Comments on: Croydon goes to the London Peace Symposium, Baitul Futuh Mosque, 14th March 2015

By: ShermeenB

ShermeenB — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 06:21:00 +0000

Thank you, Rosie Edser for your very thoughtful replies to our comments here. We really appreciate this and hope to see you at our future events.

By: Rosie E

Rosie E — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 21:35:00 +0000

Hi there ASA – please see the reply above. best wishes

By: L Bhatti

L Bhatti — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 21:31:00 +0000

Hi Rosie

I can totally understand- it is such a big event with so many things going on that often many aspects may not be fully experienced or explained!

You are more than welcome to question everyone there about anything you experience! Promise you, we are mostly nice

I also appreciate your receptiveness to the overwhelming amount of comments and indeed, also responding to most. It’s wonderful to see a journalist being receptive to her readers.

By: Rosie E

Rosie E — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 21:09:00 +0000

Indeed! I think I was wearing black myself that evening.

By: Rosie E

Rosie E — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 21:05:00 +0000

Hi there L Bhatti and AM
Re the hand-shaking with His holiness issue I just quoted the phrase that had been whispered to me in the receiving line as the explanation not to offer my hand. Obviously that’s not the context for a more detailed explanation so I appreciate the clarification.

Re the seating segregation I see now the distinction between guests and the Ahmadi women, thank you.

By: Rosie E

Rosie E — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 20:55:00 +0000

thank you Ak00 it is good to hear about the ladies and girls of the Ahmadi community being given so much control and responsibility with the media channel. I have been looking at some of the MTA broadcasts on Youtube.

I have tried to address the black-clad comment in some of the replies above. It was certainly not my intention to be offensive or misleading and you’re right I made an assumption/generalisation about everyone being married, whoops sorry, point taken!

By: Rosie E

Rosie E — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 20:49:00 +0000

Hi there AR
thank you I will correct the point about the women’s live link-up (see replies above).
I agree that people can dress in any colour they choose and there wasn’t intended to be any particular negative judgement in my observation about the black-clad thing, I was just trying to give a bit of description. I’ve checked back through my photos to see how accurate my memory was, but sadly don’t have any pictures of that part. I do recall during the prayers there were some very colourful and stylish hand-bags! The women I met in the ladies’ hall were lively, friendly and media-savvy.

I completely take your point about not wanting to misrepresent what really happens within Muslim communities, I was just givnig my impression as a visitor that I thought it was a pity everyone couldn’t be in the main hall together and it seemed to me that the visiting women were being given more honour than the Ahmadiyya women, but perhaps I misinterpreted that – the women were perhaps choosing to be in the role of hosts and workers? (plus I appreciate it wouldn’t have been possible to seat everyone in the hall for practical reasons.)

By: Rosie E

Rosie E — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 20:37:00 +0000

Hi there Zoya
thank you I will correct the point about the women hearing about the speeches when they got home later (see reply above).
My memory was that the women were mostly wearing black in the ladies hall when I visited at the end, but perhaps that was because many people had put on their outer layer to travel home?

By: Rosie E

Rosie E — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 20:32:00 +0000

Many thanks for the correction SamA and ShermeenB. I visited the ladies’ hall at the end of the evening when the video-link/ live screening had finished and I will correct in the print version of this article that the women had to wait until afterwards to hear what was said in the main speeches. Best wishes, Rosie Edser

By: AT

AT — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 12:35:00 +0000

It’s nice to a see a positive article about Islam. A lot of hard work goes into holding the annual peace symposium, and it’s lovely to see that people appreciate it. The Ahmadiyya Muslim community works very hard in trying to promote peace, and spread the true teachings of Islam, which Ms Edser has recognised in this article.

I would just like to clarify, as I believe others have, that whilst events held by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community are segregated, both men and women always have a live link up at events, and so do not miss out on anything. (At some events Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad speaks in the ladies side, and so men have a live link-up.)