Rallies In Chicago
More than hundred American Muslims,
men, women and children, belonging to Hizb ut-Tahrir, gathered in front of the Wrigley Building in downtown to protest against the infamous movie maligning Prophet
Mohammad(SAW) and his companions. Speaking at the Rally Dr. Raza Imam said, “
There is no need to defend or protect the Prophet (s) because Allah
already said best things about him: "He is on the
highest character" and "We have raised your name."
He further said, “ Allah and the angels send their blessings on the Prophet
(s), so there is no need to defend or protect the Prophet because Allah took
care of that.” He explained, “The world is in crisis today: economic turmoil,
massive unemployment, healthcare crisis, and massive foreclosure. The world
needs a new solution - we believe Islam is that solution.” He told the
audience, “The real issue is to discuss the life of the Prophet (s) and Islam
with the Muslims.” He said that this is NOT the first time he was insulted and
made fun of, in fact, he was known for his kindness, honesty, generosity,trustworthiness, and mercy but as soon as he
criticized the society and spoke out against the tribal chiefs, and criticized
the cheating in the markets, and called out against the evil practice of burying baby
girls alive, that's when he was called crazy, a liar, a magician, etc. He said,
“ So we call the world to learn about the Prophet (s) and learn about Islam as
a complete way of life." People were holding banners and Placards with
protesting slogans and Hizb ut-Tahrir flags.
In a separate rally Muslims
from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh gathered at the corner of Devon and
Rockwell streets to protest against the infamous You Tube Video. The Rally was
organized by Raja Yaqoob and Ali Bakhtiari. Speaking to the Rally Raja Yaqoob
and Saleem Akhter asked the Obama Government to take strict action against the
people who are responsible for producing and exhibiting the video. They said
this kind of bigotry can not be tolerated. They asked the Muslims of United
States to be united and asked them to contact their representatives in the
government and record their protest. They said the protests will continue until
the US Government take a firm action against the perpetrators. Other speakers
also condemned the producers of the video and asked the US government to take
measures to stop this kind of insult to any religion.
American Association of Retired Asians(AARA)
Raised Funds for Seniors
American Association of Retired Asians was applauded by the community
for its services to the seniors of Greater Chicago. Comparatively a very young
organization, in its 5th year, AARA has set the record of popularity among the
seniors of South Asia. Its famous lunch on Thursdays at Shahi Nihari in Lombard is becoming
an icon, an example of best organizational skills, passion and devotion. Apart
from this lunch where poets, singers, musicians and other creative seniors
present their works, AARA has been very actively involved in educating the
seniors on various services provided by the Government agencies and also
offer assistance to them when and where the need arises. Anjali Julka
daughter of Late Vichitra Nayyar welcomed the guests and talked about the great
service the organization was doing for the seniors of the community. Welcoming
the guests Ms Talat Khan, Executive Director of AARA, said that she is honored
to have them their to support the dream of developing Senior Assisted Living
Facility for the retired asians. She said the organization is providing ESL,
health awareness seminars and other
beneficial programs but, she said, she
is proud of the Lunch program on Thursdays, organized in conjunction with
Dupage County Department of Aging. She commended Musarrat “Moneek” Khan of
Dupage County for helping her in achieving this remarkable mile stone. A
documentary envisioning the mission and programs of AARA was projected before
I joined Anjali Julka and started raising funds for the organization.
Samreen Khan, Senior Advisor to the Governor of Illinois delivered his message
to the community. the Governor commended the great work AARA’s board is doing
by helping the senior population of the State. Later Sarey Gama fame Farhan
Zaidi, The Melody of India Gayatri Patel and The Rafi of Chicago Shehzad Ahmed
performed and made the audience to dance on their tunes. Famous Bollywood tabla
player Pooran Viyas, Popular Keyboard player Mudassir, great drum player Nadeem
and music maestro Rumail Bhatti also gave their top performance for the cause.
The passion, the involvement of the audience was memorable.
APPNA Care Day
APPNA
Celebrated 2nd Annual APPNA Care Day through out the country. Thousands of
people got free flu vaccinations and at some places Hajj vaccinations. Three
such locations in Chicago were busy last Saturday to help communities remain
healthy. IFS Libertyville medical camp lead by President of PPS Wasim Kagzi saw
record number of patients. In the north side of Chicago, at the Pakistan
Business Association’s Clinic a team of physicians and volunteers lead by Dr.
Mansoor Alam vaccinated hundreds of community members irrespective of color, cast
or creed. People who are going for Hajj
were also vaccinated at the Westmont clinic.
Metropolitan Asian Family
Services(MAFS) Celebrated 20 Years of Service to the Community
Metropolitan Asian Family Services celebrated 20 years of service to the
community last Saturday. Speaking at this occasion the President of the Board
of Directors Dr. Firdaus Jafry welcomed the guests and the dignitaries. She
said “Be generous in supporting the projects of MAFS.” Senior Healthcare Policy
Advisor to Governor Pat Quinn Mr. Michael Gelder said, “ Governor Pat Quin is
strong supporter of the services MAFS provides to older adults through out the
Chicago Metropolitan area.” He added, “ Three more centers during last year is
a tremendous accomplishment.” Mr. Jesse White, Secretary of State said, “ We
should do whatever we can to help the seniors of our community and to keep
their services alive.” Indian Consul of Chicago Mr. N J Kanti congratulated
MAFS for completing 20 years of human services. Mary Killough of the Department
of Aging, State of Illinois, informed the audience that in Illinois 2 million
seniors are being served by the department and the State spends over 800
million dollars on senior services. She said that,”MAFS plays a very important
role in providing services to the seniors.” She asked the audience to support MAFS
in its projects. Mr. Amrish Singh Gautum said that he feel proud to see the
Ex-Patriots of India doing noble deeds in USA. He said “ Together we have to
follow the great tradition of love and peace taught by the great leaders of
India including Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawahir Lal Nehru, Guru Nanak, Sri
Krishan and Sri Ram.” Mr. Karan Sigh Pawar congratulated MAFS for doing
remarkable work for the Indian community in Chicago. Dr Gopal G. Lalmalani,
President of the Village of Oakbrook said that this organization is truly about
services. He commended the work of MAFS and said he is proud of this
organization for providing services to the Indian seniors. Ms. Martha of
Coalition of Human Services Organizations said “It is a great combination of
talented immigrants and local state leaders and politicians who come here to
recognize the talent and help immigrant population is providing to grow and
achieve what they can achieve.” She added, “ Because of great leadership
skills, talent and devotion to human services MAFS is where it is today.” Mr.
Narain Patel, Chairperson of 20th Anniversary Celebration event, thanked the
audience for supporting MAFS. He said, “Compared to the beginning of MAFS 20
years ago when very few services were provided, now meeting the growing need of
senior population MAFS has a wide range of services it provides to the seniors
of Indian origin.” Senior Board Member of MAFS Mr. Shankar Prasad Bhatt gave a
brief history of his relationship with MAFS and its leadership. He commended
Ms. Santosh Kumar and other board members and said, “When you serve humanity,
God is always with you.” Mrs Ramesh Goyal commended the organization for its
excellent human services work durig the last 20 years. She thanked Meadows Club
and Dharishti for helping in organizing the great event. Ms. Santosh Kumar
Founder and Executive Director of MAFS gave a breif overview od services
provided by the organization. She thanked government organizations and the
sponsors for supporting the projects. She said it is after Dr. Firdaus Jafri
joined the organizations that the organization has grown tremendously.
Adressing the community and the journalists she said, “Please think right. She
said the government agencies present here keep a close watch on the expenditure
of the money this organization gets from them. If we make mistake they correct
it. She further said that MAFS has started many programs when and where the
need arises. After few dance performers Mrs. Madan Gulkarni introduced the
entertainment program, a musical evening to pay tribute to Late Kishore Kumar.
She thanked the sponsors, Jet Airways of
India, Medstar, Women’s Doc, National Bankcard and Horizon Medical Center.
Kishore’s two sons Ameet and Summit Kumar took the audience on a nostalgic tour
by singing Kishore’s unforgettable musical numbers. Prior to this MAFS
distributed awards to almost all the
distinguished guests including the President of the Board of Directors Dr.
Firdaus Jafri for the remarkable contribution they made towards the growth of
MAFS.
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