A committee that is organising the 2011 Ijtmah claims it is waiting for Muslim Association of Malawi (MAM) National Chairman Sheikh Idrissa Muhammad(who is currently in Turkey) to come and decide the way forward.
A well-placed source from the organising committee confided with Malawi Muslims Official Website that as a committee, they have failed to source the fund from traditional donors hence they are waiting for the ‘Big Kahuna’ who is expected to be back this week.
“We have only got one cheque from one of the well-wishers which cannot even meet our budget. When we communicated to the chairman about the issue, he told us that he don’t want the Ijtmah to be cancelled. So, we are just waiting for him as he said he will try his level best to make sure that the Ijtmah is held before the end of this year,” said the source, adding, “There are also other traditional donors who are unenthusiastic to release the money without MAM Chairman’s presence”.
When asked if at all they have any information of where the chairman is waiting to get the money, the source said:
“I hope he is waiting for the President Bingu wa Mutharika as you know that he already promised them that he will donate something but he was out of the country for a leave. I am thinking so, because he mentioned that the Ijtmah could be held the first or the second week of December, the date of which the President was expected to be back from his vacation.”
However, Muslim Association of Malawi Secretary General has since expressed ignorance on the matter, saying as MAM, what they know is that the committee is still sourcing funds for the function.
“I cannot deny or agree with that claim that they are waiting for the chairman because I was not communicated regarding the matter. But what I know is that the Ijtmah is going to take place and the committee which was set is doing its job of collecting the funds,” said Dr Salmin Omar.
On the same development, rumours has it that National Chairman of the organising committee Biton Ajawa has pulled out, saying he is against MAM’s decision to seek donation from non-Muslims.
“He has pulled out from the committee because of the same issue. He said he is not happy with the MAM’s move of going to the politicians to ask them to fund the function who are not even Muslims,” confirmed the source.
However, efforts to talk to the Biton Ajawa on his pull out proved futile despite several attempts as his phone was switched off while the MAM’s Secretary General has described the matter as ‘news’ to him.
Relationship between Ajawa and MAM chairman went sour after he started announcing that he is going to work with the current government. He said that if Muslims want to benefit from the government, it is important that they first establish a good relationship with it but not just complaining while outside.
Reporting by Marshall Dyton from Blantyre
alibe a Vice kuti mpaka tichite kuwadikira…..
To organize Ijtima does not need sums of money to the tune of K7,000,000.00 which the committee is sourcing. Let me propose that if the committee has enough money to meet the cost of tents hire, toilets, water, drums, pails, mugs (for ablution use) ,electricity, ground fee, public address system, media coverage, 100 litres of fuel for committee operation, which does not come to a million kwacha, Ijtima can go ahead. People should be told to organize their own transport as well as food. The committee should look for various catering services that could offer food at different prices, say from K100 to K500 per plate to enable everybody to afford it. During Haj, close to 3,000,000 worshipers attend the function. Worshipers are responsible for their own food and accommodation, hence easy to organize it. Let us emulate this example. Provision of food should not be the responsibility of Ijtima organizing committee. We need Ijtima please! Can the committee tell us how much they have so far received from the donors so that we can assist them in the organization of the event.
Is unfortunate that up to now the organising committee havent managed to raise the required funds. If the report that now they are waiting for the chairman to come and pull the string is true,then I think w have wrong people running the association.why should they personalise the operations of the organisation of MAM's magnitude? I thought everything supposed to be written down such that even in his absence his deputies can still run things accordingly? There is a lesson that the MAM leaders have to learn from this experience.
Never bank all the eggs in one basket. Always widen the net so that if one failed to meet his/her pledges,the others will meet and the project/programme will still go on unlike the current situation.
Let the MAM leadership learn to delegate duties. We dont want things to stall when this leaders are out of office.
May Allah helps us accomplish our duties towards Him.Allahuma ameen.
While I apreciate the contribution this online news is playing I would like to encourage the reporter to contact relavant authorities before going public, we are there to serve the Ummah as a committee mandated to organise Ijtimah.
For your imformation:
-The committee is independent from MAM, we only imform and consult them as our motherbody hence the composition of National Islamic Ijtimah Committee (NIIC) includes sheikhs/brothers from other Islamic NGOs.
– This is purely deen work, once you misimform the ummah you take the responsibility of spreading false and fitnah and Allah will reward you for that.
– The committee is still sourcing funds and most of those who plaged have not honoured their plages because of the romours like what you have mentioned in your article. Very unfortunate !
– Chances are there to conduct this important gathering. I would therefore apeal to Muslim Ummah in Malawi to honour their plages if we to make it happen Insha,Allah.
Sh. Cassim Chongolo- National Islamic Ijtimah Committee Secretary General.