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The World Federation is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations
Vision Statement
The World Federation
exists to achieve the
pleasure of Allah SWT by
developing spiritual and
vibrant communities
serving humanity
Mission Statement
The World Federation
enables its member institutions
to promote the
values and practices of the
Islamic Shia Ithna Asheri
Faith for the spiritual and
material well being of
humanity at large
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My First EXCO
Updated 14 November 2012
Reflections by Syed Mohammed Jawad
I recently joined The World Federation to try and make a difference within our community. I had a certain perception of The World Federation from what we hear on the grapevine and that the organisation is embroiled in ‘politics’. However, having experienced what ACTUALLY goes on in person, I felt I should write this blog and share my personal experience with you.
I had the opportunity to attend my first Executive Council Meeting held in the colourful city of Antananarivo in Madagascar. This beautiful Island off the South East coast of Africa is home to approximately 2,500 Khoja Shia Ithnasheri Muslims based across 19 Jamaats in the country.
On our way to Madagascar, the ASG of Education Mahmood Dhalla, recounted the first time an EXCO meeting was held in Madagsacar in 2003. He was excited to be returning back and spoke about the unreserved hospitality of the Conseil Regional De L’Ocean Indien (Regional Council of Jamaats within the Indian Ocean). Even before flying out, I had been told by lots of people about the sumptuous food that would be on offer, something that I couldn’t wait to try!
Being the new guy I had no idea what to expect….after all I was attending a big meeting with leaders of our community at the highest level. That said, the support shown by my office manager, Iqbal Panju and the friendliness of the Office Bearers and Executive Councillors made me feel at ease and a part of the whole process.
Arriving at Antananarivo airport and having passed immigration, we were met with the most warmest of welcomes by individuals from the Regional Council and the local Jamaat. Each and every person was met with a hug, a smile and a handshake as if we were being met by our own family members. To add to the occasion, our arrival was filmed by a professional camera crew from Khoja TV (aired from La Reunion) making us feel even more special!
I couldn’t wait to get to the hotel and hit the bed…the journey was long and I felt I was running on adrenaline. When we checked into the hotel I tried to sleep but found my head was spinning from having met so many people in such a short space of time, trying to remember who is who and who does what! Finally I got to sleep.
The night before EXCO started, Iqbal Bhai Panju and I were at mosque setting up with the help of the volunteers from the Jamaat (who I must say were some of the most helpful people I had met!) I’ve organised and attended a plethora of meetings but for the first time I felt out of my depth. I was unfamiliar with the format, the style and had no clue about how to set up the tables but Iqbal bhai was ever-present directing everything meticulously to ensure that the end outcome was perfect. His dedication and experience together with his patience gave me a renewed sense of appreciation on what Iqbal bhai does.
The meeting proceedings started with a really warm welcome speech from the anantarivo jammat followed by Dr. Moledina’s updates from his travels since the last Executive Council meeting, held in May 2012 in Dar-e-Salaam. The number of jamaats and institutions Dr Saheb visited just in the last six months is astonishing. From Mumbai to Stanmore, Peterborough, to Toronto, New York to Leicester and Buckinghamshire to Miami. Then it dawned on me, when does he actually get the time to spend with his family and to run his business? His last six months have been dedicated virtually entirely to the WF and he has been carrying out the same level of work since his term started 18 months ago. This is truly a testament to his selfless dedication and passion to working on furthering our communities’ progress. Having worked with Dr. Moeldina since July, I have always found him very humble and down to earth (with a jolly sense of humour!). His dedication and ability to lead a community of leaders has inspired me further and has given me the confidence that we, as a community and an organisation are moving forward in the right direction.
One of the focal points of the weekend was a forum arranged on how to eradicate poverty within our community – a key objective in this term’s action plan. Although I have been working at the WF for a few months now, it was still an eye opener to hear the updates from the other departments and hear about the sheer depth of progressive work taking place – from Islamic Education to ZCSS to Education to MCE to Health. I was really impressed at the recent progress made by MCE in the field of curriculum development where esteemed scholars such as Syed Mohammed Rizvi, Sheikh Khalil Jaffer, Sheikh Safder Jaffer, Sheikh Jaffer Jaffer, Al Haj Bashir Datoo and other experts took part in a weekend long meeting to further the work in this area.
As per standard practice, the Hon Treasurer Br Reza Hooda presented the period accounts giving a clear and transparent account of how the WF utilises the funds it receives. Despite not being much of a numbers man, Br Reza’s presentation was easily understandable through the pictorial charts utilised and came across thoroughly professional.
There was an emotionally charged speech by the Deputy Secretary General of the WF, as he spoke about how he got involved in community work with the support and guidance of Br. Muhsin Dharamsi. Mashallah…what a talk! I had never met Br. Mushin until the EXCO and immediately felt inspired by his presence and humble nature. I was in awe of the DSG that he had the guidance of such a servant and well wisher of our community. I really wished that I too had the opportunity to have his guidance in my younger days when I began working for my beloved community.
 
Having heard the accounts and the need for us to continuously seek funding for the good work that is carried out, the Executive Council were delighted with the announcement from the Chairman of the WF Foundation Fund, Al Haj Sibtein bhai Asaria. Since the last EXCO less than 6 months ago Br Sibtein announced that he and his team had raised $1.2 million! The enthusiasm and passion that he expressed was truly inspiring and again displayed the professionalism and strategic thinking adopted by the Executive Council to ensure that the future of the institution is sustainable.
 
For me I think the defining point of Exco was the approval of the Generation Plan. I have a two year old son and as a father I am always concerned with my sons future and what I can do (as father and community member) to ensure that my son has a bright and protected future. The first step in the process is to undertake a worldwide census to allow us to understand our current position and building on this to create a plan of action towards this goal.
I was amazed at the level of work that takes place behind the scene and how committed the team is. The fact that all the Office Bearers and Executive Councillors have demanding day jobs like the rest of us, they still have the strength, ambition and motivation to dedicate significant amounts of voluntary time to serving our community. One thing that I have learned throughout my career is that we are human beings and we are always learning new things. Working with the WF for a short space of time I have come to realise that this special group of people are human-doings.
To see it is to believe it…………
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