Tag Archives: Zafar Mahmood

Noted scholars congratulate Sheikh Abubakr for the Malaysian award

Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, World Opinion, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
A.P Abubakar Musliar
A.P Abubakar Musliar

New Delhi:

Distinguished Indian scholars have congratulated Grand Mufti of India, Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad on being conferred with Hijrah Award, the Malaysia’s highest civilian honour for Influential Muslim Scholars worldwide.

Indians have also welcomed Malyasian Government’s gesture on giving honour to the proponents of moderate Islam.

Grand Mufti of India, Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad was conferred with Hijrah Award, Malaysian King Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah presented the award at a grand ceremony held at the Kuala Lumpur World Trade Centre.

The event was attended by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Minister of Religious Affairs Dr Muhammad Nahim bin Mukhtar among many others.

In a grand ceremony Sheikh Abubakar was felicitated with the prestigious international award for his significant contributions in the field of Islamic knowledge, social development, and peacebuilding.

The Hijrah award committee also acknowledged the educational activities Sheikh Abubakr and his organizations initiated among various communities in India.

Upon receiving the award, Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad expressed his delight and stated that this is an international recognition for Indian community and their contributions to humanity.

Last year, Hijrah award was given to Dr Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Karim Al Issa, Secretary General of the Muslim World League, who recently visited India upon the invitation of Indian Government.

Dr Abdul Hakeem, son of Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad, said congratulatory messages are coming in from all over the world, people of various faiths are saying he is deserving of the award for his services as a scholar for the downtrodden and the backward community.

Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad has successfully established a multi-discipline institute for education, health, agriculture, technology, hospitality, and spirituality together in one city.

He has also contributed to the Prime Minister Modi’s vision of a smart city. “The award is an honour to India as Sheikh has always represented India’s multi-cultural diversity and unity in several countries in the world,” he added.

President of Interfaith Harmony Foundation of India, Dr Khwaja Iftekhar Ahmad said: Sheikh Abubakr is running a chain of religious and modern education institutes in Kerala including an orphanage. This puts him in the category of a highly distinctive Indian Muslim religious scholar, who deserves many honours for his services towards the field of education.

He has done a remarkable thing by establishing in a few hundred acres of land a knowledge city in Kerala. It is an eye-opener for those who wish to contribute in the field of education.

 “I congratulate the King of Malaysia for conferring him the award. It is an honour for Indian and an honour for the freedom that minorities enjoy in India,’’ he added.

Haji Syed Salman Chishty, Chairman – Chishty Foundation, said: “It is a well-deserved recognition for his significant contributions to Islamic knowledge, social development, and peacebuilding. His educational initiatives have positively impacted various communities in India, and this award is a proud moment for the Indian community and their contributions to humanity.

Grand Mufti Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad’s dedication to promoting Islamic knowledge and fostering social development has truly made a lasting impact. The recognition bestowed upon him by the Malaysian King Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah highlights the global influence of his work as an influential Muslim scholar.

The Hijrah Award’s history of honoring notable figures like Dr Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Karim Al Issa further solidifies the significance of this recognition. With influential personalities like Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad and Dr Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Karim Al Issa collaborating and fostering dialogue between nations, it enhances interfaith relations and promotes mutual understanding.

Zafar Mahmood, noted Islamic scholar and former civil servant, said: “The Malaysian award is a recognition of Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad for his remarkable work in the field of education and social harmony. Recognition of efforts in the field of education uplift is heartwarming. It also elevates our spiritual level because of the spiritual mandate.’’

Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad is widely respected not only in religious fraternity of Muslims but by the people of all communities. His contribution in interfaith dialogue is noteworthy.

source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Story / by Awaz, The Voice / July 20th, 2023

Achievement has Come with Burden of Responsibility: Junaid, UPSC Topper

Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Leaders, , , , , , ,

Nagina town, Bijnor District, UTTAR PRADESH :

Junaid Ahmed, a 27-year-old alumnus of the prestigious Aligarh Muslim University who completed his engineering from Sharda University
Junaid Ahmed, a 27-year-old alumnus of the prestigious Aligarh Muslim University who completed his engineering from Sharda University

New Delhi :

Junaid Ahmed, a 27-year-old alumnus of the prestigious Aligarh Muslim University who completed his engineering from Sharda University, came third in the civil services final examination 2018, the results of which were declared on Friday evening.

Ahmed’s choice of subject was geography and he took guidance from the Zakat Foundation, an NGO working for community upliftment. Ahmed has been preparing for the exams since 2013.

“I have seen failure before and today, I am completely overwhelmed. This sense of achievement has come with the burden of responsibility,” Ahmed was quoted by News18 as saying. “And I now have to work for the people and make sure the schemes of the government reach beneficiaries.”

Ahmed’s father is a lawyer and his mother a homemaker. He studied in St Mary’s School in Bijnore district’s Nagina town in Uttar Pradesh. He has two sisters and a younger brother.

“I come from a middle-class background – every parent in India wants their child to become an IAS officer, my parents were no different. I was not so keen, but with time I realised I can do it and then prepared myself for it,” he said.

Ahmed said he would like to work towards ensuring that more people from his community appear for the exams. “Many Muslims don’t want to sit for these exams, they think the test would be biased against them,” he said. “Most importantly, their socio-economic condition is not good. I would do my best to inspire more of them and keep them motivated to sit for the exams. The only thing that matters is hard work and focus.”

Zafar Mahmood, founder of Zakat Foundation of India, said, “Junaid joined us at later levels of the UPSC – for the mains. His victory is good news for the efforts of community members – who laboured 10 years ago to make Muslims sit for the exams.”

“If we start looking from independence, until 10 years ago the community’s participation was only 2.5%. We made efforts and started getting results over the last two to three years and held civil services orientation programmes, among other things,” he said. “Now, we see a 5% jump in representation. The participation in exams has improved and so has the quality of aspirants.”

Kanishak Kataria, a B.Tech from IIT Bombay, topped the exam, followed by Akshat Jain, an engineering graduate from IIT Guwahati. Srushti Jayant Deshmukh secured the top spot among women. The top 25 candidates comprise 15 men and 10 women.

source: http://www.caravandaily.com / Caravan / Home> Editor’s Pick> India> Indian Muslim / by Caravan News / April 07th, 2019

Nagpur Muslims’ Innovative Community Empowerment Campaign

Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Leaders, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Nagpur, MAHARASHTRA :

SarfarazAhmedMPOs03sept2018

If there’s one overarching lesson from the past few decades about how to break the cycles of poverty and unemployment, it’s the power of mentoring — and of intervening early, ideally in the high school age, that is the time a child’s career is being formed. A new wave of Muslim social entrepreneurs have embarked on path-breaking initiatives in Nagpur and neighbouring Kamptee township with a potential to redefine the community’s social, developmental and educational agenda. A number of innovative initiatives have been launched and their synergy is expected to help the community address a number of critical issues. Nagpur’s model of synergizing multi sectoral approaches is emerging a game changer for the community and has the potential of becoming a replicable model.

Several Commissions were appointed by the government to study the socio economic conditions of Muslims in India.The Sachar Committee and the Justice Ranganath Mishra Commission (2008) recommended a series of affirmative actions to be taken by the Government in order to restore justice to Muslims and improve their plight to the level of national averages.

In order to create awareness about various socio-economic and educational issues of the community specific to the region, and working out local applicable solutions, a think-tank, the Centre for Social Research and Empowerment (CSRE) was launched under the mentorship of Zafar Mahmood, Chairman of Zakat Foundation of India. CSRE is a non-governmental, non-political and non-profit organization.

One of the key objectives of CSRE is to sensitise people to the new changing economic, educational and social environment and to empower them to successfully navigate it. CSRE identified that quality education and proper choice of careers could underpin all these areas and an increase in the community’s participation in various services would have a multiplier effect for generating a life- changing transformation for the community.

The CSRE has been promoted by senior professionals drawn from a vas diversity of professions. It functions unlike the usual career guidance centres being run by government or community organisations. It is managed by sectoral experts and is designed to assist individuals in making and implementing informed educational and occupational choices. Since these professionals are familiar with the governance processes they can enable the aspirants to take the right step on the right ladder.

Among the key mentors at CSRE are: Syed Wasif H. Naqvi (IFS), Ex. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Govt of Maharashtra Abdul Rauf Shaikh, Ex. CEO Maharashtra Waqf Board, Mohd Ishaq Shaikh, Ex Director General of MERY, Water Resources Department, Bashir Ahmed Shaikh, Retd Principal District Judge and Judicial Member, State Consumer Forum, Aftab Alam Khan, former Sr. Manager Bank Of Maharashtra, Majeed Parekh, Islamic scholar, Mujib Khan, Ex. Dy. Commissioner, Zafar Iqbal and Hamid B.K. Quraishi, both senior technocrats with the State Govt, Khwaja Rabbani Ex-Director of Archaeology, Mujeebuddin Siddiqui, Senior Mineral Economist, Abdul Waheed, former AGM, State Bank of India, Zafar Khan, former Principal, Qidwai High School and Jr.College, Faiz Waheed, technocrat and social entrepreneur, Rizwan Mirza, Chartered Accountant. Mushtaque Ahsan Quraishi, prominent social organizer and Qutub Zafar advocate and social activist. Irshad Khan, a young research associate handles the backroom pertains.

A R Shaikh and S W H Naqvi are the key architects of the centre and are steering a series of free Career Guidance Camps and Seminars s in local schools and colleges. Apart from guiding students on career choices experts from concerned fields also providing useful tips on various competitive examinations.

Shaikh feels that if the financial strength of Wakfs is properly tapped it can solve all major problems of the community. Most of the 27 state Waqf boards are headed either by not-too-highly qualified CEOs or by government officials holding the post as additional charge.

The Sachar Committee had said, “Up to 200 Group A officers are needed to service the Waqf affairs across India” and recommended, “The government may, therefore, consider creating a new cadre of officers to be recruited by the UPSC so that they can deal with the specific affairs of the Waqfs efficiently.”

The centre has become an established brand in Nagpur. It offers extension services in the field of student scholarships, career counseling, career selection, and entrance exams for professional and technical courses, recruitment in Govt. and Public Sector, job alerts, financial support and guidance for education, online services at nominal charges, etc. Afroz Jahan Memorial Trust, Amravati is a philanthropic partner, providing financial support to the Centre.

A Public Library cum Study Centre has been set up at Jafar Nagar Line with the support of local citizens and the Jafar Nagar Mosque. The centre is expected to be a one point reference and guidance interface for career and competitive examinations. It will soon be upgraded to a digital library with virtual class room facility.

CSRE recently climaxed its third career expo with focus on competitive examinations. Sarfaraz Ahmad IAS Distt Collector of Karimnagar, Telangana and recipient of the 2017 Prime Minister’s Deen Dayal Upadhyay Grameen Kaushal Yojana (DDU-GKY) award for achieving the best performance in employment for unemployed youth, emphasized that aspirants for civil services should shed they myths about civil services.

Ahmed said that the civil series examination is basically aimed at selecting administrators and not subject expert’s. Hence it is focused on assessing the students’ contextual approach to the subject and his analyltical abilities. He also said that most of the successful candidates make the grade not in their first attempt but in later attempts. It was therefore necessary that a candidate should work hard and determinedly with a mission approach to the examination.

A R Shaikh dwelt on various Careers available for students after 12th standard. Mujibuddin Siddiqui explained the importance of timely of goal setting. Afsha Nahid Khan of Andhra Bank outlined the various opportunities in a banking career. Sumit Ramteke who recently cracked the UPSC for Astt Commandants exams focused on the pattern of UPSC examinations and various techniques for qualifying them.

source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> Education & Career / by Moin Qazi, ummid.com / August 30th, 2018