This year’s National Islamic Ijtmah will take place at Kamuzu Stadium, Publicity Secretary for the organising committee Abdul Aziz Onile has confirmed the development in an interview with this website.
Onile says the committee has chosen Kamuzu Stadium because of some of the activities it has lined up which includes football match between Sheikhs and Muslim legislators.
“Muslims should expect a historical Ijtmah this year. All preparations are going well now as planned. We booked the place [Kamuzu Stadium] and have already made part payment. The venue will cost us K250, 000 per day. So, for three days we are expected to spend about K750, 000,” said the PS.
The publicity secretary also revealed that the budget for this year’s event is close to 10million Kwacha. He said this is so because of the skyrocketing of commodities which has occurred as a result of currency devaluation which has just recently taken place in the country.
Last year, new Muslim Association of Malawi (MAM) National Chairman Sheikh Idrissa Muhammad was under pressure after his organisation failed to hold the event as it was the tradition in the past.
However, the chairperson justified the cancellation saying the gathering, which was initially scheduled to take place in October was postponed due to financial constraints.
This prompted the committee to intensify its task of soliciting funds since some traditional donors were reluctant to fund the function due unconfirmed reports that suggested the organizing committee approached Malawi’s late state president Bingu wa Mutharika to sponsor the event which its budget amounted to 7 million kwacha.
But the committee’s effort hit a snag after it managed only to source over 3 hundred thousand Kwacha hence putting the staging of the gathering in jeopardy.
However, this year seem to be there is some hopes as the organising committee has already started soliciting the funds.
“We have all hope that this year’s Ijtmah will take place as planned because there has been a positive response from the donor community,” said Onile.
The event is expected to take place from September 14 to September 16, 2012 and the committee has since courted Sheikh Khalid Yassin as the main speaker for the event.
Bola isalepherekenso, MAM always too much excuses. Timva kuti ndalama palibe / wina wadyapo last moment…
Point of correction: The committee never aproached Bingu nor did write him it was MAM top brass that that raised it when they met him at Sanjika.
Its high time Muslims started thinking positively on the pending Ijtma in Sptember ,rather than retrogressing on issues of Bingu.Thats water under the Bridge or history in the archive to be stored.Brothers could we refrain from Politicians this time around, we have learned in a hard way,If they donate,should be minus platform to speak on the day.We have KUTAPA kutaya Sheikhs for the function.The just ended Asian Muslim`s ijtma is a lesson to learn from.Well organised ,no politics,Ya Deen pe basi.Others are planning to Impeach others on the same day,What that? Jamanja mipando tijaulaje papali wiwajisachile mnope nambo wajilesile.Commit yourself to Deen only for reward ,life here after inshaalah.
though its a good development, but i have outstanding issues i dont understand. why should we have a match on this event? have we run out of deen activities to feature them? may if another day was organised for that match and be out of ijtimah activities, it would be better. on the financial, will donors be happy to contribute that huge amount of money if the failed ijtimah didnt manage to raise even half a million kwacha? lets try to maximise the benefit with little cost. in otherways, lets make ijtimah cost effective. ijtimah is not to make anyone happy, but to teach him deen and make him a perfect personality in our community. it's there to discuss many current affairs affecting muslim community and the state. it's there to bring tangible solutions to many problems our society face today, and it is there to find lasting solutions to our social political problems laying in malawi. we have recently seen total discard in politics by muslims and really we cant say muslims have been recently the force of change in politics, hence i hope this ijtimah will mark the end to this political silence and see more fruits bearing in the many areas we have discarded especially politics. otherwise good luck. we wil be there to support.
Brothers, lets learn to be transparent. I can see a huge political hand behind the choice of the venue for the ijitima. Kenako timva kuti it will be opened by Apiti Mtila who has given a big donation. otherwise it doesnt make sense. I dont think the sanitation facilities at the stadium are fit for our purposes nor do I find them adequate. secondly, the cost of MK750,000 just for the venue sounds extravagant for me. learning from last year's experience, can we afford this extravagance? further, why is the football match against parliamentarians of all people – does that confirm where a big donation will come from, hence to appease certain quarters? Is this match worth throwing away MK750, 000 which can help deal with the many challenges our poor brothers and sisters are facing mmidzimu? Do I see israf here or am I colour blind? No doubt at the end of the function the stadium will give us a huge bill to maintain the faulty toilets etc zomwe zikaonongeke due to over use and mishandling. Is this venture worth persuing? Take the Ijitma back to Lunzu as planned last year!!!!!!!
Nkotakota
The choice of the venue is quite good and sound that uncovers this annual gathering widely and beyond rims,some people might look at the buget as huge and unaffordable i dont think so,looking at the devaluation of the kwacha and how much moneys muslim tycoons spend for pleasure…this is ibada and jihad in the course of ALLAH, we have to spend more than we do to our pleasures…and its not israaf as long as the expenses will meet the needed course…About the match i think the organising committe should have a relook in to it….is it not getting out of ibada…what is the goal of ijtima… is it pleasure or teaching,tiding,increasing one's faith,reminding about last and final gathering(yaumul qiyamah)…..dont forget that ijtima could have resembled muslims' gathering fo hajj manask….i know its not an obligation but lets not paralise things from their nature……i wish the organising committee all the best…may ALLAH reward you for the job…all the best my muslim brothers lets unite and strengthen this event