Term 2003-2006
First Meeting of The Executive Council, Brampton, 20 March 2004
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
The ‘Brampton Accord”, A Vision Becomes Reality
The Masumeen Islamic Centre in Brampton, Ontario was the host of the first meeting of the Executive Council of the World Federation KSIMC. The weekend of March 18th to 21st, 2004 will forever go down in the history of our community as the weekend our leadership united under one scope, and one common vision. At the Executive Council meeting held on Saturday, March 20, 2004 World Federation President Dr. Ahmed Hassam announced the unprecedented trilateral agreement between the World Federation KSIMC, NASIMCO, and Africa Federation. Conveniently coined by past World Federation President Dr. Hasnain Walji as the “Brampton Accord.”
The Accord is an agreement, in principal, by the World Federation KSIMC, NASIMCO, and Africa Federation to work in unison allowing the centralization of operations, and an unprecedented move towards working under a single ijaza. The modalities for this will Inshallah be finalised in due course. This is a historic event, which will centralise the contributions of our community and maximize our potential to serve. The moment was filled with emotion and tranquility, as a vision twenty-five years in the making, and very much inherent in the leadership of Marhum Mulla Asgarali M M Jaffer has finally been realized.
The acceptance of this agreement in principal, and the common vision of all three entities set the mood, for a productive and successful meeting.
The proceedings commenced Thursday, March 18, 2004 at Jaffari Islamic Centre, Thornhill, Ontario with a majlis dedicated for the sawaab of Marhum Mulla Asgherali M M Jaffer on the occasion of his 4th death anniversary. Following that, there were addresses from various leaders in the community. The delegates and office bearers were than treated to a tour of the capital projects undertaken by the I.S.I.J. of Toronto. The tour included the Jaffari Community Centre (Bathurst project), As Sadiq School, and Crescent Village.
Executive Council Meeting
Masumeen Islamic Centre the latest gem of the I.S.I.J. of Toronto was the host of the First Executive Council Meeting of the World Federation KSIMC. This new state of the art facility opened to the west Toronto community on October 19, 2003 with a great sense of pride and accomplishment. The structure contains two prayers halls, a full madressah classroom structure, along with a multi-purpose gymnasium; all equipped with state of art audio video technology. The Masumeen Islamic Centre has become a social focal point for the west Toronto Shia community.
The meeting commenced with a State of the Community address by World Federation President Dr. Ahmed Hassam. Dr. Hassam acknowledged the volunteer and staff of the World Federation KSIMC for their unparalleled cooperation with the Executive Council during the first six months of their term. Dr. Hassam has every confidence this support will continue, and together we will achieve the objectives setout in the Strategic Plan. Considerable progress has been made by the various boards and desks.
Dr. Hassam laid out the Executive Council’s aim to strengthen the infrastructure of the World Federation, through the development of each desk and board at the World Federation.
Dr Hassam noted the devastation by the Gafilo cyclone in Madagascar. He in consultation with the Chairman of Africa Federation, had declared the area an emergency zone and, on behalf of the entire KSI Community, pledged support for the people of Madagascar. An appeal has been launched to assist the affected mumineen and he hoped that our Community worldwide will rise to the occasion and donate generously to rehabilitating our community members in the affected areas. He also noted that a delegation will be visiting the affected area supported by the Chairman of Africa, Zulfikarbhai Khimji, Dr Hassam also highlighted the tremendous support given to this initiative by the leadership in Madagascar who have united together to serve the wider communities.
Dr. Hassam is encouraged that the World Federation desks and boards have been busy in their efforts, and ensures the Office Bearers will continue to travel to communities far and wide to assess their diverse needs and requirements of our global community.
Dr. Hassam was fortunate to be present at the ground breaking ceremony in Sydney, Australia, and noted that once this mosque is complete, we will have a presence from Vancouver, Canada to Sydney, Australia, and truly become a global community.
Welcome to Toronto
I.S.I.J. of Toronto President, Br. Nazir Gulamhusein, and Masumeen Islamic Centre Chairman, Dr. Ashik Ali Najarali welcomed all bodies to the World Federation Executive Council Meeting. Br. Nazir Gulamhusein was hopeful the deliberations will be sincere, diligent, and successful. Br. Nazir Gulamhusein was pleased to hear of the centralization of resources, however these should not be restricted to monetary items, as people are our greatest asset.
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Br. Nazir Gulamhusein
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Dr. Ashik Ali Najarali | | |
I.S.I.J. of Toronto President noted that India is the largest beneficiary of our funds, as such; we need to establish an infrastructure within the framework of what is available so that we can generate benefits from our resources invested in India. In Africa we need to assess the problem of the continual depletion of the middle class, and an ever more dangerous move towards a two class socio economic structure.
It is necessary to implement a structure, and develop a global entity from the grass roots. If people don’t buy into the vision, it is pointless. Br. Nazir Gulamhusein closed his remarks by expressing we have the resources and capabilities to go where no community can go.
Bam Earthquake
Br. Mohsin Kanji enlightened the crowd on the disaster that struck Bam, and the timely assistance provided by the World Federation. He outlined the steps taken by the World Federation, along with a timeline of events to assist the audience to understand the disaster, and the timely delivery of the first phase of the project on February 23, 2004.
Br. Mohsin Kanji than proceeded to show video clips of the various disaster areas surrounding Bam. The room was filled with emotion as the audience tried to grasp the real magnitude to the disaster. In his analysis, Br. Mushin Kanji outlined that 50 holy sites were destroyed in Bam and the surrounding areas. With the assistance of the World Federation, 14 semi-permanent structures were erected to hold the Muharram commemorations in Bam. World Federation President Dr. Ahmed Hassam congratulated Br. Mohsin Kanji and his team for their diligent efforts, and their ability to think “outside the box” to rationalize the situation and provide those aids that were immediately required in Bam.
Huqooq Funds
Br. Mustafa Jaffer enlightened the delegates on the guidelines governing the disbursements of funds. He stated these funds must be distributed through the rationalization of priorities. Br. Mustafa Jaffer drafted a paper, presented to the World Federation KSIMC, outlining the role of individuals and institutions in the distribution of huqooq funds.
The Secretariat of the World Federation KSIMC will keep the paper drafted by Br. Mustafa Jaffer on the agenda until July 31, 2004 at which time it will be closed off, and subsequently signed off by the Executive Council at the Karachi Conference.
Strategic Planning: Update
Brother Abbas Kanji presented the action plans that have been prepared by the boards and desks of the World Federation. The plans, which have been developed to implement the strategic plan, will help the World Federation prioritise and focus its efforts, allocate resources, and create a culture of accountability and cooperation. There was discussion after the presentation, and this was conducted using the SMART METHODOLOGY for objective setting. The discussion also highlighted the need for cooperation between boards with common objectives.
Economic Upliftment for Africa
The Chairman of Africa Federation President, Br. Zulfikar Khimji advised the audience of the socio economic problems that continue to plague Continental Africa. On behalf of the Africa Federation and its member communities, Br. Zulfikar Khimji offered his appreciation for the assistance extended by the World Federation and their continuing concern in this regard.
The Africa Economic Upliftment Programme was presented to the Executive Council. The efforts put into this document by Africa Federation were acknowledged. The focus on education and housing was elaborated. It was agreed to launch 150 units of housing over the next three years in Africa as a priority at the same time building on the capacity to continue to deliver on the education agenda.
World Federation President Dr. Ahmed Hassam recognized that Africa Federation and their member communities have contributed generously to projects in the West. We as a world community need to recognize the situation in Africa has changed and we need to reciprocate their generosity. In response to that the first phase of the project with housing in Songea, Tanzania was launched.
Br Zulfikar Khimji gratefully acknowledged the support of mumineen and requested this continuous assistance as there is an urgent need of it.
Assessment of Capital Projects
Presenting a paper, Councillor Masum Somji stated that the assessment exercise had revealed that currently the total cost of the outstanding and envisaged projects in the community totals over US $ 70,000,000. Such an accumulation of projects causes severe pressure on Community’s cash flow. Furthermore, the outcome in many cases is that the projects are under-utilised or outgrow the demand within a short period, resulting in the launch of another new project by the same community within the next 5 years.
He stated that these are fundamental concerns of due diligence that need to be addressed and a discipline of planning be encouraged. The council agreed to form a Capital Projects Working Group to develop comprehensive systems and processes for all new capital projects and charged this group to draft a report with recommendations, to be presented to the 2nd Executive Council meeting in August 2004 to be held in Pakistan.
In the meanwhile the Council directed the Office Bearers not to approve any new capital projects until the Executive Council has approved the recommendations from the Capital Projects Working Group
Shared Learning Session
These sessions were a new agenda item designed to share the best practices within our community. The example of IEB was used. Br. Mujtaba Datoo, demonstrated how madressah teachers who were brought together at several retreats, shared their respective teaching experiences. The retreats were also seen as an opportunity to bring together the various generations of teachers, authors, and scholars to share the best practices.
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Br. Mujtaba Datoo |
Br. Nisar Sheraly, the religious coordinator for the World Federation outlined on how he plans to collect data from our Educational Institutions and address the needs of our community in these areas.
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Br. Nisar Sheraly
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Approval of Minutes, Financial Report, and AOB
The minutes of the 7th Executive Council meeting held in Madagascar in February 2003 were approved.
The Hon. Treasurer, Azad Kanani presented the financial report provided an in-depth detail of all World Federation expenditures for the year ending December 31, 2003. He highlighted the importance of ensuring of support from the community to deliver the strategic plan.. The unaudited financial report provided an in-depth detail of all World Federation expenditures for the year ending December 31, 2003.
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Br. Azad Kanani
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In other business, Br. Zahir Janmohamed spoke of his work as external liason in Washington D.C. He spoke about the activities of External Liaison and highlighted the work undertaken in Washington DC. Zahir has been able to establish a Summer intern programme. Summer interns gain an insight into the political process and climate of Washington DC and are often empowered to continue working on civic matters in their community. In partnership with NASIMCO, Zahir is also organizing a trip to Capitol Hill.
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Br. Zahir Janmohamed |
Dr. Hasnain Walji, previous World Federation President stated the importance of capital projects cannot be overemphasized. We need a committee to assess the needs and requirements of the Khoja community globally, and the resources that will be required to meet these requirements. This will cause many challenges, and require much compromise.
The meeting closed with Dr. Hasnain Walji paying and emotional yet somber tribute to the late Mulla Asgharali M M. Jaffer, on the fourth death anniversary of this great personality.
Women’s Convention
Marital issues with respect to the three World Federation objectives were discussed within a small group of women representing the various jamaats. In the arena of developing a systematic process / database to provide a means for spousal selection, several concerns were raised. It is critical that the database is geared to the target audience, and there has to be an element of screening involved to eliminate abusers. A generic template should be created at the World Federation level that can be utilized by local jamaats, so that as part of local jamaat memberships, bonified members in good standing would automatically be registered to the site based on marital status and age. It was agreed that similar issues would occur in the traditional matchmaking versus a formalized website approach, however, due to the demand from the youth to provide a more progressive platform, a website / database approach needs to be established.
On the education front, the madressah system needs to be leveraged to ensure appropriate and effective awareness is provided to the youth. Providing the spousal selection teachings at the madressah level will start the process at an early age. When it comes to formal training, it was recommended that the training be all encompassing and include singles, couples, and parents / in-laws. The program for couples, and parents should be synergized such that the same message is heard, and these programs should be highly recommended prior to the Nikah being recited.
Finally, with respect to counseling, confidentiality was the key factor in its credibility and future success. It is imperative to have both male and female contact points for counseling apart from the local Jamaat’s President and Resident Aalim. Involving in-house professionals is extremely beneficial for resolving issues surrounding divorce. A recommendation of making available a list of in-house professional expertise was brought forth.
Overall , the session was extremely productive, and conducive to the issues surrounding our global community. Valuable information exchange occurred with a superb list of recommendation to take our global community to the next level. Inshallah, with the implementation of these recommendations, our community will see more successful marriages in the years to come.
Youth Breakfast
The proceedings ended on Sunday, March 21, 2004 with a youth breakfast hosted at the Masumeen Islamic Centre for all participants. The breakfast was followed by the final meeting of the session, a dialogue inclusive of many of the tabligh organizations in North America. The meeting was facilitated by NASIMCO, and hosted by the World Federation KSIMC.
The outcome of the meeting was unanimous agreement amongst all the participating organizations to network, and combine resources to help reduce duplication, and a concerted effort to work together in the future. This historic outcome was only over shadowed by the trilateral agreement announced at the Executive Council meeting one day prior.
The organizations agreed to form a team that will study the situation in North America, and present its findings to the Executive Council in due course. The team consists of Dr. Hasnain Walji from Dallas, Texas, Br. Hasnain Kassamali from Vancouver, British Columbia, and Br. Saleem Bhimji from Toronto, Canada.
Seniors Advisory Board (SAB) Addresses the SI Senior Citizens Group of Toronto
“Oh Allah! Award dignity and peace of mind to old people.” (Imam Al Mahdi, a.s.). The Seniors Advisory Board had the privilege of addressing the SI Senior Citizens Group of Toronto on Friday March 19, 2004 at the Masumeen Islamic Centre in Brampton, Ontario. Alhamdullilah, about 150 people attended the forum and 90% of these individuals were senior citizens. The objective of this evening was to familiarize the seniors with the activities of SAB and at the same time obtain feedback and suggestions from the seniors with respect to how SAB can better serve their needs.
Dr. Akber Mithani, Chairman of SAB charted out the goals and objectives of the SAB and its achievements. In particular, he was pleased to announce that SAB will be hosting a Seniors Summer Retreat in Toronto this summer (July 30 to August 2, 2004). Seniors from all over the world are invited to participate in this unique camp organized specially for our elders. Details to follow soon.
The senior’s forum was indeed a wonderful success and SAB is grateful to the SI Senior Citizens Group of Toronto, the volunteers at the Masumeen Islamic Centre and all those who attended for their support. May Allah (swt) reward you all.
In The End
The overall success of the First Meeting of the Executive Council is that two historic ends were met; the trilateral agreement between the World Federation KSIMC, Africa Federation, and NASIMCO, along with a cooperative agreement between various tabligh organizations to eliminate friction, and duplication. A dream that had been envisioned twenty-five years earlier, and carried from one leadership to another has finally materialized.
Our leaders from the World Federation Executive Council, Africa Federation, NASIMCO, and all the various tabligh organizations should be commended on their ability to place aside personal and political difference in an effort to compromise, and meet a common purpose.