The Khalifa of Islam, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, lamented the “pitiful and sorry-state” of much of the Muslim world during his weekly Friday Sermon delivered on 31st January 2014.

Speaking at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in London, the Khalifa highlighted the examples of war-torn Syria and of Pakistan, where he said countless innocent people were being targeted and persecuted. He called on Ahmadi Muslims around the world to pray for the peace and stability of the Muslim world.

Speaking about the devastating consequences of the war in Syria, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“The situation in Syria is going from bad to worse. Both the Government and the Opposition rebels have committed extreme cruelties. The nation’s children, its elderly and its women are all being targeted.

Innocent people are being arrested, starved and tortured. Muslims are perpetrating these cruelties on other Muslims and so are giving non-Muslims the opportunity to raise false accusations against Islam…

For the sake of either retaining power or gaining power, the government and opposition are both actively destroying the children of their nation.”

His Holiness prayed for the cruelty in Syria to end and for justice to prevail before commenting on Pakistan.

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“In Pakistan we also find that extreme cruelty is being inflicted upon members of the public and particularly against Ahmadi Muslims. People are being physically and mentally tortured. Other Pakistanis are also being trapped in this system of cruelty and it seems the intensity of these grave circumstances will continue to increase… There is a great need for prayers that all forms of extremism and terrorism end.”

The Khalifa concluded by remarking upon the dire circumstances witnessed in many other Muslim countries including Egypt and Libya.

He prayed that Islam’s name would not be tarnished or defamed by the atrocities and injustices being falsely perpetrated in the name of the religion.