During the virtual mulaqat of the missionaries of Bangladesh with Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa, on 8 November 2020, a missionary sought guidance from Huzooraa regarding the fact that young Ahmadi Muslims living in villages or rural areas of Bangladesh tended to migrate to bigger cities in search of better economic or educational opportunities. He said this meant that the number of Ahmadi Muslim youth serving the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat in the rural areas or villages was reduced.
In response, Huzooraa said:
“This is the general practice of the world. This is something that happens all over the world that people migrate from rural areas or from villages to urban areas or cities. This is something natural in countries that wish to progress. Small areas, towns and villages have populations that increase exponentially.
“If the whole population remains there and does not go to the cities to attain education, then they cannot progress. This clearly shows that there are more opportunities of progressing in cities, through which the nation can excel further, or there are more opportunities to attain an education and to excel.
“Indeed, there was an economist in Bangladesh who initiated a cottage industry system whereby a cottage industry can be provided to people in small villages and towns so that they may work there and find opportunities to make investments there instead of having to go out into the city for this purpose. If these sorts of opportunities are available, then this is wonderful. Members of the Jamaat should also benefit from this and people should stay there and work there. However, those who are very well educated and who have greater opportunities to attain higher education and progress further in the city, will of course go into the city.
“So, the only solution for those who remain behind is that they should try their utmost to fulfill their duties and try to get as many Bai‘ats as possible; they should try to do as much tabligh and preaching as possible; they should try to introduce the Jamaat to more and more people; they should try to instil a sense of fulfilling one’s obligations in the younger generation which is growing up – those who are joining Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya from Atfal so that they may serve the Jamaat as much as possible.
“They have to go out in order to attain their livelihood. So, you should try to get as many new converts as possible in those areas. Secondly, educate the young generation in a manner that they are capable of looking after the Jamaat.”
