Samad Ahmad Ghori
Missionary and President Jamaat Albania
On Sunday, 21 October 2018, Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Albania held its 11th Jalsa Salana in the Bait-ul-Awal mosque and the surrounding area.
Albania is a developing country in the south-east of Europe. The total population is just under 3 million. Bait-ul-Awal is situated in the south-east of the country and the Jamaat owns the surrounding land as well as the 3-storey mission house.
The Jalsa saw 192 men and 140 women attend, with a total attendance of 332 guests. Among the participants were guests that had travelled from all over Albania, guests from neighbouring Kosovo, guests from Macedonia, Bosnia and Montenegro. Representatives also attended from the UK and Germany.
The speeches delivered at the Jalsa were well-prepared and subjects were explained in an apt manner. These speeches included: The Generosity of the Holy Prophetsa by Ilirian Ibrahimi Sahib of Kosovo, The Teachings of World Religions on Gambling and New Studies by Sali Beja Sahib of Albania, Belief in a Living God by myself, Jihad Through the Quran by Bujar Ramaj Sahib – Vice President Jamaat Albania and The Means of Acquiring Wealth Lawfully by Valdon Mustafa Sahib of Kosovo. Similarly, Feroz Alam Sahib of the UK delivered the inaugural speech.
This year, Besnik Bare, Member of Parliament attended the event while the Mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, sent a message for the Jalsa for the first time.
Prior to the Jalsa, as a result of the cooperation between Humanity First and the administration of Tirana, food packets were distributed in impoverished areas. Representing Humanity First, Zubair Khalil Khan Sahib also attended the event. A total of 125 families were fed and a combined weight of 5.8 tonnes of food and drink was distributed.
During the Jalsa, the member of parliament thanked Humanity First and expressed his views of the Jalsa. The mayor, lauding the relief efforts of the Jamaat, said: “Your motto, ‘Love for All, Hatred for None’, is an inspiration for us all.” Zubair Khalil Khan Sahib, on behalf of Humanity First Germany, thanked the guests and Jamaat Albania.
Towards the end of the event, I thanked the guests, after which Waseem Ahmad Saroa, missionary and President of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Macedonia delivered a speech and concluded the event with silent prayer.