Located in the northern Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Southeast Africa, the Mayotte archipelago is geographically part of the Comoros Islands, while officially it is an overseas territory of France. It consists of a main island, Grande-Terre (or Maore), a smaller island, Petite-Terre (or Pamanzi), and several islets around these two, situated between northwestern Madagascar and northeastern Mozambique. While the region came under the French settlements in 1840s, the people of Mayotte voted to remain politically a part of France in 1974. Following a 2009 referendum with an overwhelming result in favour of the department status under France, Mayotte became an outermost region of the European Union in 2014. It was the Arabs who brought Islam into the region during the medieval times and a Sultanate was established as early as 1500. According to the 2017 census, the small Island region (with an area of 374 square kilometers---144 sq mi) has a population of a little over 2,50,000- a vast majority of whom are the descendants of the Muslims. Although located far way from the mainlands of Africa and Asia, the remote Indian Ocean islands also had the fortune of receiving the message of Islam as propagated by the Promised Massih of the Later Days, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian. In many ways, the deep penetration of the message of Tawheed as propagated by the Promised Massih (as) to the remotest regions of the world is an awesome testimonial to the astonishing truth of the words of Allah (swt) descended on that holy Divine servant in the previous era: “I shall cause your message to reach the corners of the earth”.
In the late 1990’s, it was the pioneering efforts of Hazrat Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb of Mauritius that planted the seeds of Ahmadiyyat in several Indian Ocean island communities, including the Mayotte Islands. As the missionary-ambassador of the Promised Massih (as) working in the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya in collaboration with the then Khalifatul Massih IV, Hazrat Munir Azim Saheb took extraordinary personal initiative and considerable pain to establish the message of Ahmadiyyat in these parts of the world. If ever the Nizam-e-Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya develops institutional memory and are truthful to their own records and testimonials; they would not, they should not and indeed they cannot avoid or evade the seminal spiritual work and rich legacy of Hazrat Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb in the spread of the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya in the region.
Of late, the Nizam-e-Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya, in Mayotte and beyond, is behaving like the sectarian thugs the Promised Massih (as) used to oppose all his life. In their vain desires for cheap personal glory, they ‘invent’ the history of the Ahmadi peoples and they erase the collective memory inconvenient for their current temperaments! In their concern for constructing a new identity, they are behaving like a prodigal son in denial of his father!! Instead of gratefully co-opting and quietly celebrating the trailblazing spiritual work of Hazrat Munir Azim Saheb in the Indian Ocean island communities in the 1990s as part of the wider and global history of the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya and its peoples, the Nizam-e-Jamaat is in denial today. Do they think the politics of denial and social boycott has a chance against the tide of history and the destiny of a Man of God? Allah says in the Qur’an: “We will soon show them Our signs all around the world and in their own selves, until it dawns on them that indeed this is the truth. Is your Lord not Sufficient (to confirm your veracity), for He alone is (also) witness to everything?”. (41:53)
In the final part of his Friday Sermon of 25 May 2018 (09 Ramadan 1439 AH), Imam Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius spoke on the situation in Mayotte, where natural calamities are unfolding against the backdrop of spiritual calamities. In their quest for cheap victory, sectarian prejudices are being unleashed by the chiefs of the Nizam-e-Jamaat against the Jamaat-Ul Sahih Al Islam in Mayotte so much so that Hadhrat Saheb (atba) has been constrained to issue a Divine warning against the culprits involved in the episode.
Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:
The Situation in Mayotte
Mayotte since May 10, 2018 was seized by earthquakes/ earthquake swarms - one after the other in a single day and this for several days. The largest recorded earthquake was on May 15, 2018, with a magnitude 5.8 on the Richter scale, and this phenomenon continued until yesterday May 24, 2018 with a magnitude of 4.7 [The Khalifatullah (atba) also said that this information is only until yesterday and that the earthquake continues. Indeed since this morning (May 25, 2018) there have been 4 earthquakes up till 09.37, with an earthquake of a magnitude of 5.3].
Mayotte, whether Grande Terre and Petite Terre, was entirely affected by all these tremors; and there are places that have felt more shakes, especially in the areas where these earthquakes occurred.
The Politics of Denial
It is unfortunate for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, whether in Mauritius and Mayotte, to make believe that Ahmadiyyat began in Mayotte only with the conversion of a Mahorais who accepted Ahmadiyyat through the MTA, and that all its historical “firsts” took place from there, through one of their missionaries in Mayotte, who instead of watching over his flock - the people under his responsibility - seeks to create disorder for the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam in Mayotte.
They do not recognize my works at the time when I established the Ahmadiyyat (the Jamaat Ahmadiyya) in Mayotte in 1997, but only they are claiming a property that is not theirs. They are looking for a property that is more than 20 years old and then they say that the Ahmadiyyat has just been established in Mayotte in 2015, and in their report, they even say they visited a family in Mayotte who had accepted the Ahmadiyyat there 20 years ago. But who had worked hard to make this family accept Ahmadiyyat? How did they receive the message of Ahmadiyyat? What a lie!
Ready to Face your Records?!
I give a challenge for a face to face with me to the present Amir Moosa Taujoo, the Ex (so-called) Amir Amine Jowahir, their “great” missionary Usama Umar Joya and accompanied by their caliph. I want a face to face where the whole Jamaat Ahmadiyya (from Mauritius) is present because it is unfortunate that there are many Ahmadi Muslims who are unaware of what those at the head are scheming. Choose your venue (the building/ area you want because the Jamaat Ahmadiyya as a whole must know the truth) because there are too many lies that they say to induce the world, especially the Ahmadis around the world in error, making as if in Mauritius there is no problem, but when in fact they execute boycotts - by closing a mosque (at the beginning of the Divine Manifestation) during the Great Eid of Sacrifice, giving instructions to all Ahmadis to not bid and reply to Salam (peace greeting in Islam) and not inviting us to family functions (thus cutting blood ties), and making all sorts of plots ... and they even deprived me of my sweat (my salary) and my lump sum!!! When I took the lead to claim my due, they pretend that now more than ten years have passed and they will not be able to do anything... Today they think they are victims when in truth they are themselves the big trouble-makers.
A Missionary seeks to create Disorder
Jama’at Ahmadiyya at International level owns a lot of money, but despite this, they are unable to buy a plot of land in Mayotte to build a centre and a mosque. They stick their nose into matters that do not concern them. They are showing up in the affairs of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam and seeking to create disorder. Well, I tell them, continue to act as agents of chaos. Allah is doing His part of the work. You will witness even more calamities in Mayotte, and there will be other calamities that will befall on you, on your own persons if you do not stop causing havoc.
Do your job (to make people know the truth of the Promised Messiah) quietly ... You went to Mayotte to make people recognize the truthfulness of the Promised Messiah Hazrat Ahmad (as), isn’t it? Do your job quietly! Why do you want to create problems for others [in this case the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam]?!!!
“The curse of Allah shall be upon the wrongdoers. Who averted (people) from the way of Allah and sought to make it (seem) deviant while they were, concerning the Hereafter, disbelievers.” (Al-Arraf, 7: 45-46).
This is a warning to you [i.e. the Ahmadiyya missionary in Mayotte and all those instructing and supporting him], be careful lest you say I did not warn you. Allah will do what He has to do. Then do not blame Allah and His Messenger! Allah’s wrath will become stronger. Ahmadis who has (recently) got faith (in the veracity of the Promised Messiah Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as)), in Mayotte, Masha-Allah, Alhamdulillah, but be careful, do good work, become true believers of the Promised Messiah (as ), and Insha-Allah, if you are truly sincere, Allah will guide your hearts to recognize His Khalifatullah too, little by little ... A small step for a great future! Insha-Allah.
I say to my disciples in Mayotte, do not worry, do not be afraid of the threats of the lawless who call themselves Muslims but who do not act as such. Do your job quietly. Insha-Allah, Allah will do His work. Take a beautiful patience, and you will have a beautiful reward. Insha-Allah, Ameen."