Originally published in Reportage Online May 1, 2015.
The community group Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Australia has launched a campaign to get young Muslims involved in charitable events across Australia.
The campaign, Muslims for Good of Mankind, was designed to de-radicalise and reform young Muslims in accordance with the group’s motto, “Nations cannot be reformed without the reformation of youth.”
Waqas Ahmed, National President of Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Australia, says the campaign was started in response to the media’s coverage of such Islamic extremist rebel groups as ISIS and Boko Haram.
“We believe doing programs such as this allows us to display the true teaching of Islam and the holy Qur’an and the prophet Mohammad,” Mr Ahmed says. “The main reason for all these extremist groups such as ISIS and Boko Haram, is basically the incorrect interpretation of the holy Qur’an.”
The campaign was launched on March 1 to coincide with Clean Up Australia Day. Ian Kiernan, founder and organiser of Clean up Australia Day, noted that the five largest volunteer groups participating in the day were from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association of Australia.
“The Muslim people make great Australians by and large. They have always supported Clean Up Australia,” he said. “With the first Clean Up Sydney Harbour, they came down from their mosque, and I said, ‘Why did you come all the way to Sydney Harbour?’ and they said, ‘We want to say thank you to our new country’.”
Although the campaign was launched recently, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association of Australia has been involved in various charities such Red Cross, Guide Dogs Australia, Humanity First and Clean Up Australia since its founding in 1983.
In additional to charitable events, Ahmadiyya Muslims participate actively in Australia Day.
Mr Ahmed says the group does this to emphasise the fact that its members are proud Australians as well as proud Muslims. “‘Love of country is part of faith’ is a saying of the prophet Mohammed himself,” he says.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Association of Australia has “categorically and unequivocally” condemned the Martin Place siege and all acts of terrorism. During the commemoration of the siege, 50 Ahmaddiya Muslims payed respects to the victims wearing T-shirts that read ‘Muslims for Peace’.