People have said a lot about the current Muslim Association of Malawi’s secretary general, Sheikh Imran Shareef who is also eyeing for chairmanship.
Several Questions have been asked that if he has failed to advise his collegues while he is the sitting Secretary General then what is he going to do if he is going to be chosen as a chairman.
I caught up with him to answer for himself. With confidence, he sent me his manifesto that contains everything he is going to do as a MAM leader.
INTRODUCTION
The vision and mission of this chairmanship is three fold: firstly, the propagation of Islam, secondly, strengthening of Muslim Association of Malawi and thirdly, developing of a strong social welfare system for the Muslims. For successive, effective and efficient implementation of the vision this chairmanship shall establish a Dawah Acadamy, Academic Islamic University, Muslim Hospital and social–economic facilities to augment and compliment to the greater needs of the Muslim Community in Malawi.
Believing that poverty, ignorance and hopelessness hinder man’s progress in his quest to embrace Islam in its pure contextual form this chairmanship will combine professionalism in a multi functional fashion to achieve highest results in local and national fundraising, prudent financial and administrative management for the enhancement of the social–economic and inculcation of full Islamic Values among the Muslims in the country.
This chairmanship will in a nutshell in its tenure of office will ensure a successful Dawah propagation, full development of social-economic institutional programmes and quantification and qualification of both Islamic and circular education programmes and infrastructure development.
CHAPTER ONE: DA’AWAH
To ensure successful implementation of Da’awah activities and programmes this chairmanship SHALL:
a) Establish Malawi Islamic Da’awah Acadamy (MIDA) which shall fully be responsible for the identification and training of Da’awah teachers and daees in both traditional methods and comparative religion
b) Provide proper systematic arrangement for the daees social and economic welfare in line with MAM’s financial capabilities and obligations
c) Enhance Da’awah activities by intensifying public speeches, lecturing, home visits and distribution of Islamic literature
d) Formulate a deliberate policy in MAM to ensure proper outsourcing, writing, printing, librarying of Islamic literature specifically tailored for the Da’wah movement
e) Establish National Da’awah Development Centre (NADDEC) for:
· Effective planning and coordinating of national Da’awah activities, and programmes
· Proper execution of Da’awah programmes across the country
· Monitoring and evaluation of Da’awah programmes and activities to asses progress, effectiveness and success of the programmes
· provision of refresher courses for daees across the country
f) Establish the office of the National Da’awah coordinator and the creation of District and Zone Da’awah offices that will coordinate activities and programmes.
CHAPTER TWO: FINANCIAL AND RELIGIOUS STRENGTHENING
This chairmanship shall embark on several activities and programmes that will attain maximum financial and religious strength for MAM.
FINANCIAL STRENGTH
The chairmanship to ensure financial prudence of MAM shall:
a) strengthen Zakah and Social Welfare Department by creating a Zakah Committee and Zakah Bank Account to achieve maximum collecting capacities and accountable use of the financial resources
b) decentralize all Zakah funds to be administered at District levels
c) utilize to its fullest the 946 Acre Gada Farm by putting it to its best productive use as determined by the executive
d) establish external membership of MAM whose duties will be to mobilize and collect funds on behalf of MAM
e) promote property ownership by MAM to ensure that MAM can sustain its operations in the long term plan such as the building of Quran House and Regional Head Quarters
f) enhance local collection measures and increase the fund raising base by creating awareness on the importance of giving
RELIGIOUS STRENGTH
The chairmanship to ensure religious strength shall:
a) Ensure that the association partners with other Islamic organizations to strengthen its agency-ship role of government aided primary and secondary schools in the country.
b) Ensure that Majlis Ulama and the League of Islamic Graduates shall play a centre stage role as religious advisors and their Islamic juridical opinion shall be taken in high esteem and regard. The chairmanship shall also ensure that the two organizations are strengthened and developed for their full operational capacity.
c) Ensure that all International Islamic Organizations in Malawi are respected, protected, defended and supported for their full operational capacity.
d) Ensure that all Muslim business people are respected, protected, supported and defended regardless of colour, race, or sex.
e) Build 25 mosques in the Southern Region, 15 mosques in the Central region and 10 mosques in the Northern Region.
f) Ensure that either Qurban Eid day or the birth of the prophet Muhammad should be declared a public holiday in Malawi
CHAPTER THREE: SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROGRAMME
This chairmanship do understand that religion does not exist in an isolated concept of life and that there is a greater need to address the socio-economic component of the faithfuls.To this extent the chairmanship shall establish or create the following:
A) ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAMMES
Entrepreneurship programmes shall be established to empower the Muslims vulnerable groups such as the youth, women, widows and persons with disabilities
B) YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
There shall be the promotion of both circular and Islamic education among the Muslim youth by establishing Nursery schools, madrassas, and secondary schools and i) There shall be the establishment of Malawi Islamic University (MIU).
ii) There shall be a provision of scholarships and sponsorships for undergraduate studies for national and international institutions.
The chairmanship shall formulate a deliberate policy to address issues of the Muslim girl-child such as drop outs and early pregnancies.
C) HEALTH DEVELOPMENT
This chairmanship shall develop the Islamic health sector by among other things establish a Central Islamic Hospital (C.I.H.) and an Islamic Nursing School to carter for the Islamic clinics and hospitals.
D) STAFF DEVELOPMENT AND PROMOTION
To promote efficiency, effectiveness and professionalism in Muslim Association of Malawi this chairmanship shall:
i) introduce staff training, and career development in general and in areas of specialization
ii) Consider a 50% salary and wage increase to all sheikhs, mwallims, administrative staff and support staff to absorb the economic change in the economy.
E) ISLAMIC CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
This chairmanship shall establish an Islamic Cultural Centre that will carter for Islamic weddings, meetings, conferences and youth recreational facilities. The centre will have historical and cultural Islamic artifacts for the preservation and promotion of Islamic culture and tradition.
F) CONSTITUTIONALITY OF OFFICE
This chairmanship shall uphold, protect, promote and defend in its full values the constitution of MAM and shall uphold the Quran and Sunnah in its highest esteem.
Am in possession of these shaikh's manfesto and looks very attractive and the points are very well laid but am very much worried the personality himself,the way Iknow him he seems liking money so much and very greedy,he doesn't like others getting better he is a self enriching man .Anyway let me wish him all the best so that may be he can fulfil those mouth watering promises INSHAALLAH..
Very interesting….
For an academic, I would say, the manifesto is well written but it falls short of convincing me personally.
The Chairmanship post is more or less ceremonial at MAM. It is the Secretary General who wields all the organisations powers. He also controls the whole secretariat.
It is therefore laughable that as SG he failed to do anything whilst he was at the hot and strategic position apart from subjecting MAM to ridicule. Yet he wants to move to a ceremonial post and tell people that he would achieve all that? I need to be educated!
He is mentioning about creating Dawah institutions, those organs are not there in MAM Constitution, how many constitutional reviews will be carried out to incorporate this dreams?
He also wants to establish another Zakaat body, which means IZF and NZF are not doing enough. Why not work or empower either of them?
For those of us who are privileged to go to court and check their records will find his promise to build MAM offices as building castles in the air. During his tenure as SG he failed to pay architectural fees and the matter is in Court. If the SG office cant source money to pay the fees, where will it come from to build the offices?
As far as I am concerned, his tenure at MAM as SG has been a complete flop and tasking him with the Chairmanship will be a big mistake. I stand to be corrected and look forward to any feedback that will challenge the above said.
Lets try people who were not in the Executive before otherwise these people are more credible when they comment about political issues in the newspaper than what to unite the Ummah!
It's funny indeed, and I think Malawians should be wise enough when choosing a leader this time. Everybody has seen for himself all what MAM has been going through throughout these years. Should the same people who were there and left the Association drowning, come today and promise us that they will save it from all those gashes? How do I trust them? In fact, I support the agenda laid above, but I haven't yet learnt how to support the candidates whose hands seized the pride of MAM and turned it into a laughing stock! It's enough .. This was supposed to be a change.
This is what should have been implemented during his tenure as Secretary General
The sheikh's manifestos are very well articulated.but to me they look more of secular politics than for a faith based organisation like MAM.When one looks at the developments the sheikh talks about,one wonders whether MAM is a profit making organisation or not.most of the projects he is talking about requires huge sums of money and are of long term in nature.plans should be simple but attainable.there is no need for him to come up with a long list of what to do knowing so well that finances are the biggest challenge in MAM.let him be realistic.I can assure you that not even an MP who gets funding from government can achieave during his tenature what the sheikh is promising.these positions need people with some managerial skills besides Islamic knowledge.
These are my opinions,otherwise am wishing the sheikh all the best.
A manfesto for political post, yes looks good. But for a religious post and a Muslim leader for that matter I have reservations. By the way this Sheih has been MAM Secretary General and the hub of the oganisation for that matter. Why was he not implementing his manfesto. Was he waiting fo others to fail first? Is that a quality of a good leader? I am talking of Muslim Leader. No No No if MAM has failed he is the heart of that failure. Lets try others and my good friend should continue with his ork at the university. And please stop praising yourself as people has a bank of your other side. May Allah guid us all.
Better said, well outlined and resourceful indeed. If only wishes were horses!!!! My reservations too….. Why didnt he help his team with these all this long??????
Beware he is not worth our votes,if people can track his records you will surprised and feel sorry that he is power and money hungry and selfish because he doesnt want to share with less previlage people sorry to go that far but thats what he is
Allah knows best
I conqure with all what they have said, being secretary general is more less charman, a chairman its just a figure head but things used to be cooked by secretary general and his team behind him. THen if he failed to restructure MAM, by giving a better office to operate, is it true he will manage while he will be a chairman. We are not kids that you can cheat, my advise lets try new blood besides what. Money you people will take you nowhere leave other people for the same. During your 10 years period what tangible things have you done for the Muslims let alone at your own village.
Allah knows the best.
I know Mr Imran Sharif on a personal level. As appealing as his manifesto can be, let's not forget that personality and Deen work together. Islam says with Salaat and wrong personality u will not reap anything in Akhira. And vise versa…
Let's not the same mistake of ignoring the flaws of a person and following manifestos etc.
I will speak openly…
Mr Sharif has a bad habit in society. Including at the very same institution he works as a professor. I can name five young girls he has tried to lure them with things like money, scholarships, jobs etc… for his own devilish needs in exchange.
La taqrabu z'zina!!
We see him in town in different cars trying to get young girls (Yes Sheikh, when you are sitting at Tasty Bites in the car, or going to Al Falah, or calling on a girl on BP we do see you!). Our city is small!
Keeping this in mind. Imran Sharif has NEVER sponsored any students outside. He just gives forms which belong to other organizations to young people, later should they need scholarships refer them to other organizations. Later pretend he helped them….
Hypocracy….
We Muslim should be able to recognize good leadership and command of power. Yes the brother is educated, but let's not ignore his moral weaknesses. Which don't represent anything Islamic at all.
MAM considered the mother body of all organizations, let's not tarnish the image of Muslims in our country by blindly givin power to someone who represents all wrong things about Islam. Should he be allowed to run wild in that office, with his little acts of infidelity, hypocracy, and self enrichment, it will be hard for us to defend our status of being God fearing people.
My dear brothers and sisters, let's remember that in our nation, Islam is growing fast, but Taqwa (fear of Allah) is becoming a huge problem.
InshaAllah should we seek His guidance; He will guide us!
Let's not destroy our deen!