TERM 2000-2003

Striving for Excellence in Education by President Dr. Hasnain Walji

Striving for Excellence in Education, a Call-to-Action for the Term of Education - 2000-2003.

Presented at the First Executive Council Meeting held on 27th. January 2001 at Stanmore.

Mission Statement

“To ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence and love of knowledge in every field throughout the community”

Preamble:

Today’s society has little room for those who cannot read, write and learn new technologies, skills and occupations and our community is not immune from this. We must be alive to this fact and provide every opportunity for our community to master all the modern technical skills and at the same time have an interest in the whole range of human wisdom and creativity which deals with life and death, beauty and truth, sincerity and compassion.

During this term, which has been declared as the Term of Education, the World Federation has set the following priorities and targets:

1. Availability of quality Primary and Secondary education. Target: All Community Schools
2. By eighteen years of age, our boys and girls are prepared for placement in institution of higher learning or vocational training centers. Target: All Between Ages of 18-25.
3. Drive towards a technologically literate community. Target: All Jamaats.
4. Special provision for gifted children and students of outstanding abilities. Targets: All Jamaats.
5. Special provisions for children with hearing and other disabilities. Target: All Jamaats
6. Promoting Adult Education. Target: All Jamaats
7. Intellectual Social and Emotional Integration. Target: Students in Western Universities.

Meeting these seven priorities requires action on all fronts to ensure that the greatest number of people buy into the vision we need to implement. Our Greatest Challenge is convincing the Community to buy into this vision

Fund for higher education, in our community, dates back to the fifties. However, the amount of money given for education is not increasing as fast as the need. Individual support is lagging while the expectation from WF is growing.

Despite these constraints, the World Federation, through its Jaffery Education Scheme and the Zainabiya Child Sponsorship has had a very creditable performance both in basic and higher education. During this tern WF needs to invest even greater resources in education for our young men as well as women, both in the East and the West, to ensure that they do not lag behind for the want of means and facilities.

At the same time, those who were given education loans have started to pay back. But there are many who are not paying back. By encouraging more and more of these ex-students to repay and even contribute, Inshallah WF can redeploy these funds for more loans.

Transforming Vision to Reality, by President Dr. Hasnain Walji

Presented at the First Executive Council Meeting held on 27th. January 2001 at Stanmore.

The purpose of this master document is to state the plans and projects for the term 2000-2003 and seek the support from the community to turn this collective vision into action. This document incorporates the vision of Conference 2000 and is a result of months of detailed deliberations by the team at the secretariat. It is an attempt at defining the direction envisaged during the term 2000-2003. I now invite the Community at large to enroll in that vision and urge your active participation and input.

World Federation Mission Statement:

The World Federation aims “to create an environment for the betterment of the community and to nurture individuals, who will serve humanity to seek closeness to Allah S.W.T. in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW) and Aimmah (AS)”.

Conference Vision: The packed house of Conference 2000 demonstrated yet again, that the community across the globe not only expects the World Federation to deliver the highest level of services but also actively participates in that delivery process. In keeping with the consensus developed during the keynote session, which was devoted to the Vision for the Community, activities of the WF will be carried out in the spirit espoused by Conference as reaffirmed below:

1. Core Values of World Federation
   1. Serve with Simplicity and sincerity
   2. Strive for excellence in all fields especially in education
   3. Enable and facilitate all community in endeavors
   4. Engage grassroots
   5. Prevent duplication and support local and innovation
2. Short Term Goals
   1. Executive Council becomes a strategic body that provides for planning and oversight.
   2. Boards across all organizations to be the engine for action, planning and delivery. The WF executive Council would act as a central strategic resource.
   3. Individual Boards to involve youths and women in all its workings.
   4. The focus for the new term should be to develop leadership, mentoring and succession planning at all levels of our community organizations.
   5. Encourage International youth and women’s forums and Conference.
   6. WF leadership to visit each member organization at least once during the term of office to stay in touch with the community needs.
3. Long term Goals
   1. Education for all
   2. Health care for all
   3. Self-sufficiency for all
   4. Representation for all
   5. Effective leadership for all
4. A Shared Vision: Realization of our vision must be in spirit of the collectivity of purpose. Together we can make a difference by envisioning the WF as a uniting force that conceptualizes projects in the service of the community, and woks with the regional bodies and local organizations in their implementation and evaluation. This document is a result of the shared vision of the team at the Secretariat. It is an attempt at defining the direction and enumerates the projects for the term 2000-2003. WF now invites the Community at large to enroll in that vision by participation and input.
5. Project Profiles
   1. Sharing the Gift of Islam with all – WF IEB: The mission of the WF- Islamic Education Board is to share the gift of Islam with all. Objectives being:
      1. To focus on ensuring that the IEB houses a specialist Quran Library
      2. To ensure www.quran.org.uk is dynamic
      3. To raise the community’s awareness of the Quran (adopting thematic approach)
      4. To develop and encourage the next generation of Zakereens
      5. To identify a paid network in Quran for the purpose of posing questions to our Ulema
      6. To continue the present lecture formats of radio broadcast
      7. To have a paid support to the office for queries arising from the radio programme
      8. To collate all lectures presented in the radio broadcast as a compendia/resource material for Zakereens
      9. To create 14 niche sites for Masoomeen along the lines of quran.org
      10. To categorize all the URLs on Masoomeen and connect via the internet
      11. To develop an IEB site separate from WF for the purpose of Tableegh
      12. TO publishtextbooks for Madressa and university students, and book on how to combat ideological differences. Also translate Khazinatul Jawahir by Aliakber Nathawandi
      13. To investigate the possibility of GCSE in Islam (modifying to accept the Shia perspective) with existing networks
      14. To commission Chichester Institute of Higher Education to develop a certificated teaching programme for teachers with the intention that in 2 years it can be done via the distance learning
      15. To develop an examination for Madressa students
      16. To provide a systematic framework of Islamic knowledge that outlines the proposed curriculum based on key stages
      17. To collate all missing videos/audios of Mulla Asgher and place them in a library for use
      18. To develop audio/video as separate entity within IEB in Birmingham solely for the purpose of propagation
      19. To provide sites to such information via the IEB Internet site
      20. To increase the number of Muballigheen by suggesting this as a profession by providing scholarships and bursaries
      21. To increase the level of financial assistance provided to Muballigheen
      22. TO provide 2 months training in the west for Muballigheen after 5 years study at Howza.
      23. To develop a framework for “Sponsor a Muballigh” along similar lines to “Zainabiya Child Sponsorship Scheme”.
      24. To develop an assessment tool to support the selection criteria of Muballigh
      25. To continue financial support with the present Summer Qum programme for students from Europe/Africa and America
      26. To provide syllabus for the summer Qum programme
      27. To continue present work world-wide in the different non-Khoja communities
      28. To identify Shia Islamic books that should be available via all local and university libraries
      29. To support Jamaats to undertake interfaith activities
      30. To transform present accommodation at IEB Dar-al-Tableegh into a state-of-the-art learning resource Centre
   2. Striving For Excellence in Education – WF CETAB: The mission of WF CETAB is to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence and love of knowledge in every field throughout the community. WF CETAB supports each stage of the educational and career life cycle, starting from school age through to continuing education whilst pursuing a career. The Objectives being:
      1. Availability of quality primary and secondary education
      2. To prepare and place all 18 year old boys and girls in institution of higher learning or vocational training centers
      3. To identify and assist gifted children and students of outstanding abilities
      4. To identify needs and assist in education of children with disabilities
      5. To promote intellectual, social and emotional integration of students in western universities
      6. To assist the students in their choices of careers
      7. To promote the need for training and encourage community to participate
      8. To provide our community with information on job opportunities
   3. Combating Illiteracy – WF – ZCSS: The mission of the WF Zainabiya Child Sponsorship Scheme is to combat Illiteracy. Objectives being:
      1. To build a compound wall for Alipur School and Teachers Quarters
      2. To build Zainabiya Institute for Potenahally, with fully furnished classrooms
      3. To construct boys schools adjacent to the present school in Alipur
      4. To construct Gulistan-e-Shaikh Mofid
      5. To build teachers quarters in Khujwa
      6. To take 45 new graduate students
   4. Promoting Health and fighting disease – WF - MAB: The mission of the WF Medical Advisory Board is to promote health and fight disease by providing 1. A strategic lead to our community organizations in matters of health care 2. A lead in enabling health care professionals to network with each other and this network to provide resource to our community healthcare projects. 3. To empower regional or Jamaat health boards to advise and provide where necessary health care advise and treatment. The Objectives being:
      1. Involvement of Youths and Ladies at MAB Secretariat
      2. To empower MAC (Medical Advisory Committee of Council of European Jamaats) to take over the UK screening programme and to assist in developing a worldwide screening. ### To work with other regional boards and encourage them to conduct screening if they are not already doing so.
      3. To empower the Hajj organization from India and Pakistan to take over and provide health care to Hujjaj.
      4. Patient Care; MAB will investigate and recommend alternative cheaper but equal quality healthcare in those countries.
      5. WF-MAB will set up an evaluation process to measure success of all its projects and lessons learnt, so that WF-MAB can extend projects elsewhere required.
      6. WF-MAB will continue to collect medicines and equipment’s from donors and arranges to send to the needy refugees in Iran, Iraq & East Africa.
      7. From WF-MAB experience and data further research and publications to be undertaken.
      8. To co-operate with other Muslim organizations who share the same goal and philosophy.
      9. To support health care workers.
      10. To provide health education within the community.
      11. To continue to provide primary health care education in Govandi, Patna and Bangalore.
   5. World Wide Federation Web – WF IT & New Media Desk: The mission of the IT and New Media Desk is to enable all World Federations activities to operate on highest possible efficiency using state of the art technology. The Objectives being:
      1. Migrate to de dedicated web server and modernize the computers used in WF.
      2. Put historical records on the site.
      3. To improve the services for the internal network.
   6. Gathering Data and Using Information – WF Research and Development Desk: The mission of the WF Research and DevelopmentDesk is to collate material on WF projects, present data in graphical format and produce reports with an analysis of the data. The Objectives being:
      1. Development of a demographic database of our membership throughout the world.
      2. To obtain information/documents relating to community assets of the World Federation and its membership.
      3. To collate material on WF Projects.
   7. Interacting with the rest – WF External Liaison Desk: The mission of the WF External Liaison Desk is to interact with non-Muslim organizations, government agencies, and International organizations. The Objectives being:
      1. To establish appropriate network with government agencies, Muslims and Non-Muslim organizations.
      2. To obtain Non-Governmental Organization status (NGO)
      3. To respond to Negative Media Coverage.

The Executive Councillor: Role, Responsibility and opportunity by Dr. Sibtain Panjwani

Dr. Sibtain Panjwani, Secretary General, of World Federation stated that it would be folly to think that much useful work can be done without the World Federation having a team of Councillors backing it.

As Councillors, you have the best opportunity to serve and take advantage of the experiences the World Federation has to offer, but the role and responsibility that follows must be understood. Commitment, purpose and pro-activeness are necessary values that must be upheld if one is to make the World Federation function effectively.

What does the World Federation do?

The World Federation broadly promotes the following types of activity throughout the world:

1. Mutual support – WF puts members in touch with other members or agencies who can give each other understanding, advice, support and encouragement.
2. Service delivery – Through Secretariat, Membership and Agencies, WF facilitate, provide and implement many services as defined in the objects of the constitution of the World Federation.
3. Campaigning – From time to time, WF campaign for a humanitarian cause as well as coordinate for a particular interest that are consistent with its objectives.

In providing the above services, our community worldwide federated to form The World Federation.

Having formed and nurtured it for 25 years as Councillors, we cannot take the World Federation for granted. This is one message that we must take it seriously.

The other is that we, each of us carry around an implicit and unspoken idea of what the World Federation involves and this organization is. It would, therefore, be folly to think that much useful work can be done without the World Federation having a team of Councillors proactively backing it.

Understanding the Perils of Voluntarism

In a wholly voluntary organization, people give their time and their skills for no money or for very little money. In such an atmosphere, a culture develops where we must make do and mend rather than invest in better equipment facilities or resources.

Apart from constitutional role as members of the Executive Council, Councillors should serve a number of different functions for the World Federation and make it even more successful. They are as follows:

1. Councillors should assist with the delivery of the World Federation core services of Education, Tabligh and relief of poverty.
2. Councillors should provide the “image” and legitimacy” for the World Federation, particularly in its request for funds from the community.
3. Councillors can bring a diversity of skills, talents, expertise and experience to the World Federation.
4. Councillors can provide community outreach and access – acting as door openers and be a link between the region and Secretariat.
5. Councillors can provide an element of passion and enthusiasm within their respective communities by presenting regular reports of the World Federation activities to the grassroots/Jamaats.
6. Councillors will be required to provide formal reports on regular basis at Monthly secretariat meetings as well as Executive Council Meeting.

Opportunity to serve and Building a portfolio of experience

With nearly 25 years of experience, the World Federation is able and capable of providing a unique opportunity to build a portfolio of experience. Councillors have the best opportunity to serve and take advantage of many experiences that the World Federation has to offer. This opportunity to serve has come their way as a blessing from Allah s.w.a.

25th Anniversary of the World Federation

October 2001 was the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the World Federation. It was intended to use this opportunity to celebrate the occasion with events throughout the year. The aims of the 25th anniversary celebrations were:

1. To raise awareness of the work done by the WF, and highlighting the successes over the past 25 years.
2. To identify key issues affecting our communities and ways to resolve these.
3. To identify key areas where WF should provide a lead on behalf of its membership.

Each Board, in conjunction with the regional federation/Jamaat member was requested to organize a convention as follows:

1. A Doctor/Health Care Professionals convention in Canada/USA by MAB/NASIMCO.
2. ZCSS convention in India by ZCSS/Council of Gujarat.
3. Tableegh convention in East Africa by IEB/Africa Federation/Bilal Missions.
4. Education convention in Pakistan by CETAB/Pirhai Jamaat/Mehfil e Murtaza
5. Khoja history symposium/Mulla recognition awards/Publications launch and International Women’s convention in the UK by the Secretariat/CoEJ.
6. Youth convention and sports festival in conjunction with Dubai Jamaat.

Each convention should have a theme and allow sufficient time to show a video, poster presentations and speeches on the WF activities. It should also facilitate discussion on the vision of the WF and the community, and there should also be special activities to raise funds for the World Federation. Regional and Jamaat members were also encouraged to organize additional events in their regions.

A working group at the Secretariat was set up to include Ahmad Hassam, Yasin Rahim, Akhtar Jaffer, Muhsin Dharamsi and Arif Govani. These celebrations are to be all inclusive events and an opportunity for our community to be proud of what it has achieved and most important to identify and address our future needs. Active support and participation of the entire community is essential for the successfully organizing these events.

Earthquake in Gujarat/Kutch - Report

Executive Councillor Dr. Akber Mithani presented a report to the Executive Council Meeting in May 2001 at New York, USA.

As the devastating earthquake hit our communities in Gujarat and Kutch in early 2001, the World Federation was quick to respond with a comprehensive plan to rebuild the lives of our brothers and sisters in Gujarat. At the Centre of this plan was a need to collect funds to start the rebuilding work.

In Vancouver, Dr. Mithani was able to liaise with the key leaders of the World Federation and provide regular updates to the Muslim and non-Muslim communities in the Vancouver area. People were very sympathetic and local communities of all different religions started to collect funds.

Within our own community a significant amount of funds for the rebuilding was collected. A fund raising dinner at the Imambara with the Youth Committee was organized which turned out to be a big success with significant funds being collected for the project.

Regular updates are given to members in the area and funds continue to come in at a reasonably regular basis.

Analysis There was committed effort from almost of all Jamaats in North America towards responding to this tragedy. There were however some misconception and some of the issued were:

1. There were a number of groups within North America who were collecting funds for Gujarat Earthquake relief
2. There appeared little or no communication between these groups
3. Despite efforts, there was little will to collaborate the efforts
4. False information being fed that the World Federation kept a certain percentage of the donations for “administrative charges” and hence people were asked not to donate to WF.

A Strategy for the Seniors in our Community World-Wide

In February of 2001, Dr. Akber Mithani and the President of the World Federation Al Haj Hasnain Walji were able to hear some very critical issues facing the seniors of our community. The seniors were well organized and were looking towards the World Federation for assistance in moving forward as a group.

Dr. Akber Mithani, felt that the World Federation needs to develop a comprehensive and integrated strategy to address the needs of our seniors in the community.

Issues facing seniors in our communities cross many different levels and are much inter linked. For example, some of the needs expressed include:

1. Medical needs – We need to focus on health promotion and prevention of illnesses that may affect the person’s functioning.
2. Social needs – the need to develop networks of groups of seniors across the world.
3. Cultural needs – the importance of maintaining a culture and identity including the preservation of language.

Paper on 'Beyond East Africa and Madagascar'

Dr. Asghar Moledina presented a Paper on 'Beyond East Africa and Madagascar'

The History of the coming of Khoja Shia Ithna Asheries in Africa dates back to the 1870s or so BUT for some reasons, which can be a subject of another study, we remained confined to East Africa and southwards up to the southern borders of the then known, TANGANYIKA i.e. Lindi, Mtwara. Around the same time a small portion of our community did settle in Mozambique but again in the northern part of the country, mainly in Nampula. However because of different language our community in Mozambique remained distant from the East African community. It is only with the activities of Africa Federation spreading that Nampula now continues to be in picture.

Due to The Islamic Revolution in IRAN, that Muslims in South Africa and pockets of Shias scattered all over South Africa began to get together. The need for s SHIA center was realized. Maulana Sayed Aftab Haider set up base in Cape Town. AFOSA (Ahlul Bait AS Foundation of South Africa) was established in 1991 to serve as an umbrella body for Shias in the Southern African region.

Today we have various Centres in the region. Some of them are:

Cape Town: Ahlul Islamic Centre was built in 1995 with the help of AFRICA FEDERATION, IPO from IRAN, various individual donor and well-wishers. It has a Mosque, Library and Administrative offices and serves as AFOSA; s Head Office.

Phillippi and Mbekweni Area(Near Cape): Fatima Azzehra Center which serves as Mosque and Madressa for the area.

Johannesburg and Pretoria: In Johannesburg there is a sizeable Pakistani community in Fords burg area. Maulana Syed Abdulla Husseini has been giving his voluntary services to the community here.

AL-Abbas Mosque and Madressa is being established in Garanukwa Township near Pretoria. A huge plot has been purchased in Kwa Thema, near springs, for the purpose of establishing Al Mustafa Islamic Complex.

In 1998 Imam Husain AS Mosque was established with the help of AFRICA FEDERATION in Ottawa, a northern suburb of DURBAN. Maulana Syed Shermohamamed Jafferi is the resident Aalim.

Besides, there is increasing activities in various African townships around Kroonstad, Bloemfontein, Soweto, Pietersburg, Gauteng and Port Elizabeth.

We also have Centres in Botswana (Gaborone) and Mozambique (Nampula and Maputo). The Nampula Jamaat has undertaken a very ambitious project to build a new Mosque, School, Madressa and a Multi-purpose center. The Resident Aalim in Nampula is one of our Khoja brothers, Sheikh Muhsin Kanani and in Maputo we have Maulana Syed Akhtar Hassan Rizvi.

There are also pockets of Khoja Shia Community in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The fact remains that the Muslim community in this region is in dire need of learning TRUE ISLAM and this gives a tremendous opportunity for Tabligh work as can be seen from the increasing number of converts from other Muslim sects and other Religions,

Creating an Islamic School in Vancouver

The Shia Muslim Community of BC (Vancouver Jamaat) will Inshallah complete the Multi-Purpose Complex in the summer of 2001. In discussions with those involved in the development of the new Centre, many in the community have felt the need to create a Shia based Islamic School in Western North America.

Many parents and indeed Ulema have emphasized the need for Islamic Schools in the western world to nurture and raise children in an Islamic environment so that they can become proponents of Islam in the future.

Some key points about the school are:

1. The first year will see a preschool class and kindergarten
2. Every year a new grade will be introduced
3. After the first year, the government of BC will subsidize each student with 50% of the cost per student
4. The first 2 to 3 years will likely see a deficit of approximately $60,000 per year
5. The school will be run very professionally maintaining very high academic standards
6. The Jamaat voted by an overwhelming majority to move ahead with this strategy.

Dr. Akber Mithani has since been able to liaison for the group and WF. His comments:

1. Emphasized that WF had established this term as term of education and outlined the benefits of providing secular education within an Islamic environment.
2. This project therefore fits very well within the strategic direction of WF.
3. Provided full support in principal from WF to this concept.
4. Requested a full feasibility study outlining roles, responsibilities, school board accountabilities, policy, procedures, detailed financial plans etc. for consideration.
5. Encouraged the group to engage CEETAB at WF for guidance.

CEETAB at the World Federation develop a strategic direction in encouraging the creation of Islamic Schools across the world (particularly in the West). Training strategies be developed to encourage our own community members to become fully qualified teachers and serve in these Islamic schools worldwide.

Medical Advisory Board (MAB)

Influenza Vaccine Program and screening of Hypertension at the Shia Muslim Community of BC

At the Tri-annual Conference 2000 of The World Federation of KSIMC, The Medical Advisory Board (MAB) mentioned 2 major initiatives.

Firstly, leaders of the community were encouraged to educate the community members of the importance of yearly flu vaccines.

Secondly, the MAB launched its plan in developing a comprehensive strategy over the next few years in providing a focus on common chronic conditions such as Diabetes, Hypertension, and Depression etc.

With these directions, some of the overseas members of the WF MAB undertook a Flu vaccination program and screening of just one chronic illness –Hypertension at the Shia Muslim Community of BC in Richmond, Vancouver.

This year, 120 members of the community were vaccinated with Flu vaccine. Members were first educated by Dr. Akber Mithani about Influenza and the vaccine. Through the help of Dr. Abbas Moledina and a lady doctor from Iraq in the ladies section, members of the Vancouver Jamaat were invited to have their blood pressure taken. Recommendations:

1. Annual flu vaccination programs should be encouraged in all Jamaats across the western world. As a start, all organizations under the WF in Europe and North America will establish annual flu vaccination programs within their organizations by the year 2003.
2. MAB will develop a multi-faceted strategy in providing education and assistance to all members of the WF in the area of chronic diseases.
3. Screening programs and educational health events should be encouraged in all communities worldwide including North America.
4. The MAB develop a data base for all screening and prevention programs across the world in our communities and use the date effectively to initiate better practices and change and use a population health focus to make our communities even healthier.

Medical Advisory Board Convention

In marking of the 25th Anniversary of the World Federation, The WF –Medical Advisory Board had organized a convention on May 20th 2001 in New York. This Convention provided a unique opportunity for participants to share in the experience of the WF-MAB team in community health services for the past 25 years. This substantive work has now been recognized by the British Government Health Authorities in the field of ethnic health care services.

The primary purpose is to enable and facilitate partnerships and collaboration with communities and organizations to develop a healthy community across the membership of the World Federation. Specifically the goals of the convention are:

1. Provide an overview of the last 25 years work of the MAB
2. Identify key strategic directions for the future work of the MAB
3. Identify key areas of need and how to address these e.g. Elderly healthcare, medical ethics etc.
4. Engage the community health care professionals and community leaders and workers to help the WF

MAB should address these concerns so that the health of our community improves.