Issue No. 46 December 2009

INSIDEINSIDE THIS ISSUE

Reformists Visit Syria for Ziyarat

• Ramzan Around England

• DBWS Sprorts Day 2009

• Zehrabhen Cyclewala Agitates in Surat

• High Court Disposes of Communit Excommunication Case

• Dr. Arastu Yar Jung and the Hyderabadi Revolt

• A Little Rap for Thought

he appointed hosts for this year’s Eid function were Leicester Branch.

There was a shared excitement from theguests, gathered at the spacious venue inLoughborough packed with inflatableattractions which put a smile on everyone’s

face! The bucking bronco was a particularfavourite, a skill some mastered andothers... well...couldn’t get a ‘hold’ of. Thegossiping ladies and the mingling men werepulled away in order to begin the show.Continued page 2

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O my Lord! Grant me that I may be grateful for Thy favour

which Thou hast bestowed upon me, and upon both

my parents and that I may work righteousness such

as Thou mayest approve; and be gracious to me in my issue,

Truly have I turned to Thee and truly do I blow to (to Thee) in

Islam

Eid Function 2009

hen Sharfun called my mum about the trip to Syria, without

hesitation my mum committed that sheand I would join the group. Later on Iconvinced my brother and his wife and myother friends to join us. Lady Zainab hadcalled and who were we to refuse. We areall ever thankful we heeded this message,otherwise we would have lost out on oneof the most precious experiences of alifetime.

The trip was incredibly well organized allthe way from our arrival at the DamascusAirport, where we were welcomed by ourtour guide to each and every little detailaround accommodation, food, wheel chairarrangements for the elderly and the veryinformative and insightful commentaryfrom our group leader, MohammedbhaiRaman. Continued on page 3

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Held a week later than Eid itself, anticipation for the annual event was very high

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Eid Function 2009Continued from page 1

The curtains parted for Imran Kapasi andNisrin Hathiari, our hosts, to introduce theLeciester President Faisal Tayabjee whowelcomed us, followed by an originalproduction from Bradford - and a very welldone to a super talented cast. With a quickswap in hosts, Bohra’s version of Ant andDec – Azeem and Nawaz Sulemanji tookcentre stage and had the pleasure ofhosting our very first ‘Bohra’s got Talent’.

The professional looking judges took theirseats and the performers nervously awaitedtheir comments. We got humour from the‘Boogie Woogie Bohra’s’ and the verycatchy ‘my momma said’ chant. And we gota whole range of talent - from tabla playersto break dancing - and even a world recordfor eating Gulab Jambos – to name butthree. A huge congratulations to all of theparticipants of the talent contest, they all

failed to disappoint. The winner being NoreenKirefu from London with her angelic voice!

Bringing the event to a close, were sometruly inspirational speeches including fromour Society’s President FazleabbasKinhkabwalla who reflected on manyaspects of life and community. CommanderMansoor Ali from Udaipur passionatelyreminded us that we must not get caughtup in our own individual jamaats but lookforward as a wider community and promoteour reformist movement globally.

With hungry bellies to fill, the Biryani wasstacked high on plates, and was well worththe wait. With the day coming to a close,goodbyes were announced and everyonemade their way home from a fun-filled,action packed day!! Good job to everyonewho helped make the day such a success!

Yasmin Lokat, Telford

The Result of 10th General Election ofDawoodi Bohra Jamaat ( Regd.) - Udaipur The Dawoodi Bohra Reform Movementknown for its prime objective managementanswerability toward their people. Hencedemocratic concept adopted to select theirfavorite people. On account of that 10thGeneral Election performed on 18th October2009 under the convenership of Mr.Mushtaq Hussain K.R. with DistrictCollectorate team.

30 Contestants take part in the Battle ofvote for Jamat general council out of which21 Members elected. The Election held atBohra Youth Public School, Udaipur .

The List of the Elected Candidates inwinning order is as under:

1 Mr. Abid Ali Adeeb 2 Mr. Anees Meeyaji 3 Mr. Qamruddin Mandi wala 4 Mr. Abde Ali Lohawala 5 Mr. Sarfaraz Raj 6 Dr. Ishaq Hussain Shah 7 Mr. Shabbir Hussain Nasir 8 Mr. Abbas Ali Master 9 Mr. Yusuf Ali R.G 10 Mr. Gulam Hussain Kathawala 11 Dr. Rehana Banu

12 Mrs. Rashida Hakim 13 Mr. Fida Hussain Bag (Pan) wala 14 Mr. Hussain Udaipuri 15 Mr. Dilawar Ali 16 Dr. Farida Habib 17 Mr. Akbar Ali Mandi 18 Mr. Moiz Ali Mediwala 19 Mrs. Rehana Germenwala 20 Mrs. Farida Motagam 21 Mr. Mansoor Ali Batliwala

Now these Candidates as per the JamaatConstitution will nominate 11 othermembers to form a General Council of 32. Then on 25th Oct. 2009 the General Councilof 32 will select the New Cabinet Membersfor the term of next Three Years including:

1 One Chairman 2 Two Vice Chairmen 3 One Secretary 4 Two Joint Secretaries 5 One Treasurer 6 One Accountant 7 Three general members

This election process has been adopted bythe Dawoodi Bohra Jamaat from since theearly 70's.

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Reformist Roads to DamascasReformist from Kenya, Canada and UK went on a trip to Syria for ziyarat thanks to the hard workof Saifudin and Salam Painter and Sharfun Tayebjee in the UK. Here are the accounts from thetravellers from different countries.

Continued from page 1

With such comfortable arrangements, we could focus on the ziarats and gain the full spiritual benefits of being in such a significant place in the history of ourreligion.

It was moving to actually stand on the soilsof lands we had heard about all our lives atmajlises and waizes. To be there was toexperience first hand what the family of theProphet (PBUH) would have endured withthe intense heat of the dessert and the crueltyranny of Yazid. While we had heard of theplace called Sham, we were surprised tolearn of the number of prominent religiousfigures who are enshrined in this area. Thisincluded Nabi Habil (SWAS) as well as Bilal,the first Muezzin during the time of theProphet. The Shrines themselves were abeautiful sight to behold and admired, withintricate calligraphy, dazzling mirror worksand fantastic chandeliers. Of these LadyZainab’s shrine was the most compelling,drawing us to pay salaams as often as wecould. Luckily our hotel was walkingdistance so we were blessed to be able tosay namaaz at the haram and have ourmajlis there as well to remember the eventsof Karbala.

In a week, we squeezed in a coach trip toRaqqah, Salamiya and Aleppo to pay ourrespect at various shrines. In Salamiya, therewas a ziarat of the 3 mastoor Imams and aBohra mosque. Wherever we stopped wejoined in for the prayers and felt thecommon bonding of muslim brotherhood aswe stood shoulder to shoulder with localsas well as travelers from far and wide.

I cannot think of anything that went wrongor needed a major improvement in this trip,other than spend more time! Being withother reformists from the UK and Canadawas heart warming and a reminder that weare after all part of the same community.The generosity, kindness and camaraderiewe shared with our fellow travelers madethis a most memorable trip and the last day,

when we said good bye to each other wasindeed a sad one.

My sincere appreciation to Sharfun and herteam for organizing this programme sowell. May Allah (s.w.t) bless themabundantly.

We now look forward to the next trip toKarbala Shariff.

Rehana Tayebjee, Kenya

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unday morning still getting ready to go, not finished packing. Last

minute cooking, cleaning and worryingabout work, Abbas and the kids.

Still stressed, excitement has not had achance to kick in, off we head to Heathrow,a bit nervous, not knowing what to expect.

Some old travelling companions and somenew started to gather, all ready for newadventures.

We arrived in Damascus at about 7pm, afteran unforgettable plane journey thanks toGulshanben. When we arrived at the hotelwe were greeted by the entourage fromCanada and Kenya. After a good night sleepand a good buffet breakfast, everybody wasready to go for ziarat.

The morning started with a lecture andmajlis of the Ahlebait. We were fortunateenough to have Mr Shams (a historicalscholar) joining us.

Off we went to do Bibi Zainab’s ziarat. Theroza was about 5 to 10 minutes walk fromthe hotel. As we entered the beautiful sitein front of us an unbelievable feeling withGoosebumps, emotions and sadness.Entering Bibi Zainab’s roza was a differentbattle altogether, which I had almostforgotten about. Here you needed wrestlingskills to get through the crowd. We spentthe whole morning there and after Zohrnamaz, we headed off to yet anotherexperience. It didn’t take long for everyoneto take out all those “dubbas’ of nasta” assoon as the coach took off. We arrived atsomething that looked like a market place,but it wasn’t just any market place, it washere where Yazid paraded Bibi Zainab andall her companions. As we walked throughthis bazaar, people looking at us, you can’teven imagine what Bibi Zainab and theqafala might just have gone through. As wereached the Ummayd mosque where YayhaNabi is buried (John the Baptist). It is alsosaid that Sura Maryam was revealed here.

On our way to Rukayya Alahi Salaam westopped at a mausoleum where ImamZainul Abedeen prayed Namaaz and ImamHusain’s head was kept. We arrived atRukayya Alahi Salaam Roza (Imam Husain’s

four year old daughter also known asSakina). We had a lecture by Sham Bhai, didZiarat and then headed back. Everybodywas shattered as it was between 32- 34degrees. After Magrib Namaaz, there wasdinner with a wide variety of fresh salads,houmus, olives etc for starters, then maincourse again a few choices but like most ofus I also went straight from the starters tothe delicious desserts.

Tuesday again woken up by the Azaan, Idecided to go to Bibi Zainabs roza for fajarnamaz, at first I was a bit apprehensive towalk by myself at 5 AM not knowing thearea but as I took courage I felt very safe.For me doing Fajar Namaaz at Bibi ZainabRoza and seeing the sunrise was anamazing feeling. We all gathered forbreakfast and by coach again we went offto do the Ziaraats.• Hujr Bin Adi• Sakina Binte Husain• Bibi Kulsum• Asma Binte Umehs • Bibi Umme Habiba • Umme Salma • Bibi Fizza• Bibi Fatema Sugra • Abdulla Ibne Imam Jafar Saddique• Mehmuna Binte Imam Hassan • Hamida Binte Musleem Bin Aquil • Bilal

A busy day of Ziarats with a lot of historyto take in. In the evening after MagribNamaaz and dinner we gathered in the V.I.Plounge at Bibi Zainab’s Roza for Majalis andto say farwell to Mr Shams.Wednesday started early as we wereheading to Alepo. We left at 7.30am for a 6-7 hour journey. After a break for chai andnasto we arrived in Samiya, Bohra masjidfor ziarat of Imam Ismaels sons Ahmed ulmastoor and Husain ul mastoor. Abdulla ilMastoor is buried in Cairo. We prayed zoharnamaaz and set off to Raqqa which has abeautiful mosque that is built on thebattlefield of Saffin. A beautiful atmosphereof serenity is felt here which held you backfrom leaving the mosque. The ziarat ofAmmar bin Yasir and Ouwais Qarni is here.We arrived in Alepo at 8pm, everybody wasvery tierd and hungry.Thursday morning everybody had stomachupsets and Immodium was on the menu.

Our journey to Hallam started at 10am, thisis the site of Mashhad e Husain (ImamHusain’s head was kept here ). Walking intothis masjid gave you a feeling of peace yetsadness. The next ziarat was of Moshin eAsgar and Imam Zacheriya. Only some ofImam Zacheriya’s organs where found andnow kept in the tomb.

Alepo is the 2nd largest city after Damascusand one of the main producers of cotton.On Friday we travelled into the mountainsto do the ziarat of Habil alehi salaam. Halfan hour’s drive on the border or Israel andLebnon lay the tomb of Habil alehi salaam -18 feet long.

In the evening we went to have dinner atDamasgate , the largest restaurant in theworld which seats more the 6000 guests.The week went quickly and now coming toan end. Time to say goodbye and thankyou’s. Not to forget exchange of emails ofcampanions travelling to different parts ofthe world.

All excited with a bit of sadness we leavefor the airport. At Heathrow with tears andhugs we depart having made lots of newfriends. All thanks to the hard work ofSarfunben, Saifu uncle and Salama auntyPainter’s in making this trip possible.

Jumana Vanat, England

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n one of my weekly calls home, my mother casually informed me

that she and my sister, Rehana wereplanning to join the UK trip on a ziarat toDamascus. Picturing them enjoying suchan adventure to the place known to be thehome of oldest civilization in the world, Iwas not going to be left out a familyreunion, so “count me in”, said I!Damascus had never been in my list ofdestinations, so my expectations were lowand knowledge about Syria was vague andCNN based. My thoughts were focussedon a week’s vacation and the opportunityto meet up with siblings, aunts, cousinsand friends. Not only were thoseexpectations fulfilled, but in addition Ilearnt so much about Syria and theMiddle East that on my way back I wasbusy envisioning my next trip in thatregion.

Soon after landing all my worries aboutthe dubious looking piece of paper I wascarrying in lieu of a visa dissipated, whenI met Fatina holding up a flag with myname. She smiled a big welcome andefficiently worked though immigration asthey stamped away in triplicates andquadriplets and delivered me to the Safirhotel, pointing out the Sayedda Zainebamosque standing two minutes away fromthe hotel. At 10pm, the streets werebuzzing with shoppers and street vendors,with aromas of shawarma and attarperfuming the warm night. My tiredspirits were lifted with the energy andwarmth around me. Mohammedbhai,waiting for me just as he had promised inhis email, got me checked in withassurances that he would help me plansome things to do next day until the restof the travellers arrived in the evening.Before I knew it. morning had sprung andI was ready for the adventure.

Next morning, I found myself on my wayto the ancient city of Palmyra, or Tadmorto the locals. Though my driver onlyspoke Arabic, he managed to convey a lotabout the surroundings through nods,smiles, hand waves interspersed with aword of English here and there. Thus thehours passed quite well. I had neverimagined I would be on a road wheresigns to pointing the way to Baghdad andBeirut were prominent, not to mentiontrucks on their way to Turkey, Chinesemade cars, Iranian Khodros and Bedouintents showing up every now and then. Itfelt as if I had stepped into a CNN set!The ancient ruins of temples dating backto Roman times at Palmyra did notdisappoint. This time I had an English

speaking guide, who educated me on thetype of columns (I can now tell Dorianfrom Corynthian!), pointed out how theOttamans had looted bronze fixtures andpainted the picture of what the city wouldhave looked like in its days of glory as amajor stopping place along the silk route.He even recited some poetry from thefamous Poet Al-Muttanabi, who wasgiven a special mention in my guidebook! I returned to the hotel to meetfamily members from Nairobi and therest of the Canadians in great excitementand anticipation of the week ahead.

The week was a whirlwind of ziaratsstarting with that of Lady Zainab in theneighbourhood. Every experience filledme with awe and wonder. Being amongstpeople from so far away yet with the samepurpose, feeling the presence of one ofthe bravest women of our religion, staringat the intricate artistic and architecturaldetails of the mosques with the perfectbackdrop of marsyas in Persian andArabic as well as Azans at prayer time wasindeed overwhelming. We walked thepath that Lady Zainab and her family,that remained after the battle in Karbala,would have taken on reaching Damascusto face their fate at the cruel andirreverent tyrant Yazid. In the same areawe toured the place where the Nabi Yahya(John the Babtist) would have beenbaptized.

Our journeys took us to the northernpart of Syria to Ar-Raqqah, the site of thebattle of Siffin on the banks of theEuphrates, then on to Aleppo (or Halab)to visit the great mosque there with theshrine of Nabi Zacharia. Crossing theEuphrates was pretty exciting havingheard about it at Moharurm waiz eachyear. We were moved as the events ofKarbala really came to life, as neverbefore, especially when we stopped at

place in Raqqa where there is a rock.Legend says that Iman Hussein’s what was placed on this rock on its way toDamascus and there was a miracle whenit actually bled and left a stain on therock.

We made a fascinating stop in Salamiya topay respects at a Bohra mosque withshrines built for the 3 Mastoor (in hiding)Imams (Imam Abdulla Mastoor, ImamAhmed Mastoor , Hussein Mastoor). Wealso paid our respects to the shrine ofNabi Habil (son of Nabi Adam). This wasclose to the border of the Golan heights.Being a Friday and a holiday in Syria, theplace was filled with local families whocame to pay their respects as well asspend a day pickniking in themountainous terrain.

Being with fellow reformists was ever soenjoyable. We shared ideas, jokes, food,medicines and prayers as one family. Thewealth of our heritage that connects uswould make any modern day electronicnetworks envious. We do not need aFacebook or LinkedIn to keep in touch orintroduce each other. When we meet weare brothers and sisters united withoutany questions asked. Let us continue toharvest this and meet more often throughsuch trips as well as conferences, so thatour brotherhood continues and getspassed to the next generation.

From all the Canadians, a big thanks toSharfun for all her efforts in this, toKaizer as well, to MohammedbhaiRamzan for his never ending patience, tomy mum for inspiring us to join and toall the fellow travellers for your kindnessand generosity throughout the trip.

Narai Haideri – Ya-Ali!

Lubaina Fidaali, Canada

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Ramzan around EnglandHow did Ramzan go for you? It seems like a long time ago but read on andfind out how the various centres in England celebrated this holy month.

amzaan as always, is a time where

we can not only re-connect with our

faith but also come together as families and

as a community. Leicester branch this year

proved just that amid a time where there

were building works in place, limited

bathroom and heating facilities – causing

most concerns for our elderly and young

children. A weekday usually proves difficult

for anyone to attend due to work/other

daytime commitments at anytime in the

year, let alone during Ramzaan but still it

was inspiring to see a dedicated group of

individuals and families including children

who attended all 30 days bringing tasty

snacks to share after Maghrib Namaaz.

More-so the night of Laila-tul-Qadar was

still celebrated with full attendance even

though a ring system had been circulated to

inform that there were limited bathroom

facilities for ladies. It was heartening to see

members of Leicester branch attending to

share such a holy night with the other

members of the community in such

conditions where it may have been much

easier to pray in the comfort of their own

home. Insha-Allah this community spirit

continues to next year where we can look

forward to celebrating Ramzaan in our

newly renovated Husaini Manzil.

Zahera Kapasi, Leicester

Ramadan in BradfordRamadan was a good opportunity for all thefamilies in Bradford to get together andshare the spirit of this holy month. This yearwe all gathered together on some occasionsat the Clayton Village Hall where we prayedNamaaz and broke our fasts together with abig feast (usually a curry from Iqbal’s)! Alsothis year felt more special because many ofthe younger children in our jumaat keptmany of the fasts.

On the day of Eid-ul-fitr, we had a biggathering at our hall in the evening, withalmost 48 people attending to celebrate theend of Ramadan.

After the pass-the-parcel party gamesenjoyed by all, we had a buffet style dinnerand to end the evening we had a raffle andan auction of several items donated to usby a number of businesses in Bradford andalso by members of the Bradford jumaat.The money raised was contributed to boththe Bradford jumaat and several charities. As a treat to finish the celebration, we hada chocolate fountain. Overall, this was afantastic event enjoyed by everyone. Insha-Allah we hope to have more gatherings inthe coming future and now look forward toEid-ul-Adha and the month of Muharram.

Sana Husenbhai, Bradford

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Ramadhan in BirminghamRamadan has always been a demandingmonth. But for me, this year seemed evenharder because of the long daylight hours.Not to mention the fact that it was theschool holidays so not eating food seemedlike an even bigger sacrifice!

However, every Friday, Saturday and Sundaythe Birmingham Jamaat gathered to breakour fast together with delicious andscrumptious foods that definitely madefasting worthwhile!

Lailatul-Qadr was again a great successpraying with the community and with allthe masallahs full it was indeed as thename translates ‘The Night of Power’ and ofcourse followed by an awesome anddelicious breakfast! Mmm...

As well as this, we were joined by ClareEdwards, an award winning festivalorganiser, was curious to find out whatfasting felt like. We proudly invited her toshare iftari and prayers with the jamaat.Clare has written a blog about herexperiences too for the BBC, which you canenjoy reading on the BBC website:www.bbc.co.uk/.../clare_edwards_blog_2009_feature

We were also joined by Joanna Ryam, atrained interfaith minister from London.

This special and rewarding month finishedon a great high, with early morning prayersand a thoroughly enjoyed after party andlet’s not forget food!!

Overall Ramadan was made very valuablebecause of the high spirits and upbeat,cheery moods of Birmingham Jamaat!

Naseema Rajabali, Birmingham

Ramadhan in LondonThis social gathering of London was held onall Sundays during Ramadhan. In generalthe events were very successful withattendance growing throughout the month.A few catering difficulties were overcome

with bring your own dish and pizza orders!Which was well received by the youngsters.Thanks to the local vicar of Croxley greenwho let us hire his church hall for the night,Lailatul Qadr was celebrated successfully inLondon after a number of years and on thewhole a very good night of prayers led byHamidbhai and attended by young and oldand finished of by sehri of kheemaparatha, croissants etc.

A tremendous turnout saw a very successfulEid Namaaz held in Watford at a fraction ofthe normal cost. Prayers were led again byHamidbhai.

A huge thanks of appreciation to allLondoners who made the functions asuccess by their attendance….

Abbas Vanat, Watford

My PersonalRamazanRamadan is always a greattime of reflection for myself- it is easy to get 'lost' in theeveryday activities of thebusy lives we lead.

Ramadan provides us with a period in the year whichmakes it easy for one to peerinside and take a look at themirror in their mind to seewhat kind of person islooking back at them. This enables us all theopportunity to improveourselves and it is thoseamongst us who grasp thatopportunity with bothhands who in my opiniontruly understand thepurpose of Ramadan.

Hanif Lokat, Leicester

A Little Rap for Thought

Last year DBWS/DBRJ UK agreed toincrease its membership fee from £5 a year to £35 after 35 years ofhaving the same membership fee!Murtaza Rajabali was moved towrite and perform a little rap tocelebrate the news and here it is.

My Mamma said There’s an increase in a fee5 to 6 times 5 is the pleaIs this a conspiracy To collect our currency

For a future we long to see, 6x5 is all we see

My Mamma said 5 it was for an ageAs if in a cageNow with the uppage We’re all in a rage

For a future we crave to see, 6x5 is all we see

My Mamma said 5 is monopoly moneyWon’t even buy any honey6x5 seems a heavy levy Just ask your mummy, for the penny

For a future we yearn to see, 6x5 is all we see

My Mamma said 6x5 is too muchN all in a credit crunchNow let’s not get in a bunch To give the scheme a punch

For a future we desire to see, 6x5 is all we see

My Mamma said Now hold onto your moochiCause I know you’re wearing GucciNow don’t leave it till pachi N do what is sachi

For a future we need to see, 6x5 is all we see

My Mamma said Lets all be clearN be not so quick to smearWatch as we steer To a goal quite near

For a future we long to see, 6x5 is all we see

Murtaza Rajabali, Birmingham

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DBWS Sports Day 2009y newly acclaimed husband asked me if I wanted to ‘partner’ him in the

badminton mixed doubles at this yearSports Day. I was a bit nervous aboutcompeting, as I hadn’t hit a shuttlecock forover 10 years, but with enough time to fit ina few practice sessions, I thought why not!Then it dawned on me that my ever eagerhusband was planning a day of sportingactivity, hours before we were due to fly outto Africa. When I asked him if he had losthis marbles he replied enthusiastically “Well I can’t miss Sports Day!”

This years Sports Day was held in Leicesterand organised by Aquil Rajabali, KureshLokat, Amir Kapasi, Rahim Sulemanji and ofcourse Rizvan Sadikot. Our day startedparticularly early and then we arrived to abusy, bustling sports hall – where thegames had already begun. There was agreat buzz about the place and it waswarming to see so many familiar faces, alleagerly waiting to compete against friendsand family and get involved in a bit ofhealthy competition.

I had decided to not take it TOO seriously,but this was short lived as I stepped ontothe court for my 3 rounds of ladies doubles– where I faced some serious oppositionwhich included a rather spirited mother-in-law!

During a quick lunch break, mums and dadsscurried to see what their beloved mini-me’swere getting up to with the children’sactivities organised by Afroze Rajabali andHuma Kapasi, who all looked content andsmiley with their triathlon games faces!

We were on to mixed doubles – where wemet with the renowned badminton duo –Anika and Fazelabbas Kinkhabwalla. I wasgiven some inside information – ‘Watch outfor the drop shots!’ – I watched each andeveryone but failed to return any.

As the badminton tournament drew to aclose and the footballers testosteronefaded, scores were totted up and we alltook our seats to watch the pre-dominantlymale volleyball tournament (Jo Lokat wasbrave enough to join the Leicester team anddisplay great ‘girl power’). Unfortunately wecouldn’t stay to watch the final betweeninfamous Peterborough and NottinghamTajbhais

We bid ‘Bon Voyage’ to all our friends andfamily in what was the largest send off I’veever had! We were sad that that wecouldn’t be there for the yummy food andprize giving – but over the ‘honey MOON’that we attended the day

The Sports Day was an enormous successand the perfect start to our 3 weekHoneymoon in Africa

Zuleka Rajabali, Birmingham

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Sports Day ResultsUnder 16 5-a-sides FootballWinners Runners-upKaif Rajabali Husein VanparekhAqeel Kapasi Arif Dungarwalla Wasim Vanat Yasmin DungarwallaAli Vanat Amal DungarwallaRowan Mankoo Ruhi Tayabali

Under 16s Badminton SinglesWinner Runner upAqeel Kapasi Kaif Rajabali

Adult Badminton ResultsMens SinglesWinner Runner upAdam Tajbhai Ali AyubWomens Singles Winner Runner upNisreen Kaderbhai Sabina TajbhaiMens Doubles Winner Runner upFazleabbas Kinkhabwalla Ali Ayub Saleem Bagasrawalla Mohammed KapasiWomens Doubles Winners Runner upZebun Rajabali Sabina Tajbhai Nasreen Rajabali Hanifa DungarwallaMixed Doubles Winners Runner upFazleabbas Kinkhabwalla Mohammed KapasiAnika Kinkhabwalla Hamida Kapasi

Adult VolleyballWinner Runner UpPeterborough A NottinghamAsgar Tayabali Abid ValijiAsgar Dungarwalla Shafiq TajbhauAsgar Vanparekh Hassan TajbhaiAkbar Tajbhai Irfan TajbhaiAshiq Kapasi Adam TajbhaiArif Kapasi Imran TajbhaiHusein Vanparekh

Adult 5-a-side FootballWinners Runners upRahim Sulemanji Imtiaz SulemanjiZabir Kapasi Kuresh LokatAmir Kapasi Mohamed KapasiKaiser Vanat Habil KapasiYaseen Tayabjee Ali Sadikot

Women Sports Personality of the dayZebun Rajabali

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Zehrabhen Cyclewala Agitates in SuratAppeal to debar the Amil Mustafa from Services

ehra Cyclewala has a house, agricultural land from her

forefathers' time. Also her orthodox brotherstays in the same Bhadrewadi village. Zehraoften visit Bhadrewadi. She had visitedBhadrewadi on October 18, 2008, and aftersix months the local Amil Mulla Mustafaboycotted her brother Tamim. Zehra lodgeda police complaint and had the Amil, MullaMustafa Taher Ali Raseed and Jamatmembers responsible for the act of socialboycott, arrested. They were released on Rs 5000 each personal bond.

Sayedna Saheb had come to Surat onAugust 1 for Zikra and so Zehra decided toorganise a protest demonstration againstthe Amil Mulla Mustafa Raseed with activeparticipation of Surat Shahar Zilla MahilaSangh and NFIW and reformist Bohras fromother cities. It was decided to hold a day'sdemonstration from 10 am to 6 pm. But

Sayedna Saheb's money-power played arole and at the last moment the policecancelled the programme by giving anexcuse of imposition of 144 to avoid clashes.

Zehra has demanded a copy of this order,which Surat police has not yet given. So, itwas decided to hold a demonstration infront of the office of the Surat's Collector.On one side Sayedna Saheb was holding hisZikra, on the other side entire media wasbusy covering this demonstration. The policeand the Collector expected the fanatics tocreate law and order situation but nothingas such happened and instead, manyBohras phoned and messaged Zehracongratulating her for her bold opposition.

Most notable was the participation of someBohra men and women of Sami andBhadrewadi village who had come tosupport Tamim and needlessly were

boycotted by the Amil. These Bohras openlyparticipated in demonstration against theAmil. It was a four-hour peacefuldemonstration without any slogan shouting.After which Zehra, Jaya ben Joshi andZarina Banu from Udaipur handed over amemorandum to the Collector with arequest to send a copy of the same to theChief Minister to book Amil Mulla Mustafaunder criminal act of "Betrayal of theState" and to Sayedna Saheb, who waspresent in Surat, to debar the Amil from hisservices.

Thereafter, members of Surat Zilla MahilaSangh, Zehrabhen and member of NFIW,Jaya ben Joshi told the Collector that if nopositive action in this matter within 7 daysthey would launch city-wide and country-wide agitations.

Courtesy: Bohra Chronicle

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High Court Disposes of Communit Excommunication Case

he Gujarat High Court has disposed off the case of

'ex-communication' of four families ofthe Sathwara (Kadia) community fromMehsana district. Justice R. R. Tripathidisposed off the matter recently after therespondent community leaders took anundertaking that the petitioners will bepersonally invited to all communityfunctions and accorded the sametreatment as other community members.According to Dr R R Shukla, chairman ofthe Ahmedabad-based NGO, YogkshemFoundation, that had helped thepetitioners (13 members of fourfamilies) take the matter to the HighCourt, the issue dates back to a case inthe 1980s.

A criminal court had convicted certainmembers of the Sathwara community onthe basis of a complaint by a member ofone of the petitioner families of Linchvillage in Mehsana district.

“Subsequently, those convicted by thecourt took charge of the Shri DandhavyaPargana Sathwara, Kadia Kelavani

Mandal, which is the SathwaraCommunity organisation. They startedboycotting the petitioner families bydiscontinuing social relations with them,”said Dr Shukla.

He added: “Following this, the petitionerfamilies could not marry off their sonsand daughters. The elder daughter of oneof the petitioners is 28 years of age andunmarried. This is in stark contrast to theaverage age in the community to marryoff a girl - 19 years. So, they moved courtto cancel their excommunicationby the community leaders.”

Dharmesh Bhatt, the counsel of thepetitioners, said: “The respondents filedan undertaking in the court stating thatthey will send personal invitation toall the petitioners for all communityfunctions. They also stated that thepetitioners would be accorded similartreatment given to other members of thecommunity. Following this, the courtdisposed off the petition.”

Courtesy: Indian Express, Parimal Dabhi

T

All Together Now…A few families are getting togetherand thinking about organising a“summu” mishaq for the early part ofnext year. Our thinking is that ratherthan individual mishaqs it would begreat if groups of young people, readyto take mishaq, were to do thistogether. This is an old tradition in ourcommunity with many advantages. Itcan encourage closer community tiesbetween the youngsters and morepeople can take part in thecelebrations. It reduces costs for thefamilies, less travelling for the guestsand frees up more time in thecalender.

If you are interested in joining inplease contact Jumana Vanat 07944 246472

We look forward to hearing from youon this exciting new venture.

Jumana Vanat, Watford

AZAD November 2009 page 11

Dr. Arastu Yar Jung and the Hyderabadi Revoltr. Arastu Yar Jung (born Abdul Husain June 10, 1858) came from

a humble upbringing in Hyderabad. Hefinished medical school and beganpracticing in what is today the “Old City” ofHyderabad. He started to make a name forhimself when he was appointed the FirstSuperintendent of the Osmania GeneralHospital. Dr. Arastu Yar Jung was eventuallyappointed as the First Surgeon to the thenreigning Nizam Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf JahVI. The nizam was so pleased with Dr. AbdulHusain’s work that he conferred him histitle; thus changing from Dr. Abdul Husain toArastu Yar Jung. Dr Arastu Yar Jung wasknown not just as a great doctor but also asa keen community member andphilanthropist. Here is a short list of theachievements to his name:• Helping local people when Hyderabad

was greatly affected by the bubonic Plague, often inviting whole families to live in his own home, providing food and shelter.

• As a member of the Dawoodi Bohra organisation, he was an active contributor to the jamaat

• He was responsible for the finance and construction of a Mosque in the Husaini Alam district which was approved by the then Seyedna Taher Saifuddin

• He financed the education of community members - establishing educational trusts that allowed youngsters to pursue higher education.

Dr Arastu Yar Jung encouraged all of hissons to pursue higher education, evensending some abroad to Great Britain andUnited States, as many noblemen alsobegan doing at the time. Similarly, hisdaughters were married into families whereeducation was also highly valued. Thishelped ensure that his values and good willwere passed down. Like Arastu Yar Jung, hischildren were deeply committed tosucceeding in education and contributingimmensely to the local community.

Like families of many Hyderabad noblemen,many of Dr Arastu Yar Jung's descendentsimmigrated to the United States and UnitedKingdom, throughout the 20th century, for

the pursuit of highereducationopportunities. Todayhis descendants arescattered around theworld, manyidentifiable by thesurname Arastu, witha majority residing inthe United States,Canada, India,Pakistan, United Kingdom, Kuwait, and theUnited Arab Emirates - numbering close toone thousand, and spanning sixgenerations.

The mosque built by Dr Arastu Yar Jung,which had approval of both Seyedna TaherSaifuddin and Seyedna Burhanuddin, hascaused a dispute and below is a letterreceived by AZAD from Arastu Yar Jung’sson, Dr F. Arustu, regarding the mosque.

Letter from Dr F Arastu, son of Arustu YarJung dated 28.09.09:

I just received the photographs of the 97year old mosque in Hyderabad built by theDawoodi Bohra community by the Dr.ArastuYar Jung.

A few years ago when SeyednaBurhanuddin Saheb visited Hyderabad, thejamaat members approached him and askedhim to demolish the mosque and rebuild alarger, several-story mosque. SeyednaBadruddin Saheb said that this mosque wasbeautiful and that it was not be demolishedbut left as it was. This year, jamaat membersbegan demolishing the mosque and, whenpeople asked them what they are doing, thejamaat members said they wereredeveloping it. Although SeyednaBadruddin Saheb had not given permissionfor its demolition a few years ago, thoseJamaat members, engaged in demolishingthe mosque, said to the people, “SeyednaBadruddin is too old to remember”. Itseems the people have ignored theSeyedna’s wishes and have gone against hisorder. I have been told that the mosque hasnow been demolished.

Faisal Vanat, Birmingham

D Our beloved Jasdan Kaka

Our beloved, eternally youthful, humorous,kind, gentle and generous elder, EbrahimJasdanwala of Bradford (originally Masindi,Uganada) passed away in Bradford inNovember. He was hoping to make it to his100th birthday, but it seemed Allah wanted tocall him to His side. We will miss him, hisjokes and speeches, his energy, his dapperclothes, and, of course, his famous white shoes.Taslim pays a tribute to him.

We all miss and remember Kaka Or we can cherish his memory and pray for him,We can all cry and close our mind let it beempty and turn you allback as what we learnt and gained from hislecture during the majlis in month of mohramand the special nights. Or you can do what he would want from youall is to: - smile, open your eyes, love one another and be happy.

While Kaka was in hospital he wanted to try tosay many things but this is what he wanted to say:-When I am gone, release me, let me goI have so many things to see and doYou must not tie yourself to me with tearsBe happy that I have had so many years with you all

I gave you my love, you can only guessHow much you gave me in happinessI thank you for the love each have shownBut now it is time I travelled alone

So grieve a while for me, if grieve you mustThen let your grief be comforted by trustIt is only for a while that we must partSo bless the memories in your heart

I will not be far away, for life goes onSo if you need me, call and I will comeThough you cannot see or touch me, I will be nearAnd if you listen with your heart, you will hearAll of my love around you soft and clear

Then, when you must come this way aloneI will greet you with a smile and a "Welcome Home"

We continue to pray for him and may Allahrest his soul in peace and secure a place forhim in Jannat and give strength to all hisfamily members as they come to terms withtheir loss.

Taslim Talib Huseinbhai, Bradford

Obituaries

Whispers...by Afroze Rajabali, Birmingham

So it’s time to take your dose of the goings on inour community... Ready- Steady - GO!

Marathon ManLike the legend Dustin Hoffman and the man inthe Mars bar adverts, we have our very ownMars Bar Marathon men who proudly exposedtheir legs and ran!

Murtaza Rajabali from Birmingham ran the13.1miles in the EDF World Marathon in... waitfor it ...2 hours 12 mins ..WOW! His dedicationto training and perseverance to get to the finishline leaves his whole family in awe of hisefforts!

A regular star on this back page is ArifRampuri who completed a 10K run in 51minutes and raised £641for charity! Well done!

The Results are in and the Lips Trembled!So the dark cloud slowly crept up on all ourbright stars who took their GCSE’S and A-Levelfinals this year. Luckily in August , the cloudsseparated and the sun shone, as brownenveloped were torn apart and results lept out.Congratulations to all of you who have plantedthe successful seeds of your future!

She’s Flown the Nest... Bye Bye Birdy!Newly ‘Doctered’ Dr Aalifya Hathiari hasmoved to Bromley, Kent from Leicester adornedin a white coat and stethoscope. We wish herwell in her career and her fun times in London!

Babies, Mini-me’s and AlmostTheres...Oh theres more! The choir of babies and childrenis still singing... Bravo!

Abid and Zeba Lokat, Leicester had baby girlAnisa delivered by the trusty stork. Welcome tothe world little one.

Zoeb and Naz Kapadia, Leciester, were blessedwith another little girl, Ruhi, in September.

They’re One already! Yikes!Aadil Kapasi from Leicester, AymanSulemanji Leicester, Hassan MarzabanfromLondon, Zayn Vas from London and UnaysSidat from Leicester!

With some of the newest generation alreadyclinching their first year we’ll be sending themoff to University soon! Happy Birthday littleones!

Home ComfortsAsif and Nisreen Sadikot have crossed theborder from Manchester into more Southernwaters of England, Northampton. We wish youall the best in your new home.

Birthdays!During 2009, Rowan, Saleem Bagasrawalla andMohmed Bagasrawalla celebrated their 10th,30th and 70th birthdays respectively,Birmingham and to Saleems grandmother, MrsRubabai Isaji who will be celebrating her 90thBirthday, Inshallah, on the 1st of January 2010.

Growing old…Congratulations to Faisal Vanat and BushraVanat for graduating your degree and LPCrespectively from Maa, Dad, Mum and family,Birmingham.

Congratulations to Sana Husenbhai, Bradford, onher Misaaq from Abu Phua, Banu Gigi and Family

She said YES!Mubarak, Congratulations, Bravo and everythingelse thats good to our MISS Bushra Vanat,Birmingham on her delightful engagement toMalek Hamdani, Canada. Hopefully that bigtissue box delivery will get here before 2010 andin advance we thank you for the right to shop!Your future awaits... All our love... Moiz Mamu,Phoophi, Aquil, Zuleka Bhabi and ME! (Afroze)and the rest of our clan xxx

They got Confirmed on theirConfirmations... Misaaq!Imran Kapasi, Afra Sulemanji, Sana Husenbhai , Amal and NaziaDungarwalla Welcome to the world ofresponsibility, accountability and adulthood! Sounds fun doesn’t it !

Thanks!Thank you for the new DBWS calendar. Asalways the calendar was an excellent effort.Nargis and I offer our great appreciation to thosewho took part, as they do every year, inpreparing, printing, proof reading, distributionetc of the calendar. I am sure that all therecipients of the calendar do applaud this greatannual effort.

Carry on with this good work. Kind regards fromElyas Sardharwala

page 12 paAZAD November 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 haki@inspire.eu.com.The 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.

Useful ContactsMarriageNasreen Rajablnasreen@mehndidesign.co.uk

London branch secretaryHamid Luqmanihamid.luqmani@yahoo.co.uk

Birmingham branch secretaryBanu Vanatbanu.vanat@hotmail.co.uk

Leicester branch secretaryKuresh Lokatinfo@photoimage.uk.com

Events co-ordinatorRizvan Sadikotdbwsevents@aol.comTel 0121 523 9353 (daytime)Tel 07714 952072 (mobile)