Imported post: Facebook Note: 2019-09-13T18:24:04

Back in Jan 1985, when I arrived in Christchurch to attend Canterbury Uni, the mosque was being built, at the raft stage. A few workmen were onsite, the foundation has been laid, but the concrete raft floor has just been laid. It was still wet. We performed Friday prayet in a small room in the stable building behind the mosque. There were less than 15 of us, including 2 ladies for the first Friday prayer that I attended. We were close back then. Our first imam was Br Osman Gaafar, a post grad student from Sudan. Some of us, including me, still in contact with his family. Later in the year, in August, the construction of the mosque was finished. It was the southernmost mosque in the world back then, and the size was comparably bigger than the Ponsonby mosque in Auckland. The late Dr Saleh AlSamahi, was instrumental in getting a large donation from Saudi royal family. Let me remind you, that our first Islamic Centre was at 534 Tuam Street. A 2-bedroom house with a small lounge that we used as prayer hall. Our Muslim Community raise money by selling ethnic foods at markets and collecting donations. Why am I writing all these? I have been part of Christchurch Muslim Community for a long time. I know most of the old timers who have been the pillars of our community since the 70s. Quite a few of them have passed away. May Allah grant them Jannah. Now is the election time to choose the office bearers who will continue the legacy of our pioneers back in the 70s and 80s. What are the qualities of people do we want to lead us in the next 2 years? I would start with: 1.Integrity. 2.Transparency; clear communication, yes please be transparent to all our community members. Dont set up cliques and decide among your cliques on important issues, and then buldoze that decision without agreement from other committee members. And please write down the minutes of your committee meeting and publish them. 3.Communicate with us, our Muslim community. Write us email and newsletter, please. As well as publishing in website and facebook. Not all of us have access to facebook, so printed newsletter is still relevant. 4.Ability to write. May sound basic, but it is essential that our leaders knows how to put pen on paper, and be able to communicate with ease. We dont want people who is all talk and no action, do we? 5. Knowledge. Let's give the job to people who have the right talent and knowledge. 6. Able to devise a strategy to achieve goals. 7. Organisational skill. This is not just relevant to the president, but also to everyone else in the committee. 8. Team work. Everyone must be a team player, regardless of their background. 9. Delegation. Please divide your workload. What I would like to see in the future: The basic.congregational/jamaat prayer for all 5 daily prayers in the mosque without fail. I dont have to quote hadith on this, every Muslim knows the importance of this. I am not saying if there is anything wrong as of the past 3 years, but there are room for improvement. Transparency, clear communication. No hush hush. I want to see newsletter again. Tell us what is happening. Not everyone is on facebook. The website is also dead. Some of us are not computer literate, you know. The financials; I would like to see how we are doing. How much is coming in, where it was spent, etc.If you gave some money to a member of our community who was in need, that's good, but put it on record. Many years ago we put the financial statement on the noticeboard. You see, I dont have high expectations. I am not asking you to set up a school, community gathering for Eids or conferences etc. .