Tag Archives: Dawoodi Bohras

Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community leader in Surat, Zampa Bazaar decked up to host annual seminar

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Surat, GUJARAT:

On the sidelines of the educational seminars, various stalls and exhibitions on environment, and business have also been set up at the community’s sports ground in Khaimat al-Riyada to provide a holistic learning experience to the attendees.

Mufaddal Saifuddin is the spiritual leader of the Dawoodi Bohra community (Express File Photo)

The leader of the global Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community, His Holiness Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, the 53rd al-Dai al-Mutlaq, arrived in Surat from Rajkot on Thursday on the occasion of ‘Istifada Ilmiyya’ (education seminar). He will be in the city till first week of November.

Every year, the education seminar — ‘Istifada Ilmiyya’ — is held in Surat that is graced by his presence, said organisers. ‘Istifada Ilmiyya’ comprises a series of learning and skill development sessions that cover a wide variety of topics such as Islamic philosophy, history, and jurisprudence, as well as contemporary topics. The attendees include students, business people, professionals, and teachers as well as members of Syedna’s administration, and graduates of the Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah Arabic Academy.

Thousands of community members annually register their presence at the event. This year, the event kicked off on Friday, and myriad programmes will continue till the first week of November.

Hatim Fakhar, public relations coordinator for the Dawoodi Bohras in Surat, said, “The anticipation and excitement to host thousands of attendees for this annual educational seminar in Surat are palpable, and we hope we will be able to provide them with a memorable experience. This year, the event is even more special as we will mark the 80th birthday of His Holiness Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin on 3rd November.”

“We are grateful to the local authorities and government agencies for rendering their timely support and assistance as always in hosting thousands of community members in the city,” Fakhar added,

A large number of members of the Dawoodi Bohra community have already arrived in Surat from various parts of India and the world to attend the events in the Zampa Bazaar area on Thursday. With the venue intricately decorated, boasting of colourful lights and freshly painted buildings, hundreds of volunteers are also present to guide visitors.

The Surat unit of the community had been preparing for the event over the last 15 days by hiring open grounds and plots on rent and by erecting tents with various facilities for visitors to stay. Besides hotel rooms, several houses in Zampa Bazar, Sagrampura, Begampura, Salabatpura (walled city areas) have been rented out for visitors. Apart from this, the organisers have also arranged staff to maintain cleanliness on roads and halls. . Apart from this, Burhani Foundation & local organisers have also arranged staff to maintain cleanliness on roads and halls.

The Zampa Bazaar area in Surat is home to a large number of members of the Dawoodi Bohra community in India, where one can find religious places, an Arabic university, and shops run by the community.

On the sidelines of the educational seminars, various stalls and exhibitions on environment, and business have also been set up at the community’s sports ground in Khaimat al-Riyada to provide a holistic learning experience to the attendees.

Ummehani Ismail, a lawyer and a mother of two who travelled from the United States to attend the annual seminar, said, “Every year, I look forward to attending these seminars which have helped me develop new skills and broaden my knowledge base and understanding on various aspects of life. These sessions empower me to be a better person and create a positive impact on society. Throughout the event, we engage in thought-provoking discussions, attend workshops, and benefit from the speakers’ insights.”

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> News> Surat / by Express News Service, Surat / October 21st, 2023

Maharashtra: Dawoodi Bohra community launches ‘Mother and Child Health and Nutrition Program’ for underprivileged

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, FREE : Healthcare / Assistance, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , , , , ,

Nandurbar District, MAHARASHTRA:

Mother and Child Health and Nutrition Program in Nandurbar

Nandurbar:

Project Rise, the Dawoodi Bohra community’s global philanthropic arm, announced the launch of ‘Mother and Child Health and Nutrition Program’ in the Nandurbar district of Maharashtra to support over 600 beneficiaries for the next 3 years.

This program is undertaken in partnership with the Association for Nutrition and Development Action (ANNADA), Nandurbar District Authorities and Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) under the Ministry of Women and Child Development. The comprehensive program will provide micronutrient-, fortified energy-dense food to malnourished children below six years and pregnant and lactating mothers across 10 Anganwadi centres. It will also educate pregnant and lactating mothers on breastfeeding and monitoring their health to mitigate physical and cognitive growth in children.

Thanking the Dawoodi Bohra community & ANNADA for initiating the program, Mr. Krishna Rathod, the Deputy CEO (Women and Child Development), Nandurbar Zilla Parishad said, “A health and nutrition initiative like this will go a long way in making a difference in the lives of undernourished children and achieving a hunger-free and healthy nation.

Alvin D’souza, Program Head at ANNADA, said, “Child undernutrition can lead to severe developmental issues, diseases, infections and even death. It is at the root of all the social problems and severely impacts national socio-economic development. Our program will use simple, community-relevant, ready-to-eat meals that provide almost 1/3rd of a child’s recommended dietary requirement of micronutrients. Most of these meals are millet-based and rich in protein. We are glad to have partnered with the Dawoodi Bohra community to be able to impact the lives of children in Nandurbar.”

In his address at the launch event, Kutubkhan Badri, representative of His Holiness in the nearby town of Shahada said,  ” Our community leader His Holiness Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin guides us to show empathy and compassion, and look after the well-being of people, particularly those in need.”

“Our community collaborated with ANNADA around five years ago to fight against malnutrition in Govandi near Mumbai and Roha near Raigad District of Maharashtra, where we saw significant change in the health of our beneficiaries. This project in Nandurbar is an extension of our nutrition and zero-hunger objective of Project Rise.”

The program in Nandurbar was launched in September to support the Government of India’s “Rashtriya Poshan Maah”, or National Nutrition Month, which promotes nationwide awareness of nutrition and hunger, especially for mothers and children.

India is home to the largest population of hungry people and almost 1/3rd of the world’s malnourished children. Almost every third child under 5 years suffers from stunting and about 20% suffer from wasting as per the National Family Health Survey 2019-21.

Maharashtra has a significant burden of child malnutrition, with less than 10% of children under 2 having access to an adequate diet. The situation is incredibly complex in rural and tribal areas. Working hand in hand with local communities, partners and Anganwadi centres can yield positive outcomes and raise the level of nutrition, health, and overall well-being of families.

About Project Rise

Established in 2018, Project Rise is the Dawoodi Bohra community’s social welfare endeavour working in partnership with local community volunteers and government bodies to alleviate hunger and malnutrition, provide access to education, address water insecurity issues, raise health and hygiene levels among children & families, and preserve and protect the environment.

About ANNADA

ANNADA is a seven-year-old not-for-profit organisation with a vision to realise a Hunger-free and nourished India. ANNADA has provided over 16 million safe, hygienic, micronutrient-fortified meals while supporting more than 1.6 lakh beneficiaries, reducing malnutrition cases by 50-60% across various interventions implemented in rural tribal areas.

source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Indian Muslim> Positive Story / by Muslim Mirror Network / September 12th, 2023

Dawoodi Bohras launch global program to conserve rainfall water

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INDIA:

The rainfall water conservation project
The rainfall water conservation project

New Delhi :

The Dawoodi Bohra community has launched a global program to conserve water and recharge groundwater through effective rainwater harvesting techniques.

Recognising the global water scarcity issues, the leader of the Dawoodi Bohra community, His Holiness Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, in his recent address to community members in Mombasa, Kenya, stressed the importance of preserving and conserving water.

“Following the instructions of Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, a team of over 200 community officials were mobilised to visit more than 250 villages, towns and cities in India to study the strain on existing water supplies and provide support for building a more resilient and sustainable water management system”, said Shabbir Najmuddin, Associate Executive Trustee of Burhani Foundation, the community’s 30-year-old environmental body which is leading this initiative in collaboration with other organisations.

The process of water conservation 

“As part of the first phase of the water conservation program, we targeted water-challenged areas in India by guiding them to harvest rainwater in their backyards, wells, ponds and other local catchment areas,” Najmuddin added, awareness programs were also held at educational institutions and community centres to showcase various methods of rainwater harvesting and their benefits in revitalising depleted groundwater levels.

“Various stakeholders in the water management field and municipalities were also consulted and involved in the survey to gauge the local conditions and take their opinions in adopting methods that best suit the region’s topography,” he added.

For the long-term rollout of the program, Burhani Foundation is identifying project coordinators from each area who will be tagged to experts to troubleshoot issues and facilitate the installation of rainwater harvesting systems in their regions. In the coming days, the Foundation is also going to reach out to community representatives from across the globe to harness the power of rainfall in their regions and share best practices for other areas to adopt. Besides that, the Trust is also rejuvenating defunct wells in the identified areas.

During the survey of rainwater harvesting in households 43-year-old Ismail Raja from Shahada, a town in Nandurbar district of Maharashtra, shared, “We installed a rainwater harvesting system in our backyard two years ago to recharge our borewell. Since then we have never faced water shortage as our borewell provides water not just to our families but also at times to our neighbours.”

Another community member, Jaffer Shabbir (36) from Savda village next to Burhanpur in Madhya Pradesh, is using a simple yet effective solution to recharge the nearby well which had run dry in 2017. He says, “By collecting rainwater from the roof of our hall and parking area which we give on rent for weddings and other functions, we’re harnessing the power of rain to replenish the groundwater in the neighbourhood.”

The members checking the progress

Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin’s unwavering commitment to environmental conservation reflects in his broader vision of leading a harmonious and sustainable life. In his sermons, he continues to counsel the community to protect and preserve nature while inspiring individuals from all walks of life to actively participate in conserving natural resources and embracing practices that promote environmental sustainability.

According to NITI Aayog, nearly 600 million people, which is almost 50% of India’s population, are facing water shortage issues. The country is vulnerable to droughts as well as floods even as climate change is increasing unpredictability in weather patterns and leading to more extreme weather events. Rainwater harvesting, water reservoirs and other methods can help mitigate these extreme events by storing & recharging groundwater and releasing it when needed.

source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Story / by Shaista Fatima / July 02nd, 2023

Mumbai-born Dr Tahera Qutbuddin First Indian To Win Arab World Nobel Prize

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Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA / USA :

Image: Facebook

Dr Tahera Qutbuddin, a professor of Arabic Literature at the University of Chicago, recently became the first person of Indian-origin to win the 15th Sheikh Zyed Book Award. The award is considered to be the Nobel Prize of the Arab world.

Dr Qutbuddin, who was born in Mumbai and was educated until class 12 in India, also serves on the editorial board of NYU Abu Dhabi’s Library of Arabic Literature. She won the award for her latest book, Arabic Oration – Art and Function, published by Brill Academic Publishers of Leiden in 2019.

In the book, she puts forth a comprehensive theory of Arabic literature in its foundational oral period dating the seventh and eighth centuries AD. She discusses it’s influence on modern-day sermons and lectures as well.

Image: zayedaward

Having completed her higher secondary from Sophia College in Mumbai, Dr Qutbuddin pursued her BA from Ain Shams University, Cairo and got her PhD and MA from Harvard University, USA.


In a recent interview with a portal, she said that although she has lived away for many decades in Egypt and now the US, her roots are vital to who she is, and Indian culture is part of the fabric of her being.

“It (Mumbai) is the place of my childhood memories, of playing in the monsoon rains and eating mangoes in the summer. I come back to Mumbai often. I love my Mother India, and pray for her security and progress, and for harmony and love between the many beautiful communities that call her home,” she said.

Image: Zayedaward

According to her bio, her research “focuses on intersections of the literary, the religious, and the political in classical Arabic poetry and prose.”

She is the recipient of several prestigious fellowships, including support from the Franke Institute of Humanities, the American Council of Learned Societies, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation.

source: http://www.femina.in / Femina / Home> Trending> Achievers / by Shraddha Kamdar / April 30th, 2021

Being Bohra in Chennai

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Chennai, TAMIL NADU :

With their presence in the city for over 200 years, more than 1,800 families have found a home here. A walk through George Town reveals the community’s rich cultural stories.

Photos: Ashwin Prasath
Photos: Ashwin Prasath

Chennai :

Their favourite food is not biryani and they wear burqas in hot pink, forest green, bright blue and every colour one can imagine, except black. Meet the Bohras, a sect of the Shia Muslims whose history in Chennai dates back to more than 200 years.

“The Bohra community originated in Yemen and later spread to India and Pakistan. In India, they primarily settled in Gujarat before spreading out to different cities. So, we have Gujarati influence on our food, language and traditions. We speak Gujarati with references from Persian and Arabic,” said Tasneem Kutubuddin dressed in a dark pink burqa or rida, their traditional costume. She was leading a heritage walk — Understanding the Bohras in the city — on Sunday at George Town.While women wear ridas that cover their head and body but not their faces,  Bohra men wear a three-piece white outfit and white cap called a topi with gold embroidery.

Bohri02CF27aug2019

Migrating to Chennai
Mulla Jafferji Ibne Mulla Ismailji was the first Bohra to come to Chennai. He travelled till Arcot in 1790 via the Malabar coast to join his uncle in the bangle business. He later migrated to Chennai in 1793 and set up a garment business in George Town.

“Whenever Bohras migrate to a city, if they are the first ones from their community there, they buy a land for cemetery and prayer. Also, each prayer area has a community hall attached to it where we all dine together. So, this was the first piece of land brought by a Bohra in Chennai,” said Tasneem pointing towards the Mohammedi Masjid in Angappa Naicken Street at George Town.

Chennai has three Dawoodi Bohra mosques — Mohammedi Masjid, Saifee mosque in Moore street, Mannady and the third one at Basin bridge.  Today, more than 1,800 Bohra families are living in the city and are primarily settled in Madhavaram, Royapuram and George Town. The Dawoodi Bohras are followers of the 27th Dai or high priest and can be found in about 40 countries around the world. They have separate administration offices in each city.

The MSB Matriculation Higher Secondary School at Thiruvalluvar Nagar in George Town is set up especially for the children of Bohra community. According to Tasneem, the school follows the Tamil Nadu State Board syllabus along with a Siyat Islamia curriculum.

“About 800-odd children study in this school. For the kids from the community who are studying in other schools, MSB offers a weekend programme to educate them on the history of the community and Quran,” she said.

Communal dining
Food plays an integral part of a Bohra’s daily life. Eating from a thal is a tradition that still continues in many families. A thali is a large round metal plate, around which the family sits, helping themselves from the same plate, course-by-course, during every meal of the day. A lot of their dishes are influenced from the Gujarati cuisine.

Apart from non-vegetarian dishes like pulao and kebab, the cuisine boasts some unique vegetarian dishes including a cold baingan bharta made with curd and spring onion, sev ni tarkari in which bhel puri sev is cooked with onions, and their quintessential dal chawal palida, a combination of rice and dal served with a flavourful concoction of drumsticks, bottle gourd and kokum.

Unfortunately, the Bohra community does not have many restaurants serving the savoury dishes. But, to try their traditional sweets, head to Mannady Street to find sweet shops maintained by Bohris including Hatimy’s and Alambaradar.

Try some of their heady sweet treats like malida (a sweet made with wheat and jaggery), lacchka (a cracked wheat halwa, usually made on first day of the year of Bohra calendar), kalamro (a yogurt based rice pudding) and the famous malai khaja which is also called Bohri puff pastry.

An interesting concept among the Bohras are the community kitchens that are attached to the masjid. “The concept is similar to the dabbawalas in Mumbai. Food gets prepared early in the morning, packed in boxes and numbered. People collect their boxes and replace it with an empty box for the next meal. One needs to pay a nominal amount. Usually, the well-to-do families pay for four to five people, so that the poor can get food for free,” said Tasneem.

The concept of community kitchen began around five years ago when their religious head, Syedna Dr Mufaddal Saifuddin said that women must be freed from the kitchen. So, this kitchen makes lunch for the entire Dawoodi Bohra community across Chennai, every day. The rule is applied across every city and every country.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by K V Navya / Express News Service / August 26th, 2019

Dawoodi Bohras initiate community welfare project

Community Involvement / Social Issues, ,

Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA :

dawoodibohrampos02jan2017

Thousands of Dawoodi Bohras are carrying out welfare programmes in more than 200 towns and cities spread across four states as part of a project to improve living condition of the poor members of the community.

The volunteers, drawn from various sections of the religious group and some of them from abroad, have fanned out in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, where they are helping the underprivileged community members in healthcare, housing and other areas.

They are building, repairing or cleaning homes, running vaccination and medical programmes as part of a five- day long project in the four States. The volunteers are working towards providing sustainable opportunities to families that are in need of help, according to a release issued by the community.

An infrastructure and administrative system to manage the organisation and funding of this fostership project was running for some weeks in preparation of the welfare activities that began on December 29 and will end on Monday.

The drive follows two-year-long travels of the community head, Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, who visited areas where members of the religious sect reside, it said.

“Some years back, his predecessor had initiated a programme to end food poverty which has now flourished into a common kitchen concept that provides a freshly cooked hot meal every day to every household of Dawoodi Bohras, rich or poor, wherever in the world they happen to live,” a community spokesperson said.

The community has now resolved to improve living conditions of the poor, he said.

“A team of about 4,140 members, including students, intellectuals, administrators, professionals and businessmen, have joined hands to look into every need of the community – from housing and clothing to childrens education and vaccinations, to help to achieve a minimum standard of living,” he said.

source: http://www.afternoonvoice.com / AfternoonVoice / Home> City News> Mumbai / Afternoon Voice – January 02nd, 2017