Articles
Fehmida Januwalla: Feisty and positive till the end
I have been asked by the Januwala family to say a few words about Fehmi today. It is difficult to limit the number of words, so please bear with me.
Fehmida Januwalla was born in Mombasa, the daughter of Zehraben and Ismailbhai Mandviwalla. She was the only sister to her two brothers, Iqbal and Arif. All three were lovingly brought up by the parents as well as their uncle Amirbhai and aunt Aminaben Mandviwalla. Fehmi married Aquil Januwalla in 1989. Their two children, Alia and Khaliq were born in Kenya, before they moved to Canada in 2000.
Naseem Jivanjee: An altruistic humanitarian
A eulogy read at Naseem Jivanjee's funeral at the APDBO Centre in Hamilton on 27 December 2013.
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Naseem Noorani Jivanjee passed away far too soon but peacefully on December 24, with her beloved husband of 47 years, Shamoun at her side. You may not have known that 20 years ago she was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis; a progressive disease which typically carries a five-year life expectancy.
Naseem Jivanjee: A woman of substance
A eulogy read at Naseem Jivanjee's funeral at the APDBO Centre in Hamilton on 27 December 2013.
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I had never imagined that this day would come so soon. Only the other day Naseem Behn was trying to organise a seniors’ get-together at her home. She wrote to the committee asking whether the Centre would subsidise the event. I called her back and said, Naseem Behn please you don’t have to ask, do whatever you think is fit. She said, the expense would not be more that 40 to 50 dollars, and she did not want to ask guests to pay 5-10 dollars each. It doesn’t look nice, she said. And I agreed. Who knew that that would be the last conversation I would have with her. And then two days before the get-together, she wrote to say that she was not feeling too well and would like to cancel the event. Soon after she was admitted to the hospital and never came home.
Pious and religious he served the community well
Hatim Mulla Ali bin Esmail passed away on July 3, 2013 surrounded by his wife Khadijaben, and family members after a short illness. Hatimbhai was a learned, pious and religious person.
An artist true to himself, true to his soil
Every morning after breakfast you will find Abbas Batliwala in his studio communing with his canvas. “It’s the best time of day,†he says. A time to reflect on inner universe. From its unknown depths emerges an insistent creative urge that has defined his destiny and given him his true calling. If not for this urge Abbas would have been just another shopkeeper. “I’m no more than a salesman,†he says. Not for him the airs of an artist. He makes light of his talent and fame. Read full article ›
Role of women in Karbala
These days we find lot of restrictions on women. In many cases they cannot even venture out of homes and are required to restrict themselves to household chores. Very few Muslim women have public roles, much less participating in tumultuous events of our times. And all this is being done in the name of Islam. However, if we cast a glance on early history of Islam we find women taking part in various events along with men. The Prophet (PBUH) had four daughters from Bibi Khadija and brought them up as model women participating in Islamic revolution. Read full article ›
Udaipur reformists protest against demolition of historic shrine
In the month of Ramzan Muslims generally turn inward, contemplate and connect with Allah. It is a month of charity, abstinence and peace. Even the Prophet Mohammed prohibited war and conflict during the holy month. But the orthodox Bohras (the Shabab group) of Udaipur do not seem to understand its significance and care little about the sanctity of the month. They are bent upon creating trouble and disturbing the general peace of the community. Read full article ›
Who is a progressive Muslim?
In the AMAN (Asian Muslim Action Network) assembly which took place in Pattani, Thailand in the last week of February 2011 a discussion took place as to who is a progressive Muslim and what are their characteristics. I was asked to throw light on this subject. I am presenting here what I spoke there. I had the following to say.
He had a big heart and he served with a smile
It was with great shock and sadness that we learnt of the sad demise of Sajjad Fidaali Abdulhusein. He will not only be missed by his family and friends, but by the community at large.