A lot of the haters here, don't realize that Ahmadi/Ahmadiyya Muslims are DIFFERENT. They are NOT Sunni Muslims. They are NOT Shia Musims. They are NOT Wahabbi Muslims. They believe their founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, was THE PROMISED MESSIAH (fulfilling the second coming of Jesus) As far fetched as that they may sound to any of you, that should tell you, right there, they believe in PEACE (for they believe in "rendering unto Caesar what is Caesar's and rendering unto God what is God's), as Jesus didn't seek to overthrow the Romans with war or violence, but rather by way of beautiful preaching and example; he sought to conquer hearts and minds. So that right there is the ENTIRE PHILOSOPHY of the Ahmadiyya Muslims.
So know they are called Ahmadiyya/Ahmadi Muslims for a reason because they have distinguishing beliefs from even the mainstream Muslims. I promise you their interpretation of Islam is ACTUALLY PEACEFUL. Did you know they are oldest Muslims organization in America? Did you know their FOUNDER (the founer of the Ahmadiyya Movement) REJECTED VIOLENT JIHAD?
ALL Ahmadi Muslims believe their 'jihad,' (struggle) their main and primary jihad forever now is the 'jihad of the PEN' (intellectual discourse, and no, not jihad of violence, war, and aggression). They are TAUGHT to REJECT IT. That's what makes them SO DIFFERENT from OTHER Muslims, so much so, they are EVEN persucuted, massacred, and declared by some Muslim governments around the world to be non-Muslims. So that should in it of itself should tell you how much Ahmadi Muslims believe in freedom of religion for all! They totally REJECT the idea that Islam calls for death for blasphmey or death for apostasy, stoning sentences, etc.
So regarding the name Ahmadiyya’ the founder of Ahmadiyya himself stated, “it has been considered appropriate that the name of this party should be Ahmadiyya, so that everyone hearing this name should realize that this party has come into being for the spread of peace and security and that it would have NOTHING TO DO WITH WAR AND FIGHTING."
I say all this as an American Muslim of the Ahmadiyya party and someone that will probably go to the Chantilly mosque in the future, as I'm a Fairfax resident (born and raised in Fairfax). My dad was a Vietnam Vet. He served honorably. I served in the US Armed Forces as well. And guess what the members of the Ahmadiyya Movmenet are PROUD of their youth that serve in the military, for we regard being loyal to the country that we live in, that gives us freedom of religion, to be one of the cornerstones of our faith. Don't believe me? See:
http://www.mkausa.org/Recognition/MKA-USA-Military-Veterans display Ahmadi Muslim vets.
"Our “Muslims for Loyalty” campaign intends to peacefully but forcefully convey to Americans that all such messages which encourage disloyalty to, or terrorism against, America contradict the teachings of Islam, the Holy Quran and Prophet Muhammad. (Naseem Mahdi, ational Vice President and Missionary Incharge of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, USA - the oldest Muslim Organizati¬on in the US)
Why We Launched a 'Muslims for Loyalty' Campaign This Week In the United States
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/01/13/launched-muslims-loyalty-campaign-week-united-states/
So I've hope I've convinced a few, that Americans have absolutely nothing to fear from the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, wherever they may be. So as much as you may disagree with Islam as a religion, at least know the Ahmadiyya interpretation doesn't preach hatred and violence.
I recently had a newborn daughter, and one day hope to take her to that mosque, but never to learn about radicalism, but to learn lessons about love and humanitarianism!
-Omar