Matthew was pleased to be able to speak to the annual Jalsa Salana at Alton in Hampshire. This is the formal gathering of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, to which many people in the Hendon constituency belong. The event was not held in 2020 as a result of the pandemic and it was a much smaller gathering last year. However, this year saw over 30,000 people attend. His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, was in attendance and was seeking “prayer, discussion and spiritual rejuvenation” for participants. 

Matthew said: “The Ahmadiyya community faces discrimination around the world so I am pleased that the UK Ahmadi community can come together in peace. 

"I strongly believe that people should be able to practice whatever religion they wish and should not face discrimination as a result. Sadly, we are seeing Coptic Christians abused in the Middle East, a rise in anti-Semitism in Europe and the Uyghurs murdered in China. The ‘love for all and hatred for none’ is a key theme for the Ahmadiyya community and one that should be considered by others.”