Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    A Diamond of Africa: The Illustrious Life of African Ahmadi Sheikh Amri Abedi
    A Diamond of Africa: The Illustrious Life of African Ahmadi Sheikh Amri Abedi
    A Diamond of Africa: The Illustrious Life of African Ahmadi Sheikh Amri Abedi
    Ebook101 pages1 hour

    A Diamond of Africa: The Illustrious Life of African Ahmadi Sheikh Amri Abedi

    By C. Naseer Ahmad

    5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    The life of Sheikh Amri Abedi—African Muslim, spiritual sage, poet, and political leader—is the story of a remarkable man who rose from poverty in colonial East Africa to become a star of the global, peace-loving Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
    From the rural shores of Lake Tanganyika in East Africa in the 1920s to the spiritual community of Rabwah, Pakistan, to the bustling seaport of Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania, A Diamond of Africa recounts the spiritual formation of one of the Muslim world’s unsung heroes. Sheikh Amri Abedi emerges from the poverty of his childhood to become a missionary, a Muslim scholar, the mayor of his country’s capital, a leader of his country’s independence, Justice Minister of the new nation and—amid the tumult—the conscience of a generation.
    A Diamond of Africa is a story of triumph against many odds, of perseverance, piety, and true goodwill towards all.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherC. Naseer Ahmad
    Release dateApr 28, 2012
    ISBN9780985450212
    A Diamond of Africa: The Illustrious Life of African Ahmadi Sheikh Amri Abedi

    Related to A Diamond of Africa

    Related ebooks

    Religious Biographies For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      As Kenyan Maasai Abandon Female Circumcision, Elders Lead The Way

      Mar 1, 2019

      On Feb. 6, cultural elders announced that the Loita Maasai, in Kenya, would abandon female genital cutting – the first such declaration in the country.

      5 min read

    • Article

      Tracing The Origin Of The Four-legged Serpent In SA Rock Art

      Sep 21, 2020

      In 1987, the former Xhosa homeland of Ciskei launched a series of first-day cover stamps and postcards depicting a giant mythical snake in the Keiskamma River. The malevolent snake or inabulele formed part of the ‘The Story of Sikulume’, recorded by

      5 min read

    • Article

      Dian Fossey

      Jul 8, 2021

      Dian Fossey
      3 min read

    • Article

      Cheers!

      Aug 11, 2023

      Cheers!
      2 min read

    • Article

      Voice Of A Nation: How Juba Arabic Helps Bridge A Factious South Sudan

      Nov 6, 2018

      Juba Arabic isn’t just the language spoken by more South Sudanese than any other. It is a tongue that has grown up alongside the country, the witness and stenographer to its difficult history.

      10 min read

    • Article

      Sierra Leone

      Nov 2, 2023

      Sierra Leone
      2 min read

    • Article

      An Oasis Of Civilisations

      Oct 7, 2021

      An Oasis Of Civilisations
      11 min read

    • Article

      Ayodhya: Why We Should Move On

      Nov 15, 2019

      On November 9, we reached a tide in the affairs of our nation that, to paraphrase Shakespeare, if taken at the flood, could lead us to peace and prosperity but omitted, could continue to bind us in the shallows of our past miseries. On that day, with

      6 min read

    • Article

      Test of Faith

      Feb 9, 2020

      Test of Faith
      6 min read

    • Article

      Becoming Indian

      Apr 8, 2024

      Becoming Indian
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Toxin of Hate

      Apr 23, 2022

      The author is a Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram, chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology and chairman, All-India Professionals Congress When the Editor asks, ‘Is the Divide Deepening?’, I do not find myself thi

      4 min read

    • Article

      Blind Spots

      May 11, 2020

      Blind Spots
      22 min read

    • Article

      Attempts To Promote Peace Are Appreciated

      Apr 7, 2021

      WITH reference to the letter “India-Pakistan in search of common ground” by Saber Ahmed Jazbhay (the POST, March 31-April 4). Peace starts by changing one’s mindset and not through the barrel of the gun. With respect, Mr Jazbhay, India is often refer

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Rubble

      Dec 2, 2022

      The Rubble
      26 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for A Diamond of Africa

    5/5

    1 rating0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      A Diamond of Africa - C. Naseer Ahmad

      A DIAMOND of AFRICA

      The Illustrious Life of African Ahmadi Sheikh Amri Abedi

      C. NASEER AHMAD and BAKRI ABEDI

      A DIAMOND of AFRICA

      The Illustrious Life of African Ahmadi Sheikh Amri Abedi

      Copyright © 2012 by C. NASEER AHMAD

      Smashwords Edition

      This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. Please do not participate in or encourage the piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

      To our parents

      And We have enjoined on man to be dutiful and good to his parents. His mother bore him upon weakness and hardship. Holy Qu’ran [31:15]

      … give thanks to Me and to your parents. Unto Me is the final destination. Holy Qu’ran [31:16]

      Table Of Contents

      Foreword

      Notes From The Authors

      Preface

      Chapter 1 The Lion Of Lumona

      Chapter 2 A Time For Devotion

      Chapter 3 A Master Of Language

      Chapter 4 A Servant Of God And The People

      Chapter 5 An Untimely End

      Appendix

      Acknowledgments

      Bibliography

      Endnotes

      Foreword

      The Book of John in the Christian Scriptures quotes Nathaniel as saying of Jesus’ birthplace, Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?

      These days, the same can be said of Pakistan. Rarely a day passes that the news does not have some negative and depressing story from Pakistan. The discovery that Osama bin Laden was hidden in Pakistan, the ongoing tensions between the civilian government and the military, the assassinations of Governor Salman Taseer and Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, and the persistent persecution of religious minorities and rising religious extremism paint a picture of Pakistan as a failed state without rule of law, a Wild West with jihadists.

      One of the worst images of Pakistan comes from the treatment of its religious minorities.

      The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community¹ was founded in 1889 in Qadian, India—which became a part of the Indian side of Punjab after the partition in 1947—by His Holiness Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, who believed in universal brotherhood, opposed violence as a means of advancing religion, and rejected all forms of terrorism. The members of this community, who are known as Ahmadis, live by the motto Love for All, Hatred for None and have no history of engaging in violence. The spiritual center of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community moved to Rabwah, Pakistan, following the partition. Because Ahmadis don’t fight back, they are an easy target for Muslim extremists who have been taught they will go to heaven if they murder someone who practices the Ahmadiyya interpretation of the Islamic faith.

      There are millions of practicing Ahmadis worldwide, with established branches in 190 countries in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.

      Ahmadis adhere to all practices as advised for Muslims in the Holy Qur’an and present a progressive vision of Islam, which is in tune with modernity. Despite their small size, Ahmadis have distinguished themselves as trailblazers by translating the Holy Qur’an into more languages than any other group of Muslims.

      The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community faces terrible persecution and oppression in Pakistan, where there have been more murders of Ahmadis in the last three years than in the previous two decades. In 1974, Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto declared Ahmadis a non-Muslim minority, thus publicly labeling them second-rate citizens. He orchestrated violent, countrywide riots, which culminated in getting the Ahmadis classified as non-Muslims via a constitutional amendment. This legal status creates an atmosphere of intolerance in which the government becomes an active party in the discrimination and persecution of Ahmadis and as such contradicts the vision of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.

      Pakistan’s military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq proclaimed the notorious anti-Ahmadiyya Ordinance XX² in 1984, which states that Ahmadis can be fined and imprisoned for three years just for expressing their faith. The ordinance made it illegal for Ahmadis to say simple Muslim greetings like Assalamo Alaikum— Peace be upon you—to practice particular religious rights, or to proselytize. By doing so, General Zia-ul-Haq gave Pakistani extremist Muslims free rein to terrorize Ahmadis without fear of retribution. And so the violence continues.

      Since the 1984 ordinance, hundreds of Ahmadis have been subjected to looting of property, desecration of mosques, and murder attempts, and some 3,500 have faced court prosecutions due to their faith. In May 2010, sectarian terrorists assassinated 86 Ahmadis in Lahore while they were gathered to worship. While this incident drew the condemnation of human rights organizations around the world, international pressure has made no impact on the current laws or on the attitude of the government.

      Ahmadis are called on to denounce the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community if they apply for a national identity card or passport in Pakistan. Entry to college and jobs has become increasingly difficult. Thousands have been forced to leave their communities due to violence that continues to go unchecked by authorities.

      Ahmadis are peaceful, law-abiding people. Their faith—like all religious believers—is a central part of their identity. It is that shining light of faith that attracted Sheikh Amri Abedi to Pakistan. A Diamond of Africa: The Illustrious Life of African Ahmadi Sheikh Amri Abedi, highlights a very different side of Pakistan—its deep faith, roots in peace, and traditions of brotherhood.

      Sheikh Amri Abedi’s life and overwhelming accomplishments were rooted in his faith and where he learned that faith. Pakistan instilled in him a vision of the world that encouraged peace, understanding, and universal cooperation; it formed in him a spiritual fire that became the spark of faith for countless others; and it sent him out as a missionary, not only of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s presentation of a moderate and progressive version of Islam, but also of Pakistan itself.

      The life story you are about to discover is more than the biography of Sheikh Amri Abedi; it is also a piece of the life story of the true Pakistan. As this book proves, something good can come from Pakistan.

      —Joseph K. Grieboski

      Chairman of the Board,

      The Institute on Religion and Public Policy

      Founder and Secretary-General of the

      Interparliamentary Conference on

      Human Rights and Religious Freedom

      Notes From The Authors

      C. NASEER AHMAD

      What have you done for humanity? That

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1