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.