On Sunday, the 5th of February, Ahmadi Muslim women from all over Ireland celebrated 100 years since the establishment of their women’s organization. Over 129 women gathered in St Finians Community Hall in Newcastle Dublin and celebrated this historic event with the Irish Community. Among the distinguished guests were Cllr. Joana Tuffy, Cllr. Liona O’Toole, and women from Collective Ireland Lucan and the ICA Lucan.
During the event, the recitation of the Holy Qur’an was presented with English and Irish translation, followed by a welcome note by the President of the community, Tayyaba Mashood and a presentation which served as an introduction to the community and the work carried out by the women’s organisation in Ireland. The celebration included a delicious Asian dinner and various stalls for everyone to enjoy, such as the henna tattoo stall, a cake stall with a huge section of home-baked cakes and deserts, and a souvenir stall that included cups, badges, key chains, pens, and scarves.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Women’s Association, Lajna Ima’illah (Maids of Allah) can be traced back to India 100 years ago, and now it is established in over 200 countries. The women’s organisation was formed to give women a voice in the administrative matters of the community and to create awareness among them about their role and status in society. The current Head of the organization, His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad, who resides in the UK, is an advocate of human rights and women’s empowerment.
Cllr. Joanna Tuffy was among the many guests who took the time to congratulate all the Ahmadiyya women on the 100-year anniversary of their organisation’s establishment and said to them ‘I wanted to commend the women for the work they are doing in the community to integrate and network with other members of the community. I want to commend them for all the work in terms of the charitable works that they organise and the social events as well, and well as for them as individuals, in terms of their contribution towards society and our community be it in the home or in all the different walks of life, professions and careers, technology, education, healthcare and community work and voluntary work’.
The locals attending were also very thankful to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community for the wonderful evening. Melissa McCabe and Caroline Murphy from Newcastle commented ‘We had a lovely, peaceful, informative, and fun day and felt very welcome, and we both learned a lot about your organisation and were very impressed by the charity events and empowerment of women. We wish you every continued success’.
The AMWA has been actively organising and taking part in charitable works throughout the years. The motto of the community is “Love for All, Hatred for None,” and throughout the country, AMWA members have been continuously striving to spread peace, love, and harmony through their volunteer and integration efforts, like giving hampers and donations on Women’s Day and New Years to women’s shelter homes and care centres, donating masks and care packages to hospitals, organising Interfaith and Peace Symposiums, etc. They have been arranging fundraisers like the Meena Bazar every year to support local charities. Last year, they raised 700 for Barretstown and 300 for Lucan Disability Action Group. AMWA plans to continue their charitable work and integration efforts to promote love and harmony. To show gratitude to God on completion of 100 years of their association, the members of AMWA Ireland have pledged to donate ten solar wells in Mali, Africa.
To end this celebration of the event, gift bags containing souvenirs were given to all the guests.
Captions:
Standing:Nabeeha Malik (Member AMWA), Sitting: Nudrat Malik (Event Coordinator AMWA), Tayyaba Mashood (President AMWA), Cllr. Joanna Tuffy
Cllr. Liona O’Toole, Judith Edmonds (Womens Collective Ireland, Lucan), Tayyaba Mashood (President AMWA), Nudrat Malik (Event Coordinator AMWA), Cllr. Joanna Tuffy
