Sharif Rasel, Secretary Tabligh, Adelaide West Jamaat
Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Adelaide West organised a Holy Quran exhibition and bookstall at the Rotary Kadina market on 30 July 2022.
Kadina is the largest town on the Yorke Peninsula, which is an hour and 40-minute drive from the Mahmood Mosque. This was the first time that the Jamaat held a stall in the Peninsula.
The Rotary Club of Northern Yorke Peninsula organises the market on the last Saturday of the month in Victoria Square. Kadina is a commercial hub of the agriculture sector in the region. However, the town was once famous for copper mining.
A group of seven members led by a missionary, Atif Ahmed Zahid Sahib started the journey in the Jamaat van from the Mahmood Mosque after Fajr prayer. Before the journey, Atif Sahib gave some instructions about tabligh and then led the silent prayer.
After reaching the marketplace, the Jamaat members set up a marquee in which Jamaat literature was displayed. They brought the Holy Quran in different languages and books published by the Jamaat to break the barriers of misconceptions and make bridges between communities. People visited the stall with great interest to know about the Holy Quran. Jamaat members explained different verses of the Holy Quran to the visitors that highlighted human rights, peace and interfaith harmony.
From the Copper Coast Council, Councillor Cathy Vluggen and Councillor Peter Oswald visited the stall and welcomed the initiative and thanked the Jamaat members for participating in the markets.
Councillor Cathy Vluggen said:
“Welcome to our region. It’s lovely to see you here at the market, spreading your message of peace to our locals and visitors. Thank you for coming. I think it’s so important to have you here today because – like me – other people in our region probably don’t realise the good work that you’re doing. And there are only a few bad people that are giving you guys a bad name. You guys, what you’re doing with all the blood donations and the mail deliveries, and the other valuable work that you’re contributing to our society, I think, you know, the more that we can spread that message and share with the communities, it’s a great thing to do. So thank you again very much for coming and well done to you all.”
Jamaat members prepared five gift bags in which books Life of Muhammadsa and World Crisis and the Pathway to Peace, pamphlets and chocolates were put together for the community leaders. Those gifts were given to councillors from the city council and community leaders from the Rotary Club of Northern Yorke Peninsula. Upon receipt of the gifts, they expressed their gratitude for the books, which they said they would read.
Hundreds of pamphlets and the book Distinctive Features of Islam were distributed among the community members.
In the stall, discussions with the community members were held on the topic of the concept of God in Islam and the Hereafter. One newly converted Muslim visited the stall. He was very happy to see Muslims in the market and took the Jamaat’s details. Atif Sahib invited him to visit our mosque when he visits Adelaide.
The market started at 8:30 am and ran till 12:30 pm. During this time, the stall was able to spread the message of the Jamaat to hundreds of community members.
Daniel Copping, a local who converted to Islam a year ago was very happy to see the stall and commented in the following words:
“I think this is wonderful what you’ve set up. I think more and more Australians need to know about Islam and realise that it’s a religion of peace. I think many Australians are misled by the press. They are trying to paint Islam in a bad form while it is a religion of peace.”