Voice of British Muslim Women

Ayesha Naseem, Blackburn

Every year, when Jalsa Salana (the Annual Convention of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community) approaches, those new to the idea are amazed to learn that the whole event is run by volunteers. After all, ensuring basic needs and facilities are accessible and are of the required standard due to the scale of the event, is inevitably the responsibility of those volunteers.  

But the astonishment doesn’t end there; when more and more people learn about the women’s side of Jalsa, and how it is run independently by women, their attention is drawn to the extraordinary scale and purpose of this convention. It is not merely a mass gathering where people show up just to spend their weekend, it is a place where God Almighty is remembered and worshipped and it is a place where we see the incredible display of community and selfless volunteering with a strong emphasis on the empowerment of all those involved.  

For some, the idea of segregation is a question mark. But that too is soon answered when they hear that the ladies’ side of the Jalsa Gah (Convention Site) is run and managed by women. From the very entrance at security, to duties for food, hygiene, first aid, collecting charity for humanitarian projects, press and media, to market stalls promoting women’s own small businesses; the list goes on. Women with backgrounds in academia, research or religious education also deliver speeches for the attendees. Essentially, the women’s side gets everything that the men’s side has if not more.  

As I sit and write this, I am able to recall the different places throughout the ladies’ Jalsa Gah where women utilise their potential and different strengths in areas where their service is required. But that is not all.  

Alongside the volunteers are the attendees of the Jalsa – in every sense, that too, is an empowering expression for Ahmadi Muslim women. Having a female only space where girls and women have the opportunity to learn and derive benefit from the purpose of the convention, is testament to the very fact that the importance of education, development and spiritual progress in Islam is not limited to men.  

Managing the ladies’ Jalsa Gah and the prospect of attending the Jalsa itself are a case where women don’t have to rely on men. For those who are unfamiliar, or those who have not perhaps seen such a display of Islamic principles of equity elsewhere, this may be a surprise, but to us, this is the norm. Ahmadi Muslim women are not taught to settle for less, we are taught and are constantly encouraged to aim high and to be ambitious.  

A significant and very important part of Jalsa are the addresses of His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad, may Allah be his Helper, throughout the weekend. Though aimed at the general Jalsa attendees overall, the address on the ladies’ side specifically, is a reminder of the rights and duties of Muslim women, the empowering and liberating teachings of Islam, at times showcasing beautiful accounts of resilient, brave and inspiring Muslim women from early Islam.  

His Holiness, may Allah be his Helper, like the Caliphs before him, is the true champion of women’s rights; he is not only encouraging Ahmadi women to reach newer heights with their skills and knowledge but is also a guiding light for them. Rather than demanding or waiting for the outside world to give women their rights and dues, His Holiness always encourages Muslim women to recognise the rights bestowed on them by Allah the Almighty.  

During an interview to the German press in 2019, His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the current and fifth Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (may Allah be his Helper) said: ‘my philosophy is that if women work outside the shade of men, they flourish.’ [1]  

Hence, this confidence to excel, to go higher and to achieve more in spiritual and secular endeavours comes from Khilafat first and foremost. The Jalsa Salana is just one of the many examples where Lajna Ima’illah (the women’s auxiliary organisation of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community) gets to demonstrate and display their potential.  

Ultimately, with every Jalsa, we leave feeling more empowered and spiritually inspired than the previous year.  

References 

[1] https://www.pressahmadiyya.com/press-releases/2019/07/jalsa-salana-germany-2019-begins-in-karlsruhe/