<p>Community leaders, while addressing the 119th annual congregation, said it was wrong to associate Islam with terrorism as the religion never allowed any terror activities.<br /><br />Mohammed Muslehuddin Saadi, Ahmadiyya missionary from Hyderabad, said 'Jihad’ is the most misunderstood concept and Islam never promoted violence.<br /><br />“Islam is a religion of peace and harmony. The word ‘Jihad’ itself means make efforts to achieve something,” he said on the fourth and final day of the congregation.<br /><br />He added that forcible conversion of people to Islam was unjustified.<br />Other leaders of the community also addressed the convention.<br /><br />Considered a renegade sect by Shia and Sunni Muslims, the Ahmadiyyas, who advocate peaceful co-existence and have often expressed anguish against rising Islamic fundamentalism, live in several countries.<br /><br />Qadian, a small town in Punjab about 250 km from Chandigarh, is the birthplace of the sect, which was founded in the late 19th century (1889) by Muslim spiritual leader Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. The town is now the headquarters of the sect.<br /><br />Over 4,000 delegates from Pakistan were among the nearly 20,000 community members who attended the spiritual convention. Followers of the community are spread in nearly 200 countries.<br /></p>
<p>Community leaders, while addressing the 119th annual congregation, said it was wrong to associate Islam with terrorism as the religion never allowed any terror activities.<br /><br />Mohammed Muslehuddin Saadi, Ahmadiyya missionary from Hyderabad, said 'Jihad’ is the most misunderstood concept and Islam never promoted violence.<br /><br />“Islam is a religion of peace and harmony. The word ‘Jihad’ itself means make efforts to achieve something,” he said on the fourth and final day of the congregation.<br /><br />He added that forcible conversion of people to Islam was unjustified.<br />Other leaders of the community also addressed the convention.<br /><br />Considered a renegade sect by Shia and Sunni Muslims, the Ahmadiyyas, who advocate peaceful co-existence and have often expressed anguish against rising Islamic fundamentalism, live in several countries.<br /><br />Qadian, a small town in Punjab about 250 km from Chandigarh, is the birthplace of the sect, which was founded in the late 19th century (1889) by Muslim spiritual leader Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. The town is now the headquarters of the sect.<br /><br />Over 4,000 delegates from Pakistan were among the nearly 20,000 community members who attended the spiritual convention. Followers of the community are spread in nearly 200 countries.<br /></p>