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AL HAKAM | Friday 1 October 2021 Continued from page 1
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa then instructed all Lajna members present and watching via MTA to stand for the Lajna pledge, which everyone repeated. Thereafter, Rizwana Ahmad Sahiba was invited to the stage to recite a nazm (Urdu poem) written by the Promised Messiah, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas in honour of the Holy Prophet, Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Sadr Lajna Imaillah UK was then asked to deliver the Ijtema report. Sadr Sahiba reported that various events were held at this year’s Ijtema, including discussions on the importance of women in Islam and how the Holy Prophetsa was seen in the eyes of nonMuslims. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Women Research Association also held informative discussions and exhibitions. There were also events highlighting the importance of physical health. 3,794 Lajna and Nasirat attended the Ijtema and about 1,500 were present in the final session. Sadr Sahiba then expressed her gratitude to her teams and especially to Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa for gracing the concluding session and requested prayers. She then requested Huzoor’s permission to play a short video clip, highlighting some of the activities of the Ijtema, which was shown on the screen. Thereafter, Huzooraa took to the podium to deliver the concluding address of the 2021 national UK Lajna Imaillah Ijtema. After reciting tashahud, ta‘awuz and Surah al-Fatihah, Huzooraa said that it was a grace of Allah that after two years, Lajna Imaillah once again had the opportunity to hold its Ijtema. The primary purpose of Jalsas and Ijtemas was to improve the spiritual and moral standards – to increase moral standards and strengthen faith. If these were not the objectives, there was no point holding Ijtemas and similar events. In today’s world, human knowledge and understanding has rapidly progressed in all secular fields and as a result, communication is now extremely advanced. Distances have eroded through modern means of travel and through electronic and digital communication, e.g. the television, Internet and radio. “This technological revolution that has taken place would not have seemed plausible even half a century ago.” This advancement in technology could not have been envisaged even 10-15 years ago. This is something that has never been seen before in the history of mankind. It is now possible to speak to people thousands of miles away at the same time. This has enabled the Western nations to flaunt their way of life, so much so that the developing nations are learning about the lifestyle of the richer nations and their luxuries. This leads to feelings of restlessness and more awareness of their desperate plight. Social media and the Internet has turned the world into a global village, but this cannot always be deemed to be for the good. A large part of the world lives on the baseline of poverty, all the while observing the lifestyles of richer countries. Instead of bridging the gap in society, technology has only highlighted the inequality and injustice that exist in society. This has fermented feelings of anguish and discontent in society.
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If you want to rise to this challenge, and bring about a spiritual revolution in the world, we must first start by reforming ourselves. “So where, on the one hand, rich governments and their people reassure themselves that satellite television and the Internet is providing people living in poor countries with entertainment, the reality is that technology has served to drive an even greater wedge between the haves and havenots. Whilst many living in the developed world may prefer to turn a blind eye to this inequality, they should realise there is also a grave crisis taking place on their doorsteps and its potential ramifications are no less destructive”. Huzooraa explained that worldliness and materialism was rampant, wherein most people were living a life of spiritual blindness. People “fail to realise how superficial they have become” and remain ignorant of the far-reaching consequences of materialism. “I am sure there will come a time when they will recognise that constant exposure to material things on the TV, on the Internet and on social media and the pursuit of vain desires has been to their profound detriment. They will see how all that they have considered as good and progressive has actually triggered a spiritual and moral malaise, the like of which perhaps the world has never seen before. They will be forced to admit that the riches of the world have left them spiritually penniless and morally bankrupt.” There has been a rise in anxiousness and mental health issues as a result of social media and technological advancement, regarding which Huzooraa said: “It is my firm belief that the root cause of this is that they have been trapped by
their materialistic pursuits and cravings and above all, because they have abandoned faith in God Almighty.” Huzooraa said that we lived in a world where it did not matter what a person had; rather, what mattered was what a person did not have. This serves only to increase frustrations and anxiety and is leading mankind to darkness. If people living in the underdeveloped world were being subjected to such complex consequences, then there is no knowing how far the outcome of such things is in the epicentre of materialism – the West. Children are being exposed to masses of content, on the Internet, on Youtube and other social media platforms. Children are viewing content on their phones, laptops and tablets, often hidden from their parents’ view and they themselves are not in control of what they are seeing. “If they are streaming a video or playing an online game, pop-up adverts will frequently appear, often promoting harmful products or showing lewd content that is morally destructive and not at all ageappropriate. It is an extremely harrowing state of affairs.” Huzooraa said caution must be exercised as parents were struggling to keep up. Research has shown that thousands, if not millions of children, have been affected by the negative consequences of social media. The Wall Street Journal recently suggested that Instagram was leading to anxiety and mental health issues in children and teenagers. 13% of children who had suicidal thoughts in the UK admitted that it was a result of their use of Instagram. Now,
other prominent organisations have realised the harms of social media. The 5Rights Foundation has stated that Facebook’s own research is a devastating indictment of the carelessness with which the technological sector treats children. These companies are stealing children’s time, mental health and tragically, their lives. Ahmadi parents should guide their children as to what is appropriate and what is not so that they may be saved from such harms. “I also wish to remind all of you that even whilst living in the comfort of the West, you must never forget your roots and your true objectives. Certainly, most Ahmadis living in the Western world, especially those who originate from Pakistan, came here to escape religious persecution, irrespective of their place in society. Whether working as businessmen, professionals, labourers or if they are in education, Ahmadis in Pakistan continue to be the victims of grave persecution and injustice. Even very small Ahmadi children in year one or two are being harassed by other children or their teachers and this is having a damaging effect on them. In terms of higher education, certain professors and members of faculty at Pakistan universities are filled with venomous anti-Ahmadi prejudice and bigotry. “Thus, where there is an ever-present fear of physical terrorist and extremist attacks, targeting Ahmadis in Pakistan, at the same time, there is a constant stream of psychological terrorism and extremism that is being waged against our members,” as a Continued on next page >>
