Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aba) addresses over 600 delegates at National Peace Symposium

Added: 2026-05-18

[00:00:00]My Israel cannot prevail. That is the message which echoed from today's national peace symposium taking place at Islam about Telford where faith leaders, politicians, charities and members of the public gathered to discuss peace, unity and the challenges society faces today. His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, may Allah be his helper, has championed the message of peace for over two decades at a time of division, intolerance and anti-Muslim rhetoric rising across the world.

[00:00:29]Overcast skies could not overshadow the significance of the occasion as Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, may Allah be his helper, arrived at Masroor Hall to begin the proceedings of the 19th National Peace Symposium.

[00:00:41]The event, which was held for the first time at Islamabad in Telford, was attended by more than 600 people including dignitaries and guests who had gathered from across the globe comprising of ministers, ambassadors of state and members of parliament.

[00:00:57]During the proceedings, His Holiness presented Beninese philanthropist Gregory Ahongbonon, founder of the Saint Camille Association, with the 2025 Ahmadiyya Muslim Prize for the Advancement of Peace.

[00:01:09]His Holiness, may Allah be his helper, then proceeded to address the gathering.

[00:01:13]He began by reflecting on whether there was any benefit in holding such events in light of previous calls for peace that had gone unheeded.

[00:01:20]In recent times, many influential people, including politicians, scholars and religious leaders have condemned the rising tide of global warfare and injustice and urged governments and citizens alike to prioritize peace and security.

[00:01:50]One such people who in the eyes of the world have fame and influence, see their warnings go unheeded.

[00:02:03]Who then will listen to my voice or the voice of our community?

[00:02:11]It is therefore fair to ask if there is any benefit to holding this event.

[00:02:21]Nevertheless, my response is that Islam teaches us to strive relentlessly for good and never give up.

[00:02:35]And what greater good could there be than striving to save humanity from self-destruction?

[00:02:45]Hazur Anwar then addressed and firmly refuted claims that Islam is in any way responsible for the turmoil prevalent in the world today. It is a cause of grief for all sincere Muslims to know that many people seek to blame Islam and claim it to be the cause of the world's disorder.

[00:03:06]Such allegations, amplified by mainstream and social media, are utterly false and extremely harmful.

[00:03:15]Rather than scapegoating Islam or any other religion, what the world urgently needs is for people to unite with a common purpose, the establishment of peace and harmony.

[00:03:32]The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has always been at the forefront of this effort and shall continue to be so.

[00:03:40]We convene this event in the hope that it may foster mutual understanding and, at the very least, inspire some people to serve the cause of peace.

[00:03:52]His Holiness, may Allah be his helper, then spoke about the true causes of the disorder prevailing in the world today and presented the teachings of the Holy Quran as the solution to the challenges facing humanity.

[00:04:03]Global disorder is driven by the desire of the rich and powerful to fulfill their vested interests and maintain their dominance over others.

[00:04:18]Far from being a source of conflict, Islam's teachings offer a timeless path towards peace.

[00:04:26]To illustrate this, I shall draw upon a few verses of the Holy Quran.

[00:04:30]Chapter 4, verse 136 states, "O ye who believe, be strict in observing justice and be witnesses for Allah, even though it be against yourselves or against parents and kindred." Here, Allah calls on Muslims to uphold absolute justice and equity.

[00:04:55]It requires a person to stand ready to testify against himself, his parents, his loved ones, or his community for the sake of truth and justice.

[00:05:10]Hazrat Anwar, may Allah be his helper, concluded with a powerful call to action for the entire world, urging mankind to leave behind a legacy of peace rather than destruction for our children and future generations. Let us act now so that those who come after us may inherit a world of peace and prosperity rather than bear the burden of our failures.

[00:05:36]Let us act now so we may spare ourselves reproachful glances of our children asking why we bequeathed to them a world set on fire.

[00:05:50]Only then will this peace symposium have fulfilled the promise of its name and not merely be a gathering of good intentions, but a turning point in the pursuit of peace.

[00:06:04]His Holiness then led all present in a silent prayer.

[00:06:08]After the event, the MTA team spoke with those in attendance to get their feedback on the event. The first thing that struck me was he is so knowledgeable and has links with so many world leaders and so many I mean, he's really understands his subject very, very well. And I think his warning to all of us about the perilous situation we're in with regard to warfare and conflicts. I think he's it was just very well put and it's a warning to all of us. But I was very inspired by your leader by his Holiness in the frank way in which he communicated his beliefs. And I think probably that's going to be the thing that will make the difference. His Holiness' words really resonated with what is happening in the world. It it meant so much to hear what he had to say. Before, I felt that peace the words about peace can actually be possibly empty, but with His Holiness he grounds it in his religious beliefs, but also in beliefs that resonate with all of us, which are that justice is the key to peace. I thought at the beginning when His Holiness asked should we carry on with this? You know, has it made a difference? We've had 19 or 20.

[00:07:32]But actually, he came round to the fact that yes, we are we've got to keep doing it. We've got to keep doing the message.

[00:07:39]But otherwise, even if no one's listening, we've got to keep saying it and eventually good people and real leaders will get that message across.

[00:07:48]And I think you should never give up on peace. I thought his speech was inspirational. I really did hang on every word and I thought his message about coming together as communities, uh different groups, um and peace is absolutely invaluable, particularly at the moment.

[00:08:06]It's very, very important that we as humans, regardless of your religion or background, we come together because what's happening right now is scary for the world and somebody like his holiness who has been doing this for 19 years, um he was able to articulate it in a beautiful way that really touched me, actually. It was emotional, it was moving, it was also scary, too, because of what he was talking about. If people can hear his message and really take it on board, collectively we can do something about it. I think the extraordinary thing about his holiness is his persistence. I understand that he's been in charge of the Ahmadiyya community for over 20 years and consistently in that time just saying, repeatedly, writing to world leaders and proclaiming the same message.

[00:08:55]Persistence is very important. It's very easy these days to be fickle, to to blow whichever way the wind is going and to say whatever people want to hear. I think if we're all firm in our convictions, all world religions preach peace. There is no world religion that preaches war and that is the message we just consistently need to keep proclaiming.

[00:09:12]Mushahid Rashid, MTA News.