azad issue 44:azad issue 44.qxd - dawoodi bohras · the bohra cuisine boasts of the rajesthani,...

Issue No. 44 February 2009

he function this year was celebrated one week late due to

Diwali and the efficiency of the Hinducommunity we were pushed back, and onlyheightened the excitement, not to worry ithappened eventually. This year it was theturn of London branch to provide thefestivities. The long anticipated return waswell received in Greenford in a simplevenue that did the job! Birmingham andLeicester branches organised coaches andit brought back some nostalgic memories.continued on page 3...

INSIDEINSIDE THIS ISSUE

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Eid Function

• Great Eastern Run• 70th Wedding Anniversay• Bohra's Way to Go • Livelihoods go up in

Smoke in Dhule

• Moharam Around the World

• The Bohra Oppressive Taxation System

• Struggle to Save Great Bohra Reformist’s Grave

• The Lion of Reformism - Husseinbhai Hamdani

• Sheikh Ahmed Ali Rajnagarwala

n September 7th 2008 we had the Sports Day. And what a day… Filled

with fun, frolics, fantastic food, and fiercecompetition the day was a roaring success.It was held at Cocks Moore Leisure Centrein Brum, and graced we were to have a dryday. While the golfers golfed the hoursaway on a relatively challenging course,the rest were inside lobbing high anddropping short.

I, for one, thoroughly enjoyed taking over‘Take-A-Break’ Services station in trueBohra style - Samosas, Dokra and of courseChai aplenty.

continued on page 2...

Sports Day 2008

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AZAD wishes everyone a prosperous, healthy and peaceful 2009.Let’s take a look at what happened in 2008...

Hatim Rajabali flexing his muscles for the Badminton match

Mum....Do you like my new school uniform?

paAZAD February 2009

Sports Day...continued from page 1

Crowned champions were Badminton :Mens singles- Ali Ayub; Mens Doubles-Asgar Dungarwalla & Asgar Tayabally ;Mixed Doubles- Mohamed & HamidaKapasi; Women’s Singles- Mumtaz Vanat;Volleyball- Peterborough; Golf- Doc Hirani.

While these remarkable athletes wereacknowledged with momentous trophies, letus not forget the unsung hero in RizvanSadikot who organised and ran the eventseamlessly. I hope that we can encourage a few members of our youth to fill these bigshoes…literally!!!

Looking forward to the next one

Aquil RajabaliBirmingham

It’s in the tree... this could be a long day

Which light do I hit to score?

The youth take an active part during the day

Eid Function 2008...continued from page 1

Eager to please, the theme was GameShows and we had some of old favourites,Family Fortunes and Play Your Cards Right.With a little computer wizardry, a projectorand a screen Family Fortunes brought thecrowd together, although the mishmashfamilies were interesting!!!

Then came Play Your Cards Right and ablyhosted by London President and general

Yummy... Service Station Bohra style

Yummy... Service Station Bohra style

Who will bid for this priceless item? That’s the painting not Shakil!

all-rounder aShakeel Hirani the crowd werescreaming ‘higher’ and ‘lower’, and let metell you, vocal chords do not get weaker asyou get older!

As ever the food was enjoyed by all andthe seemingly new custom of auctionsraised some good funds. The day wasended with a hand-shake and a hug andoff home we went with bellies full andsmiles on our faces. Well done London!

Aquil RajabaliBirmingham

AZAD February 2009 page 3

would like to congratulate my beloved grand parents,

Ibrahim and Sakina Jasdanwalla onreaching their 70th WeddingAnniversary.

The Platinum celebration was heldon July 21st 2008 and was attendedby more than 400 family andfriends and the Lord Mayor ofBradford and his wife.

They got married in India on the 3rd February 1938. Mygrandmother was only 13 yearsof age and my grandfather was 21.

Soon after their marriage theymoved and settled in Uganda and had a very happy andprosperous life.

Due to the poltical unrest in 1972they were forced to leave Ugandaand came to the UK. They havebeen living in Bradford for 35 years.

My grand Father is now 92 and mygrand mother is 84, and with theblessings of Allah swt they havebeen blessed with 3 children, 9grand children and 15 great grand children.

Despite their age and illhealth they are still bothvery happy in their lifeand are always with thefamily in good timesand bad. We are veryfortunate to have suchwonderful, caring,loving parents, grandparents, great grandparents and are alldelighted to see themreach this amazingmilestone in their life.

Once again CONGRATULATIONSMAA AND PAPA on your veryspecial 70th Wedding Anniversaryfrom your loving children, grandchildren and great grand children.

By Shairoze Vanparekh(grand daughter)

Great Eastern Run12th October 2008

he Great Eastern Run Half Marathon and 5km Fun Run took

place on a very sunny 12th October 2008in Peterborough, which unfortunately forAsgar, Sabina, Hanifa and BatulDungarwalla meant missing 2008’s EidFunction in London taking place on thesame day.

2702 people took part in the half marathonand Sabina, Hanifa and Asgar were amongthem raising money for charity. The routearound the suburbs and centre ofPeterborough, although fairly flat wasmade very difficult with the unusual waveof heat for an October day. The heat wasmade easier to handle with the enormousamount of support from local residents aswell as family members who came outalong the route to cheer us runners on.

Despite the intense heat, everyone finishedthe race; Sabina came in at 2 hours 7 minsfinishing in 1884th place, Asgar finished in2404th place at 2 hours 24 minutes andHanifa completed the run in 2 hours 43minutes coming 2614th place. BatulDungarwalla also took part in the 5km FunRun. The event made for an excellent daywith £500 being raised for the StrokeAssociation. Thanks to all members of thecommunity who backed the event withdonations and active support, whichhelped us all to finish the run!

Sabina Dungarwalla

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At the finish line

70th Wedding Anniversary1938-2008

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Bohra's Way to Go In many ways, the Dawoodi Bohraworship like other Muslims, but inothers are unique....

Educated, hardworking, honest, non-fanatic and patriotic, colourful and out going, and living with the times... yet proudly Gujraatis.

Observing the Holy Day of Ashura inDifferent parts of the world each year hasmade most Bohras travel around the worldgetting exposed to different cultures anddifferent tunes. The beautiful multicolouredridhas of the Bohra women is an indicationof a sutle blend of the traditional and themodern living of the Bohras..

The Bohra cuisine boasts of the Rajesthani,Gujraati and Moghul cooking and is thebest of Indian foods..

Bohras are the only Muslims with theMuslim Calender ... and had the for-sightby banning smoking the day tobacco wasdiscovered 400 hundred years ago.

The Only Translation of the Holy Quran inEnglish, approved by the authority of theAl-Azhar University, is by the renownedBohra, Yusufali.

The Bohras are the only Communityallowed to renovate and upgrade The HolyShrines of Moulana Husein in Cairo andKarbala, of Moulana Abbas in Karbala andMoulana Ali in Najaf by the respectivegovernments of Egypt and Iraq.

The President of the British Chamber ofCommerce, Gulam Noon, of India, is aBohra, the first non-white, non-christian in300 years history of its existence... and sowas the ex-finance secretary of theEuropean Union at Brussels, BashirKhanbhai of Tanzania..

The City of Nairobi, was started by aBohra, Jivanjee, who also started the firstnewspaper in East Africa ( which is nowrun as the 'Standard'). His statue still iskept by the Government of Kenya in theJiwanjee Gardens in Nairobi... The Bohraswere the first Indians in the world toventure out of India almost 400 years backand live in the hinterland of Africa, and asfar away as China, and for many decadesnow in the Americas....

All this from only a million of us today....

A Couple of Ramzan Stories Although the incidents happened awhile ago, we are including them inAZAD to show the extent to whichsome Bohra members suffer at thehands of the Kothar.

Gender bias: Bohras stage stirChennai Sept. 3: Jesus whipped themerchants who profaned theTemple, according to the Bible.Bohra Muslim women and men inthe city reportedly damaged at leasttwo cars of the mosque authoritieson the first evening of Ramzan onTuesday when women were deniediftaar snacks (fast breaking snacks)as they did not pay a monthly rentof Rs 1,500 per prayer mat (space).

Bohra Muslims, a businesscommunity from the Shia sect ofIslam, have one exclusive mosqueon Moore Street here. As in anyother mosque in the city, they havearrangements to break their fastduring the month of Ramzan.While many of the Sunni mosquesin the city don’t allow women forbreaking fast, the Bohra mosquehas a segregated space for women.

But this space has acquired a pricetag since last Ramzan. “Themosque officials started collectingRs 1,500 from every woman duringRamzan last year and issued passesto them for entry into the mosque.Mosque means ‘God’s House.’ Itshould not be commercialised,”fumed Fatima, a 20-year-old whowas asked to get out of the mosqueon Tuesday along with 60 otherwomen who could not afford thepasses. There are no charges for men.

“We have been coming here for thelast 40 years. The system ofcollecting money from women forprayer mats and the food forbreaking fast was introduced lastyear by a five man-committeewhich is managing the mosque,”said Zainab, a 60-year-old womanwho was also reportedly made tostarve on the first evening offasting.

Abbas Millwala, secretary of themosque was on a damage controlmission. “Yes there are someproblems. I don’t want to commenton it,” he told this newspaper.“Ramzan is meant for empoweringthe poor in the community, not todrive them away,” said Pervez, aregular visitor to the mosque.

From the Deccan Chronicla,September 2008Tanzeem member, Amil and his sonbeaten up by Bohra ladies inHusaini Masjid on the issue ofselling Musallah space: On the first night of Ramazan,Saturday 30th August 2008, theHusaini Masjid in Mumbai's RozaTahera (Dhabbu) Street became abattle ground between Mumineenand money-making Kotharis. TheAmil had sold the musallah spacein ladies section at the rate 552 permusallah before Ramazan and hadissued them entry-passes. ATanzeem Committee member wasempowered and installed at thegate to allow only pass-holdermumeenat to inter. This caused arift between him and other non-pass-holding mumeenat. In the rifttook an ugly turn when thearrogant Tanzeem member pushedout one lady and the child in herarm fell down and started crying inpain. Seeing this brutality, herhusband along with other Bohraladies and gents thrashed thearrogant gate-keeper. As Amil andhis son came on the scene to savethe situation the agitatingmumineen bashed them too.

Amil's son received severe injuries.Some one called the police, whicharrived instantly. Mean whileMuslims from surrounding areaswere gathered there in largenumber. They were cursing Bohrasfor selling the musallah spaces andusing the place like Masjid forcommercial purposes and makingmockery of Islam.


DHULE (MAHARASHTRA): Shabbir MerchantBurhani is a broken man today. He can’thold back his tears as he talks about theloss of his shops at Datta Chowk in Dhule.He owned Burhani Complex and a mall onthe ground floor which was gutted in thecommunal riots which broke out on October5th. “I have lost Rs.1.35 crore totally,” hesaid. Five shops of the 40 in the complexwere looted by the mob.

Mr. Burhani’s shops were being targeted forthe third time. First, in the 1992 riots afterthe Babri Masjid demolition and then in2000. But the damage then was not soextensive. “They could have looted themall. Why did they have to burn it downand destroy it? Twelve years ago, it cost meRs.72 lakh to build it,” he said. “What is our crime?”

The Dawoodi Bohra community to which hebelongs lost 28 shops in the city. Only fourshops remain. “We don’t even haveinsurance as we are not permitted to takerisk cover. The mall was a very poshbuilding and an easy target. What is ourfault? We are businessmen, we pay tax tothe government and we are Hindustanis.What is our crime?” he asked.

The eldest of six brothers, Mr. Burhani saidhe and the others had called the policemany times but no help was forthcoming.“We know the people who did this as mybrothers can identify them,” he added. Another businessman, Lateef Anwar, apartner in Mega Enterprises, which is agovernment-approved octroi and toll taxcollection agency, has been losing Rs.9.13lakh a day since October 5. Mr. Anwar’scompany has a contract with the DhuleMunicipal Corporation to collect the taxand has to deposit Rs.9.13 lakh daily as perthe terms. He has deposited a bankguarantee of Rs.5.85 crore in case he defaults.

Workers terrified “I cannot even start the toll centres as myworkers are terrified. The collection centreswere attacked by mobs of 200 to 300people and all 24 centres at various pointsin the district were burnt down on Sunday[October 5]. My workers ran away in fearand are unwilling to return,” he said.

Mr. Anwar, a Malegaon-based businessman,finally had to seek police protection andwill restart the collection centres once thesecurity is in place.

“The mobs came with petrol and startedburning down the centres. There was noone to stop them,” he pointed out.Being a Shiv Sena corporator did not helpKalpana Mane in the riots. Her house inMadhavpura was targeted and mobs looted the place. Her godown wascompletely burnt.

“I was inside my house with my children forthree hours before I managed to escape.The mob destroyed my furniture andtelevision set and other items,” she said. “I don’t know why this has happened.

We had so many peace meetings but it didnot work. My workers are trying to salvagewhat is left in the godown but there is notmuch,” she pointed out.

She said most of the Hindu houses in thelane were targeted and burnt down. “I am not living here without protection,”she said.

The lane in Madhavpura is piled high withstones used in the riots and truckloads ofdebris were being cleared when curfew wasrelaxed last Saturday.

Meena Menon The Times, India

Disturbing News inMumbai SamacharTuesday, 23-9-2008

ccording to this news Imran Fazal Zanzibarwala a Dawoodi Bohra

business dealing in jewelries and giftarticle of Bhruch town in Gujarat was someAyaan of the local Jamat. He had collectedmany lakhs of Wajebat rupees in thisRamazan and invested the entire amountin shares. He went in loss of lakhs ofrupees due the sudden down fall in theshare market.

He and his wife Durayya were worriedabout the consequence of not returning the Wajebat amount. Not finding anyalternative they decided to end their lives.First they consumed poison and tried tocommit suicide but failed. Then they diedby slitting their throats by knife.

Livelihoods go upin Smoke in DhuleThe riots in India betweeen Hindus and Muslimshad consequences for Bohra families. Below is anarticle from The Times in India in October 2008.

A

Soon the news went to otheradjoining Bohra Masjids. TheBohras in Qutbi Masjid rushed tothe Amil there and demanded torefund money collected fromthem for allotting musallahspaces.

Bohras are also agitatingeverywhere against many foldincrease in wajebat and Sabilamount this year. I have alreadyreceived report of ferment amongBohras of Chennai (Madras) andMandasore where the amount ofwajebat has been doubled thisyear. Many more such incidentsare expected this year. It looks the request to SayednaSaheb to preserve sanctity ofRamazan has gone disregarded intheir greed for money.

This was due to the exploitationof Sayedna's own loyal followersand anti-Islamic activities of hisAmil and not because ofinvolvement of any reformistBohra as usually blamed.

Source: Saifuudin Insaf


CanadaThis year, as in previous years, theAssociation of Progressive Dawoodi Bohrasin Ontario (A.P.D.B.O) observed themartyrdom of Imam Hussein (SAW) and hiscompanions, at their Centre in Hamilton.Because of long distances and the winterweather, the majlises took place only onAshura eve and Ashura day. Manymembers frequented the Shia centres across the Greater Toronto, Hamilton, and Kitchener areas during the rest of the 10 days.

Our Ashura eve began with Isha namaaz,followed by marsiya, a short 'bayan' inEnglish by Saifuddin Rajabali, and maatam.About 40 members shared spinach, roti androse milk brought by them.

On Ashura day, about 80 people cametogether to pray the zohor and asar namaazand duas, followed by marsiyas, waez, andmaatam. This year, we were very fortunateto have the presence of Dr Abdul AzizSachedina, Professor of Islamic Studies,University of West Virginia, U.S.A. Dr Azizhas been coming to Toronto for lectures forthe past 25 years and has a special affinityfor the Progressive Bohras. He travels along distance to spend an hour with us onAshura day and his lectures are trulyinspiring as well as enlightening.

This year, the theme of his lectures was"Truth and Truthfulness" in all aspects oflife and relationships, from personal to thepublic as well as political. Dr Aziz said itwas not enough to just sit back and feelbadly about injustices. One needed, as one'sduty, to take it one step further and dowhat ever was in one's power to implementchange for the better i.e. ask questions,write letters, demonstrate, give alms etc…

When asked for example "What aboutGaza?" he replied, "and what aboutDarfur?". His point was that there weremany atrocities being committed the worldover and we have a responsibility to focuson them all. Dr Aziz impressed us with hiscourage and honesty, expressing universaltruths, not just for Muslims, but for allhumanity.

The Ashura lecture was conducted inEnglish, with the shahadat waez recited in

Gujarati, for the benefit of the elders. Themeal of haleem, kadhi and sherbet was acommunal effort, partly sponsored, partlyprepared by volunteers at the Centre.

The year 2009 has started with much globalstrife and difficulties. Many of ourmembers, on an individual basis, havebecome involved in writing letters topoliticians and voicing concerns. Some areinvolved with helping the IslamicCommunal Food bank in Toronto.

It becomes clear that it is not enoughmerely to grieve and recount the events ofImam Hussein's sacrifice and martyrdomyear after year. At the same time, we needto actively pursue the principles of justice,equality and service to humanity in one'sown lives to make Imam Hussein’s sacrificemeaningful.

Naseem JivanjeeOntario,Canada

USADanbury, ConnecticutDecember 27th 2008 ushered in the NewYear as per the Hijri Calendar. With it camethe most sanctified month in the Muslimcalendar, the month of Moharram. As inprevious years, December 29th 2008 markedthe beginning of the 10 day mourningperiod. In North America, in the city ofDanbury, C.T, Moharram wascommemorated with great enthusiasm bythe Reformist Dawoodi Bohras under thebanner of BYANA (Bohra Youth Associationof North America). The venue was therecently bought Bohra Youth Center.Mourners from far flung areas of New York,New Jersey, and Hartford attended theMajilises. The local Bohra community alongwith their Shia friends had jointly organizedthis event to honor the memory of the greatMartyr of Islam.

Sister Zakira Azra Batool was invited toaddress the congregation. An erudite and a powerful orator, she enlightened thegathering with an insight into the tragedy of Karbala, its reasons and itsconsequences. In her daily sermons (vaez),she shed light on the history of Karbala by emphasizing on the events, bycontemplating on the great virtues of theMartyr and by translating those great moraland spiritual lessons into our own lives. Herdiscourses in Urdu enhanced the mournersknowledge on the great historic event inwhich were exemplified such soul-stirringvirtues of unshaken faith, undauntedcourage, willing self-sacrifice, steadfastnessin the right and unflinching war against the wrong.

A guest speaker Md Ayub, a professor of the Hartford Seminary was also invited to render three lectures in English duringweekends. It was a very satisfyingexperience for the congregation who wereenlightened by a scholarly lecture on Islamand the tragedy of Karbala.

Shahedane-Karbala Niyaz was also servedeveryday sponsored by generousmomineens. On Roz-E- Ashura, the 10thday, mourners, both male and femalecongregated since morning reciting,Marsiyas and Nohas and took part in theceremonial Matam-E-Husayn as a display of their devotion to the slain Martyr. Sham-E-Ghariba was observed afterMaghreb with great piety and solemnity.Sister Zakira Azra Batool dexterouslyrecreated the grief-stricken and bloodsmeared epic of Karbala with her powerfuloration. The proceedings ended with thetraditional dish of Haleem and roti being served.

The event was possible due to the untiringefforts of the BYANA President AsrarAhmed, the newly appointed treasurerHamida Haidary , committe membersSabiha Ali and Saeeda Quaisar. Of coursethere were scores of volunteers who toopitched-in. The event was celebrated in thetrue spirit of Islam, thus strengthening thebonds of brotherly love which unite all whohold sacred the ideals of brotherhoodpreached by the holy Prophet of Islam.

Reyaz HussainUSA

Moharam Around the WorldHere is a quick snap shot of how Moharram was commemorated in the different Reformist Centres around the world.

Moharam in USA


UdaipurLike every year, Moharrum in Udaipur thisyear - 1430 Hijri (2009) - wascommemorated with usual gusto andsolemnity. All the Bohra neighbourhoodswere decorated with sabeels from whichwater and sherbet were served. Majliseswere held two times a day and ended witha niyaz in the evening.

Professor Mehdi Hasan from Malegaonperformed waez at Wazeehpura masjid for10 days from 10 am. to 2 pm. He elaboratedon the sacrifices of Imam Hussian(AS) andAhle Bait and emphasised the principles ofjustice and truth for which the shohda laidtheir lives. In all the majlises he urged theyoung and the old to lead their lives asexemplified by Imam Hussain(AS) and hiscompanions. Mulla Peer Ali Mohammed,Mulla Saifuddin Bhai IR&Sons alsocontributed greatly to the morning majlises.Heart-wrenching nohas and naats wereperformed by Asghar Ali Jawariya wala andparty, Moiz Ali Kankroliwala and party,Hatim Ali Chachuliyawala and party andMuzammil Hussain and party.

The Girls Wing – a women’s group ofreformists - organised women-only majlisesbetween 4 pm and 5 pm everyday atRasoolpura masjid. Several private gatheringsof women commemorating Moharrum werealso held in various homes too.

There were late evening majlises for peoplewho could not attend during the day. MullaPeer Ali Mohammed, Mulla Saifuddin BhaiIR&Sons and all the noha and naat partiesonce again presided over these gatherings.Every evening there used to be Niaz-e-ImamHussain at the jamaatkhana.

The Shabe-Ashoor majlis was held atWazeehpura masjid on the 9th ofMoharrum. Naats and nohas were thehighlights of the evening, and mumineendid purjosh maatam in memomry of ImamHussain until two in the morning.

On Ashura day, like every year, the alamstarted at Moiyadpura masjid and ended atWazeehpura masjid after passing throughvarious mohallas. The procession, organised

by Anjumane Fidaye Hussaini, is a greatfinale of the 10-day of Moharrum and all ofUdaipur reformist community spills out onto the streets. Passion and pathos of theoccasion are all too evident as noha partiessing elegies and azadars performcontinuous matam. Women usually line upthe streets, and crowd the windows androoftops to watch the procession pass by.

Once the procession reached Wazeehpuramasjid, Professor Mehdi Hasan recountedShahadat-e-Imam Hussain(AS) and that ofhis 72 companions. In the evening Sham-e-Ghariba was held at the same masjid andDr. Abbas Alavi performed the maqtal anddescribed the journey of Bibi Zainab fromKarbala to Kufa and then later from Kufa toShaam. Asghar Ali Jawariyawala, like everyyear, performed the noha "GhabrayegiZainab" and then “Aakhri Salaam” in hisinimitable style. By the end of it, not asingle eye was dry.

Nasir Javedwww.dawoodi-bohras.com/events/Udaipur

UKLeicesterThis year the month of Moharram was the coldest that I can ever remember. In Leicester we had our daily Majaalis's at the Huseini Manzil, with MullahsahebMohammedbhai Sarangpurwalla leadingthe daily agenda. Organised by theLeicester Branch Committee supported as usual by our members and the Jamansupplied by our beloved ladies. A bigthankyou to all the volunteers who played a vital part in making it a success.

Kuresh Lokat

BirminghamAnother year and another ten days ofMuharram pass, with our minds increasinglyenlightened, our souls more awakened andour knowledge deepened.

In Birmingham, Muharram is always a timeto reflect on the foundations of Islam andhow we are able to stand today as Muslims,and of course to commemorate thefundamental events that occured in Karbalain the year 680.

This year we had the pleasure of inviting yetanother young scholar to join our majalis’,Imranali Panjwani. With a degree in Law,and an increasing doubt that this was notthe path he so wished to follow, Imranaliwent onto to study Islamic Studies for

4 years at the Al-Mahdi institute inBirmingham. We were lucky enough to havehim impart his knowledge to us, in the formof lectures. In English, he covered an arrayof topics from human existence to death,and from the malleable nature of faith towhat it is to be Shia, with a fair fewthought provoking elements to keepeveryone alert!

The lectures were delivered with depth andsimplicity, where we discovered that deathis not the end of life but just the next stagein our existence; that ‘suffering’ relates topreparing our souls for the hereafter; thatwithin the realms of human existence, weshould try to avoid manipulation of ourinnate inclination; that Faith is a part ofIslam , but Islam is not necessarily a part ofFaith, or is it?; understanding the invaluablepurpose of the learned few, how and whythey earn their name badges of Sheikhs,Scholars or Mu’allim; and that the Quran isa ‘mystical’ type of communication fromAllah ,and exploring both its status andspirit as well as the appreciation , we asMuslims have for it.

To hear all the lectures in their full glory,please go to www.dawoodi-bohras.org.uk,then click on Birmingham Branch, and thenclick on Moharram Majlis 1430 (2008) -Imranali Panjwani.

Birmingham jumaat has a long standinghistory of youth participation. As wecontinue to sow that seed, and withFazleabbas bhai being the ever enthusiasticcheerleader to rally them round, andprovide the material, we thank theyoungsters for their eloquent enthusiasm.No Muharram would be complete withoutthe Hussam uncle’s bayan of the tragedy ofKarbala in our very own mother tongue.And finally, to those who read marishayasso effortlessly and beautifully, Thank you.

Afroze Rajabali

BradfordFor the first time in Bradford we had hired ahall, had niyaaz everyday and mashalla hadEnglish speaking lecturers, and maulanafrom Pakistan coming to do the Urdu vaaezeveryday. We also had people from Preston,Bolton, Rochdale and Sheffield joining usand at one point had over 60 people.Everyone in Bradford feel that this year wehave gained much knowledge andunderstanding. May we continue to gofrom strength to strength.

Fatema Huseinbhai

Moharam in USA


The Bohra Oppressive Taxation SystemThe article below came to AZAD from a numberof sources but we cannot find the orginal author.It explains the internal taxation system witinBohras.

Morarji Desai had once described the rule of theBohra High Priest as 'government withingovernment', Nothing could be more true. Alongwith the coercive powers of Indian government,the coercive powers of the Bohra high priest hasalso grown. Same could be said about thetaxation. Both have grown apace. Many readersmay be alarmed at the mention of taxationsystem enforced by the Bohra high priest. Couldit be possible? Can any private agency levy aparallel taxation system? Is it permissible?Permissible is certainly is not. Yet no one candeny its existence as far as the Bohra areconcerned. Not only this, it tends to be highlyoppressive, and of course, no less exploitative.Oppressive in the sense that these taxes arecollated ruthlessly at the pain of social ostracism.

Uptodate records are maintained in the mostscientific manner. No 'defaulter' can ever escapefrom his dragnet. There is no exaggeration in thisstatement. Many Bohras jokingly but privatelysay that the Government of India must learnfrom our priesthood how to collect the taxesefficiently. Before we go into collection aspect wewould like to throw some light on the nature andcategories of taxes collected by the priesthood.

A Bohra has to pay to the high priest even beforehe is born and continues to pay until after he isdead. Thus the taxation is levied on the foetus aswell as on dead ancestors. Taxation on foetus is anovel idea hardly tried by any government in theworld. Perhaps, the family planners can learn anidea from this. The levy on foetus is called hamal(literally pregnancy). A separate column isprovided for in the taxation form. Regular printedforms are provided to the collectors.

In all, seven taxes are levied on a Bohra duringhis life-span before his birth and after his death.They are as follows:(1) Sila: Sila literally means keeping contact. Thisis supposed to be collected as an offering for ahidden Imam who will appear one day and theamount would supposedly be passed on to him.However, it goes into the private coffer of thepriest family. This is unique to the Bohras and isnot found in any other Muslim community, norhas it anything to do with the teachings of Islamas such.(2) Fitrah: It actually means payment at end offasting month of Ramadan. This was ordained bythe prophet and is meant for the poor so thatthey can also partake of Eid celebrations alongwith the others. Its quwantum is supposed to bea few measures of grains or monetary equivalentthereof and is a humanitarian measure. Thegeneral Muslims pay fitrah directly to the needyperson a day before Eid. However, the Bohras arecompelled to pay to the priesthood in cash whichgoes straight to line the silken purse instead of tothe needy. This year the priesthood is charging

this at the rate of Rs. 28 per head. The rate isnhanced every year in line with inflation.(3) Zakat: This obligatory payment enjoined bythe holy Quran and the prophet fixed it at 2.5%of ones wealth and income at the end of an year.It is supposed to be spent on the poor, the needy,the orphans. The widows, the travellers, formanumission of slaves and for paying off debtsof indebted. As per the Quran it is taken from therich as an obligatory levy and paid to the poorand needy. It is, as it would be seen, a greathumanitarian and welfare measure which wasconceived by Islam much before the concept ofwelfare state came in existence. It was no charitybut a compulsory levy for the rich. Generally theMuslims pay Zakat directly to the needy in acountry like India. But the Bohras are not free todo so. The payment is to be compulsorily made tothe Syedna who adds it to his family's incomewithout any compunction. The poor and needyamong the Bohras and there are hordes of themcontrary to general impression cannot dare ask fortheir share which is their due.(4) Khums: It literally means one fifth. As per theQuran the one fifth of the war booty was to betaken by the Prophet for his family's maintenanceand also for performing functions of a head ofcommunity. However, it remained prevalentamong the Shia communities. The Shia used topay one fifth of sudden gain to their Imam fromthe progeny of the Fatima the Prophet'sdaughter. The Bohras of course now pay to thehigh priest who is not Imam (but a Dai i.e. hisdeputy) (5) Haqqun nafs: It literally means payment forthe salvation of the soul. It has nothing to dowith Islamic teachings. There is no mention of itin the Quran. This was invented by the da'is. Nodead among the Bohras can be buried withoutpaying this tax. On paying this tax the priestgives ruku chitthi (note to Allah) for the salvationand for entry into the paradise. This note is kepton the chest of the deceased and buried. ABohra, the priesthood insists, cannot enterparadise without this note from the Da’iaddressed to God, even if he had been highlyvirtuous and pious. Payment to the high priest isa must. The extent of payment generally dependson the financial status of the deceased and realhard bargaining is done by the priesthood in thematter. No Bohra can ever be buried without thispayment The relatives of the dead face lot ofharassment and forget their own sorrow, andworry more about this payment. It is mostinhuman practice and deserves to be stronglycondemned. It amounts to dishonouring the deadand the sentiments of the bereaved for personalgreed. It can be compared with the sale ofindulgences by the Pope during medieval ages.Perhaps it is more inhuman. Many dead bodiesremain unburied for hours until the bargaining isfinalised.(6) Nazar muqam: it is a vow money kept aside infact for payment to the needy. The present highpriest takes it away too and now in the form ofcompulsory levy. He regularly exhorts the Bohrasnot to insure themselves or their business as thesame is haram (prohibited) in Islam. Instead theyshould spare vow money and pass it on to him.Every Bohra family is coerced into paying some

amount of nzar muqam every year. This also hasnothing to do with the teachings of Islam. It wasmore of an individual belief converted intocompulsory levy for the priestly family'sunsatiable greed for wealth.(7) Salam and payment for titles: In addition toall these compulsory levy a Bohra also has togive 'voluntary' personal offering to the highpriest which may vary from a few rupees to a fewlakhs of rupees depending on the financialcapacity of the person concerned. The high priestmay also decide to award a title to any rich ormiddle class Bohra and demand capricious sumfor it which also may run into few thousands tofew lakhs. It becomes for a Bohra a question ofhis izzat (social respect and prestige) and he canhardly refuse taking population of the Bohras(roughly about a million) into account it is safebet to say that the high priest and his familyyearly collects not less then Rs. 20 crores by wayof these taxes and 'voluntary' payments. Aspointed out above, the collection of these taxes isdone very efficiently and systematically. Like thegovernment taxation authorities notices areissued to the 'assessee' and he is required to payup before the given date. If he fails to pay,marriage, burial or any other function in the'defaulting' family held up.

If one goes for marriage or burial outside thedomain of the high priest's authority i.e. in orthrough reformists or other community, theperson would face total boycott which is mostdreaded by the Bohras. Thus the Bohras have nooption but to pay up. Thus there is hardly any>> 'defaulters'. All the payments are of course inblack money. More they collect more theircoercive power increases. Can any religious orother establishment collect taxes? It is for theconstitutional pundits to answer but the fact isthat a Bohra has to pay double taxes. All themoney so collected, needless to say, goes into theprivate coffer of the Syedna. Part of it finds itsway in foreign banks, part is spent on his family'sluxurious living and a part is spent of course onbuying political support. Many chief ministersand governors line up before the high priest as itis too tempting to resist his money power. Lastyear the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh sentplane to take the Syedna to Indore and accordedhim the status of state guest. In March this year,the Chief Minister of Rajasthan Shri Hardeo Joshialso accorded the same status to the high priestand at his behest stopped the reformists fromvisiting the Galiakot shrine grossly andunabashedly violating their constitutional right.Mr. Arjun Singh, the then Congress (I) VicePresident, rushed to receive Syedna at the Indoreairport. Official and unofficial 'donationsamounting to lakhs of rupees are made on suchoccasions.

The reformists have repeatedly urged upon theGovernment to institute an inquiry into thefinancial empire of the Syedna, but with noresult. The Syedna's exactions go on unrestrainedand his coercive power goes on ever increasing.The Syedna also lends unqualified support toMuslim fundamentalists and makes donations totheir organizations to brace himself up further.Can the Government touch him?


We begin by an article sent toAZAD about the current situationregarding Saifee Hospital.

Even the Saifee hospital Bombay isdegenerating into a hotbed of medicalmismanagement, corruption and nepotismand is headed for major disasters.

Influential Bohras are able to get privatrooms, beds and services which are deniedto people with no means. The work ofdoctors and staff is being constantlyinterfered with by Shezaadas and thosewith connections. All the hype thatsurrounded its opening is slowly but surelygetting unravelled. Food is being pilfered,medicines and supplies are being stolen andthere is little control on visitors who haveinfluence with the authorities.

In fact they are renting out rooms to out-of-town Bohras like a hotel !!! If youpay a little "extra" to the key staff, you canget added services which are not normallyincluded. Even Arabs are renting roomsthere under the guise of medical checkupsand then bringing in women of ill-repute atnight, with the staff turning a blind eye, nodoubt well rewarded for their efforts.

Recently a case was botched up there. A poor Bohra woman from Africa, who hadcome for treatment after receiving donatedmoney from family and kind friends, waskept in the ICU for almost 25 days andcharged 9000 rs per day. Inspite of requestsand begging the management, incl. theBhaisaheb who runs the place, to reducefees for her as a humanitarian gesture, theyturned a deaf ear. After shifting her to asemi pvt room and another month or moreof treatment, they discharged her, sayingthat her severe diabetes is now undercontrol and we have saved her leg fromamputation as it was nearly nerve-dead.

She purchased medicines for about 6months treatment amounting to nearly30,000 Rs and flew back. Lo and behold,within 3 days of returning, she died ofkidney failure, a fact which was kept fromher. Her relatives are too far and powerlessto do anything now, its too late. Besides,requests to obtain her file later from the

hospital have met with no success.Is it worthwile making a comment? She wasa very pious and God fearing woman whohad blind faith in the Syedna. This is whatabde Syednas' undergo daily because oftheir blind faith...

Yusuf Kundawalla

A letter from Mariyah Merchant

Salaams,I am the great great grand daughter of Sir

Adamjee Peerbhoy (both from my momsand dad's side direct descendant) and youcannot imagine how we have survived thisinsult for so many years. Reading about ithurts much more.

Other than the Saifee Mahal, there is SaifeeHospital that Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy (mygrandfather) donated for the benefit of theKaum and for the Bohra travelers; there isalso a bungalow at Matheran taken awayby this leader's family. There is asanatorium (musafirkahana opposite Charniroad station) with many rooms for travelersand hall for majlis, with Sir's kabar andbohra kabarastaan at the back side. Thiswas originally given by my grandfather as afavor for the original Dai (there was a caseagainst present leader's father forpoisioning his brother/father, to take up theDai position) to enable him to serve thecommunity better. Not to mention that allthis property is worth crores or rupees. Sothe present owners are not the real ownersof these properties. The entire property hasbeen taken away by this leader family andrenamed under the leader's name.

Moreover, my family was not allowed to dozaiyrat of our grand father. We had to file alaw suite to save the kabar from beingbroken down; otherwise a new 5 star hotelcould come in its place. We won the lawsuite that makes it compulsory for theleader to save the grave of mygrandfather's and his name on the door. Butlost an uncle who was a lawyer (AbidbhaiMerchant) and another uncle (MansoorbhaiJani) who was the spearhead for the lawsuite, after about 5 -15 days after we wonthat law suite. They gave their lives away for

saving Sirs' kabar from being broken down.

This property and hospital belongs to thecommunity. These donations were given forthe benefit of the whole community not forone leader's ownership or one familyincome source. These properties weresupposed to be free for Bohra communityuse, not to be charged tons of money forsurgery and hospitalization or burial. Thatwas the original goal for donation.

The original trustees who cared forproperty's correct use and wellbeing (forBohra community left by the Sir) werechanged by this current leader of Bohrasinto people who are his puppies. It is theonly thing that is remaining to be done to return the property back to the Bohra community. It was my father’s(Mohammedali Merchant) goals to fileanother law suite to be able to change thetrustees that are better able to serve theBohra community, but my family does nothave enough money or resources to fightanother law suite that would change thesetrustees, therefore we cannot do much. This law suite is the only thing in betweenthe Bohra communities and this leader andhis gang.

If a group of people interested in servingthe community filed a class law suiteagainst the leader for change of trustees,then we could get these properties back touse for the poor and needy, rather than forthe use of rich. Please SPREAD the newsabout the need for this law suite in yourconversations so that something can beworked out for filing this lawsuite for thebenefit of the community. Any of you canlead to a change, otherwise the first emailwould never have been send.

I need to clarify one thing, that it is not inthe best interest of our family to addanother lawsuite to our heritage so we willnot personally file the lawsuite. Mygrandfathers and relatives have suffered alot, and have lost a lot of lives. Anythingfrom here on will have to be a class actionas I have mentioned in the email...

Khuda Hafiz, Mariyah Merchant

Struggle to Save Great Bohra Reformist’s GraveSir Adamjee Peerbhoy was a great Reformist and benefactor to the Bohra community. He spent considerablesums of his own money to build facilities for the Bohras including the Saifee Hospital in Mumbai. Here, SirAdamjee Peerbhoy’s great, great grand daughter explains the battle to ensure his grave survives destructionat the hands of the present Dai and his family and how Saifee Hosptial was usurped from the Bohracommunity by the same family.


The following obituary was read out by Mr.Fazlehusein Kapasi in rememberance of oneof our great Reformists, Mr HusseinbhaiHamdani, on 13 July 2008.

Abdalla bin Abdalla, Husseinbhai Hamdani’sfather, came to Zanzibar from Yemen in1918 as a stow away. From there he cameto Mombasa in a dhow and gradually in1919 made his way to Kampala. In 1928 thefirst constitution for the Kampala Jamaatwas formulated and Abdalla bin Abdallawas one of the founder trustees of Kampalajamaat.

Husseinbhai was borne in Kampala in 1922.His father died in 1939 and so the familyresponsibility fell on his shoulders at thetender age of 17. The family went throughhard times and Husseinbhai lost out onformal education. He got married toAruaben in 1943.

Although he could not read or write anylanguage he was self taught in English,Swahili, Nubian, Gujarati and Luganda.Arabic was his mother tongue and thosewho knew him will remember his commandof Gujarati. His lack of formal English didnot stop him becoming a very successfulbusinessman in Uganda and Canada. HisLugandi was so good that recently in theUgandan court where he used Lugandi togive evidence; the Judge commented thathe was a true Mugandi and whished thatHusseinbhai would stay over in Uganda.

In his youth, Husseinbhai had tried his handat several businesses in Uganda and hissuccess came with Poultry farming. Even inthis he once lost all his stock in an epidemicthat affected poultry he bounced back andbecame number one in Uganda for poultrysupplies.

In Kampala, any public event andHusseinbhai would surely be there and nocricket match was worth watching ifHusseinbhai and Late Hassnibhai were notthere. The players and spectators would besure to get loud proclamations of ‘Shabas’or ‘Labbal’ from the pair for every bit ofgood or bad play. Husseinbhai loved histombolla and his, and Hassnibhai’smembership of Indian Recreation Clubadded flavour to the sports and theevenings at the club.

Like his father Husseinbhai was always

interested and took active part in Jamaatmatters. He was a fervent devotee of theDai until his trip to India in early 1960’s.While in Bombay he witnessed the lavishlife style of the Shezadas and Shezadis (socalled princes and princesses of Syedna'sfamilies). To his horror, he also found outhow Kothar was making it easy for youngBohri girls to get into legal prostitution. Itwas the visit to Kampala of the late SyednaTaher Saifuddin that did the ultimate andpermanent damage to his devotion. Hewitnessed at first hand the true colours ofKothar. The exploitation of the communityand the sheer contempt with which theKotharis treated community membersshocked him to the core.

It was after the death of Syedna TaherSaifuddin, when the present Dai came topower, that things went from bad to worse.The first act of the present Dai was todeclare that his father, the 51st Dai, did notknow his own faith and nullified the jamaatconstitution which his father hadsanctioned after 4 years of negotiationswith East Africa Jamaats. He formulated anew constitution and sent it to the EastAfrica Jamaats as a directive. When Mr.Kurban Kachi who was then the secretary ofKampala Jamaat , brought it to me, (I wasthen the joint secretary) I was shocked by it.We both felt that we had to move to haltthis constitution from becoming a reality.We went straight to Late Abbasbhai Rajbhai(who was the Jammat president) whosereaction was similar to ours. At that timeAbbasbhai and Husseinbhai were not ontalking terms and without Husseinbhai’ssupport there was no hope of succeeding inopposing the new constitution. Mr Kachiand I went to Husseinbhai’s house and read

out and translated some of the importantclauses to him. His immediate reaction was‘Aa Haram che’. “This is unholy”. He notonly pledged his full support but alsoagreed to make up with Abbasbhai in theinterest of the community.

A general meeting of the Jammat wascalled in our workshop where a publicreconciliation of Husseinbhai and Abbasbhaitook place and all present signed amemorandum opposing the newconstitution. Husseinbhai, from there on,became one of the leading figures in thefight against the new constitution. The fightlead to several court cases , some ending inthe highest court of the land. The fight costdearly in time and resources. The financialburden of the cost was not borne by theJammat but by individuals among whomHusseinbhai was a generous contributor. Hisoffice, his time and his children’s time wereall applied to our cause. A number ofepisodes happened during these years ofour struggle, which I can not go into, astime does not permit.

When Iddi Amin expelled us from Uganda,Husseinbhai first took his family to Yemen.This did not work out for them and hedecided to move to Canada. Fortunately,and partly because of his personality andhis frankness, the immigration officersallowed him and his family stay in Canada.He rose to the challenges of a new life in anew country and proved his acumen bybecoming one of the well-to-do families inCanada. His passion for reformist activitiesremained high. He contributed the largestamount (Dollars 100,000) to the 1986Bohra Reformist Trust which was founded atthe 1986 at the All World Conference inLeicester. He helped establish theAssocation of Progressive Dawoodi Bohras(APDBO) in Canada making a veryhandsome contribution towards theacquisition of the Reformist centre there.

In Kampala, after the family of LateTaherbhai Malkan repossessed Jamaatproperties, disputes arose between the TheMuslim Supreme Council and the Malkans.Husseinbhai, as a trustee of KampalaJamaat, was called upon to give evidence inthe cases that followed. Husseinbhai ,despite his age and ailing health, madeseveral trips to Uganda, gave evidence inthe courts and helped resolve the case byarriving at a consensus judgement. In terms

ObituariesThe Lion of Reformism - Husseinbhai Hamdani


of the judgement, for his efforts, he wasawarded the value of a property.Husseinbhai passed on the proceeds of thisvalue to the 1986 Bohra Reformist Trust.We all know, much has been made of thisdonation. Husseinbhai, till his last daybelieved that he had acted in the bestinterest of the Reform Movement and hadmade the right decisions in this matter. Iagree with him.

Husseinbhai has not only done his best forthe Ugandan Reformists but has madecontributions to the global Reformistactivities. Amongst the beneficiaries are:the Malegaon Kabrastan, prayer hall andlibrary; help in Aurangabad and project tohelp the poor and countless others.

Husseinbhai’s philanthropy has reachedbeyond the Reform Movement. Hecontributed handsomely to non-BohriMuslim organizations. He built a splendidmasjid in St. Catherine, right next to hishouse. A significant landmark, the masjid isthe pride and joy of the Muslim communityin St. Catharine. It has a lot of facilitieswhich are used on a daily basis by thecommunity. It must be Allah’s reward thathis Ghusal took place in the same masjid,his janaza namaaz was offered in the samemasjid and his janaza left for his finaljourney from the same masjid. Theattendance of over 1000 people at hisfuneral is a testimony of the respect andlove he earned during his life. On the dayof the funeral the Mayor and the policehelped by closing some of the roads toallow the mourners easy access to the cemetery.

Husseinbhai’s life can not be summarisedin the short time available today. He hadthe ability to communicate with and winover adults, children, ladies, dignitaries andordinary folks. His friends will rememberhim for his story telling skills, his love forfun, the late nights with him, his appetitefor good food, and for his support in crises. His family will remember him as a lovingcaring and larger than life Dad ,Grandad,Great Grandad and husband. I willremember him for being my best friend,being my elder brother, for understandingand trusting me and for being my partnerin our common cause and for his supporttill the very last.May Almighty Allah bestow upon him thechoicest place in Jannat and may He giveSabbar and strength to his family to bearthis heavy loss. May Allah be Rahim andKarim to Aruaben and give solace to her inher time of grief. Amen

Fazlehusin Hassanbhai KapasiBirmingham UK

Sheikh Ahmed Ali was born on the1st January 1914 and died on 21June 2008 at the age of 98. Hemarried Sugrabai in 1926 at the ageof 12 on the insistence of the lateSayedna Taher Saifuddin Saheb whoalso performed their nikah. He issurvived by four sons, Yusuf, Abbasand Luqman and four daughters,Shirin, Sakina, Shaher Banoo andNafeesa.

He joined the Jamiyah Saifiah, Suratat an early age where he studied andreached to the final degree of “Al-faqihul-Jayyed” after which hebecame well versed in Tafseer,Hikmat, Taweel Haqiqat and thehistory of Fatemi Imams.

Thereafter he was awarded the titleof “Sheikh” by Sayedna TaherSaifuddin Saheb and given the titleof NKD by Sayedna BurhanuddinSaheb. He wrote 102 books andRasails and wrote the tafseer of theQuran in lisane-dawaat.

After the outrageous assault oninnocent Bohra women of Udaipurin Galiakot in the presence ofSayedna Burhanuddin Sahebresulting in mass revolt in Udaipurin 1973 an undercurrent began todevelop amongst the teachers ofJamiyah Saifiah and Amils ingeneral. They were especiallyperturbed by the high handedness ofJamiyah’s rector, Yusuf Najmuddin.Before it could become a seriouschallenge to the religiousestablishment, Yusuf Najmuddinthought it fit to curb the dissidentsby force and threat. He went to Suratin November 1974 and incited thestudents of Jamiyah to violentlyattack four eminent teachers of theJamiyah, Sheikhs Hasan Ali, SajjadHusain, Ali Hassan and Ahmed Aliby alleging that these teachers didnot believe in the authority of theProphet and Sayedna.

A large crowd of Jamiyah students,with the help of local goons, wenton the rampage in the streets ofSurat for two days and severelyattacked these Sheikhs’ houses and

assaulted them and their familymembers. Sheikh Sajjad Husain diedin the hospital the next day as aresult of these attacks.

Sheikh Ahmed Ali Saheb was one ofthose teachers of Jamiyah who wereharassed and humiliated. They werecalled to Bombay and were made tostand with their hands folded forseveral hours on the doorsteps ofSaifee Masjid and then they werecompelled to kneel down and walkup to the Sayedna putting theirshoes on their heads. Even then theywere not pardoned. Sheikh AhmedAli Saheb was brought to Udaipurby Bohra Youth to remain in peace.

Sheikh Saheb participated in theFirst World Dawoodi BohraConference held in Udaipur inFebruary 1977 and where he madean impression. He also performedseveral nikahs in mass marriagesheld on 16th March 1975.

He delivered Moharram vaizes inUdaipur and gave his religiousguidance on the occasion of severalJamat activities.

His death is a great loss for theReformists of Udaipur. BohraChronicle joins all braved Reformistsin praying that may his soul rest inpeace and Allah give him place inheaven.

(AZAD also prays that may Allahgive them strength to bear their loss).

From Bohra Chronicle

Sheikh Ahmed Ali Rajnagarwala

WHISPERS…So how much is going on thatwe’ve missed?

Who got HITCHED? Mubarak Thai…

Amir Kapasi to Asma from PakistanZainab Sadikot to Ammar Babrawalla from PakistanRahim Sulemanji to Uzaima Bagasrawallafrom Birmingham Abid Lokat to Zeba Ali from LeedsKuresh Lokat to Joanna D’Souza fromLeicester

…who’s yet to complete the journey…Aquil Rajabali got engaged to Zuleka Lokat

Marriage MilestoneThe dream of getting to even 50 years ofmarriage seems like a long shot for most ofus… so when Ibrahim kaka and kakiJasdanwalla reaching their 70th WeddingAnniversary even the Major Bradford wasshell shocked! So a heartfelt Mubarak tothem both and we wish them well for theyears to come.

..And Many congratulations to Hakim Kakaand Fisa kaki Tayabali from Boston whoreached the Golden age of their marriage.50th Wedding Anniversary…WOW!

Baby BOOM!The DBRJ’s future generation is takingform… With so many families tocongratulate; I hope we caught them all!

Congratulations it’s a boy!Shakil and Sakina Marzaban, London for their little baby boy HassanHasan and Shehnaz Isaji, Preston for their little bundle, AdamZabir and Huma Kapasi, Dubai for their little stork delivery, AadilAbbas and Zakiya Lokat for their little boy,HusaynYusuf and Zainab Sidat , Leicester for theirnew arrival UnaysSeamus and Masuma Harrison – London –on their baby boy Ciaran.

It’s a GirL...Congratulations!Imtiaz and Taheera Sulemanji, Leicester onthe birth of their little princess Aymen!

And to those who are almost there,GOODLUCK...!Burhaan and Zainab Vanat on their twinsdue in March 2009Amir and Asma Kapasi on their baby due inFebruary 2009Abbas and Batul Roowalla on their babydue in January 2009Zoher and Sakina Bharmal on their babydue in 2009

They left , they saw, they bought…New Homes!All grown up and lots more house work todo…Kuresh and Joanna Lokat in LeicesterTahseen and Hasnain Mushtaq Ali inStirchley, Birmingham Rahim and Uzaima Sulemanji in Hinckley,Leicestershire

YOU’RE A STAR!Our very own Zahera Kapasi from Nuneatonattained a Distinction in her Masters in‘Child and adolescent Mental health’ thisyear. The clever cookie produced a thesis on‘Adolescent representation of parent andchild conflicts in South Asian Families’ fromwhich extracts will be published in 2009!Both her family and friends are extremelyproud of what she has achieved!

Exams… Eeeeek!Well done to all those folks who took theirGCSE’S and A-levels this year and did oh sovery well…and to all those ‘young adults’who have flown the nest to University tobroaden their minds and spend theirparents money ..I salute you… Be good andhave fun!

LLB Our prideWe wish Shabana Kapasi (below)congratulations on passing your LLB exame.Good luck for the future.

All our love from Dad, Mum and NaanimaaFrom Adamali and Batul Kapasi, Bolton

Saluting the soldiersThe Reform Movement saw the passingaway of some mighty Reformist in 2008.They fought with courage, humour,compassion and the utmost integrity forjustice and freedom for us all. Reformists allover the world salute them for the libertywe experience today and offer them ourgratitude for all that they have done for us.We pray that Allah keeps these greatwarriors close to His side and brings themeternal peace.

Sheikh Ahmed Ali SahebHusseinbhai HamadaniGulam Abbas RajbhaiZulfikar Hussein in Aurangabad

page 12 paAZAD February 2009

AZAD is a self financing newsletter. It is published by the Dawoodi Bohra Welfare Society (registered charity no. 272508). Editor: Haki Kapasi, 25 Abbey Road, Smethwick, West Midlands B67 5RA.Telephone 0121 429 3202 Fax 0121 429 8835 E-mail [email protected] views expressed are entirely those of the authors and may not reflect those of the editor or publisher.

Visit the Dawoodi Bohra Reformist website for news and views on Reformist activities: http://www.dawoodi-bohras.comand friends: http://www.dawoodi-bohras.org.uk/friends

For UK local and national news visit www.dawoodi-bohras.org.uk and to add yourself to the address book. The address book is international so, even if you live outside of the UK, please fill in your details and send them in.

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