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Religion - Rheinstetten : Around 20,000 Muslims confer Aug 19, 2022 2:06pm Reading time: 1 min Directly from the dpa news channel Rheinstetten (dpa) - In view of the war in Ukraine, the largest Islamic conference in Germany this year has the motto peace. "Islam is peace," said the national chairman of the Muslim reform movement Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat (AMJ), Abdullah Wagishauser, on Friday at the start in Rheinstetten near Karlsruhe. The aim is to show people ways in which different religions can live together in peace. Muslims could and should get involved, said Wagishauser. The AMJ describes itself as the oldest Islamic community in Germany and, according to the information, has almost 50,000 active members and 60 minaret mosques in this country. The Ahmadiyya movement sees itself as fundamentally apolitical. The 46th edition of the annual "Jalsa Salana" conference ends on Sunday. Due to the pandemic, only around 20,000 participants are expected. The conference is to be broadcast on the Internet via live streams including translation into several languages. According to the organizers, more than 40,000 people took part in the conferences before the pandemic. Because of this dimension, they are looking for a new place, said Wagishauser. "Karlsruhe will be too small for us in the future." According to AMJ, the "Jalsa Salana" has been in Germany since 1975. In 2011 it took place for the first time in the Karlsruhe Trade Fair. In 2020 the congress was canceled due to Corona, in 2021 it took place in a slimmed-down form with 10,000 guests in Mannheim. According to Wagishauser, the meeting is important to see where the community is and how it is developing. Guests could experience what it's like when tens of thousands of Muslims come together. When everything falls silent during prayer, that is very impressive, said the federal chairman. Men and women meet separately at the exhibition center in front of the gates of Karlsruhe. However, it is possible for women to come to the men, said Wagishauser. Again, the women prefer to be among themselves. There were a few more men outnumbered, he said. The three-day event will include specialist lectures and panel discussions. On Sunday, for example, the SPD member of the Bundestag Helge Lindh is to speak with Wagishauser and Imam Ahmad Kamal about racism. The panel is entitled "The poison for social cohesion". As a highlight, the AMJ announced a closing speech by the global leader of the Ahmadiyya movement, Caliph Mirza Masroor Ahmad, for Sunday. He is to be connected live from London. The caliph has lived in exile in Britain for years.
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