Where do most people join the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, and where do they come from?

Most new members join in Africa, and they come from every direction, from other religions, from unbelief and also from Islam. They are not drawn by material advantage, for the community asks for sacrifice, discipline and better character.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat is growing fastest in Africa. In Eastern Europe and in Germany, too, people are accepting Islam. In America, Canada and Britain progress is slower, even though the message is being conveyed there in an ever more organised and purposeful way.

The new members come from every direction. They are Christians, followers of traditional religions, people of no religion, and also Muslims who come to understand Islam anew in this way. In Africa most of them come from non-Muslim communities.

Why there in particular? The community promises no wealth and no positions. On the contrary, it asks for sacrifice, discipline and better conduct in one’s own life. That people come all the same shows that they are looking for something genuine. The first verse above describes such a time, when many find their way to faith.

In the West there are two obstacles. Many have turned away from faith altogether and regard every religion as a deception, because they see religion and reason as opposites. On top of that there is a sense of superiority. Whoever looks down on other peoples finds it hard to accept a faith that comes to him from among them. This is human, but it blocks the way. The second verse above reminds us that before God only righteousness counts.

Yet this too is changing. The sense of superiority is slowly crumbling. Many thoughtful people who have little to do with religion any more are willing to examine questions freely and without prejudice. Because the message of Islam is rational, more and more of them are listening.