“Islamism is not Terrorism - the Report of the Islamist World Assembly in Britain -”Date: August 21 ~ 23, 2015
Place: London, the United Kingdom
Organizer: The Jalsa Salana United Kingdom 2015
Kobe International Christ Church
Pastor Yoshio Iwamura
Theme scripture: “Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, ofGentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and theuncircumcised through that same faith.” (Romans 3:29-30)<Introduction>
Not a few Japanese people who recall terrorism when they heard about Islam religion. Comparedwith paganism, monotheism is intolerant so people react to feel scariness. Some people believe that
Islam is the terrorism through the media reports about the destruction of the historical ruins by
Taliban and killing hostages by the Islamic State. The Tokyo subway sarin attack incident (1995) ,which killed a lot of people, made people to think that it is scary if the person extremely devoted
into religion.
Only the religion you believe is decent and others are heresy. Is there no salvation in there?
Islam is roughly divided into Sunni Islam and Shia Islam. Shia Islam is 10% of the total Muslims.1
The Ahmadiyya that invited me this time is only an imitator of Sunni Islam form the point of viewof Shia Islam . 30,000 people from 90 countries participated in the Ahmadiyya “Jalsa Salana(annual conference)” that was held at the suburbs of London, the United Kingdom from August 21
to 23, 2015. Not only the King of Ghana, President of Senegal and Vice President of Sierra Leone,
but also other important people from each country sent messages with quotations from the “Quran(Official name ‘Holy Quran n’)”.

The Republic of Ghana / Ashanti Empire, Osei TutuⅡ(Born May 6, 1950)
1

Sakurai,K. 2006. Shiiaha – Daidousuru Isuramusyosuha. Chukoshinshyo.
According to Wikipedia, Shia Islam believers are estimated to 10% to 20% of total Muslims. In 2009, the number ofbelievers is estimated about 200 million.

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Conference venue map at the entrance

The entire hall of the Jalsa Salana where 30,000 people together.
The preconception that haven been seen in every monotheistic religion, such as exclusion,
intolerance and ultimatism, which are occupying religions endlessly, are deleted. It became theopportunity for each divided religions, Christianity, Buddhism, Shintoism and others to realize
about insisting own legitimacy that is a foreignness which has no difference from Aum Shinrikyo.
Then, let’s consider about intolerance that religion has potentially.
(1) The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
a. Origin of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, which is the most worldwide Muslim Community in the
Muslim world, was founded in Punjab, India, in 1889. The founder is Mirza Ghulam Ahmad [1835–1908].2 In 1947, at the time of Indian independence, they were forced to immigrate to Pakistanfrom their hometown India where Hinduism is a state religion.3 Civilian’s exchanges were held in
the tide of the separatist and independence movements. When Bangladesh, the eastern Pakistan
region, became independent in 1971, stability of economy, politics and diplomatic in Pakistan wereMirza Ghulam Ahmad received a revelation at the age of 41. He raised the Caliphate and he called himself as thepromised Messiah and Mahdi. However, unlike the Bayání Faith and The Bahá'í Faith that have disengaged from
Islam, he established it as a true Islam and reformist. It was divided into the Qadian and Lahore in 1914, after his
death.
3 Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. 2004. Tadhkirah. Islam International Publications Ltd. 1-410.
Hirano,Y. 2002. Sir Salman Rushdie “Shame” niokeru Pakistan no rekishi. Nijyuseiki eibngaku kenkyukai.270.
2

2

weakened.4 During the presidential period of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto [1928-1979] from 1971 to 1973,
in the defeat of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, in order to solve the dissatisfaction of the people,
the Ahmadiyya was made to be a scapegoat as if they were the root of evil. Persecutions,discriminations, and contempt for the Ahmadiyya from the same Muslims are still continuing. The
5t Caliph Ahmad himself, who gave a lecture, was also taken into custody for 11 days.5５)b. IslamMuḥammad (‫ محمد‬Arabic pronunciation <<fuṣḥā>> of Muhammet) [around 570 – 632], is thefounder of Islam. He is from the prestigious the Quraysh tribe in Arab. At his age around 40, hestarted to receive revelation from Allah (God), and started preaching in Makkah. Due to thepersecution from the privileged class people, they escaped to the town of Yathrib (Medina) in 622.
This migration is called as the Hegira (Hijra). He died in Medina. Dictionary defines as“Muhammet”.6 “Muhammad” is a popular name in Muslims, so he was called as the “Prophet
Muhammad” for distinction at the conference.
At the conference, English, French Arabic, Urdu language flow from the pulpit. Headphones werehanded over to every invited guest from overseas so that they could understand in either in English
or French. Relationships among Judaism, Islam and Christianity are like brothers. Islam is a religion
that Muhammad started after receiving the revelation of God, so they define the “Old Testament” as
the religious text. Moses that appears in the Bible is pronounced as “Mūsā”, and Jesus as “Isa”.
For Jews, there is Moses, as a leader who is still trusted as a mediator between God and humanbeings. The feeling toward the Caliph (Khalīfa in Arabic) as the heir of Prophet Muhammad issimilar to the absolute trust in Moses who heard the people’s groaning, sufferings and sorrows andstood up for them in Egypt.
They believe that even Muslims and Christians worship the same God since Adam who is regarded
as the first human being but they did not understand each other correct, so the God sent Muhammad
to tell people the true teaching as the final prophet.7
c. Persecution against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
Once they introduce about themselves as “We are the Muslims”, or “We are the Islam”, the fire of
ruthless persecutions are rose, Even though the Ahmadiyya believers abandoned their jobs, local
communities and hometowns to migrate from India. I guess that there was an intention to distract
public attention from the independence of Bangladesh which is economically rich.8 There is no
Christian church in Islam. There is no one who is determined as a cleric in the Western World.

2010. Hanif, M. Why Pakistan’s Ahmadi community is officially detested. BBC News. June 16.
Nakano, K. 2014. Pakistan seijishi – Minshyukoka heno kunan no michi. Sekai rekishi soushyo. 93-95.
5 2011. Life Sketch and Services of Hadrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad –. Khalifatul Masih V. Retrieved. March 12.
6
2006-2014. Matsumura,A (Editor). Daijirin. The 3rd edition. Sanseidō.
7
Okawa,R. 2013. Isulamkasuru sekai. Heibonsha. 31.
82010. Hanif, M. Why Pakistan’s Ahmadi community is officially detested. BBC News. June 16.
2011. Life Sketch and Services of Hadrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad –. Khalifatul Masih V. Retrieved. March 12.
43

There is no something close to the papacy or the holy orders.9 As the highest authority of thecommunity, Caliph acts as a Messiah.
Abū Bakr al-Baghdadi from “the Islamic State (ISIL: Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) calls
himself as the Caliph and does terrorism act in Iraq and Syria, so he draws derision from the world.

“Nottingham Post” August 22, 2015

In the Ahmadiyya, Caliph has appeared from repeated difficulties and sufferings. Instead ofprognosticating future events, they send messages to people as the mouthpiece of the will of God.
Since the Ahmadiyya interprets and deciphers the “Holly Quran” faithfully, so they accepted to be
in prison by the Pakistani government’s string-pulling. In 1984, they moved to the United Kingdom
for seeking a place of relief.

(2) Persecution and Patience for trials.
a. Germination of the renunciation of war
The majority of Islam that claim their orthodoxy in Pakistan had no choice but change into themilitaristic color due to the separation of India, the collapse with Bangladesh and the threat byneighboring countries. The Ahmadiyya teaches people that it is unbelief to do the act of killing by
the flames of hatred from the “Holly Quran”.10 In other words, it is a germination of therenunciation of war.
While the historical Christian churches adhere to the Augustinus’s “Just War Theory”, Menno
Simons [1496-1561] who founded the Mennonites, and Alexander Mack [1679-1735] of
Schwarzacher Hof in Germany along with other 7 members founded the Brethren together.

2008. Khaled M.Abou El Fadl. The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists. Translated by Keiichi Yonetani.
31.
10
2006. Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad. Freedom of Speech & Tolerance in Islam. Baitul Futuh Moden. 4-5.
94

From about 1871, it began as the Protestant for the renunciation of war.11 From around 1871, theBrethren became to be known as a pacifism Protestant.

Even during the Bhutto’s presidential period and the suppression by the Anti-Ahmadi Laws in Ziaul-Haq’s presidential period, no armed uprising had appeared.
I cannot think but it was not a coincidence that I from the Super-denomination Brethren Church
was invited to the Jalsa Salana of the Ahmadiyya not only as the representative of Japan but also theChristian world. Because there are many religious people in Japan who are having dialogues withother religions. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community have a deep relationship between the Buddhist
world, which is the mainstream, and the traditional groups like the Shinto world.12 Can we be gladas kairos [timely] events of 70 years since the Second World War that the Jalsa Salana choose toinvite the Super-denomination Brethren Church which is the imitator of the Christian world? I do
not think so.
b. Similarities with the Brethren Church
I can raise three commonalities between the Ahmadiyya and the minority group, Superdenomination Brethren Church.
The first is the theoretical armament on renunciation of war.13
Secondly, as an opened religion, we organize the conference of ecumenicity, gathering andseminars in various countries around the world and keep having dialogue with different religions
and sects. We are not a doctrinism group that the Japanese usually imagine. Even though we arefaithful to our religious righteousness, we never criticize about other Islam, other religions andsects.14 It is tolerance. In other words, radicals, and if I express correctly, it draws a line from afanatic way. It will not fall into “exclusivism”. It is different from the Jehovah's Witnesses which issaid to be the world’s greatest heretics. Then, as “inclusivism”, like the Roman Catholic church, wetake the initiative at the point of contact with other religions and maintain the appropriate status as
the religious elite empire, and show an attitude that we will not let it go once we hold it. Even the
person serve the organization as a representative for ten years, he does not give the way for new
blood but remain seated for his lifetime. The Ahmadiyya is “pluralism”.
Thirdly, we develop relief volunteers for the weak people at the affected areas as soon as“Super-denomination Brethren Church” page in “Kobe International Christ Church” website.
2013. Chugai Nippoh. September 14, December 3.
Reference: “Ecumenicity”, “Interfaith Dialogue” in “Kobe International Christ Church” website.
13
Iwamura,Y. 2015. Christianity and Pacifism. OCC College. April.
“Therefore We ordained for the Children of Israel53 that he who slays a soul unless it be (in punishment) for murderor for spreading mischief on earth shall be as if he had slain all mankind; and he who saves a life shall be as if hehad given life to all mankind.” (Holy al-Qur'an, 5:33)
14“Believers! Be upright bearers of witness for Allah, and do not let the enmity of any people move you to deviate fromjustice. Act justly, that is nearer to God-fearing. And fear Allah. Surely Allah is well aware of what you do.” (Holy alQur'an, 5:9)
11
12

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possible.15 There is a dynamic gospel understanding to turn for practicing in society. We visited
Ishinomaki City in Miyagi Prefecture for the Tohoku volunteer by the same bus and had meetings
with several religious people.16
Difference from the Brethren Church
As a difference between the Brethren Church and the Ahmadiyya, the perspective of secularity isdifferent. It can be said that it is same as the difference between the galactic nebula and othernebulae does not become the same orbital road. The Ahmadiyya is different from ISIL terrorists
who put their hope in “彼岸 (Higan. Another world)”. The Ahmadiyya is much more “此岸(Shigan. This world)”.
Following to the “Holly Quran”, “Taught man what he did not know” (96:6), Muslims pursue higheducation. Mr. Zahid Khan appealed to the audience the intellectualism and scientism in themorning’s lecture on August 22.
In 1974, the Bhutto administration at that time sought nuclear armaments to against India withintellectuals. Mr. Abdus Salam [1926-1996], who received the Nobel Prize in Physics of 1979, wasa believer of the Ahmadiyya and he contributed to the science for the government, but he wascriticized because he was against the nuclear armaments.17 The Ahmadiyya believers, who
immigrated to the United Kingdom, have high educational background as well as a strong desire tolearn, so they have been accepted by the intellectual class in the country. Not only in the United
Kingdom, but it is remarkable that socially successful people in the world support the Ahmadiyya.
They have a financial base to build huge mosques around the world.
Therefore, I cannot quit say that it was a historical milliary that I was invited to the conference eventhough I come from the Brethren that is consisted by the incomparable low-income people, to recall
about the post seventy years of the world war and the post twenty years of the Aum Shinrikyo
incidents.
c. Differences from general Islam
They also learn from the “Holly Quran” to do not start war proactively. It is too ignorant thatJapanese people do not know that the Jihad is not a holy war. Inner “strenuous efforts” is the firstthing of the Jihad. The effort to discipline oneself is called the “inner Jihad” and the effort to spread
Islam is called “external Jihad”.18 At the everywhere in the conference venue, people exchange
greetings, “Al-salām ‘alaykum (hello)”. They do the same action toward the new people. When I
was teaching Hebrew, a pastor asked me a question in 2008 that either “Salam” is the same as2014. Minesaki,H. Homu kara globaru heto hirogaru jinruigaku.
2013. Chugai Nippoh. August 22, September 8 ~ October 12.
2014. The Christ Newspaper. May 24.
17
1998. Scientists of Pakistan. Philately. Pakistan Post Office. November 21.
Department Archived from the original on 20 February 2008. Retrieved 18 February 2008.
2002. Abe,H. For Beginners Isuramukyo. Gendaishokan. 43.
2015. Akutsu,M. Spirituality to heiwa. Being Net Press. 121-124.
18
2012. Bouzid,O. Isuramuniokeru sei to shi – Kuruan no shiten kara. “Think about the ‘death’ together” lecture. Kobe
Shimbun Kaikan.
15
16

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“Shalom (peace)” in Hebrew or not, so I checked in the dictionary that they are same origin.
On the wall of the back seat of the large tent venue that can contain tens of thousands of people,
there is the slogan that all attendees have in common in every year, “Love for all, hatred for none”.

Love for All, Hatred for None

Therefore, there is a real significance of the “Holly Quran” that is not only about the obedience but
also the practice of peace. Meanwhile, like some “Muslim countries”, the execution of severe
judgement that ignore someone's human rights by the “Sharia (Holy law)” with authoritarianism
and ultraorthodox if someone commits inappropriate actions is that can be said a fallout of a
crucial killings by the crusade of the Roman Catholic Church. The Ahmadiyya is returning to the“Holly Quran” and pursuing a moderate teaching to show tolerance, love and patience. In general,
Muslims have a historical background that they can't walk with one's head held high in Westerncountries. The Ahmadiyya is opposite from the Islam that does not clearly to confess that “We are
the Muslims” in the history. The Ahmadiyya has boldness that cannot be seen in the minority
Koreans living in Japan who are the people most discriminated, prejudiced and their human rights
have been ignored. The confidence of a superior education, social success and possession of theabsolute veridicality become energy to preach the practical advice of the life of the “Holly Quran”
in the area where they live. Therefore, the believers who attends the festivals in the world, they
positively give greetings with smiles when they meet guests from everywhere in the world.

(3) Specificity of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
a. Inheritance of faith
If it is a religious elite empire, they should be proud about what they achieved through theirreligion with boast about their planning abilities, conference managements and man powers. The
Ahmadiyya does not have such an increased swollenness. Perhaps, the circumstances that they havebeen persecuted made them humble. However, let’s compare them to the international conventionof the worldwide Jehovah's Witnesses who is frowned upon as a heretic. If we talk about thewitness, there is a mechanism to advertise the cross-section view of the success of the conference,
which no other groups can imitate it, by publications and to touch the pride of believers.
I participated in the 23rd World Scout Jamboree in Yamaguchi Prefecture, which was held in late
July 2015, as a representative of the Hyogo Youth Services Administration. There many Boy Scouts
exist in the Middle East, so members also came from Kuwait, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
7

Approximately 30,000 people spend a tent life together, and there are day visitors and greetingsfrom the crown prince. In the London venue, believers in the United Kingdom create tent villages
and people participated in the same way as the World Scout Jamboree camps.

Participants

All human beings are brothers and sisters

Even under the strong hot weather, a friendly international goodwill, bright smiles and displays oforderly managements were noticeable. In Japan, despite there is a universal youth development
program which is not inferior to the world, it is decreasing due to an influence of exam-preparation
study and extracurricular activities in the school. Compared to the scouting activities that havebegun in 1907, I was able to discover the typical Ahmadiyya key to succeed in faith at the London
conference. In other words, it is the child education that would be hard to found in the historical
Muslim society.
The conference venue was a big tent that martial arts gym could be fit in, and it was a simple
facility which had no equipment such as an air conditioner.
Children from participating countries were also listening to the programs from 10 am to 7pm. It is
not uncommon to see well-behaved elementary school students at the gathering of Soka Gakkai,
which is the biggest religion in Japan. In case of the management of the big scale of the conference,usually well experienced adults or professionals, who have years of practice, operate it. However, at
the Jalsa Salana conference, the liveliest services were carried by the age group of elementary
school and junior high school students. They were divided into a pair and distributed soft drinks inthe venue. At the time of meal, they served to prepare foods, napkins, drinks on the table and clean
up after people eating. You can tell that they were not forced to do that because their parents orderto do it, when they came to your table with smiles.

Ministrants of young people
during the World Assembly8Simultaneous message on thestage Pastor Yoshio Iwamura

20150822London
MyMessage.mp3

Therefore, the succession of faith is fruitful. Even after they become a high school student or auniversity student, they can confess “no” to the temptation from the worldliness because the method
to build their foundation to foster their faith is deft.
b. Misunderstanding on Islam
Under the understanding of the dualism that “Islam powers are extreme violence and evil,
Westerns are democratic and right”, we are not able to see the truth. There are unfair straight borderlines that the strong powers drew forcibly. Competitions of oil concession by developed countries in
the Middle East in the 20th century. In both Islamic State and Al-Qaeda, there was a backgroundthat the United States Government trained rogue people to raise a mercenary army and provided
weapons and safety zones.
The Islamic State expands their territories in 15 countries with 29 groups. If we just continue to act
confrontational attitude of thought to exclude fanatic terrorist groups, we will be in the same muddy
situation as the Vietnam War. However, it is regrettable that we cannot see the attitude of the “crossthe Rubicon” to set off alarm bells in the media reporting.19
In 2003, when former President Bush invaded Iraq, he challenged the Jihad (Holy war) by the
Crusader and the name of God. However, the media did not say “Christian terrorism”. In the “Holly
Quran”, it is written that it is forbidden to convert people forcibly in mission, “Had your Lord sowilled, all those who are on the earth would have believed.101 Will you, then, force people into
believing? (10:99)” Therefore, suicide bombings were forced actions by the threatening on theirfamily, so it is not related to faith.
A biased coverage in Japan makes it impossible to imagine Muslim’s original life. It is full of
misunderstandings and discriminations. People who dislike insects are disgusting because insects
do not speak. In the same way, Japanese people, who have few contacts with Islam, are trying to be
directly involved in conflicts in the Middle East by the Coalition of the Willing, as a radical
defense.
19

Iwamura,Y. 2015. Kyujyo Meimai no Kai nusu. Vol.22. Minnade kangaeru Kyujyo Meimai no Kai.
“Misunderstanding to Islam”. May.4.

9c. Hostage Incident20
Around October 2014, before Kenji Goto [1967-2015] became a hostage on January 7, 2015, there
was the French satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo attack incident by the Islamic extremism.
Medias only took up the incident as the face of “religion” versus “freedom of expression”. For
example, January 19 of this year, the headline appeared on the Asahi Shimbun, “The Charlie Hebdo
shooting. Do not allow violence against freedom of speech”. Although it was the freedom of
expression, if you violate the human rights of others, it is a problem. For example, is it possible toadmit the nerve of the editor-in-chief of manga, who makes fun of the Emperor in Japan, when hedemonstrates with a placard with as “I am OO”? Did Japanese people demonstrate at the time of an
indiscriminate bombing by Israel to Gaza in Palestine? Even more, the nerves of Japanese people toclaim human rights by the freedom of speech are strange since they did not do anything toward ahate speech of anti-Koreans.
My friend Mr. Anees Ahmad Nadeem from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, who did workwith me through the Tohoku Volunteer, he told me on January 25 that, “I feel deep sorrow andcondemn the mean-spirited acts. Islam talks about love, respect and peace, so the evil incidents of
ISIL are far from Islam”. Therefore, as it is written “Thou shalt not kill” in the any religious
scriptures, if you have a faith, you would not take a sword. I would like to thank Allah that the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has arisen to overcome the misunderstandings for Islam for thepeace of the world.

<Conclusion>
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is also active in Japan.
In November 2015, the largest mosque in Japan was built in Nagoya.
For the peace and reconciliation of the world, not just by only words of “Put your sword back in its
place, Jesus said to him, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword (Matthew 26:52)”, but I
hope that a footstep of practice will be embodied by religious pluralism people. Prime Minister Abe
strongly insists about “Proactive Contribution to Peace”. However, it is used in the opposite meaning
to the original implication of words. It is not “Positive Peace”. It is not pacifism, but it is warlike andmilitarism. If you are a religious person, you can serve to open the door that holds hands together toprove that we are the one by coming and going between close but far neighboring countries like North
Korea and China. It was my United Kingdom visit that I gained truth opportunity to dedicate to the
Volunteer-dō (The principle way of volunteer).

20

ibid.

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