On 22 June 2012 a few hours after Jumma prayers, Hazur‐Aqdas met with Dan Merica a well‐respected journalist working for CNN.
Just before Hazur arrived in the room I had the opportunity to speak to the journalist. I often find that some dignitaries or journalists who come to meet Hazur do not have a proper understanding of the importance of Khilafat and what the Khalifa means to all Ahmadis.
Consequently in those few minutes I tried to convey to Dan Merica what Khilafat really was. I said our Jamaat could claim to be the only truly united organisation in the world because there was no other organisation or religion that truly believed in one leader and was willing to follow whatever he said.
Khilafat, I said, was not a dictatorship because we willingly obeyed and accepted the Khalifa. We did this because of our belief that he is Allah’s representative on earth, chosen by Allah to continue the mission of the Promised Messiah (als).
Sometimes when giving such briefings to journalists it appears to go over their heads or they do not seem to comprehend the love and attachment the Jamaat feels to the Khalifa. But on this particular occasion I did feel that the journalist was both surprised and impressed by the love Ahmadis held for the institution of Khilafat.
After a few minutes Hazur‐Aqdas arrived and the interview commenced in English and lasted for around 20minutes.
The journalist asked a range of questions and particularly the objectives underlying Hazur’s visit. Hazur said that the major purpose was to meet with Ahmadis living in the USA and to guide them. He said he would meet them both individually but also address them collectively at the Jalsa Salana.
The journalist brought up Hazur’s impending visit to Capitol Hill and asked how important it was to Hazur. I could he was astonished by Hazur’s answer, because Hazur said simply it was not his priority – his priority remained meeting the Ahmadis.
Nonetheless, Hazur did say that the Capitol Hill function was important to the extent that it was a good platform for the Jamaat to build contacts and for him to present the peaceful teachings of Islam to the leaders of the United States.