First Muslim Centennial in America

The centenary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was celebrated at Baitul Ata Mosque in Norcross on February 15th, 2020. One hundred years ago, Mufti Muhammad Sadiq, an Ahmadi Muslim missionary arrived in Philadelphia on February 15th to spread the message of True Islam.

The centennial program started with the recitation of the Holy Quran followed by a poem. Bilal Siddiqui and Atthar Awwan made a presentation on the “Brief Outline of Early History”. They spoke about the sacrifices of early Ahmadi Muslims in America by stating that Mr. Hasan F. L. Anderson was the first Ahmadi Muslim converted in 1901. He was a scientist and worked at the First Scientific Station in New York followed by Dr. George Baker of Philadelphia who accepted Ahmadiyya Islam in 1903 and wrote about the founder of the community, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, and said, "I totally agree with the views of your Founder. He has presented Islam correctly to the world just as the Prophet Muhammad had done." The same year first Ahmadiyya Mosque in America was established by Mufti Muhammad Sadiq in Chicago and the Muslim Sunrise (a quarterly magazine) was initiated which is still in publication.

Richard Brent Turner who accepted Ahmadiyya Islam stated in one of his books that, “Ahmadiyya was unquestionably one of the most significant movements in the history of Islam in the United States in the twentieth century, providing as it did the first multi-racial model for American Islam. The Ahmadis disseminated Islamic literature and converted black and white Americans. They attacked the distortions of Islam in the media, established mosques and reading rooms, and translated the Quran into English” (Islam in the African American Experience, by Richard Brent Turner).

Keynote speaker Missionary Hammad Ahmad spoke on the topic of, “Future of Ahmadiyya in the United States”. He stated that a missionary came and elaborated on the true teachings of Islam. And now we have spread into 50 states of the US. It needs hard work, sacrifice, and devotion. He quoted Mirza Bashir Uddin Mehmood Ahmad, the second Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, by saying that, “God is with us and one-day true teaching of Islam will resonate, not because of the missionary bringing transformation but people are ready to see the beauty of Islam. It has been decreed in heaven that people will worship one God.”

Mr. Khairul Bahri, president of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community GA chapter expressed his gratitude by thanking all the members who came and attended the centennial celebration and concluded the program with silent prayer. More than 250 members attended the celebration with enthusiasm and spirit.