The 50th Anniversary of the Sydney University Muslim Students Association was celebrated in Sydney on Tuesday 6 December 2022 at Renaissance Westella, Lidcombe, attended by more than 300 current students and alumni including one of the SUMSA founders, Zia Ahmad recounting the immense legacies and contributions to the community over the last five decades.
This year marked formation of SUMSA, what started off as a humble effort by a small group of Muslim students and staff in mid 1972 with the has flourished into an integral part of every Muslim studying at the University of Sydney.
The event provided an opportunity for the current students to hear learn the history by a founding member, share a rich array of accumulated experiences by SUMSA office bearers representing each of the five decades and an opportunity to interact and network with former staff and graduates.
Initially starting with five founding members with gradual increase for Juma congregational prayers to around 50 persons during the first 25 years, SUMSA now attracts around 1500 attendees at Juma with a permanent Musallah established in 2019 with salat and wadu making facilities both for males and females at the campus.
The formal program at events started with the recitation of Quran followed by a Islamic reminder talk by Sheikh Hassan Elsatohi, a regular Khateeb and mentor at Juma prayers held at the University Camperdown main campus.
The current President of SUMSA, Naufal Haider overview of SUMSA describing current services and activities being held at the campus specially highlighting those during O’Week, during Ramadan and daawah programs during the Islamic Awareness Week.
A video documentary ‘SUMSA over the years’ depicting photos of old former students during the 1970’s, events held during subsequent years and activities during recent years were shown at the celebration.
After a short break for dinner, Zia Ahmad, one of SUMSA founding members, the first treasurer and subsequently President, a number of times from 1972 until 2013, when he retired from the University of Sydney, highlighted the early history of SUMSA.
“I have been given 10 minutes to cover half a century since the founding of SUMSA, 40 years while I was at Sydney Uni and almost 10 years since my retirement from there. This is obviously an impossible task. Therefore I will briefly summarise some highlights my views and experiences of SUMSA during the last 5 decades,” Zia said.
Recounting the establishment of SUMSA, he explained, “SUMSA was foremed in May 1972, registered with the University and not the Union to serve Muslim students and staff at the campus with 5 founding members, Dr Ashfaq Ahmad, Founding President, Dr Hamid Sheikh, Secretary, Siddik Sudarsono, Vice President, Zia Ahmad, Treasurer and Hasim Durrani as committee member.
“My father Dr Ahmad was involved during the early stages of the establishment of MSA of US & Canada while pursuing his Master in Engineering degree in 1960 from the University of Wisconsin and he had similar visions for Australia.”
“There was not much activity during the first year where we used to go to offer only Juma prayers in Sydney led by Dr Ahmad at the premises where Surry Hills Mosque exists. Later towards 1973, five times prayers and Juma were established at the Erskinville mosque led by Vice Consul of Turkey who was a qualified Imam.”
“During 1975, SUMSA membership doubled with the increase in Muslim staff and students at the campus. A couple of visiting professors Dr Hassan Bajouda (prestigious King Faisal Award winner in Islamic Studies) and Dr Nasr Rashid arrived from Saudi Arabia to teach in the Department of Semitic Studies. They conducted short courses in Islamic studies and Arabic thereby increasing awareness of Islam at the campus.”
“A unique rotational system for training purposes was adopted where each member had to take turn in acting as the Muazzin, Khateeb and Imam. This tradition continued for the next thirty years in SUMSA where many of Muslims learnt public speaking and sermon preparation as well as confidence to lead prayers.”
“During the late seventies, SUMSA hosted a number of seminars and conventions on local, regional as well as national level. It hosted annual convention of AFMSA in 1977 and a national seminar on Islamic Resurgence in 1979 where Anwar Ibrahim, the current PM of Malaysia was invited as the keynote speaker.”
Zia went on to highlight a couple of significant events from each of the five decade since the establishment of SUMSa and its further growth and achievements over the long years.
Another SUMSA Alumni during the early 2000 and a former President, Uthman Badar, an accomplished Khateeb and public speaker talked about his experiences at the campus specially awareness of Islam, student activism and daawah activities at the campus.
After a break for Maghreb prayers the closing address was given by Sheikh Ahmad Abdo, a well known Imam, marriage celebrant, public speaker and chaplain with NSw police.
Sheikh Abdo acknowledged the initiatives taken by early Muslim pioneers in establishing SUMSA and other community and daawah organisations specially late Dr Qazi Ashfaq Ahmad who passed away earlier this year and was able to attend SUMSA’s 40th Anniversary (2012) as well as 45th Anniversary (2017) at LMA Hall in Lakemba.
The former program closed with gifts to speakers and dua by Sheikh Abdo followed by Isha prayers.
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