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Rejected Muslim Sect Keeps Faith
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In the United States, Ahmadis do not face the murderous hostility they encounter in other countries. Nonetheless, there are strains.
Mortgage banker Luqman Ahmad Jehlumi, 37, of Boyds, said his cousin started a grocery store in Laurel but soon went out of business, as imams warned their followers not to buy the store's meat because the cousin was "kafir" -- a non-believer. Other shopkeepers have experienced similar problems, Jehlumi said.
"You do see some hatred, but they definitely would not come out and do anything criminal against us," he said. Despite the problems, Jehlumi does not hide his faith. He wears a ring with a quote from the Koran: "Is not Allah sufficient for His servant?"
Such rings are frequently worn by Ahmadis to remind them to be steadfast in their faith.
The U.S. division of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community operates out of a large, white mosque on 14 acres on the northern edge of Silver Spring. The facility has two huge satellite dishes that beam Ahmadi programming from world headquarters in London to North America. The programming includes religious education, travel, language lessons, cooking classes and talks from the sect's world leader, the Khalipha Mirza Masroor Ahmad.
On a recent Friday, Rizwan Hemeed, an imam in training, led prayers and sermonized on the value of suffering, quoting from the Koran, Muhammad and sect founder Qadiani.
"There is more suffering in us watching someone else suffer than to suffer ourselves," Hemeed said. "And there is more pleasure and comfort in giving somebody comfort at the expense of our own comfort. . . . We gain from sacrificing for other people."
The Ahmadis are active proselytizers among all faiths, and the Silver Spring mosque employs three missionaries who operate on the East Coast. The work is credited in fast growth at the mosque, which is building an addition that will double the size of the facility. For now, followers meet in community centers, libraries and other facilities in Potomac and Laurel.
For years, Ahmadis from around the country gathered in Silver Spring for their annual conference. But the conference outgrew the space about five years ago.
That's when they began searching for a larger site and, last year, settled on Walkersville, signing a contract to purchase a 224-acre farm in the quiet Frederick County town. Their plans included a worship center for prayer services for about 200 people and two high-school-size gyms. The site also provided space to host as many as 10,000 people for the annual three-day national convention, in tents erected for the occasion.
Public outcry against the proposal was intense. Town officials maneuvered to adopt zoning changes that would block the project.
The Ahmadi community tried to sell itself to Walkersville -- taking out newspaper ads, knocking on doors, attending meetings and answering questions at a public forum. It offered to let residents use the gyms.
