One of the most memorable conversations I had with an Argentine was when I attended a meeting and introduced myself as an Islamic theologist. The reply immediately was “you don’t belong to one of those terrorist groups do you?” I was completely shocked when I heard this but when I tried to see it from his point of view I could understand to some extent his fear, misconception and lack of knowledge. Just recently there was a terrorist attack on a mosque in Egypt, where more than 300 innocent people were killed. Regrettably, the evil acts of certain so-called Islamic groups have not only created disorder in Muslim countries but have also caused fear and misconceptions to spread in Western countries. People in the West are becoming increasingly frightened of Islam and consider it to be a threat to their civilisation.
The acts of these terrorists, who are a very small minority among Muslims, are in absolute contradiction to Islam and Muslims from the Ahmadiyya Community are clarifying this misinterpretation by propagating and practising the true, just and peaceful teachings of Islam all over the world.
Muslims of the Ahmadiyya Community believe in Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908) as the Promised Messiah, whose advent was prophesised by the founder of Islam - the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). We, Muslims of the Ahmadiyya Community do not want to gain any political power or territory but we want to conquer the hearts of the people by preaching and practising the true Islam. We have not established missions in different parts of the world to take or ask for something in return but rather, we want to give something back to society to create a place of love, harmony and justice as we Muslims are commanded in the Holy Quran:
“Verily, Allah enjoins justice, and the doing of good to others; and giving like kindred…” (Chapter 16, Verse 91).
Hence, the Quran does not only call upon Muslims to be fair and just, but rather it has established a far higher standard of treating others. Where Allah the Almighty says, “giving like kindred”, He requires a believer to favour others and to always desire the very best for them. It requires Muslims to treat all other people like their close family members. It obliges that they strive to love others, without any desire for reward, just as a mother selflessly loves her child. It is important to note that the Quran does not say that a Muslim should treat only their fellow Muslims in this way, rather it says that they should love ‘others’ and this includes Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
Consequently, the definition of a Muslim according to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is, that a true Muslim desires for his fellow human beings (Muslims and Non-Muslims) the same as he desires for himself.
Thus, the Muslims of the Ahmadiyya Community, who are united worldwide under the spiritual guidance of His Holiness and Caliph, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, are striving for two grand objectives:
Firstly, to have mankind recognise God Almighty and to worship Him and to fulfil the rights He has over us. Secondly, for mankind to respect and honour one another and also to fulfil the rights they owe to each other.
Explaining the efforts and tasks of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community to create peace and justice in society, His Holiness and Caliph, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said during a Press Conference in Canada:
“We have no worldly power and so all we can do is to continue to peacefully preach Islam’s true teachings. It is a slow process but one day we shall win the hearts of people and the brutalities witnessed in the world today will stop. We are very determined and so we will never give up our tasks.”
It is with this determination that I begin my journey as a Muslim in Argentina and undertake the important tasks highlighted by His Holiness above, so I hope that in future when I introduce myself as an Islamic theologist, the reply that I will receive will be: “so that means you are an ambassador of peace and love”.

mgill.es@ahmadiyya-islam.org