The Review of Religions April 2017

The Role of Women
in Society
12
The Persecution of the
Messiahs and Their Early
Followers
28
The ECJ Headscarf
Ruling
48
Why Religion Shouldn’t
Be Pushed Aside at Work
56
VOL. 112 - ISSUE FOURAPRIL 2017 WWW.REVIEWOFRELIGIONS.ORG
The
ROLE
of WOMEN
IN SOCIETY

And eschew open sins as well as
secret ones. Surely, those who
earn sin will be rewarded for
that which they have earned.
ISLAM, THE HOLY QUR’AN,
6:121
The Messenger of Allah, peace
and blessings be upon him, said,
“Verily, when the servant commits
a sin a black spot appears upon
his heart. If he abandons the
sin, seeks forgiveness, and
repents, then his heart will be
polished. If he returns to the sin,
the blackness will be increased
until it overcomes his heart. It is
the covering that Allah has
mentioned: No, but on their
hearts is a covering because
of what they have earned.”
ISLAM, SUNAN AL-TIRMIDHI,
KITAB TAFSIR-UL-QUR’AN,
HADITH NO. 3334
The fact is that sin is a poison
that is born when man does not
obey God, does not love Him
fervently and does not remember
Him with love. A person whose
heart has become estranged from
God’s love is like a tree which,
having been uprooted from the
soil and, therefore, being unable
to absorb water, withers with
each passing day and soon loses
all its verdure. Sin devastates
man just as dryness kills a tree.
ISLAM, HAZRAT MIRZA
GHULAM AHMADAS
, FOUR
QUESTIONS BY A CHRISTIAN
AND THEIR ANSWERS, 2-3
Blessed is the one who does not
walk in step with the wicked or
stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers.
JUDAISM, OLD TESTAMENT,
PSALM 1:1
If your brother or sister
sins, go and point out their
fault, just between the two
of you. If they listen to you,
you have won them over.
CHRISTIANITY, BIBLE,
MATTHEW 18:15
He that hath sinned In body, word,
or thought, Or in anything That
is called sinful, Doing not that
which is righteous, But doing
much that is unrighteous--This
fool after the dissolution of the
body, Shall go to perdition.
BUDDHISM, GAUTAMA
BUDDHA, ITI-VUTTAKA
Sin is a stone which does not float.
SIKHISM, SRI GURU GRANTH
SAHIB JI
The Holy Prophet
Muhammadsa
prophesied
that the Promised Messiahas
would be raised near a
white minaret, east of
Damascus. This prophecy
was fulfilled with the advent
of the Promised Messiahas
from Qadian, India, a city
directly east of Damascus.
The Promised Messiahas
& imam mahdi
©makhzan-e-tasaweer
founder of
the review of religions
Sin
WORLD FAITHS
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas
, the Promised Messiah
and Mahdi was born to a noble family in Qadian, India.
From an early age he had a keen interest in religion and
developed a love for the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa
. He
was also known for his honesty, friendliness and resolve.
Over time his knowledge and understanding of religion
and its application to society deepened. Being a Muslim
it was his firm belief that all religions were true at their
source but with the passage of time had drifted away
from their original teachings; he upheld the dignity of
religion and demonstrated its relevance to everyone.
His earnest defence of religion was ultimately blessed
when he started to receive direct revelation from Allah
– a blessing that he continued for the rest of his life.
His mission was to revitalise the truth that all religions
held within them and to revive the teachings of Islam. It
was through this that he would bring mankind together
and establish everlasting peace.
In 1889, under Divine Guidance, Hazrat Ahmadas
founded the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community – a
community that has since grown in its stature and
strength and has remained active in conveying the
message of Islam to the ends of the earth.
Hazrat Ahmadas
had established himself as a respected
writer and had written over 80 books. His writings
have been translated into more than 60 languages and
continue to inspire readers to this day. One of his greatest
scholarly works was The Philosophy of the Teachings of
Islam, prepared as a paper and read out at the Conference
of Great Religions in 1896.
He also wrote a fascinating treatise in 1899 entitled Jesus
in India, a book that uncovered remarkable evidence
of Jesus’sas
journey to India. In 1902, the Promised
Messiahas
initiated The Review of Religions which has
covered a vast array of topics on religion, philosophy
and contemporary issues of the day. It is the longest
running English magazine in defence of Islam and the
values it teaches.
From 1889 until the time of his demise in 1908 tens
of thousands of people accepted him. This blessing
has continued and will continue through his Khulafa
(successors).
Currently under the fifth successor, we are seeing that the
tide of acceptance is worldwide and that the message of
Prophet Ahmadas
has really reached the ends of the earth.

12 The Equality of Women and
Their Role in Society
At the concluding address of
the Waqf-e-Nau ijtema 2017,
His Holiness Mirza Masroor
Ahmadaba
urges young women
to use their education to further
the cause of their faith.
HAZRAT MIRZA MASROOR AHMADABA
, WORLDWIDE
HEAD OF THE AHMADIYYA MUSLIM COMMUNITY
26 Prayer And Planning Are Two
Natural Demands
HAZRAT MIRZA GHULAM AHMADAS
, THE PROMISED
MESSIAH & IMAM MAHDI
28 The Persecution of the
Messiahs and Their
Early Followers
Prophets have always been persecuted
in their own time. However there
are striking similarities between
the persecution of Jesusas
and
the Promised Messiahas
who
appeared in the latter days.
BILAL ATKINSON, HARTLEPOOL, UK
48 The ECJ Headscarf Ruling:
Why It Doesn’t Make Legal,
Moral or Common Sense
In March, the European Court of
Justice ruled that an employer could
ban visible religious symbols.This
clearly impedes Muslim women
who wear the headscarf for religious
purposes—and makes our society
less tolerant and free in the process.
SHAZIA BHATTI, LONDON, UK
56 Why Religion Shouldn’t Be
Pushed Aside at Work
The ECJ ruling on the headscarf
makes it difficult for different and
diverse perspectives to meet and learn
from one another in the workplace.
MELIHA HAYAT, LONDON, UK
Front cover picture:
© ChristianChan | shutterstock
CONTENTS
APRIL 2017 VOL.112 - ISSUE FOUR
56
12
48
70 Achieving the Real Purpose
of Life
Money, fast cars, villas are all seen
to be the key to a successful life,
however does this really grant true
contentment in life? Materialism and
worldly pursuits are driving people
further and further away from the
real purpose why man was placed
on this earth…yet the real key to
contentment is not in material things.
HAZRAT MIRZA GHULAM AHMADAS
, THE PROMISED
MESSIAH & IMAM MAHDI

CHIEF EDITOR & MANAGER
Syed Amer Safir
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Nakasha Ahmad,Tariq H. Malik
RELIGION & SCIENCE
Editor: Dr. Syed Muhammad Tahir Nasser
Deputy: Dr.Tauseef Khan
ISLAM & CONTEMPORARY ISSUES
Editor: Shahzad Ahmad
LAW & HUMAN RIGHTS
Editor: Qudsi Rasheed
Deputy: Ayesha Mahmood Malik
ANCIENT RELIGIONS & ARCHAEOLOGY
Editor: Fazal Ahmad
Deputy: Rizwan Safir
CHRISTIANITY
Editor: Navida Sayed
Deputy: Arif Khan
WOMEN’S SECTION
Editor: Aliya Latif
Deputy: Meliha Hayat
BOOK REVIEWS
Editor: Sarah Waseem
WEB TEAM
Mubashra Ahmad, Hibba Turrauf
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
Head: Razwan Baig
EDITORIAL BOARD
Mansoor Saqi, Bockarie Tommy Kallon, Professor
Amtul Razzaq Carmichael, Murtaza Ahmad, Fiona
O’Keefe, Hassan Wahab, Jonathan Butterworth,
Munazza Khan, Waqar Ahmedi, Mahida Javed
SUB-EDITORS
Munawara Ghauri (Head), Maryam Malik,
Nusrat Haq, Mariam Rahman
PROOFREADERS
Farhana Dar (Head), Hina Rehman, Amina Abbasi, Aisha Patel
HOUSE STYLE GUIDE
Maleeha Ahmad (Head), Sadia Shah
SOCIAL MEDIA
Tazeen Ahmad (Head), Mala Khan (Deputy), Nudrat
Ahmad, Hajra Ahmad, Mishall Rahman, Shumaila Ahmad
PRINT DESIGN AND LAYOUT
Ahsan Khan
INTERNATIONAL SUBSCRIPTION & DISTRIBUTION
Muhammad Hanif
ACCOUNTS & MARKETING
Musa Sattar
ART & CREATIVITY
Zubair Hayat, Mussawir Din
INDEXING,TAGGING & ARCHIVING
Mirza Krishan Ahmad (Head). Amtus Shakoor Tayyaba Ahmed
(Deputy). Humaira Omer, Humda Sohail, Shahid Malik, Ruhana
Hamood, Mubahil Shakir, Adila Bari, Hassan Raza Ahmad
MANAGEMENT BOARD
Munir-Ud-Din Shams (Chairman), Syed Amer Safir (Secretary), Mubarak Ahmad Zaffar, Abdul Baqi Arshad,
Ataul Mujeeb Rashed, Naseer Qamar, Abid Waheed Ahmad Khan, Aziz Ahmad Bilal
WORLD
CRISIS
M I R Z A M A S R O O R A H M A D
PEACE
andthePathwaytoThe world is passing through very turbulent times.The
global economic crisis continues to manifest newer and
graver dangers almost every week. The similarities to
the period just before the Second World War continue
to be cited and it seems clear that events are moving
the world at an unprecedented pace towards a horrific
Third World War.
In this book, His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad,
the Head of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community warns the world of the fast approaching
dangers and how it can avert disaster and chart a
course to peace.
WORLD
CRISIS
PEACE
andthePathwayto
9 781848 808584
ISBN 184880858-5
9 781848 808577
ISBN 184880857-7
WORLDCRISISandthePathwaytoPEACEMIRZAMASROORAHMAD
Please Note.
Background colour:
C=10
M=10
Y=0
K=100
From His Holiness – Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaba
– comes a groundbreaking vision for how to estab-
lish long-lasting peace in a world fraught with rapidly
increasing disorder and unrest. His Holiness reminds
world leaders that the flames of war are already burn-
ing through local and regional conflicts and we stand
at the precipice of another world war. If these sparks
were to truly ignite we could witness the horrific
reality of a nuclear war, whose consequences are
unimaginable. His Holiness is the Worldwide Head
and Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
– which has tens of millions of followers in over
200 countries.
World Crisis and the Pathway to Peace is a collection
of the historic addresses and letters by His Holiness to
world leaders and influential figures. In this book, His
Holiness offers consummate analysis on all aspects
of the global crisis; political, economic, social and
spiritual and provides the golden keys to resolving
the critical problems the world faces. In a world where
existing strategies for peace have failed and peo-
ple are desperately looking for a new direction, His
Holiness presents fresh and practical solutions, giving
hope that we can still prevent a global catastrophe.
(continued on back flap)
The world is passing through turbulent times.The global economic crisis
continues to manifest new and grave dangers at every juncture.The
similarities of the current circumstances to the build-up of the Second
WorldWar are stark. Events appear to be moving us rapidly towards a
ThirdWorldWar.The consequences of a nuclear war are beyond
our imagination.
In this book, the historic addresses of Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaba
, Fifth
Khalifah of the Promised Messiahas
and Supreme Head of the worldwide
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, to prominent dignitaries at Capitol Hill, the
House of Commons, the European Parliament and other notable locations
around the world have been collated.The book also includes the momentous
letters sent by His Holiness to the numerous world leaders. Over and over
again, His Holiness has reminded all that the only means of averting a global
catastrophe is for nations to establish justice as an absolute requirement of
their dealings with others. Even if mutual enmity exists, impartiality must
be observed at all times, because history has taught us that this alone is
the way to eliminate all traces of hatred and to build everlasting peace.
Read online at: www.alislam.org
Purchase the book here:
http://store.alislam.org/

Read online: https://www.alislam.org/library/books/Noahs-Ark-Kashti-Nuh.pdf
Purchase print copy: http://store.alislam.org/englishbooks.html
F
rom 1896 to 1914 the plague ravaged British India, and
more particularly, the province of Punjab. During these
perilous times, as towns and cities were devoured, the
British government undertook efforts to save the people from this
pandemic through inoculation. It was in this backdrop that Mirza
Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian penned Noah’s Ark in 1902. In it the
author elaborates the essence of his teachings and states that those
who sincerely follow its tenets would be saved miraculously from
the onslaughts of this epidemic, even without inoculation. This
was a prophecy vouchsafed to him by God. History testifies to the
magnificent fulfilment of this prophecy.
The book Noah’s Ark shines as a beacon of hope not only for the
people of the past, but also now and shall continue to grant salvation
to the world in all ages. It is a book that stands as one of the most
influential works of the Promised Messiah and Mahdi,and continues
to transform lives even today.
NEW
BOOK
NOAH’S
ARK
AN INVITATION TO FAITH

© Diliana Nikolova | Shutterstock
HISTORIC ADDRESS TO THE WAQFEEN-E-NAU GIRLS AT THE IJTEMA 2017
Is the next generation
of Waqfeen-e-Nau girls
ready for the task ahead?
I
n 1987, the fourth Supreme Head of the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmadrh
,
launched the Waqf-e-Nau programme, in which
parents dedicated their children—before they were even
born—to the service of Islam and their faith.
Launched in honour of the mother of Maryra
, who dedi-
cated Mary to the service of of her faith even before her
birth, this programme has to date produced nearly 60,000
Waqfaat-e-Nau around the world.They serve their com-
munities and their faith in a variety of fields, including
medicine, engineering, education and missionary work.
In the current climate—where both Muslims and
non-Muslims hold erroneous beliefs about what Islam
teaches—how can Waqfaat-e-Nau use their education,
knowledge and abilities to show how Islam values women
and brings peace?

the education and moral training of
women and girls. Yet, over time, this
instruction of the Holy Prophetsa
was
increasingly ignored amongst Muslims
and so Muslim women became far less
educated than men.
A major cause of this unfortunate
trend was the fact that many so-called
religious scholars from amongst the so-
called Ulema (religious scholars) did not
want religious knowledge to be shared
or spread,either amongst men,but espe-
cially amongst women.In contravention
of Islamic teachings, they desired for
women to be confined solely within the
four walls of their home and did not even
permit them to gain a basic education.
Such attitudes were extremely harmful to
the long-term progress of Islam,because
it was not possible for Muslim women to
do the moral training of their children
After reciting Tashahhud,Ta’awwuz and
Bismillah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba
,
Worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community, said:
“Today,with the Grace of Allah,you are
all attending the National Waqfaat-e-
Nau Ijtema (event), which is arranged
for those girls in our Jama’at (Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community), whose parents
pledged their lives for the sake of their
faith before they were born, and who
upon reaching the age of fifteen, have
voluntarily renewed that pledge. Thus,
you have willingly chosen to dedicate
your lives for the service of the Jama’at
and, given this, it is imperative that you
continually reflect upon your moral
standards and religious knowledge.
You must ask yourselves if you are truly
ready to serve wherever,and whenever the
Jama’at calls you for service.Masha’Allah,
having grown up here, you have all been
blessed with many educational oppor-
tunities and so it can be said that you
are all well-educated. Even those of you
who are comparatively less educated than
your peers, are still far more well-read
than the majority of girls who grew up
fifty or sixty years ago. And if we rewind
the clock further,to the late 19th
century
or to the early 20th
century, the girls and
women of that period hardly had any
educational opportunities at all.
Similarly, in terms of both secular and
religious knowledge, very few Muslim
girls had the opportunity to pursue sec-
ular studies or to learn about their faith
and to increase their religious knowl-
edge.This is quite astounding and deeply
regrettable,given that the Holy Prophetsa
placed great importance and value upon
The Role of Women
in Society
This is quite astounding and
deeply regrettable, given that
the Holy Prophetsa
placed
great importance and value
upon the education and moral
training of women and girls.
Women today have much more opportunities
as compared to those living in earlier periods,
such as in the 19th century. Having been
given these opportunities, they should
take care to use their education wisely.
User chippix | Shutterstock
ADDRESS BY HAZRAT KHALIFATUL MASIH VABA
AT THE CONCLUDING SESSION OF THE
NATIONAL WAQFAAT-E-NAU (GIRLS) IJTEMA UK ON 25TH FEBRUARY 2017
12 THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS | APRIL 2017 APRIL 2017 | THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS 13

upon you by your faith. As I have said,
our Jama’at has always promoted the edu-
cation of girls, and a by-product of this
is that in some parts of the world, par-
ticularly in developing nations, but also
in the Western world,we are seeing that
Ahmadi girls take their studies more seri-
ously than boys and are out-performing
them. Whilst I am happy that our girls
are shining in this manner,one issue that
has arisen is that when it comes to decid-
ing upon possible rishtas (proposals of
marriage) some of our young Ahmadi
women desire only to marry men who
are educationally on par with them. Of
course, our boys and young men should
focus on their studies and work diligently,
but if a girl gets a marriage proposal from
a good and pious Ahmadi,she should not
reject it just because the person is not as
educationally qualified as she would like.
The priority in deciding upon a marriage
when they themselves had no knowledge
of their faith. Yet this extremely selfish
attitude prevailed across the ages and
continued until Allah the Almighty sent
, for the sake of
the revival and rejuvenation of the true
teachings of Islam.
Upon his advent, where the Promised
Messiahas
emphasised the Tarbiyyat
(spiritual and moral training) of men and
encouraged them to be educated, simi-
larly,he encouraged Ahmadi women and
girls to seek both secular education and
religious teachings. In fact, there was a
time when the Promised Messiahas
him-
self used to personally conduct religious
classes for women. Through his blessed
guidance, and subsequently through
Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya (caliphate in
the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community),
Ahmadi women came to understand
the significance and value of gaining
an education and of seeking religious
knowledge. Certainly, throughout its
existence, our Jama’at has continued to
promote and support the education of
women and girls and many programmes
or schemes have been set up to facilitate
this.
A prime example are the schools
and colleges established by Hazrat
Musleh-e-Maudra
(Hazrat Mirza Bashir-
Ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad, the Second
Woldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community), first in Qadian
and then in Rabwah. Through these
centres of learning, those girls, who
could not afford to travel to bigger cit-
ies to study, were provided a proper
education and were able to attain high
standards of secular knowledge and reli-
gious teachings.A huge added benefit of
these schools and colleges was that our
girls could attain education in a safe and
moral environment, rather than having
to travel to towns or cities where such
an atmosphere did not exist.Having our
girls educated in a safe and moral way is
also a great challenge that we face today,
especially here in Western countries,
where the commonly held belief is that
it is only due to the so-called ‘freedoms’
that they have afforded that they are pro-
gressing.However,in this belief they are
wrong and there are many dangers and
pitfalls that exist in these societies; and
so all our girls, and particularly mem-
bers of Waqfaat-e-Nau, must tread very
carefully.
Whilst you should seek to excel in your
studies, you must be careful that you
never betray your Islamic values and
never forsake the responsibilities placed
Upon his advent, where
emphasised the Tarbiyyat
(spiritual and moral training)
of men and encouraged them
to be educated, similarly,
he encouraged Ahmadi
women and girls to seek
both secular education
and religious teachings.
While education is important, Waqfaat-e-
Nau should remember to always use their
knowledge to uphold their religion and faith.
User Triff | Shutterstock
the role of women in society

other professions which are of benefit
to humanity can do so. However, at the
same time, they should not ignore their
duties to their children and to their fami-
lies. Such women should manage their
time effectively and ensure that their
children are not neglected in any way.
Certainly,the first priority of an Ahmadi
mother must always be the moral train-
ing of her own children.
Consequently, members of Waqfaat-e-
Nau, who, having acquired high level
degrees or qualifications, desire to make
use of their skills professionally must
ensure that they also fulfil their respon-
sibilities of their home. Equally, those
girls who are well-educated, but who do
not go out to work professionally,should
never bear any form of inferiority com-
plex or feel embarrassed or as though
they are wasting their talents.The truth is
that looking after your homes,and caring
for and raising your children, is of pro-
found importance and of priceless value.
Generally speaking, Islamic teachings
have ascribed a division of labour between
the sexes and it is a great favour of our
religion that it has made our respec-
tive roles and responsibilities so clear.
Nonetheless, Islam has catered for all
possible circumstances and so,even apart
from professionals, there may be special
conditions where women need to work.
For example,during the time of the Holy
Prophetsa
,women worked as nurses to aid
those who had been injured during the
battles and wars that took place. Indeed,
a few Muslim women even fought on
the front lines and showed magnificent
courage and bravery.
Anyway, as I mentioned before, you are
the people whose parents pledged your
lives for the service of Islam, and many
of you have now reached adulthood or
are fast approaching it,and have renewed
that pledge for yourselves. The ques-
tion is why did you renew the bond of
Waqaf (life dedication)? Why have you
pledged your lives to the Jama’at? You
should reflect upon this, as you can only
fulfil your pledge if you understand what
it entails and requires. By being a Waqf-
e-Nau you have promised that you will
forever give priority to your faith over all
worldly and material things.
Hence,alongside your secular education
in your schools and colleges,it is of para-
mount importance that you also strive to
gain religious knowledge, because until
you know what your religion teaches and
expects,you cannot live your life accord-
ing to its teachings. First and foremost,
proposal should always be righteousness
and seeking to ensure that you can live the
rest of your life in a home where the true
values of Ahmadiyyat are always prac-
tised.Anyway,in terms of the importance
of education itself,always remember that
knowledge can only prove beneficial
when used for the sake of upholding your
religion and faith. And the primary way
to utilise your knowledge for the sake
of your faith is to fulfil the rights owed
to Allah the Almighty and to fulfil the
rights of one another.Foremost amongst
the rights owed to one another, is the
duty of a mother to raise and educate her
children, be they boys or girls, in a pious
fashion, so that they grow to excel and
prove to be great assets to their nations.
However, nowhere does Islam say that
women should be confined to the home
as is sometimes alleged.
For example, there are some girls and
ladies who excel in studies and achieve
extraordinary results and Islam does not
instruct that they should waste their
talents or skills and only stay at home.
Islam does not restrict them from fulfill-
ing their potential,rather they can pursue
those professions through which they can
benefit humanity and serve mankind.
Thus, women who have the capacity to
become doctors or teachers or to pursue
Equally, those girls who are
well-educated, but who do not
go out to work professionally,
should never bear any form
of inferiority complex or feel
embarrassed or as though they
are wasting their talents.Te
truth is that looking after
your homes, and caring for
and raising your children,
is of profound importance
and of priceless value.
Islam does not restrict women from reaching
their potential and actually pushes them
to excel and increase their talents.
Satyrenko | Shutterstock

In this era of the Promised Messiahas
,
the conditions for a physical Jihad of the
Sword no longer exist,because no nation
or group is raising a physical army against
Islam and the tactics used by its oppo-
nents today are quite different. Rather
than physical warfare,they are attacking
Islam through the publication of anti-
Islam literature, through the media and
internet and through their own forms
of missionary work. Accordingly, we are
now in a period where education is the
key to challenging this propaganda by
waging an intellectual Jihad through
those same mediums that are being used
to target Islam. It is not only men and
boys who can take part in this Jihad of
the Pen,rather our women and girls can,
and must, take part.
Amongst our ladies, the members of
Waqfaat-e-Nau should lead this effort
and so, once you have attained a good
education, you must not waste any
opportunity to defend Islam from the
false charges that are being levelled
against it. This is another reason why
it is necessary that you gain religious
knowledge so that you can respond to the
different allegations made and remove
any misconceptions that exist. Without
any fear,embarrassment or complex,you
it is essential that you all read the Holy
Qur’an with translation and study its
commentary as much as possible. Only
by becoming familiar with the Holy
Qur’an will you be able to clearly under-
stand the commandments of Allah the
Almighty.Knowledge of the Qur’an will
be the means of your spiritual progress
and will enable you to do the Tarbiyyat
[moral training] of your own children.
Seated in front of me are several Waqfaat-
e-Nau who are now mothers themselves,
but at the same time they are also work-
ing in various professions,and so I would
again remind them that they must divide
their time in a way that the moral train-
ing and well-being of their children never
suffers. There are also many young girls
present who are now engaged to be mar-
ried, and so Insha’Allah (God Willing)
their family lives will soon begin and they
should enter the next stage of their life
knowing that their first priority is to train
their children. If you fulfil this primary
duty,it will not only benefit you and your
family, but your efforts will also prove to
be a source of pride and benefit to your
nation, because you will have instilled
positive values into the next generation.
You will be ensuring that your children
grow to be role models, who will under-
stand their duties to those who follow
them. In this way, you will be the foun-
dation for a cycle of perpetual humanity,
morality and peace amongst the coming
generations. By training your children
according to Islamic teachings, you will
not only be a means of protecting them,
but also the generations that follow as
well.
Remember that the key for any nation
to thrive and progress lies in the hands
of the mothers of that nation. In terms
of the status of women in Islam,we need
look no further than the teachings of the
Holy Prophetsa
during the period when
Islam was being attacked and defensive
wars were fought by the Muslims.At the
time of that Jihad, many Muslim men
were martyred and, as we all know, the
rewards and blessings associated with
martyrdom are vast.Consequently,some
Muslim women asked the Holy Prophetsa
why they were not permitted to fight and
why they were being deprived of the
blessings of Jihad of the Sword and mar-
tyrdom, by looking after their homes. In
reply,the Holy Prophetsa
told the women
that if they fulfilled their duties to their
home,and if they did the moral training
of their children, and raised them to be
pious Muslims, then their reward would
be equal to the reward of the men who
went and engaged in Jihad.
The key to the progress of a nation
lies in the hands of mothers and they
are given special significance for their
major role in helping to nurture the
next generation of Muslim children.
Ruslan Shugushev | Shutterstock

once remarked that until 100% of our
Ahmadi women were fully educated, it
would be impossible to train the youth of
our Jama’at. This comment was steeped
in truth and wisdom. If 10%, 20% or
even 50% or 60% of our women are well
educated and knowledgeable and raise
their children in the best fashion, it will
still not be enough. The reason is that
their children will meet other Ahmadi
children, whose mothers are not edu-
cated or do not have sufficient religious
knowledge, and such children will have
a negative effect on them.Therefore, for
a true righteous and spiritual community
to develop,we need every single Ahmadi
mother and father to play their respec-
tive roles.
If one person, or one family, is weak, it
can easily have a knock-on effect upon
the next.Conversely,if all Ahmadi fami-
lies set a positive example for their own
children it will ensure that we can create
a spiritual and Islamic atmosphere, even
whilst living here in the West. Through
your schools and colleges, you all have
easy access to secular education, but as
I have said repeatedly, you must pur-
sue religious knowledge alongside it.
Otherwise,if you abandon your religious
teachings and traditions, the worldly
knowledge you attain will not be of any
real value or benefit to you.Again,I urge
you to study the Holy Qur’an as much
as possible and read the books of the
Promised Messiahas
and whatever other
Jama’at literature is available in English.
Furthermore, you should listen to my
sermons and try to act upon whatever I
ask of you. Indeed, you should consider
the sermons of the Khalifah-e-Waqt
(Khalifah of the time) as a ready-made
code of conduct for you to live your lives
by. As I said, it is your duty to respond
to the allegations made against Islam in
the West, particularly those that relate
to women’s rights. You must respond,
not only through your words, but also
through your conduct. For example,
you should maintain a good standard of
purdah at all times. Just a few months
ago, in Canada, I delivered a sermon in
which I listed around 34 or 35 special
traits that members of the Waqf-e-Nau
should strive to attain. I highlighted
those qualities that ought to be the hall-
marks of Waqf-e-Nau and so you should
keep them in mind at all times and assess
to what extent you are practising them.
You must also be regular in Namaz
(Salat) i.e. the formal prayer in Islam
and always pray that Allah blesses your
efforts and enables you to utilise your
should respond boldly to the false claims
that are made because you have truth on
your side.In this era,many of the allega-
tions raised against Islam centre around
women’s rights and so you should par-
ticularly focus on responding to them.
For example,it is often alleged that Islam
oppresses women and forces them to
remain confined within their home at all
times.Similarly,it is said that the hijab is
a means of subjugating women.
Another common allegation is that
women are denied their basic rights by
Islam,even though Islam is that religion,
which from the outset guaranteed the
rights of all women. It is that religion
which liberated women and established
their true status and honour. It is only
in the past century, that those people
and nations who condemn Islam, have
been forced to afford some basic rights
to women and yet they still try to claim
moral superiority. Furthermore, in the
name of ‘freedom’ they have fostered an
environment in which women are treated
as objects and their dignity and true sta-
tus is constantly undermined.Anyway,as
I said,it is your duty to defend the noble
teachings of Islam through the media
and other similar means.
Thus, a central team of Waqfaat-e-Nau
should be established for this purpose
and similarly there should be local teams
in different regions and cities as well. It
is you, our Waqf-e-Nau girls and ladies,
who must take on the mantle of edu-
cating the world about the meaning of
true dignity and explain how the rights
of women have been protected by Islam.
For this,you must,as I have already said,
read and study the Holy Qur’an and also
read other Jama’at literature as much as
possible. The knowledge you will gain
from such study will provide you with
the intellectual power and capability to
overcome the arguments of those who
oppose our religion.
In terms of the importance of seeking
knowledge, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra
It is impossible to train the next generation
until 100% of women are educated.
Corepics VOF | Shutterstock

impossible and anyone who claims this
has entirely misrepresented the teachings
of the Holy Prophetsa
.
As I said,this Hadith was a warning and
note of caution to the women of that
time. It was also a means of inspiration,
as the Holy Prophetsa
sought to raise the
spiritual standards of the Muslim women,
and showed them the means of unlock-
ing the doors to paradise. Never did the
Holy Prophetsa
say that these weaknesses
or sins were part of the nature of women,
rather he counselled that they were bad
habits that had developed amongst some.
Whilst nature is something inherent and
permanent, bad habits can be changed
and improved upon.
Just as the Holy Prophetsa
repeatedly
drew the attention of Muslim men to
their weaknesses and taught them how
to reform,similarly he guided the women
as well. It is a cause of deep sorrow that
this Hadith has regularly been misinter-
preted and abused by certain so-called
Islamic scholars, who have hatefully
claimed that these words prove that
women are wrongdoers, lacking in wis-
dom, knowledge or judgment and who
are, God forbid, bound for hell no mat-
ter what. Nothing could be further from
the truth. As I said earlier, many of the
education and knowledge with wisdom.
On one occasion, Hazrat Musleh-
e-Maudra
narrated an incident of an
Ahmadi girl who had completed her
Bachelor’s degree,and so she was advised
that having attained high qualifications,
she should try to spread the teachings
of Ahmadiyyat amongst other educated
people through Tabligh[preaching].
However,in response,she remarked that
she did not attain such qualifications and
education in order to cause ‘division’and
that she felt doing Tabligh was a means
of sparking conflict.Having narrated this,
Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra
remarked that
her response was not of an educated or
literate person, but was the response of
someone who was ignorant and illiter-
ate. Thus, none of you should fall into
this trap. You should understand and
recognise the opportunities Allah has
blessed you with and seek to use whatever
knowledge you have gained for the sake
of the defence and propagation of Islam.
At this time,I also wish to clarify another
allegation that is often levelled against
Islam by its opponents, and regrettably,
is even believed by some Muslim men
and women. The allegation refers to the
Hadith in which the Holy Prophetsa
said
that he had seen in a vision of hell in
which there were many women,who had
no knowledge of their religion,who dis-
played no wisdom or intellect, and who
were ungrateful. Based on this Hadith,
certain non-Muslim critics have alleged
that Islam has belittled and maligned the
status of women, yet nothing could be
further from the truth.Hazrat Musleh-e-
Maudra
has given a detailed commentary
and interpretation of this Hadith, in
which he notes that the Holy Prophetsa
was referring to specific weaknesses that
existed in some women of that time,
whereby they were illiterate, ignorant of
their faith and ungrateful for the favours
bestowed upon them.
Hence, the words of the Holy Prophetsa
were given as a warning for such women
to reform themselves. Yet, during the
same era,we also see how Muslim women
scaled the highest peaks of morality,vir-
tue and knowledge. For example, some
women,notably Hazrat Ayeshara
,taught
Islam to the Muslim men. Similarly,
some fought in battles alongside the
men and gave great sacrifices. Further,
as I mentioned earlier,the Holy Prophetsa
said that women who trained their chil-
dren and looked after their homes would
be the recipients of the same rewards as
those who had engaged in Jihad. Thus,
how could it be that such devout and
pious women were bound for hell? It is
In addition to seeking knowledge, Waqfaat-e-
Nau should be regular in salat and pray that
Allah enables them to use their knowledge
and education for the right purposes.
Samet Guler | Shutterstock

said, this is impossible, and such claims
are the result of the ignorant and false
interpretations given by some clerics,
solely to satisfy their own interests.
This Hadith was actually a great favour
upon all womankind by the Holy
Prophetsa
, as he warned them and
showed them the path to salvation and
brandished a spiritual torch guiding
them towards the path of Allah. Thus,
no Muslim woman should ever have any
complex whatsoever about their status
and nor should they ever accept any false
interpretation of this Hadith.The correct
interpretation is that women should,just
like men,try to remove their weaknesses,
and should pursue secular and religious
education and use their knowledge to
defend Islam and for the sake of the
moral training of their future genera-
tions. The younger girls present should
also understand the importance of edu-
cation and should try to excel in their
schools and colleges, whilst also striving
for religious knowledge.
Even at your young age,you should keep
in mind that your education is the means
through which you will,Insha’Allah (God
Willing),come to serve Islam.Never bear
any complex about your faith,whether in
regard of Islamic teachings or in terms of
the observance of your faith.For example,
you should always wear modest clothing,
and confidently explain to others that you
are not forced to wear such clothes,rather
you choose to dress modestly having
understood the deep wisdom underpin-
ning your faith. Similarly, from a young
age,Waqfaat-e-Nau girls must be regular
in Namaz (Salat). Remember, that the
five daily prayers are obligatory from the
age of 10 and so try to offer your prayers
with proper concentration and with the
aim of increasing your connection with
Allah.
May Allah enable all of you to under-
stand and act upon what I have said
today.May Allah Help all of you to fulfil
the demands of your pledge as members
of the Waqfaat-e-Nau scheme – Ameen.
Now, join me in silent prayer.”
so-called Ulema (religious scholars) did
not wish for women to progress and so
they purposely interpreted this Hadith
in a completely wrong fashion in order
to fulfil their own selfish agendas.These
words of the Holy Prophetsa
were spoken
only as a means of reformation, so that
women could fulfil their potential and
raise their status.
We,Ahmadi Muslims,are truly fortunate
that the Promised Messiahas
has enlight-
ened us to the ignorance of the other
Ulema and saved us from their fabrica-
tions and foolish interpretations. Thus,
it will be a grave and perilous mistake
for any woman to believe, having heard
the false interpretations of the so-called
scholars, that she lacks the capability to
harbour knowledge,that she is inherently
ungrateful, or that there is no point in
learning her faith, as she is destined for
hell no matter what. It is when a per-
son gives up and believes that there is no
chance of reformation or improvement
that weaknesses and sins increase.
Tragically, some Muslim women have
come under the influence of certain
non-Ahmadi Maulvis (religious clerics)
and so have become prone to the belief
that they are somewhat inferior to men.
This is completely wrong and erroneous.
No woman should ever accept the false
notion that somehow,they are bound for
hell, inferior to men or unable to gain
knowledge or wisdom. Let it be crystal
clear that in no respect is a woman’s status
less than that of a man.Rather,the Holy
Prophetsa
was the person who established
the rights of all women, in all places and
for all times. How could it ever be that,
on the one hand,the Holy Prophetsa
pro-
claimed that paradise lay under the feet
of one’s mother, and that half of Islamic
faith could be learned from Ayeshara
,and
yet on the other hand, state that, God
forbid, women were hell-bound? As I
Women’s status is in no way inferior to
men’s and they should feel empowered
by the teachings of Islam that their place
in society is highly valued and their roles
are vital for the betterment of mankind.
Imagewell | Shutterstock
Tragically, some Muslim
women have come under
the influence of certain non-
Ahmadi Maulvis (religious
clerics) and so have become
prone to the belief that they
are somewhat inferior to men.

The
Promised Messiahas
& imam mahdi
( g u i d e d o n e )
founder of
the review of religions
A
s the relationship between planning and prayer is proved
by the law of nature,it is also proved by the testimony of
the book of nature. It is often observed that as human
temperaments at a time of distress incline towards planning
and remedies,in the same way they incline by natural eagerness
towards prayer and almsgiving and charity but should search
for plans with prayer. In short, prayer and planning are two
natural demands of human nature which ever since the crea-
tion of man, have been the servants of human nature like two
real brothers. Planning is the necessary consequence of prayer
and prayer incites towards planning.The good fortune of man
consists in this, that before entering upon planning he should
seek help through prayer from the Fountainhead of grace so
that being granted light from this ever flowing spring good
plans should be made available to him.1
endnotes
1. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas
, The Essence of Islam, vol. 2 (Tilford,
Surrey: Islam International Publications, 1993), 207.
Prayer and Planning Are
Two Natural Demands

At the beginning of his ministry as a
prophet of God, Jesusas
said,
‘Do not think that I have come to abol-
ish the Law or the Prophets; I have not
come to abolish them but to fulfil them.’2
Jesusas
had been sent to revive the Law
of Moses.Over the centuries,the Jewish
priests had adulterated the Law to suit
their own nefarious needs and activi-
ties in their craving for more control
and power.This was the reason they felt
they had to stop Jesusas
at all costs, as
his preaching exposed their unjust and
dishonourable practices.
The chief priest and the Sanhedrin
looked for evidence against Jesusas
in
order to find a way to have him put to
death. Witnesses were produced and
many gave false testimony against him
The persecution of the Divine
Messengers of God and their early fol-
lowers has occurred since the time of
Prophet Adamas
and continues to mani-
fest itself even in this day and age, the
so-called age of civilised and enlightened
behaviour.
Jesusas
is reported to have said:
“Only in his home town,among his rela-
tives and in his own house is a prophet
without honour.”1
During his own lifetime, Jesusas
and
his followers were severely persecuted.
Particularly Jesusas
himself, as he suf-
fered the excruciating punishment of
crucifixion inflicted upon him by the
Roman authorities at the insistence of
his fierce critics and opponents. Their
chief priest and the Sanhedrin put him
on trial, found him guilty and then con-
demned him.
The Sanhedrin was the supreme council
or court in ancient Israel, which com-
prised of 70 men, plus the high priest,
who served as its president. The mem-
bers came from the chief priests, scribes
and elders. The Sanhedrin also had its
own unit of men which could arrest peo-
ple, as they did Jesus Christ. While the
Sanhedrin heard both civil and criminal
cases and could impose the death pen-
alty, in Jesusas
’ time it did not have the
authority to execute convicted crimi-
nals. That power was reserved for the
Romans, which explains why Jesusas
was crucified—a Roman punishment—
rather than stoned, according to Mosaic
law. Caiaphas was the high priest of the
Sanhedrin at the time of Jesus’ trial and
crucifixion.
The Persecution of the
Messiahs and their
Early Followers
That power was reserved for
the Romans, which explains
why Jesusas was crucified—a
Roman punishment—
rather than stoned,
according to Mosaic law.
The Sanhedrin was a supreme court
consisting of priests, scribes and elders of
the community that delivered the verdict
in criminal cases. Although this court
delivered the verdict in trials and could
pronounce the death penalty, it did not
have the authority to enforce sentences.
Bilal Atkinson, Hartlepool, UK

the cross, and according to the New
Testament, after a few hours he was
taken down and placed in a sepulchre
where his skin was smeared with certain
ointments. The New Testament also
relates that some days later he was seen
walking towards a village called Emmaus,
where he spoke to two fellow travellers
who did not recognise him.5
The Christian account of Jesusas
post-
crucifixion greatly differs from that of
the account of the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community. Its founder, Hazrat Mirza
Ghulam Ahmadas
,who claimed to be the
Promised Messiah in 1890,related in his
book Jesus in India, that, after recover-
ing from the effects of crucifixion and
in accordance with his Divine Mission
to go to all the lost sheep of the House
of Israel, Jesusas
travelled in search of
the remaining ten tribes of Israel and
eventually settled in Kashmir. There,
his tomb can be found in Srinagar. As
Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmadrh
,the Fourth
Spiritual Successor of the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community, has explained:
‘The scriptures had predicted that any
false claimant, who attributed any-
thing to God which He had not said,
would hang upon the tree.Therefore,the
death of Jesus upon the cross would be
tantamount to the death of Christianity.
That is why authentic Jewish literature is
full of gloatings about Jesus’death upon
the cross.’6
No Prophet of God ever fails in his
Divine mission and Prophet Jesusas
was
no exception.
His disciples were told they had to preach
the Oneness of God and the true teach-
ings of the Torah to the Jews only and
not to the Samaritans or the Gentiles.7
This they continued to do and as a result,
a man called Stephen (St.Stephen),who
according to the Acts of the Apostles,
was a deacon (lay-preacher and distrib-
utor of alms to the poor) in the early
church at Jerusalem aroused the enmity
of the priests and other members of the
synagogues,when he defeated them in all
debates especially concerning the teach-
ings of Jesusas
. Stephen was eventually
brought to trial by the Sanhedrin.At his
trial, his conspiring opponents charged
him with blasphemy against Mosesas
and God, by accusing him of declaring
that Jesusas
would destroy the temple in
Jerusalem and of changing the customs
of Mosesas
.
Stephen retorted, ‘Was there ever a
but their statements were inconsistent.
The High Priest,Joseph Caiaphas,even-
tually levelled charges of blasphemy
against Jesusas
.
To trick the people, the Sanhedrin were
intent on proving Jesusas
false, by revert-
ing to the law of the Torah, which said:
‘But a prophet who presumes to speak
in my Name anything I have not com-
manded him to say, or a prophet who
speaks in the name of other gods, must
be put to death.’3
, the form of punish-
ment being:
‘Anyone who is hung on a tree is under
God’s curse.’4
Although Jesusas
was innocent, the
Sanhedrin (with the exceptions of
Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea)
voted to convict him. The penalty was
death, but this court had no authority
to order execution. For that they needed
the help of the Roman governor,Pontius
Pilate,who did not find any wrongdoing
by Jesusas
, but was coerced into finding
him guilty and pronounced the sentence
of death by crucifixion.
Prophet Jesusas
was eventually put on
Although Jesusas
was innocent,
the Sanhedrin (with the
exceptions of Nicodemus and
Joseph of Arimathea) voted to
convict him.The penalty was
death, but this court had no
authority to order execution.
According to the Bible, when Jesusas
was
taken off from the cross he was placed
in a sepulchre. His disciples would rub
ointments on his wounded body, which later
became famous as ‘the ointment of Jesus’.
Mordechai Meiri | Shutterstock
the persecution of the messiahs
and their early followers

for him.But Saul (Paul) began to destroy
the church. Going from house to house,
he dragged off men and women and put
them in prison.’9
So,persecution of early Jewish Christians
did not begin with the Roman authori-
ties but from the Jews themselves,either
initiated at the behest of corrupt officials
or the priestly class in particular.
Persecution of the early Christians was
often locally inspired and almost never
state-sanctioned. The reasons why indi-
vidual Christians were persecuted in this
period varied. In some cases they were
probably scapegoats,their faith attacked
where more personal or local hostilities
were at issue.
Hostility towards Christians fluctu-
ated throughout the Roman Empire.
However, the emerging Christian doc-
trine flew in the face of established
Roman religion and therefore the first
documented case of major persecution of
Christians in the Roman Empire begins
with the Emperor Nero.
In July 64AD,a great fire engulfed Rome,
destroying large portions of the city and
causing economic devastation to the
Roman population.
People began to speculate that Nero him-
self had initiated the fire, because of his
eccentricity and maybe even insanity, in
order to rebuild the city to his own taste
and to build a large and lavish palace for
himself.
Nero ‘pinned’ the blame for that fire on
the city’s small Christian community
(regarded as a distinct, dissident group
of Jews),and so he burned many of them
alive. His cruelty knew no bounds as he
inflicted extreme punishments upon the
Christians. (St. Peter and St. Paul were
said to have been martyred as a result.)
Nero’s persecution was short lived.
However,his reign marked the first time
the Roman government distinguished
Christians from Jews.
Most Roman emperors tolerated
Christians,but ten emperors in particular
inflicted great hardships upon Christians:
Nero,Domitian,Trajan,Marcus Aurelius,
Septimus Severus, Decius, Valerian,
Maximus the Thracian,Aurelian the last,
and most severe being Diocletian (284-
305 AD).
Diocletian’s gift for mass organisation,
unfortunately, extended to things reli-
gious and patriotic. In 303, Diocletian
returned to hounding Christians even
prophet your fathers did not persecute?
They even killed those who predicted the
coming of the Righteous One and now
you have betrayed and murdered him.’8
The onlooking crowd were so enraged
that they dragged him out of the court
and the city to an appointed place,where
he was stoned to death.Thus,he became
the first Christian martyr.
Interestingly,before stoning Stephen,the
accusers, whose duty it was to throw the
first stones, took off their coats and laid
them at the feet of a man called Saul,
later known as Paul the Apostle,who was
a witness to the martyrdom. It is related
in the New Testament, that on the same
day as the martyrdom of Stephen:
‘On that day a great persecution broke
out against the church at Jerusalem and
all except the apostles were scattered
throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly
men buried Stephen and mourned deeply
Many historians have researched the fact
that Jesusas
may have travelled to the east
before his crucifixion – known as the ‘lost
years of Jesus’ – citing the reason that
the Bible does not make any reference to
this time period. It was only Hazrat Mirza
Ghulam Ahmadas
who claimed that Jesusas
survived the ordeal of the cross and wrote
a treatise called Jesus in India (above right)
which gives detailed proofs of this claim.
Above right: The possible route taken
by Jesusas
after he survived the
crucifixion to find the remaining tribes
that were exiled in the Babylonian era.
Islam International Publications

in Rome sought refuge in the many
extensive catacombs of the city. The
catacombs were labyrinthine networks
of tunnels,underground rooms and pas-
sageways,which served as mausoleums in
which the ancient Romans buried their
dead.
This event has been recorded in Christian
as well as Islamic literature, especially
the Holy Qur’an,which has highlighted
the plight of a number of pious, young,
Christian men, who took refuge in the
caves from the rampant persecution.
Many legends have arisen regarding
these men and the whereabouts of the
catacombs. A main contender are the
catacombs at Ephesus (Turkey).
However, in his short Commentary of
the Holy Qur’an, Hazrat Mirza Bashir-
ud-Din Mahmud Ahmadra
,
concluded
that the catacombs of Rome seemed to
be the site of the Dwellers of the Cave.
He commented:
‘To save themselves from this cruel and
inhuman persecution its helpless victims
sought refuge in hiding in the catacombs
at Rome. For this purpose, these cata-
combs were admirably adapted both by
the intricacy of their labyrinthine pas-
sages and the numerous small chambers
and hiding places at different levels
which might remain undetected in the
dark by pursuers. From the inscriptions
on the tomb-stones in the catacombs it
appears that the early Christians were
strict monotheists. Jesus had been men-
tioned only as a shepherd or a Prophet
of God and Mary,his mother,as nothing
more than a pious woman.It also appears
that the Christians who took refuge in
the catacombs kept dogs at their entrance
which would announce the approach of
strangers by their barking. The account
of the Dwellers of the Cave thus, in
fact, represents the history of the early
Christians and shows how they suffered
untold persecution for their belief in the
Unity of God.’11
though his wife, Prisca, belonged to the
faith.
It was the first time in almost 50 years
that an emperor had taken the trouble
to exact such focussed persecution. This
time, the unprecedented motive of this
Great Persecution was the total extinc-
tion of Christianity.
The first of Diocletian’s edicts prohibited
all Christian worship and commanded
that churches and Christian books be
destroyed. Two further edicts required
in the eastern provinces, ordered clergy
to be arrested unless they made sacrifices
to pagan deities. By 304 AD, this edict
was extended to all Christians and was
particularly vicious under Diocletian in
Africa.
The persecution continued under
Galerius, now promoted to Augustus.
In 311 AD, Galerius and his fellow
emperors issued an edict cancelling the
persecution of Christians.The following
year,Constantine emerged triumphant in
the West after the battle at the Milvian
Bridge.In 313 AD,he and Licinius,soon
to control the Eastern Empire,issued the
Edict of Milan, which decreed full legal
toleration of Christianity. After this,
for all intents and purposes, no Roman
emperor harassed Christians again.’10
During the severe persecution of the
Diocletian period of 303 AD,Christians
During the severe persecution
of the Diocletian period
of 303 AD, Christians
in Rome sought refuge
in the many extensive
catacombs of the city.The
catacombs were labyrinthine
networks of tunnels...
St Stephen is considered to be one of
the first martyrs of Christianity. Although
he was a Greek Jew, he converted to
Christianity and began to preach about the
mission of Jesusas
, becoming one of the
first deacons of the Christian church. His
eloquent oration and preaching methods
were so effective that the Jews became
worried about his unprecedented success.
Even in the Sanhedrin, his argumentation
was so powerful that he had to be dragged
out to the streets and was thus stoned
to death on the charges of blasphemy.
Zvonimir Atletic | Shutterstock

‘And there never came to them any
Messenger but they mocked at him.’14
All prophets have been mocked at on
account of their humble origins and this
verse draws attention to the fact that
every new Messenger of God is, in the
beginning,rejected and ridiculed but that
it is really a sign of the truth of his claim
rather than of its falsehood.
From an early age,Hazrat Mirza Ghulam
Ahmadas
of Qadian,India, was acclaimed
for his integrity, truthfulness, purity and
piety. His was a godly life, according
to the declared testimony of the many
Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims who knew
him as a child and then as a man.He was
renowned for his knowledge and irrefuta-
ble defence of Islam. However, when he
declared,under Divine guidance,that he
was the Promised Messiahas
, those that
had revered him then began to attack
him from all directions.
He had to defend himself not only from
Muslim critics but also from Christian
and Hindu opponents, so much so, that
like Jesusas
,he was falsely charged with a
crime he did not commit. It was mainly
his Christian,Muslim and Hindu oppo-
nents (largely from the priestly class),
who plotted against him and in 1897, a
false charge of ‘abetment to murder’was
concocted by a Christian missionary,Dr
Henry Martin Clarke. He was brought
to trial in the court established under the
rule of the British Empire.
Unlike Pontius Pilate, the magistrate
of the Roman Empire who person-
ally believed Jesusas
to be innocent but
found him guilty, succumbing to the
pressure of the Pharisees, the magis-
trate of the ruling British Empire, a
Christian by the name of Captain MW
Douglas, found the Promised Messiahas
As mentioned earlier, Hazrat Mirza
Ghulam Ahmadas
founded the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in 1889.
His primary claim was that he had been
commissioned by God to be the Imam
Mahdi and Promised Messiah as fore-
cast by the Holy Qur’an, the Prophetsa
of Islam and in some Biblical prophecies.
The Holy Prophetsa
said:
‫ﹶﺎ‬‫ﻟ‬‫ﻭ‬‫ﻱ‬‫ﺪ‬‫ﻬ‬‫ﻤ‬‫ﹾ‬‫ﻟ‬‫ﺍ‬‫ﱠﺎ‬‫ﻟ‬‫ﹺ‬‫ﺇ‬‫ﻴ‬‫ﻋ‬‫ﺴ‬‫ﻰ‬‫ﻦ‬‫ﺑ‬‫ﺍ‬‫ﻢ‬‫ﻳ‬‫ﺮ‬‫ﻣ‬
‘The Mahdi is none other than Jesus son
of Mary.’12
He is also reported to have said that:
‘The Dwellers of the Cave are the helpers
of Imam Mahdi.’13
We can infer from this statement that
like the early pious and righteous mono-
theistic Christians of the first Messiah,
the early followers of the Promised
Messiahas
of the latter days, would also
encounter mockery, contempt and often
violent opposition.
The Holy Qur’an states:
All prophets have been mocked
at on account of their humble
origins and this verse draws
attention to the fact that every
new Messenger of God is, in
the beginning, rejected and
ridiculed but that it is really
a sign of the truth of his claim
rather than of its falsehood.
Just as Jesusas
faced charges in court, the
Messiah of the latter days, Hazrat Mirza
Ghulam Ahmadas
, also stood trial accused
to plotting a murder by a Christian priest, Dr
Henry Martyn Clarke. The judge, Captain M
W Douglas cleared Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas
of
all charges and instead asked him whether
he would like to prosecute Reverend Clarke
on the grounds of false accusation. However,
this offer was rejected by Mirza Ghulam
Ahmadas
, who said that his affairs had
already been settled in a much higher court.
Dr. Henry Martyn Clark

‘O land of Kabul, you are witness to the
heinous crime committed on your soil.
O miserable land! You have, in the sight
of Allah,been condemned as you are the
scene of this most atrocious crime.’15
The whole world is witness to the fact
that the country of Afghanistan has been
in turmoil and strife ever since Hazrat
Sahibzada Abdul Latif Sahibra
was mar-
tyred; indeed, the past decade or more
has made the truth of these words evi-
dent to the world. As Stephen was the
first Christian to be stoned to death,
Hazrat Sahibzada Abdul Latif Sahibra
was the first Ahmadi Muslim to be
stoned to death.
Opposition to the Promised Messiahas
continued, so much so, that his oppo-
nents declared him an infidel and an
apostate from Islam. In spite of this,
his movement continued to flourish.
Unperturbed by the storms of opposition,
he continued to complete his mission.
He enjoyed complete security from such
attacks and both friends and foe alike
were amazed at the divine support he
was blessed with. After receiving divine
revelations over a period of thirty years,
passed away on
May 26th
,1908,after completing his mis-
sion of revival and defence of Islam. At
the time he had a following of 400,000
disciples in India.
Sporadic persecution of his early follow-
ers continued until the time when the
British ruling power,in 1947,partitioned
the Indian sub-continent into India and
Pakistan. Then, the majority of Ahmadi
Muslims either lived in or migrated to
Pakistan.
Unfortunately, this new country of
Pakistan also became the home to some
of the most fanatical Muslim clerics
(mullahs). Alongside ambitious politi-
cians, they conspired to denounce and
defame Ahmadi Muslims, by poisoning
the minds of the population against the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community,which
resulted in great unrest and agitation.
As mentioned earlier, the first organised
state persecution of Christians began in
not guilty. He suggested to him that
he should prosecute his accusers, one
of whom was the Caiaphas of the day,
Maulawi Muhammad Husain of Batala.
The Promised Messiahas
declined and
forgave them all.
As for persecution of his followers,
Hazrat Sahibzada Syed Abdul Latifra
was
a very revered person from the province
of Khost,Afghanistan.He had thousands
of followers and was also respected by the
ruler of Afghanistan, Habibullah Khan,
Amir (ruler) of Kabul.
He had read some of the books of
Promised Messiahas
that made a deep
impression on him. He visited Qadian
in 1902 and accepted Ahmadiyyat dur-
ing his first meeting with the Promised
Messiahas
.
Eventually,he went back to Afghanistan
and when the Amir of Kabul found out
that he had converted to Ahmadiyyat,
he was arrested and imprisoned for four
months.Many leading citizens of Kabul
and the Amir himself tried to persuade
him to renounce Ahmadiyyat.He did not
and the religious divines declared him
a heretic, which resulted in the Amir
ordering that he be stoned to death.
On July 14th, 1903, when he was about
to be stoned, he was given one final
chance to recant, to be spared death. He
told them that his life and family meant
nothing to him, as opposed to his faith,
and that he could not relinquish it to save
himself from such a cruel death. He was
buried up to his waist in the ground and
stoned.The stoning continued until his
soul departed from his body.
After his martyrdom, the Promised
Messiahas
expressed his grief in the fol-
lowing words:
Eventually, he went back
to Afghanistan and when
the Amir of Kabul found
out that he had converted
to Ahmadiyyat, he was
arrested and imprisoned for
four months. Many leading
citizens of Kabul and the
Amir himself tried to persuade
him to renounce Ahmadiyyat.
Unfortunately, this new
country of Pakistan also
became the home to some
of the most fanatical
Muslim clerics (mullahs).

persecution of early Christians occurred
in the years between 81-96 AD, under
the rule of Emperor Domitian.Similarly,
the second wave of persecution of
Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan, occurred
some 85-95 years after the Community
was formed by the Promised Messiahas
The persecution of Christians continues
in this day and age,especially in Muslim
countries. The persecution of Ahmadi
Muslims also continues in Muslim coun-
tries, especially in Pakistan.
For example, in 2010, a most heinous
crime was perpetrated, when on 28th
May, two Ahmadi mosques in Lahore,
Pakistan,were targeted by terrorists pur-
porting to act ‘in the name of Islam.’ It
was the time of Friday Prayer, which
all Muslims acknowledge as a holy and
sacred time. These barbaric and syn-
chronised firearms attacks resulted in
the deaths of 86 innocent Ahmadi men,
whilst they offered their prayers.
The fifth Khalifa of the Promised
Messiahas
, Hazrat Mirza Masroor
Ahmadaba
, issued a statement the same
day:
‘The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at is a
peace loving true Muslim Jama’at.Thus,
there will be no improper reaction from
any Ahmadi. Our salvation lies in our
supplications to God Almighty and we
believe He has, and always will help us.
No terrorist and no government can ever
stop the progress of our Jama’at because
of its divine organisation.’16
It is so unfortunate for the Muslim
World, that most of their leaders,
especially the clerics, who should be
generating peaceful societies, are instead
acting in direct contradiction of Qur’anic
teachings,with deceit,injustice and bar-
barity. This is why the Muslim world is
in such disarray and seemingly leader-
less. The mullahs of today seem almost
identical to the priests of the Sanhedrin
of Jesusas
’time.
As Ahmadiyyat, the true Islam, contin-
ues to spread throughout the world, the
envy of its opponents is also increasing.
Wherever in the world the mullah can
wield power, he does not desist from
committing cruelty against Ahmadis in
the name of God. However, every such
act of the mullah only serves to increase
Ahmadis in their faith.
, the
Messiah and Mahdi of this age, gave
the assurance to Ahmadi Muslims that:
64 AD. The first organised persecution
of Ahmadi Muslims occurred in the
1950’s and especially 1953, when Anti-
Ahmadiyya street protests,political rallies
and riots took place in Lahore, 64 years
after the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam
was initiated by the Promised Messiahas
.
More than two hundred Ahmadis are
reported to have been murdered and
thousands more displaced from their
homes.Over the following twenty years,
Ahmadis in Pakistan suffered more spo-
radic and sometimes severe persecution.
The second organised agitation and
persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan
occurred in 1974.The mullahs, with the
connivance, initiative and blessing of
the government led by Prime Minister
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto,created more hatred
and unrest,resulting in riots in many cit-
ies where arson,looting and murder were
perpetrated against innocent, law-abid-
ing Ahmadi Muslims.For cheap political
popularity, Bhutto’s government also
declared Ahmadi Muslims to be non-
Muslim for the ‘purposes of the law and
Constitution.’Pakistan is the only state
to have officially declared that Ahmadis
are non-Muslim.
In April 1984, the then-President of
Pakistan, General Muhammad Zia
ul Haq, issued the Anti Ahmadiyya
Ordinance XX,which prohibits Ahmadis
from preaching or professing their beliefs,
calling themselves Muslim or ‘posing’as
Muslims.They are not allowed to profess
the Islamic creed or call their places of
worship Mosques,perform the Azan (call
to prayer), quote from the Holy Qur’an,
preach in public or produce or publish
religious materials.To do so would earn
each individual Ahmadi a punishment
of imprisonment for up to three years.
Many Ahmadis were arrested within days
of this new ordinance and a wave of per-
secution followed.
By comparison, the second wave of
As Ahmadiyyat, the true
Islam, continues to spread
throughout the world, the
envy of its opponents is also
increasing. Wherever in the
world the mullah can wield
power, he does not desist from
committing cruelty against
Ahmadis in the name of God.

‘If you are truly thankful then adopt the
ways of purity and righteousness and I
give you glad tidings that you are stand-
ing on the frontier and none can defeat
you.’17
About the Author: Bilal Atkinson lives in
Hartlepool and serves the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community as a regional head of Northeast UK.
endnotes
1. The Bible, Mark 6:4, Matthew 13:57, Luke
4:24, John 4.44 (NIV).
2. The Bible, Matthew 5:17 (NIV).
3. The Bible, Deuteronomy 18:20 (NIV).
4. The Bible, Deuteronomy 21:23 (NIV).
5. The Bible, Luke 24:13-32 (NIV).
6. Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmadrh
, Christianity:
A Journey from Facts to Fiction (Tilford, Surrey:
Islam International Publications, 1994), 87.
7. The Bible, Matthew 10:5-6 (NIV).
8. The Bible, Acts 7:52 (NIV).
9. The Bible, Acts 8: 1-3 (NIV).
10. Christianity Today 27 (2016).
11. Malik Ghulam Farid, The Holy Qur’an:
English Translation and Short Commentary,
(Tilford, Surrey: Islam International
Publications, 1994), 612 in note 1667.
12. Sunan Ibn Maja, Kitab ul Fitan.
13. Dur-e-Mansoor, Ibn-e-Mardway.
14. The Holy Qur’an, 15:12.
15. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadra
, Tadhkirah:
An English Rendering (Tilford, Surrey: Islam
International Publications, 1976), 70.
16. Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaba
,“Friday
Sermon,”Sermon, London, May 10, 2010.
17. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadra
, Malfuzat,
vol. 1, 49.
Jesus in India is the
English rendering of the
groundbreaking treatise
written by the Holy
Founder of the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community,
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam
Ahmadas
, the Promised
Messiah and Imam Mahdi
(1835-1908).
The theme is the escape of Jesusas
from
death on the cross, and his journey to
India in search of the lost tribes of Israel.
Christian as well as Muslim scriptures, and
old medical and historical books including
ancient Buddhist records, provide evidence
about this journey. Jesusas
is shown to have
reached Afghanistan, and to have met the
Jews who had settled there after deliverance
from the bondage of Nebuchadnezzar. From
Afghanistan Jesusas
went on to Kashmir,
where other Israelite tribes had settled.
There he made his home, and there in
time he died; his tomb has been found in
Srinagar.
Read online:
http://www.alislam.org/library/books/jesus-in-india/index.html
Purchase at:
http://store.alislam.org/englishbooks.html
42 THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS | APRIL 2017

TheHONOURofPROPHETS
other. The
f religion.
ss, yet the
ation. So
Promised
is weak,
owing to
humanity,
God has
but none
Islam in
esent age,
essor that
mankind
osophy of
y and his
HAZRAT MIRZA GHULAM AHMAD
The Promised Messiah and Mahdi
Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
HAZRATMIRZAGHULAMAHMAD
The
HONOUR
of
PROPHETS
E
very human being seeks salvation in some form or another. The
concept of salvation holds pivotal importance in matters of religion.
A faith unable to deliver its followers from sin is worthless, yet the
progress and benefit of society depends on this very salvation. So where
should one turn to attain it?
In this work, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, the Promised Messiah
and Mahdi, explains that since human nature is weak, salvation can only be
attained through a mediator who, owing to their perfect relationship with
God and deep sympathy for humanity, can serve as a link between God and
man. In every era, God has conferred salvation upon humanity through His
prophets, but none can match the unparalleled status held by the Prophet
of Islam in this respect, who was the paragon of perfection. In the present
age, it is this pure and blessed prophet who is the only intercessor that can
grant humanity a living relationship with God and free mankind from the
shackles of sin.
The author presents an exquisite exposition on the philosophy of divine
intercession, sinlessness, forgiveness, human frailty and his advent as the
Promised Messiah.
NEW
BOOK
The
HONOUR
of
PROPHETS

The Fulfilling of Covenants
The Holy Prophetsa
was very particular with regard
to the fulfilling of covenants. On one occasion an
envoy came to him on a special mission and,after he
had remained in his company for some days,he was
convinced of the truth of Islam and suggested that
he might declare his adherence to it.The Prophetsa
told him that this would not be proper as he was
there in a representative capacity and it was incum-
bent upon him to return to the headquarters of his
government without acquiring a fresh allegiance.If,
after he had returned home, he still felt convinced
of the truth of Islam he could return as a free indi-
vidual and declare his acceptance of it.(Abu Dawud,
chap. on Wafa bil ‘Ahd)1
endnotes
1. Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-din Mahmud Ahmadra
, Life
of Muhammad (Tilford, Surrey, U.K.: Islam International
Publications Limited, 2013), 248.
A Glimpse into the Life of
the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa

really want to wear it and society must
step in; is it that society must be seen to
be secular? None of these reasons are suf-
ficient for breaching a right.Indeed,this
is almost certainly how any British court
would have analyzed this issue.
Second,and perhaps most importantly,
there is no moral or ethical case for
permitting such a prohibition. What
harm is a Muslim woman with a head-
scarf doing to anyone else? Does it really
cause such a problem to others and to
society if a Muslim waitress is wearing
a headscarf; or a receptionist; or indeed
– God forbid – a teacher? Or, equally, a
Sikh wearing a turban, or a Jew wear-
ing a yarmulke? Is it really necessary for
the State (or society) to prevent the con-
structive participation to that State (or
I
n March, the European Court of
Justice passed judgment on two
cases (from France and Belgium)
concerning the right of Muslim women
to wear a headscarf at work. Or, more
accurately, the right of employers to
prohibit Muslim women from wear-
ing headscarves. In a strange paradox, a
court meant to uphold the rule of law and
the rights of all citizens confirmed that
employers could discriminate against such
women by insisting that they do not wear
their headscarves to work.Or more accu-
rately, they described such behaviour as
not discriminatory – as long as it applied
equally to all “religious and ideological
symbols.”This judgment does not make
sense on many levels.
First,and foremost,it is wrong,legally.
The legal starting point is that individ-
uals have rights. This includes being
who they want to be, and deciding on
the choices that are right for them. It
is beyond doubt that this includes the
right to wear a headscarf. But rights are
not absolute.They can be restricted where
there is an overwhelming public interest:
where some sort of harm is going to be
caused to another person,or to society at
large, or someone else is prevented from
exercising their rights. But just not lik-
ing something is not enough to restrict
someone’s rights. So what is the justifi-
cation for interfering with the right of
a Muslim woman to wear a headscarf?
Is it that people don’t like it; is it that
it is different and weird; is it that it is
so restrictive that Muslim women can’t
The ECJ Headscarf
Ruling: Why It Doesn’t
Make Legal, Moral or
Common Sense
Shazia Bhatti, London, UK
So what is the justifcation
for interfering with the
right of a Muslim woman to
wear a headscarf? Is it that
people don’t like it; is it that
it is diferent and weird; is it
that it is so restrictive that
Muslim women can’t really
want to wear it and society
must step in; is it that society
must be seen to be secular?
The European Court of Justice (ECJ)
ruled that companies will be permitted to
ban staff from wearing ‘visible religious
symbols’ such as the headscarf.
Peter Fuchs | Shutterstock

a long skirt, or a long sleeved shirt into
a “religious symbol”? Can the state (or
an employer) insist that a woman must
wear a short skirt, or a low-cut blouse,
or so on?
And why stop with women’s choices?
The Court said that an employer could
decide against any ideological or phil-
osophical manifestation. But surely
everything we do and say – indeed, eve-
rything that makes us who we are – is
a manifestation of an ideology or phi-
losophy of some sort. Some of us like
grays and dark blues. A bit boring, but
perhaps borne of an austere ideology.
Is it really right that we can be prohib-
ited from being austere, or colourful or
professional? What about a small bracelet
to commemorate a cancer charity that
supported the last days of a dying parent?
Is this an “ideology” that must be pro-
hibited? The point seems not to be about
prohibiting all ideologies – just some that
society doesn’t like. Ultimately, it can-
not be for the state to regulate choices
unless there is a clear and direct harm to
others or to society that must – for the
greater good – be protected.I hardly see a
Muslim waitress (or doctor,lawyer,nurse
in that society) of turban-wearing Sikhs
or yarmulke-wearing Jews? Must we all
be homogenised? Of course, there may
be different arguments regarding the
veil, which completely covers the face
and sometimes the eyes; quite different
from the headscarf which simply cov-
ers the hair and neck. It may be argued
that the importance of eye contact, or
communication for certain professions
is necessary in order to be able to do the
job effectively.But this ruling is different.
This is telling all Muslim women who
wear headscarves that they are somehow
causing society harm and therefore they
can be prohibited from dressing as they
wish.
And why all this fetishising of the
headscarf as a “religious symbol”? Last
checked, it was an item of clothing that
a woman chooses to wear. Of course, it
goes without saying that many Muslim
women wear the headscarf on the basis of
their understanding of religious scripture
– the Qur’an in this case,which identifies
the headscarf as part of morally chaste
attire. But in any diverse society, people
chose their own morality (often within a
spectrum) on the basis of a range of fac-
tors – religion, culture, taste and so on.
Why would a woman’s choice of attire,
based on a religious understanding of
chastity,be inferior to a cultural norm of
chastity? Surely some alarm bells must be
ringing somewhere for our feminist tradi-
tions (whilst,of course,noting the range
of feminist views that exist): the State is
permitting regulation of what a woman
chooses to wear. Can that be right?
What if a Muslim woman (or indeed, a
Christian or Jewish one) chooses to wear
a long skirt rather than a knee-length
one on the basis of her understanding of
morality and chastity, itself based on a
religion or religious scripture? Does the
religious source of that choice then turn
the ecj headscarf ruling: why it doesn’t
make legal, moral or common sense
The Court said that an
employer could decide
against any ideological or
philosophical manifestation.
But surely everything we do
and say – indeed, everything
that makes us who we are – is
a manifestation of an ideology
or philosophy of some sort.
Although this ban will mainly affect
Muslim women, it will also affect
thousands of non-Muslims who wear
religious clothing or symbols.
Paula Sierra | Shutterstock

the mother of Christian Europe – wear-
ing her traditional headscarf? Of course
not; this would violate all sense.
And finally, such an approach as
advocated by the Court is practically
disastrous. There is a lot of talk today
about integration – that’s what’s needed:
integration of immigration populations.
But talk is just talk. How on earth can
any integration take place when Muslim
women (who place great weight on the
importance, to them, of wearing a head-
scarf) are told – we want you to integrate,
but by the way, we are stopping you
from working (or entering public build-
ings and so on). That doesn’t sound like
integration to me. There is a lot of talk
– rightly – about certain unjust laws in
the so-called Muslim world that prevent
women from actively contributing to
society. But this is just the same, with
an added dose of hypocrisy. As a result
of this, an already marginalised and dis-
enfranchised group of European citizens
are being further marginalised and dis-
enfranchised – not by some tyrannical
populist regime,but by the highest court
of law in the European Union.There are
or other professions) wearing a headscarf
being such a great threat to the very fab-
ric of the society we know and love. If
anything, this totalitarian and illiberal
dictum is a far greater threat.
And what of our own collective
European heritage? Many Europeans
can still recall their grandmothers and
other older female relatives refusing
to leave the house without their heads
covered. It was culture and tradition,
whether in Ireland, Portugal, Greece
or Poland. Should the convent schools
prohibit their nuns from wearing hab-
its? Should we censor all the beautiful
murals in churches across Europe that
always portray Mary – seen by some as
Many see this ban as an infringement of
religious rights. When the Constitution of
Madinah was devised in the time of the Holy
Prophetsa
, it clearly stated that all citizens
would be granted freedom to practise
their own religious values and the state
would not infringe their rights in any way.
Samet Guler | Shutterstock
At a time when women were severely
mistreated, Hazrat Khadijara
, the blessed
wife of The Holy Prophetsa
, was a highly
influential businesswoman of the Quraish.
She had an extensive trade caravan
that would travel far and wide, forming
a formidable business empire. After
accepting Islam, she used all her wealth and
influence to assist in the spread of Islam
danm12 | Shutterstock
Many Europeans can still
recall their grandmothers
and other older female
relatives refusing to leave
the house without their heads
covered. It was culture and
tradition, whether in Ireland,
Portugal, Greece or Poland.

don’t seem to be threatening the fabric of
society in such a way that their choices
must be curtailed.
The British account of freedom, rights
and liberty is a much more fundamental
one. It doesn’t matter whether you are
black or white, old or young, the same
as me or different: as long as you are a
decent human being serving society and
not harming anyone else,just get on with
it. And as a result, in the UK, there are
Muslim women with headscarves (and
indeed, those of all backgrounds and
experiences) in the highest echelons of
all segments of society: law, journalism,
medicine and so on. There is no doubt
much more progress can and should be
made in this regard.But compared to our
continental European counterparts, it is
a completely different picture. Indeed,it
is British liberalism – and the experience
of globalisation, multiculturalism, and
diversity – that has allowed integration
to actually work in the UK (at least better
than elsewhere in Europe).That London
– one of the great Western capitals of the
world,has a practising second-generation
immigrant Muslim, son of a bus driver,
as its mayor – one for whom millions
of people voted – is perhaps something
you may not see in many other parts of
Europe. It is a credit to the UK.
Brexit has brought fear to many who
care about freedom. Is this vote a move
towards close-mindedness? To xeno-
phobia and racism? To oppression and
cruelty? I don’t think so. Not because
Brexit is necessarily a good thing – that’s
for history to decide. But because it is
not the British way. The British people
have always been a fundamentally open,
tolerant,kind,warm-hearted people.And
indeed, the levels of integration already
reached mean that it is hard to go back.
Many, many people in the UK will have
had immigrant doctors,lawyers,teachers,
accountants, mechanics. Once someone
has served you and helped you, it is hard
(albeit not impossible) to reject that per-
son. It is imperative that in the days to
come,Britain continues to hold fast to its
love of tolerance and spirit of welcom-
ing, and not follow the illiberal trends
in Europe that the recent judgment of
the European Court of Justice represents.
About the Author: Shazia Bhatti is a practising
lawyer in London, specialising in immigration law.
many Muslim women who are highly-
educated, competent, good people who
have so much to give to society. But as a
result of these unjust laws, they will not
be able to contribute as doctors, lawyers,
nurses, journalists, teachers, professors.
Instead, they will be forced into their
homes – an odd mirror of the anti-femi-
nist policies from many so-called Muslim
countries.
The problem seems to be particularly
bad in continental Europe. Very few
indigenous Europeans have ever met
and conversed,as equals,with practicing
Muslim women who wear headscarves.
Many see them as backward, ignorant,
uneducated and coerced beings that must
be saved. Would they say that about my
mother: a fiercely independent woman
who ran her own business for 30 years?
Would they say that about me, some-
one who, as a lawyer, proudly defends
the rights of those less fortunate than
myself? How would the case have been
dealt with had the advocates before the
court themselves been Muslim women
wearing headscarves? But it couldn’t
have been that way: one of the cases
came from French courts where Muslim
women who wear headscarves can’t even
enter the courthouses. But perhaps a
British barrister could have defended
the rights of European Muslim women.
There are many Muslim women at the
English Bar who wear a headscarf. And
they are some of the best lawyers. Not
only do they serve their clients’interests,
and those of the state and society just
as well as any of their counterparts, they
The University of Al-Qarawiyyin, Fez,
Morocco, is recognised at the oldest
institute in the world. It was
established by a Muslim woman,
Fatimah al-Fihri, in 859 CE.
It doesn’t matter whether
you are black or white, old
or young, the same as me or
diferent: as long as you are a
decent human being serving
society and not harming
anyone else, just get on with it.
the ecj headscarf ruling: why it doesn’t
make legal, moral or common sense

But regardless of how others define it,
Muslim women ultimately wear their
hijab with great pride: as the definitive
symbol of devotion to their faith and
God.
And while many people are focusing on
Muslims, another element to this ruling
has been severely overlooked: its effect
on the many followers of other reli-
gions—Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Sikh,
Buddhist—all who choose to represent
their religious values in different ways
with different symbols of clothing. By
incorporating these symbols in to eve-
ryday life, people of faith are able to
show how religion can actively integrate
itself in to the 21st
century. And in fact,
one of the best examples of how differ-
ent faiths can come together is through
A
ruling by the European Court
of Justice (ECJ) has stated that
employers are now entitled to
ban staff from wearing visible religious
symbols at work.The judges argued that
if a firm has an internal rule banning the
wearing of ‘any political, philosophical
or religious sign,’ it does not constitute
‘direct discrimination,’ since no single
religion is targeted. Critics, however,
have called the ban a thinly veiled meas-
ure targeting Muslim women.
When I first read the news, I was cer-
tainly worried—this could rule me out of
a lot of potential jobs, as I would essen-
tially be forced to choose between my
spirituality, the acting of these people
will not suffice in their plan to conquer
territories.
I have spent much of my life trying to
prove that my faith has never been a hin-
drance to achievement; suffice it to say
that this ruling has certainly put a span-
ner in to the works. How can I prove
that Muslim women are not oppressed or
held back when wearing my hijab could
potentially put me out of a job?
Lately it seems that for Muslim women,
every day brings about a new controversy.
From terrorism,burkinis and travel bans
to hijab campaigns in the fashion world,
we often find ourselves having to rectify
many misconceptions that are circulated
in the media regarding Islam and Muslim
women.Indeed,our very being is always
brought into question, as many struggle
to decide whether our hijab is a symbol
of empowerment or mark of oppression.
Why Religion Shouldn’t
Be Pushed Aside at
Work
Meliha Hayat, London, UK
And while many people are
focusing on Muslims, another
element to this ruling has
been severely overlooked: its
efect on the many followers
of other religions—Christian,
Hindu, Jewish, Sikh,
Buddhist—all who choose
to represent their religious
values in different ways with
different symbols of clothing.
Women have the right to make the choices
that affect them—including what they wear
and what religion they choose to practise.
Art Stocker | Shutterstock

misshapen concept of faith. Allowing
people to wear their religious symbols
in the workplace sends a clear message
to those who believe intolerance is part
of religion.The western world has always
been celebrated as a place of opportunity
and equality: there should be no excep-
tions to that philosophy.
From its humble beginnings Islam has
always stood for the right to individual
belief and indeed freedom of religion is
one of the major foundation stones that
allowed the Islamic empire to flourish as
it did. In the Holy Qur’an, Allah states:
‘For you your religion, and for me my
religion.’1
This edict was practiced to the
letter by the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa
.
Throughout his prophethood he initiated
various peace treaties and implemented
constitutions that allowed people of all
faiths numerous rights and privileges,
including the right to work freely. No
one was forced to join Islam,and no one
was asked to dissociate themselves from
their religious beliefs in order to prosper
under Islamic rule.
The most poignant representation of this
ideology is of course the Constitution of
our workplaces: Watching people from
all different religious and secular back-
grounds united together through their
passion for work is living testament to
the global age we live in. But now, the
ECJ has raised questions regarding the
future of workplace diversity.
Here in the UK, people’s responses
regarding the ruling have been very
poignant indeed. Their outrage and
concern was tied to Article 9 of the
European Convention of Human Rights
(which provides the right to freedom of
thought,conscience and religion).Many
hijab observant women have raised their
voices about how they have struggled
to climb the corporate ladder whilst
ultimately maintaining their religious
values. But unfortunately for some, this
struggle was too much to bear and so
they have resigned themselves to the
belief that to truly integrate into British
society, they must change their identity
completely, right down to the way they
dress.
In the end,this policy does not just affect
people in the workplace, but essentially
determines how people choose to identify
themselves altogether and shapes their
ideologies towards the concept of toler-
ance.It does absolutely nothing towards
the cause of social cohesion; rather, it
just isolates people who stand for differ-
ent beliefs until they force themselves to
conform to the politically correct norm.
Religion is not something we can hide
from nor is it something that should
be hidden. It is not a light switch that
can just be turned on and off, and so
it shouldn’t be dealt with so clinically.
People should never be forced to decide
between their spirituality and their
paycheck. Religious education, be it in
schools or the workplace,is more impor-
tant now than ever. A lack of religious
knowledge has indeed been a firm corner-
stone for religious extremist groups when
it comes to recruiting and spreading their
Many Muslim women see wearing
a headscarf to be a religious
obligation, stemming from an
injunction in the Qur’an itself.
Saida Shigapova | Shutterstock
why religion shouldn’t be pushed
aside at work
Here in the UK, people’s
responses regarding the
ruling have been very
poignant indeed. Their
outrage and concern was tied
to Article 9 of the European
Convention of Human
Rights (which provides the
right to freedom of thought,
conscience and religion).

scientists and scholars all under the ban-
ner of Islam.2
Muslim women in history and indeed
contemporary society have proved time
and time again that their faith and their
religious values have enabled them to
excel to the heights they reached. The
first and most prominent example that
comes to mind is that of Hazrat Khadijara
the wife of the Holy Prophetsa
and the
first person to accept the message of
Islam.
Although she lived in a culture domi-
nated by male chauvinism, Hazrat
Khadijahra
earned two titles: Ameerat
Quraish, (Princess of the Quraish),
and at-Tahira (the Pure One) due to
her personality, virtuous character and
prestigious heritage. She was revered as
an incredible businesswoman.She played
a pivotal role in the early years of Islam.
Through her affluence, great political
influence and devoted encouragement
she was able to support the Holy Prophet
Muhammadsa
through the early years
of Islam. Her example inspired many
Muslim women throughout history.
It is difficult to collate the countless
names that come to mind, but here are
a few examples of great Muslim women
who used their faith and beliefs as the
key to their success.Fatima Muhammad
Al-Fihri was responsible for creating the
first institution that granted academic
degrees in the world, the University of
Qarawiyyin in Fez, Morocco.Today the
Guinness Book of World Records recognises
the university to be the oldest continu-
ous institution of higher learning in the
world.Nana Asma’u was a princess,poet
and teacher and is also considered the
founder of modern feminism in Africa.
In 1830, she formed a group of female
teachers who journeyed through Nigeria
Madinah. The first article of the consti-
tution established the concept of one
nation: people of all faiths—Muslims,
Christians, Jews—were all protected
citizens of Madinah irrespective of their
beliefs,race or descent.They were free to
practise their faiths and worked as they
wished.
This ideology was carried on by the
Holy Prophet Muhammad’ssa
successors.
During the rule of Hazrat Umar Farooq
bin Khattabra
, the second successor
(caliph) of Holy Prophet Muhammadsa
,
the Islamic empire became vast and
extended all across the Middle East and
as far as Egypt. Throughout the empire
he assigned senior posts to people of
various different faiths. For example,
the entire revenue records of Iraq, Syria
and Egypt were kept in Syrian, Coptic
and Persian languages and for that reason
the officials for this department were all
Christians. Roman Christians were also
employed to compile records for taxes
in Madinah. Hazrat Umarra
also opened
the ranks of the army to everyone with-
out distinction of country, nation, creed
or religion. All were allowed to openly
practise their beliefs and uphold their
practices and symbols without fear of
prejudice or discrimination.
Contrary to what we see today through
the practices of certain Muslim countries,
these were the true values and practices
that gave birth to what history called the
‘Golden Age of Islam’,an era which gave
birth to great writers, mathematicians,
Integration does not require that people lose
their religious affiliations; rather it means that
people of diverse faiths find common ground.
User Boris15 | Shutterstock
Contrary to what we see
today through the practices
of certain Muslim countries,
these were the true values
and practices that gave birth
to what history called the
‘Golden Age of Islam’, an era
which gave birth to great
writers, mathematicians,
scientists and scholars all
under the banner of Islam.

ruling will do is exacerbate the battle reli-
gion has been facing against intolerance,
whether it comes from religious extrem-
ists who wish to disengage religion from
contemporary civilization or secularist
ruling that has placed religion at the fault
line of society.
About the Author: Meliha Hayat is a religious
correspondent and producer for the Voice of Islam
radio station in London, and Deputy Editor of the
women’s section at The Review of Religions.
endnotes
1. The Holy Qur’an, 109:7.
2. Rashid Ahmad Chaudhry, Hadhrat Umar
Farooq (May Allah be pleased with him), (Tilford,
Surrey: Islam International Publications, 2001).
3. Meliha Hayat, “Suppression of Women,
Culture or Faith?” The Huffington Post, May 4
2015, accessed March 28, 2017, http://www.
huffingtonpost.co.uk/meliha-hayat/inspirational-
muslim-wome_b_6803934.html.
to educate women in deprived rural
regions.3
So Muslim women have been breaking
glass ceilings which many others are still
struggling to crack.Since 1988,Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Indonesia, Mali, Senegal,
Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey have, at
some point or another, all been led by a
Muslim woman president or prime min-
ister. We have also seen Muslim women
travel to space,excel in all fields of critical
thinking and become global advocates
for equal rights and education. Malala
Yousafzai has become a great activist for
women’s education after being shot by
gunmen for publishing a diary about life
under Taliban rule. She is now a Nobel
Peace Prize recipient and a global leader
for equal rights in education:“Once I had
asked God for one or two extra inches in
height,but instead he made me as tall as
the sky,so high that I could not measure
myself.”
Taking all this in to account, the issue
arises: had there been hijab bans in these
countries, this potential would certainly
have gone to waste.
Many have argued that these attacks are
done in the name of violence and will
not affect many people. But the truth of
the matter is that this ruling will force
people of faith to question whether they
will essentially push aside their beliefs
to conform to workplace convention or
hold on to their religious identity at the
price of their potential.Essentially all this
While the ECJ has come down
with this restrictive ruling, British
liberalism is a credit to the UK.
Samot | Shutterstock
Essentially all this ruling
will do is exacerbate the
battle religion has been
facing against intolerance,
whether it comes from
religious extremists who wish
to disengage religion from
contemporary civilization.
why religion shouldn’t be pushed
aside at work
YOUR OPINION
COUNTS
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The Review of Religions April 2017

The Review of Religions April 2017

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The Review of Religions April 2017