A Muslim community in the UK will celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee this weekend, with plans that include “a Royal Navy band playing the British national anthem at a mosque and special prayers for the Queen.”
The Ahmadiyya Muslim community will mark the event, in which the British monarch celebrates 60 years of historic reign, by lighting up of mosques throughout the UK, street parties, feeding the homeless and a launch of 200 special Diamond Jubilee buses across London.
“As Muslims, we are duty bound to serve Queen and country and we regard this as an important part of our religion as we were taught by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) that loyalty to one’s country is a part of faith,” Rafiq Hayat, the National President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the UK, said on Thursday.
“We share in our country’s pride and joy at Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. It is our heartfelt prayer that may God continue to protect the Queen and we look forward to the festivities of the Jubilee weekend and to make them as inclusive as possible,” added Hayat.
Ahmadiyya Muslims are one of the oldest Islamic groups in Britain. Their widely-recognized motto is “Love for All, Hatred for None.”
“In the history of the British monarch there have only been two diamond Jubilees, and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community have been involved with both,” Hayat added.
The celebrations will be across the United Kingdom, the group said.
“Ahmadiyya Muslims will play the national anthem in street parties across 30 towns and cities from London to Glasgow,” a statement from the community read.
“There will also be special prayers for the Queen at 100 mosques and prayer halls,” the group said, adding that the community has also launched a special edition of the book “A Gift for the Queen” written by their founder, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, on the occasion of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897.
Also, London buses with the special Diamond Jubilee poster also feature the peace campaign website for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
In the city of Birmingham, in England’s West Midlands, the celebrations will feature the Royal Navy band playing the national anthem at the mosque and congratulatory messages being read out in 60 languages by local community representatives.
In addition, Ahmadi Muslims will:
– Take part in the Big Lunch on 3rd June
– Light up all its mosques across the UK
– Say special prayers for the Queen on 1st June
– Feed the Homeless – 10,000 will benefit from this endeavour
– Hold charity walks to raise £400,000 for the Queen’s charities
– Fundraise through the community’s women’s network
– Organise blood donation sessions
– Hold interfaith symposia throughout the UK
A charity walk by thousands of community members around the Tower of London has already raised tens of thousands of pounds for the Queen’s Jubilee charities.
