Two London Muslim leaders from the Ahmadiyya community told the Daily Star we are in the world’s last phase, as they tackled takeover claims, explained Sharia fears, and even spoke about aliens
Imams have warned we’re living in the “last phase” of the world. They made the claim while discussing everything from aliens and Armageddon fears to the truth about Sharia law.
The comments came during a candid sit-down with two London-based leaders from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. One was Imam Mansour Clarke.
He serves at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in south London, which is described as Western Europe’s largest.
The other was Imam Usman Shazad, also known as Usman Butt, who is based at the Fazl Mosque, widely known as the UK’s oldest mosque. The Fazl Mosque marks its 100th anniversary this October.
And while online conspiracy theories claim British mosques are part of a “takeover”, the imams insisted the reality couldn’t be more different.
Mansour, a former BBC journalist who retrained as an imam (an Islamic leadership position) dismissed the idea Muslims are plotting to turn Britain into an Islamic state. He explicitly told the Daily Star: “What we’re doing is in order to make the community that we live in a better place.”
As he called the “take over Britain” conspiracy theories “laughable”, he added: “We believe that mosques are not centres just for Muslims. We believe they are centres for the whole community.”
Usman backed that up with practical examples, saying their mosques have served as “vaccination centres” and “blood donation” hubs – and are even used by local institutions. “It’s actually a beacon of peace and a pillar of society,” he told the Daily Star.
The conversation turned to one of the most feared buzzwords in Britain: Sharia. Mansour said the panic often comes from people not knowing what the term even means.
“Very quickly after about 30 seconds of pondering, they realise they don’t actually know what they’re talking about,” he said. He explained: “Sharia literally means a way of living… it tells us to be kind… and very importantly it tells us to abide by the laws of the land in which we are living.”
Usman said the word is often linked in people’s minds to extremists. “They might have heard it on the media linked to Afghanistan or ISIS,” he said, stressing: “That is no way a true representation of Islam or the Sharia law.”
And on the subject of “taking over”, the imams also kept an open mind about aliens. Moreover, Mansour didn’t rule them out – pointing to a Quranic phrase describing God as “the Lord of all the worlds”.
“It would be silly of us to say that we categorically do not believe in aliens,” he said. “On a personal level I think that there must be something out there.”
Usman agreed, adding that Islam teaches humans are God’s “best creation” – but said it’s still possible there could be life elsewhere. And on the question so many are asking amid World War 3 fears – are we nearing the end of everything?
Usman warned that current global tensions are serious, but drew a line between earthly wars and the religious “end of the world”. “We do believe that the world will come to an end,” he said, adding: “There will be a judgment day.”
But he also made a dramatic claim: “We’re definitely in the last phase of this world.” Mansour echoed that idea, saying many faiths predict a figure who appears in the “latter days” to restore justice – and that his community believes that has already happened.
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