WHEREAS, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA is holding its 74th Jalsa Salana convention, an annual convention that is one of the oldest and longest-running Muslim conventions in the United States, in Richmond on June 28–30, 2024; and

WHEREAS, the Jalsa Salana tradition practiced by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA dates back to 1891, and the first Jalsa Salana event in the United States was held in 1948; and

WHEREAS, for the Jalsa Salana USA convention, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA draws Ahmadi Muslims from across the United States and guests from all walks of life; and

WHEREAS, the three chapters of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA in the Commonwealth have provided exemplary social services for their neighbors and the citizens of Virginia, embodying the organization's official motto, "Love for All, Hatred for None"; and

WHEREAS, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA recently launched its Jalsa Cares community outreach project, through which it has donated food, supported blood drives, and mobilized volunteers to combat homelessness and food insecurity in several counties within the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, the members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA are guided by the words of the organization's founder, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, who said, "a religion which does not inculcate universal compassion is no religion at all...Similarly, a human being without the faculty of compassion is no human at all...Our god has never discriminated between one people or another...The earth created by God provides a common floor for all people alike"; and

WHEREAS, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the current worldwide head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA, evoked the spirit of the organization when he said, "in times of grief and despair, we will always be there to wipe away the tears of our neighbors and to support and comfort them"; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA hereby be commended on the occasion of its 74th Jalsa Salana USA event and for the organization's Jalsa Cares community outreach initiative and its ongoing contributions to the betterment of the Commonwealth; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, worldwide head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA, as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the organization's history and its contributions to the Commonwealth.