Rana Munawwar Khan
Mubaligh & Sadr Jamaat Croatia
Interliber, recognised as being one of the most famous book fairs in the region, was held from 13 to 18 November. Organised under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Croatia and the city of Zagreb, the fair was visited by many distinguished guests and dignitaries, including the president of the Croatian government, mayor of Zagreb, various ministers and other famous people from the cultural and entertainment scene.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat in Croatia made great strides, being the only presenter of Islamic literature among 300 presenters, spreading the true message of Islam for six days, throughout the whole duration of the fair, to an estimated number of over 130,000 visitors. Members and friends of AMJ Croatia gave their helping hand, including Kalemullah Malhi Sahib, Yassir Al-Masri Sahib, Balde Yaya Saiko Sahib, Talha Ahmad Sahib and Mr Mišel Androić. AMJ Bosnia members, missionary Mufiz Rahman and Nedim Ahmad, provided invaluable assistance in reducing the workload of the many visits and enquiries of interested visitors.
Visitors of the AMJ Croatia stall could find free literature and books sold on promotional prices. Interested visitors asked questions about Islam, the Ahmadiyya movement or general themes related to public perception of Muslims, while the dedicated staff of AMJ volunteers gladly answered all of questions and courteously engaged in discussions and debates.
AMJ Croatia
AMJ Croatia was also featured on the popular Croatian TV religious show “Duhovni izazovi” (Spiritual Challenges) and presented itself to a wider audience. In the interview with AMJ volunteers the crew asked general questions about the Jamaat itself, and about the scale of available books. It was a great pleasure to see that many visitors were eager to get books after talking with the volunteers, the Quran being in high demand, as well as books on contemporary Islamic themes.
On 17 November, the latest book of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V, World Crisis and the Pathway to Peace, was promoted on the main stage of the book fair. The audience was informed about the general idea of the book, that is, how a message of peace directly inspired from the main sources of Islam, like Quran, can pave the way for a lasting peace, and with this, shed some light about the role of Islam in the contemporary world.
After five days of dedicated work, AMJ Croatia ended their participation at Interliber when it concluded on 18 November. Special thanks are due to members of AMJ Bosnia and Slovenia for their support.