Attia Aslam, Sadr Lajna Imaillah Netherlands
Lajna Imaillah Netherlands held its 39th annual Ijtema on 10-11 September 2022, which was held after a period of three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Ijtema programme and the syllabus for competitions were sent to all local presidents several months before the Ijtema. Efforts were made to reach every single Lajna member in the country. Various promotional videos were made and sent out to the members and different social media channels were used to promote the Ijtema.
Lajna Imaillah has been holding their previous Ijtemas at the Bait-un-Noor Mosque in Nunspeet. However, due to the significant increase in the tajnid of the Jamaat and, consequently, of Lajna Imailla in recent years, a larger venue was required. Therefore, an extensive search was made for an alternative location to hold the Ijtema to accommodate the increased number of members. Eventually, a suitable hall was acquired and reserved in Almere, near the Bait-ul-Afiyat mosque.
There were several interesting activities held alongside academic competitions during the Ijtema. There were ziafat and exhibition competitions held for our creative members. Stalls were held by various departments such as wasiyyat, ishaat, khidmat-e-khalq, rishta nata, Humanity First and the Holland Mosque Fund. In addition, several food and drink stalls were set up by the bazaar team.
On the first day, all departments and their teams gathered at the Ijtema site at 8:45 am.
At 9 am, the registration team started their work and registered the lajna and nasirat as soon as they arrived at the Ijtema site. The Registration Department together with the Health and Safety Department had made special arrangements to check for Covid-19 vaccination status and carry out Covid-19 tests.
At 10 am, the programme started with the recitation from the Holy Quran, followed by the Lajna pledge and a poem. At 10:30am, the academic competitions were held.
Lunch was served at 1 pm, followed by Zuhr and Asr prayers.
After this, academic competitions continued, followed by the election of the president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Women Students’ Association (AMWSA). This session was followed by dinner.
On the second day, the programme commenced at 10 am with academic competitions, followed by lunch and Zuhr and Asr prayers. At 3 pm, the final session began with the recitation from the Holy Quran and a poem, followed by a bait bazi competition.
Afterwards, the prize distribution took place and awards were distributed among the lajna and nasirat.
Then, my humble self read out the special message from Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa.
The final session of the Ijtema concluded with a silent prayer at 4:30 pm.
After the conclusion of the Ijtema, all Lajna members took part in waqar-e-amal, which was followed by dinner at 5:30 pm.
The Ijtema was attended by 379 lajna, 103 nasirat, 10 guests and 120 children.