Having listened to the insightful address of His Holinessaba, published in the preceding pages, The Review of Religions had the opportunity to interview guests and dignitaries who attended the event. Read below to find how His Holiness’ powerful message impacted his listeners.
‘I do not follow any religion but I have to say that the message of His Holinessaba and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in general is very thought-provoking, because in their message, people are the most important. Another aspect which touched me the most was the concern for children and the next generation.
He also explained how dangerous nuclear bombs and such weapons are when they are actually used. He explained how the future generation will be concerned about their environment, health and psyche. So I think this worry for other people is very important and this message of “Love For All, Hatred For None” is highly significant, even for the future generations.’
—Sabine Leidig
MP for The Left Party, Berlin
‘For me it was a very beautiful evening and a very friendly environment. The speech of His Holinessaba, the Caliph, covered many interesting points. There were lots of very interesting discussions at our table in the hall. I have made note of some of the verses he mentioned from the Holy Qur’an, which I will be re-reading. Some of my fundamental principles were mentioned by the Caliph, so I very much appreciate that.
I would say he is a very calm, trustworthy, religious, dedicated leader of a religious community which is established in Toronto, London, Darmstadt and all over the rest of the world, especially in Pakistan. He is important and inspiring.’
—Christoph Böhdmann
Biblical Researcher at University of Erfurt
‘It is, for someone like me who grew up in Christianity and knows the Pope, as a phenomenon, a very interesting parallel. One can notice it from the emotions of the audience and surroundings, that he is a very dignified person who is given great respect. This can certainly be noticed.’
—Margaret Stump
MP for Green Party
‘What His Holinessaba said made a lot of sense. It resonated and it is quite clearly an important message for the world to hear. You get a feeling in your fingertips if somebody is genuine or not. It is impossible to describe rationally and it is impossible to assess scientifically. I always get the feeling that he means what he says, and I have to say in my 40 years as being a rabbi, that hasn’t always been the case…So this person: for you, His Holiness; for me, leader of a relatively large religious group, which is quite clearly very well organised, has clearly defined rules and an ideology, training young people, the respect. My goodness, I wish the Jewish community could have somebody for whom we could have the same respect.”
—Dr Walter Rothschild
Rabbi, Reform Judaism
‘This will stick with me, as it came through between the lines: it is about doing and relating. Love cannot be functioning without deeds and love cannot work without relationship – it is dead without these.’
—Frank Heinrich
MP for CDU Party
‘The speech was one of peace and justice. It strongly emphasised that we should and can end the so-called culture fight so that Muslims and the Western world can live peacefully with one another, and that was a beautiful message for me.
The great message of “Love for All, Hatred for None” is of great value in this day and age and can play a huge role in ending this fight.’
—Omid Nouripour
MP for Alliance ’90/The Greens Party Hesse
‘I found that his content was exceptionally outstanding, that he especially focused on world peace and clearly addressed the responsibility of the individual. There were also some Jews here today and also many Christians. When you are a religious person, no matter if it is Islam or Judaism that you follow, you carry a very huge responsibility towards world peace and this is what this man was radiating…He said that the religiosity regardless of being a Jew, Muslim or Christian, or any other faith group doesn’t affect one’s freedom or individuality, which his or her faith gives them. He very eloquently and intellectually expressed his views and this makes him a cultural leader who has a positive impact…His Holiness combined his address with aspects which more or less go hand in hand with my own faith and religion, and this leads to the good of people coming together for prayer. In this case, for me as a Christian and him as a Muslim, we are able to remember our Creator and our faith in our own ways. This has something which unites us for the cause of world peace.”
—Axel Knoerig
MP for CDU/CSU Party
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