indonesia

In Indonesia, the situation of human right is not different from Pakistan. Few months ago some members of the Ahmadiyya Community were killed very brutally[iv]. The government is not taking any positive steps to assure its citizens the freedom of faith and religion; also their safety is not assured[v].

We would like to draw attention to this serious matter, to make it substantially clear to the Pakistani government that this is against the basic human rights, and all the citizens must be given their all basic human rights and depriving them from these rights is clearly against the United Nations Rules and Regulations to which Pakistan is a member state. So, we can avoid any new massacre of the members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community as it happened on 28^th May 2010, where 86 innocent Ahmadis were killed in Lahore Pakistan, on the basis of their faith.

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[i] http://cnsnews.com/news/article/latest-target-pakistani-radicals-ban-bib

[ii] http://www.humanrights.asia/news/ahrc-news/pdf/AHRC-STM-077-2011-01.pdf

[iii] http://www.humanrights.asia/news/ahrc-news/AHRC-STM-077-2011

[iv] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCCyK87hH9M

[v] http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=128191

Malta’s Former First Lady Mrs. Mary Fenech Adami passed away: Nation mourns, Ahmadiyya Expressed Condolences

Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Malta is very sad on the death of our former first lady, Mrs. Mary Fenech Adami.

Laiq Ahmed Atif, president Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Malta, personally phoned Dr. Eddie Fenech Adami, President Emeritus of Malta, to express his condolences following the death of his wife Mrs. Fenech Adami. He also expressed his deepest condolences on behalf of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Malta. And offered support and help at this difficult time to His Excellency. And said:

“We pray for her, may God bless her with His eternal heavens and may her soul rest in peace, may God be with her family. Amen”

During her time in hospital for treatment, Mr. Atif regularly contacted Dr. Eddie Fenech Adami and Hon. Beppe Fenech Adami MP, and expressed his sympathies and help.

Mrs. Mary Fenech Adami was a great but very humble woman of this country. She was very dedicated and determined to her work. She had a great passion to serve others. Her services as the Head of the Community Chest Fund, are bear witness to her support to those in need.

We are united in expressing our grief to His Excellency, Dr. Eddie Fenech Adami and his family.