The wonderful success of the first ever Australian Muslim community golf tournament and gala dinner on Saturday 14 December caused me to reflect on the role of volunteers in our community.
Volunteers really are the lifeblood of any successful non-profit organisation – and this holds especially true with Muslims.
From religious and charity initiatives to sporting competitions like the recent golf tournament, youth and school holiday camps and other programs, our volunteers selflessly dedicate their time and energy to ensure that these initiatives flourish.
Salim Allouche, the LMA’s Religious Affairs Administrator, who worked tirelessly to make the Golf event such a runaway success and who is also the president of OBA Cabramatta Mosque, has been an enthusiastic community volunteer since childhood.
His family’s contributions to the Cabramatta Mosque community since it opened during the 1990s has been immense, and Salim continues to lead by example.
With crowds of more than 40,000 for the Eid Prayer, all hands are on deck at Lakemba Mosque each and every Eid as far as volunteers are concerned.
“The LMA has enthusiastic groups of volunteers at its three mosques – Lakemba, Cabramatta and Young,” Salim told AMUST.
“The need for volunteers at Lakemba is massive, especially during Ramadan when over 3,000 worshippers attend Taraweeh every night….and around 7,000 on Laylatul Qadr.”
“Then on Eid, the need rises to a whole new level with upwards of 40,000 attending the morning prayer.”
“Even on regular Fridays, many volunteers are required at Lakemba Mosque for the collection, parking and the women’s section.”
Salim also highlighted the success of the LMA’s school holiday programs and community events and was full of praise for the large team of volunteers at the previously referenced golf event.
“Volunteers from Cabramatta, Young and Lakemba – they all pitched in to help.”
Speaking of Young, Abdullah Sultan and his colleagues at Young Mosque have established a great model for effective volunteer management.
These two brothers put their heart and soul into everything they do for the community. In addition to giving his time to support fundraising events all over Australia, community auctioneer Hussin Goss also does amazing Dawah work, while Abdullah Sultan in an invaluable part of the Young Mosque and LMA team.
“From day one, we were diligent about structuring our volunteers,” Abdullah explained.
“We selected a small but committed group and ensured that everyone understood their roles thoroughly.”
“Communication was key, and we embraced both suggestions and constructive criticism.”
“We’ve always prioritised pure intentions, knowing that Allah sees all our efforts.”
Their structured approach has paid dividends.
Volunteers are allocated specific responsibilities from Dawah strategies to building maintenance and groundskeeping.
With construction of the new mosque well underway, the team at Young continues to rise to the occasion, with Abdullah and some of his peers making the eight hour return drive to Sydney for the golf day, where they all played integral voluntary roles.
Hasene is the charity arm of the worldwide organisation Islamic Community Milli Görüş (ICMG).
Hasene Australia is the domestic division of this wonderful organisation and Tarik Yalcinkaya is the Vice President of Hasene Sydney.
The popular community member is one of the leaders of a dedicated team that provides both humanitarian and social services, on a voluntary basis.
Hasene Sydney has a large group of volunteers to assist its charity initiatives.
“As an example of what we do locally, every Sunday, we operate a food truck in Pitt St in Sydney’s CBD, providing for the homeless – and we are planning to expand that initiative to Parramatta,” Tarik said.
“Our mobile kitchen serves as a vital resource during natural disasters like floods and bushfires, ensuring we’re there for the community in need.”
“Our charity campaigns during Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-al-Adha support those in need both locally and internationally.”
“Our volunteers both in terms of Hasene Sydney and all the other volunteers at ICMG Mosque at Guildford pour their hearts into everything they do, inspired by faith and the desire to serve others for the sake of Allah.”
In Melbourne, Adem Temel (an ICMG board member and longtime volunteer at ICMG Meadow Heights Mosque in the city’s north) is part of a family legacy of service that stretches back generations.
Influenced by his father and grandfather, Adem begin volunteering as a child.
He officially joined the ICMG in 2016, although he had volunteered informally with that body for many years prior as well as with another well known Islamic organisation, IREA.
Melbourne’s Adem Temel has been volunteering for Muslim initiatives for most of his life, travelling overseas on occasions to do humanitarian work.
“Our elders put in the hard yards, building mosques and schools basically from scratch, but these days we’re more focused on expanding our services to benefit the broader community,” Adem pointed out.
“May Allah reward Sheikh Ramazan Otkun, the current president of ICMG Australia – and all of the past presidents – as well as all our team members who devote immense amounts of time to projects for the mosque and schools and the like, setting an extraordinary example.”
Adem emphasised the spiritual foundation of their efforts.
“We strive to emulate the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (s) and the Sahaba, serving the Ummah with love and dedication.”
“Our ultimate goal is to follow in their footsteps, bringing that same compassion to our community.”
Across Australia, Muslim volunteers unite in their shared mission of service.
Aladdin Elmir (right) – pictured here with Ali Assad – has been one of Project Quran’s driving forces since its inception.
Dean Mousad, co-founder of Brothers In Need and Project Quran, stands as a shining example of a leader who not only does the hard yards himself, but is an expert at establishing networks – and that includes rallying teams of volunteers.
For example, every Saturday night, you’ll find the Brothers In Need van parked in its regular spot, with the volunteers serving the homeless in Martin Place in the Sydney CBD (that’s longtime B.I.N volunteers Nour and Sam in the main photo).
The homeless program is just one of many initiatives that Dean Mousad has put together for this inspirational organisation, which is now in its tenth year.
Many of you would also know the remarkable story behind Project Quran, which has distributed thousands of free copies of the Quran over the past few years to new and potential Muslims everywhere under the supervision of Dean and his good friend and fellow Project Quran founder, Aladdin Elmir – and their team of volunteers, of course!
The United Muslims of Australia (UMA) Dawah team is yet another example of a great group of volunteers, with its vital outreach and educational efforts across Sydney on weekends, while for many years the UMA has also held free Monday night classes for new reverts at its Padstow headquarters under its Australian New Muslims Association (ANMA) banner.
In additional to her ‘normal’ job as office manager with the Australian Islamic Medical Association (AIMA), Rubinah Ahmad, among her other charity efforts, spends countless hours every month volunteering with AMUST, where she takes care of the graphic design, digital media, website updates and even some journalism!
Rubinah Ahmad is the reigning AMAA Volunteer of the Year.
Rubinah was a worthy winner of the 2023 Australian Muslim Achievement Awards (AMAA) Volunteer of the Year and she has also been a tremendous help to me in the two-plus years I’ve been involved with AMUST, myself.
Then there is a brother, far too modest to allow me to name him, who volunteers for more organisations, mosques and charities than I can count – whether it’s cooking the barbecue, driving community members and groups around, doing countless tasks at his local masjid, writing social media posts and reminders which assist a lot of us – and much, much more.
This gentleman (whom we will call ‘The Anonymous Volunteer’) definitely deserves an article of his own, but I know that I would risk ruining a wonderful friendship if I wrote it without his permission!
If you are reading this, brother, just let me assure you that you are much loved, much respected and much appreciated!
The enduring commitment of all of the volunteers mentioned here – and thousands of others across Australia alone – is a testament to the profound spirit of generosity and compassion that underpins the Muslim community.
Prophet Muhammad (s) said, “The best of people are those who bring the most benefit to others.”
This timeless wisdom continues to inspire volunteers to uplift and support those in need….and where would this Ummah be without them?
Tragic passing of the ultimate volunteer: Nazih Sabih
The Sydney Muslim community was shocked and saddened when the news came through on Boxing Day afternoon (December 26) that senior AusRelief official Nazih Sabih had lost his life in a drowning accident at Wollongong on the NSW south coast.
Hajj Nazih had been with AusRelief from the very early days and several prominent members of the prominent Islamic charity’s management team took to social media to pay tribute to a true humanitarian who volunteered literally thousands of hours over so many years to aid the vulnerable in ‘trouble spots’ across the globe.
It was a rare sight to see Lakemba Mosque overflowing with mourners on a Saturday for the Dhuruh prayer which was followed immediately by the Janazah for the man affectionately known as ‘Naz’ as well as two other community members.
But such is the regard that Nazih Sabih is held, the packed masjid would have come as no surprise to the people who knew him best.
What a lion of the community, and surely the ultimate volunteer.
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