A brief history of the Associations of Ahmadi Muslim Scientists USA 

The two Associations of Ahmadi Muslim Scientists USA are the men’s organization, which is the Association of Ahmadi Muslim Scientists, USA (AAMS-USA), and the women’s organization, which is the Ahmadi Women Scientists Association USA(AWSA-USA). A chronological history of each of the Associations is provided below.

The Association of Ahmadi Muslim Scientists, USA (AAMS-USA) was founded in 1995.

The AAMS-USA Constitution was drafted in early 1996 and approved by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (rh) in late 1996.

The first election was held on June 24, 1995 and was presided by respected Naib Ameer USA, the late Dr. Muzaffar Zafr, Ph.D. The first President was Dr. Karimullah Zirvi, Ph.D., who served from 1995 to 1999. The Amila consisted of:

·      Dr. Wajeeh Bajwa, Ph.D., General Secretary

The main activities of AAMS-USA at the time were four-fold: 1) to improve, through surveys, the membership directory by organizing it by Jama’at auxiliary, career level and career discipline; 2) to hold general meetings at Jalsa Salana USA for the purpose of networking and sharing information; 3) to co-sponsor and co-organize – with Majlis Atfal-ul-Ahmadiyya – the Abdus Salam Science Fair each year at Jalsa Salana USA, and offer prizes to the Atfal participants; and 4) to provide career advice and general support to the pipeline of Ahmadi Muslim students in science. Members were also engaged in serving the Jama’at by proofreading portions of Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge and Truth by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (rh), visiting laboratories of members (e.g., at the National Institutes of Health, University of Southern California, University of Arkansas), and giving addresses at various academic forums.

For objective #4 above, with the guidance of beloved Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aba), and with the permission of the respected Ameer Jama’at USA, Dr. Ahsanullah Zafar, M.D., officers were appointed to serve as mentors and guides for career development, with each tailored to address a subset of members based on their career level. 

A mentor was assigned for undergraduate students, another for graduate students, another for postdoctoral/faculty members, and another for industry/government researchers. Members of Majlis Ansarullah and Lajna Imaillah contributed their expertise towards these efforts as well, via monthly conference calls, with members calling in for advice and guidance. Members who served as mentors in phone conferences included Ph.D. students Summer Chaudhari Sahiba (undergraduate mentor) and Kamaldeen A. Muili Sahib (graduate student mentor), Dr. Hameed Naseem, Ph.D. (Postdoctoral and Faculty mentor), and Dr. Rafae Bhatti, Ph.D. (Industry and government sectors mentor).

AAMS-USA was also engaged in this period with new publication activities. An AAMS-USA blog was created in 2007 and updated through to 2013. The blog contained articles covering a range of subject matter. The link for the blog is here: http://aams-usa-forum.blogspot.com/2007/

The first newsletter of AAMS-USA, Ain-ul-Yaqeen, was published quarterly in 2008. It was circulated together with the Ahmadiyya Gazette, USA, with the permission of the Ameer Jama’at USA. The newsletter was edited by Dr. Arshad Mahmood Khan, Ph.D. In one of the issues of this newsletter, the powerful message of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aba) from 2008 was highlighted, which was delivered in Ghana on the occasion of the Khilafat centenary celebration. The message was to the youth, and is excerpted below:

Allah told the Promised Messiah (as) that people of your sect [Jama’at] will progress in knowledge. Therefore, I advise the youth: immerse yourself in your studies to the exclusion of everything else. Advance so much in every field of education that your minimum target becomes the Nobel Prize. That requires hard work over a long period. When nations want to develop and progress, they make plans on a long-term basis. I pray that Allah may grant you the strength to do so. Remember, it is you who will lift your country up to the ranks of developed nations. That indeed is patriotism and love for your country. For an Ahmadi Muslim, love for one’s country is a part of their faith.

Upon the instruction and guidance of beloved Huzur (aba), in 2011, the Association was divided into an independent men's organization (retaining the name AAMS-USA) and women's organization, called the Ahmadi Women Scientists Association USA (AWSA-USA) in 2011. Dr. Shanaz Butt, Ph.D., was approved as the founding President of AWSA in 2011. A more detailed history of AWSA and its activities are provided later in this section.

The fourth President was Dr. Sohail Husain, M.D., who has been serving since 2012. The Amila consists of:

·      Dr. Karim Sharif, Ph.D., Vice President (formerly Dr. Fizan Abdullah, M.D., Ph.D.)

·      Dr. Ijaz Ahmed, Ph.D., General Secretary & Publications Secretary (formerly Dr. Athar Malik, M.D., Ph.D., General Secretary)

·      Mr. Adeel Malik, Finance Secretary (formerly Dr. Tahir Ahmed, M.D., Ph.D.)

·      Mr. Haris Qureshi, Naib Publications Secretary

·      Dr. Abdul Majid Shah, Ph.D., Membership and Special Events Coordinator

·      Mr. Ibshar Khandakar, Eblast Editor

AAMS and AWSA pivoted in 2013 towards hosting its first Holy Qur’an and Science Symposium, at Bait-ur-Rehman Mosque in Silver Spring, MD. A total of 184 were in attendance. Respected Naib Ameer USA Maulana Naseem Mahdi Sahib and National Jamaat USA General Secretary Sahib Masoud Malik Sahib provided oversight for these first Holy Qur’an and Science Symposia. Ahmadi Muslim scientists from various backgrounds delivered talks about their research and openly discussed how the Holy Qur’an could provide guidance for their scientific pursuits. Respected Ameer Sahib USA, Dr. Ahsanullah Zafar, addressed the audience, highlighting that science emanates from God.

The highlight of the meeting was that Huzure Anwer (aba) sent a two-page message to the attendees of the Symposium, which was read out in the opening session. Some of the key points in the letter were that the early Muslims excelled in the sciences due to the Holy Qur’an. Sadly, the Muslims declined in their status as a nation when they neglected to turn to the Holy Qur’an for guidance. The Promised Messiah (as) came to point the believers back to the Holy Qur’an. As Ahmadi Muslims, we will excel far beyond other scientists who operate only on the basis of effort and result, because of our faith and our attention to the Holy Qur’an.

Another major privilege for AAMS-USA in 2013 was to have the opportunity to present the scientific work of a handful of its members to Huzure Anwer (aba) on Huzur’s visit to Los Angeles that year.

The second annual Holy Qur’an and Science Symposium was held in 2014 again at Bait-ur-Rehman Mosque in Silver Spring, MD. By the Grace of Allah, the attendance consisted of about 400 men, women, and children.

The third Annual Holy Qur’an and Science Symposium was held in 2015 at Bait-uz-Zafar Mosque in Queens, NY. Approximately 500 guests were in attendance. Efforts were made to invite professors from local universities and colleges, and there were thirty outside guests, including a reporter from the largest Bengali newspaper in the USA. This relationship with the Bengali media gave several AAMS-USA members the chance to serve as guest panelists on a Bangla cable television show the next day. 

As of 2020, Alhamdolillah, AAMS and AWSA have jointly hosted seven annual Holy Qur’an and Science Symposia. In addition to these signature events, the Associations have assisted its Canadian counterparts in hosting their own Holy Qur’an and Science programs. In 2019, a delegation from AAMS presented their scientific research at the tenth Annual Ahmadiyya Muslim Research Association Conference in the UK. The highlight of the meeting was that the last session, along with dinner, was presided by Huzure Anwer (aba). Huzur delivered an epic and yet sobering speech about the responsibility of Ahmadi Muslim Scientists “to revive the honor and dignity of Islam in the global academic arena.” With some extent of pain, Huzur reminded us that he had for almost 14 years “instructed Ahmadi students either directly, or through Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya, to enter the field of academia and research and to endeavor to reach the highest echelons of their fields.” It was a wakeup call to “consider it your mission to pursue excellence within your chosen field.” Huzur ended his speech with a prayer, “May we soon come to witness the dawn of a new Islamic golden age of intellectual progress and advancement led by Ahmadi Muslims across the world. Ameen.”

Additional activities of the two Associations include the Abdus Salam Science Fair, science kitchens, a regular eBlast, a revamped website, annual strategy meetings, webinars for students to receive guidance and mentorship, reviewing material for the Review of Religions, and guest appearances on science shows on MTA and the Voice of Islam. The Associations encourage students to seek mentorship with senior members and to pursue internships during the summer in research labs.

More details about the Ahmadi Women Scientists Association (AWSA) USA

Brief History of AWSA: 

1. October 2010 - letter from Huzur (aba) to Dr. Shanaz Butt, then Sadr Lajna Imaillah-USA - to consider the feasibility of forming an Ahmadi Women Scientist Association.

2. Huzur (aba) approved Dr. Shanaz Butt as Founding president of AWSA following elections at Jalsa 2011.

3. AWSA logo was created. 

4. AWSA Constitution was prepared in 2012.

5. A science booth (experiments for children) and open forums were held in the first two years at Jalsa Salana to encourage participation and membership.

6. Partnered with Lajna USA to use their website.

Current Activities of AWSA: 

Dr. Nusrat Sharif, Ph.D., became the President of AWSA in December 2017. The key events that were organized were the Holy Qur’an and Science Symposium in collaboration with AAMS. The 6th and 7thAnnual Qur’an and Science Symposia were organized in Bait-ur Rahman and a great proportion of audience was Lajna and Nasirat. The symposia highlighted a combined career development session for the first time. The incentive of membership dues to AWSA was first implemented at the 6th Qur’an and Science Symposium and T-shirts with AWSA logo were given to the members. The 7th Annual Qur’an and Science Symposium was unique in being the last large gathering event organized in Bait-ur Rahman prior to the coronavirus lock-down. These events also involved hands-on experiments by young Nasirat in the science kitchen set-up.

The Abdus Salam Science Fair was organized at Jalsa Salana USA both in 2018 and 2019 and involved poster presentations by Nasirat and Lajna. The winners were awarded cash prizes for the first time along with certificates of participation. A similar Abdus Salam Science Fair event was organized for the first time in West Coast Jalsa Salana in December 2019.

Career guidance/counselling is provided at different panels, one such was at the 5th National Waqifat-e Nau camp held on June 21–28 at Baitul-Aafiyat mosque, Philadelphia.