Updated 11 November 2008
Imam Al-Mahdi (as) wrote in a letter to Ash-Shaykh Al-Mufid:
“We are aware of your circumstances and nothing of your affairs is concealed from us.”
On Sunday 12 October 2008, The World Federation was invited to participate in Imam-e-Zamana Day hosted by the Senior Citizens of Milton Keynes. This event provided another wonderful opportunity to reconnect with our elders who have been instrumental in the growth of the Shia Ithna Asheri Muslim communities in the United Kingdom.
The Programme of Events began at 11am and comprised of the following:
- Speech by Nayab Hayder
- Welcome Speech by Kassamali Rajvani about the achievements of the Seniors in Milton Keynes
- Welcome Speech by Mahmood Al Najar, President of Milton Keynes Jamaat
- Speech by Shan-E-Abbas Hassam, Assistant Secretary General of Relief and Economic Development, The World Federation where he launched the Needs Assessment of the Elderly in Europe in partnership with The Council of European Jamaats, and updated the community on the activities of The World Federation.
- Speech by Dr. Husein Jiwa, Vice President of CoEJ; Dr. Jiwa also launched the Needs Assessment and explained that it would be a questionnaire on health, welfare and the needs of the seniors so that we can, at a future stage, look at building programmes to help them better
- Speech by Pyarali K. Merali, Head of the Senior Citizens Desk of CoEJ
- Speech by Sajjad Tejani, Head of ZCSS about the activities of ZCSS
- Speech by Maulana Syed Mohammed Naqvi, Resident Aalim of Milton Keynes
The Assistant Secretary General for Relief and Economic Development of The World Federation, Br. Shan-E-Abbas Hassam stated: ‘We thank the seniors of Milton Keynes for the invitation. It was wonderful to meet them all and to update them on the work of The World Federation, globally. In addition, we have launched the work in partnership with CoEJ on assessing the needs of the elderly in Europe and inshAllah this project will help us understand more clearly, the needs of our community’s seniors.’
The Head of ZCSS of The World Federation, Br. Sajjad Tejani commented: “Addressing the seniors is always a pleasure. They appreciate the work undertaken by the volunteers of the community and at the same time spread it far and wide in their own circles. I would like to thank the Senior Citizens of Milton Keynes to have taken the trouble to organise such an event immediately after Eid-ul-Fitr.”
The Vice President of The Council of European Jamaats (CoEJ) expressed: “It is Inspirational to see our senior citizens group showing enthusiasm and dedication in organizing various social and spiritual events throughout the year - above all, being proactive in marking "Imam-e-Zamana Day" in the remembrance of the 1100th anniversary of the ghaybat of our beloved Hujjat Al Qayam Imam Mehdi (as). As a community it is imperative to acknowledge the wealth of wisdom and experience of our seniors which is enlightening for us as individuals and especially for the youths of today.”
To view transcript of speech by Shan-E-Abbas Hassam, Assistant Secretary General of Relief and Economic Development, click here
For further info, please email secretariat@world-federation.org