The Muslim Association of Malawi (MAM) on Saturday December 10, conducted a capacity building workshop for its Executive and Board of Trustees members.
Held at Malawi Sun Hotel in Blantyre, the workshop was mainly aimed at equipping the members with necessary leadership skills and reminding them their key duties and responsibilities as Muslims.
The workshop was facilitated by Sheikh Saleem Banda and Sheikh Ismael Mtewa of World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY).
In an interview with Malawi Muslims Official Website, MAM Secretary General Alhajj Twaibu Lawe said they decided to come up with the workshop after observing that officer bearers who are elected at any position or appointed to serve the public let alone the Muslim Association of Malawi suffer from inadequate exposure of matters of corporate governance and end up in poor performance.
“That is why we said there is need to remind each other about our roles and duties. We need to know our limits – at the same time, equipping the members with the necessary skills. It is a workshop that is first of its kind in the history of Muslim Association of Malawi and it is our hope that we will continue to do so if funds permit,” he said.
In his remarks, Sheikh Saleem Banda told this website that any leadership that one might occupy on this earth should be regarded as a trust (an Amana) from God which one day will be asked of how that Amana was kept.
“We are reminding them that leadership is about legacy building. What is the legacy they want leave behind? We are addressing issues of how do they respond to the ever changing complex challenges the Muslim community is facing. So, we are talking about good governance, transparency honesty and all the qualities of good leadership. We want to have the leadership that is results-oriented and also the leadership that has the interest of Muslim community at heart.
“We want to see MAM becoming the actual mother body of the Muslim community in Malawi by responding critically to the issues faced by the young people, women and challenges leaving with disabilities. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are achievable when faith based organisations take the leading role to ensure that it’s not about numbers but about responding to the critical challenges we have to address during our times,” he said.
Banda therefore said for this to be achieved, there is need to have a strong unity among Muslims in Malawi.
He said: “As Muslims we need to be united. We need to be one Umma. But the issue is about how we bridge the gap between those that have won and those that have lost. I think good leadership is the one that embrace the defeat in a thought that it was for the umma. It shouldn’t be a personal thing. So, there’s need for both teams to reach out and see how they can work together for the betterment of the Muslim community.”
One of the participant, Sheikh Ali Kennedy who is also the Chairman of Board of Trustees said “the workshop is what the board needed because it helps us to now our roles and how we can effectively contribute our ideas towards the affairs of the Muslim Association of Malawi.”
Immediately after he was re-elected, MAM National Chairman promised that it will no longer be the business as usual at Quran House. He said he want to change the mindset of the Muslim community, reminding them the responsibility they have towards the development of Islam and the national as a whole.
“…and this should start with the leadership,” he told Malawi Muslims Official Website in an interview.
The workshop was held under the theme “Beyond Elections Inspiring Excellence”.
