The Indian Minority Education Society of Australia Inc (IMESA) organised a Professional’s luncheon on Sunday 26 May 2024 at Rydges Norwest in Sydney.
Attended by well over a hundred people, including a number of dignitaries, the vent was organised to create awareness of the charitable work undertaken by IMESA to educate the most underprivileged Muslim children in India.
The program commenced with the recitation of the holy Quran by a young, brilliant student, Ali Syed, who recited the relevant verses emphasising the importance of education and charity.
Dr Habib Bhurawala, a paediatrician and Vice President of the Australian Islamic Medical Association (AIMA) formally welcomed the guests.
A video showcasing IMESA’s aims and objectives, a description of the problem, its work on the ground in India, and interviews with the beneficiaries was screened.
MC Dr Nisa Sheriff introduced the keynote speaker, Professor Tim Allender from the University of Sydney, a historian specialising in the study of education in South Asia
Professor Allender has conducted research in both Pakistan and India and has recently published a book on the history of education for female minorities in Calcutta.
He has been a visiting professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi and at the Institute of Advanced Studies in Shimla, India.
He has also successfully supervised PhD students from Pakistan and Bangladesh, focusing on the education of marginalised women and girls in these countries.
During his presentation, Professor Allender discussed the exploitation of the poor girls in Calcutta, a great majority of them Muslims. He also touched upon the difficulties faced by humanitarian agencies in working in India.
Professor Allender applauded IMESA’s work and emphasised how educational projects in poor Muslim localities would make a huge difference in the lives of children and their families.
Mr Shahnwaz Ali discussed the available options for supporting IMESA’s work. He reminded audience of tax deductibility status of donations to IMESA and the opportunity end of financial year offers.
Mr Zahid Jamil expressed gratitude towards IMESA’s teams in India and Australia for their dedicated efforts in running the Taleemi Jamaat project. He applauded Prof Majid Jamil of Jamia Millia Islamia university, Delhi, Madam Tabassum Kidwai, a retired school principal of Lucknow, Dr Azhar Rathod of Vadodara in Gujrat, Mrs Syeda Saud of Bangalore, Mr MS Farooq, the lawyer in Hyderabad, Mr Mohamad Shueb of Dehradun, Mrs Naheed of Boiser in Maharashtra, Mr Naimul Haq of Dinajpur in West Bengal for their supervisory roles in monitoring the projects.
The audience applauded as Mr Jamil thanked the IMESA team members in Sydney including Syed Aslam Shaheer , Mr Shahnwaz Ali , Mr Parveen Jang, Dr Habib Bhurawala, Mr Asad Farouq, Mr Hassan Kureshi, Mr Taufeeq Shaikh, Mrs Asima Alikhan and Mrs Mona Zahid, Mrs Erum Shaheer, Mrs Sheeba Shahnwaz and Mrs Shumaila Farouq.
Mr Jamil emphasised that serving mankind (Haqooq ul Ibad) is a very important Islamic tenet, even more important than worshipping Allah (Haqooq ul Allah).
He also brought attention to the crises faced by many Muslim societies around the world, including Palestine, Yemen, Afghanistan, Sudan, and Myanmar.
He mentioned that while humanitarian agencies work in these troubled areas, they often struggle to reach the poorest Muslims in India who continue to suffer from extreme poverty and lack of basic needs.
Mr Philip Ruddock AO, the veteran Australian politician and currently the Mayor of Hornsby Shire, praised IMESA’s efforts in educating the underprivileged minorities in India. He stated that education is a fundamental human right for every child, regardless of their religion, ethnicity, or creed.
As a special feature of the event, the two Australian doctors Dr Sanjay Adusumilli and Dr Siraj Sira, who had just returned from Gaza after working with emergency medical teams treating the wounded men, women and children, were given the stage to describe their ordeal.
The audience applauded the most daring effort of the two men in their service to the war torn people of Palestine.
The audience enjoyed the delicious cuisine and donated wholeheartedly to support the cause of the charity.
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