From The Africa Federation Archives


1. Address by the President at the 3rd Conference

2. Group Photograph in Kampala in 1962 or 1963

 

ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT – MR. ABDULHUSSEIN.H.  NURMOHAMED

AT THE OPENING OF THE 3RD ITHNAASHERI CONFERENCE IN ZANZIBAR – 9th AUGUST 1952 


Your Excellency, Prince Abdulla, The Chairman, Brother Delegates, and Gentlemen:

 

It is a great honour and privilege for me to preside over  the 3rd Conference of  the Federation of my Community particularly on the soil of this peaceful and lovely island of Zanzibar, where  I was born, bred, and educated, and I express the grateful  thanks of  my Community  and  myself to Your Excellency for kindly accepting  to  open  the conference  this afternoon.

 

If I may recollect it as a happy coincidence, Sir, it was in 1950 that Your Excellency, as Acting Governor of Kenya, opened an Economic Conference in Mombasa - a session of the Federation of the Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Eastern Africa, which was also presided over by me.   Today it is a social. Conference of the Ithna-Asheri Section of the Khoja Community of East Africa, which belongs to he main Shia Sect of Islam, and Your Excellency, as British Resident of the Dominions of His Highness the Sultan, in performing the opening is doing us a great honour, and I can assure you, Sir,   that your presence this afternoon will encourage the deliberation of our organization with a spirit of enthusiasm.

 

With the increasing number of population of my Community spread over in all the parts of East Africa which now totals over 14000, it was in 1946 that at a Conference of my Community held in Dar-es-Salaam the Federation of the Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri Jamats of Africa was created with an Executive body known as the Central Council.    The constitution of our organisation embodying religious principles, is based on democratic lines, and its aim and objects include social, education, and cultural activities for the welfare and well-being of the whole Community. In  the last  six years,  we have been  successful  in  the co-ordination of some of our activities under the Central organisation,  and hope,  Sir,   to do more useful work for the general uplift  of our society.

 

The history goes back to about two hundred years when the pioneer Members of the Khoja Community first migrated to Zanzibar for trade and commerce from Cutch and Kathiawar states of Western India, and gradually with the increasing number of people some of them with foresight and with a spirit of initiative and enterprise opened business on the mainland and penetrated even in the remote corners of Kenya,  Uganda,  Tanganyika, Congo Belge  and Somaliland.    Today we are happy to be called and known as permanent East African Citizens having little left in India, except trade relations and family ties and similarly, trade, cultural and religious ties with Pakistan, which we wish to maintain.  As law-abiding and peaceful British subjects of this part of the Commonwealth, which we have adopted as our permanent homeland, I would re-iterate, Sir, on behalf of my community and myself, our unswerving loyalty and humble devotion to the person and throne    of Her Gracious Majesty the Queen.

 

As you may be aware, Sir,  the enterprising Members of my Community have played their useful part in  the economic expansion and development of  East Africa, and have contributed a fair share to the progress and prosperity of the Community and the Country   as a whole.    Prominent Ithna-Asheri Industria­lists, Agriculturists, and well known business firms will be found in all the parts of East Africa.     They own Sisal, and, Coffee Plantations, Coffee Estates, and Coffee Curing Works, Timber concessions, Cotton Ginning Industries, Rice Oil and Soap Milling, and several other    secondary and small industries including Aluminum factories, etc., throughout East Africa Some of them also hold large Agricultural shambas, particularly in Uganda, Tanganyika and Zanzibar.    Some of them are among the largest Exporting and Importing firms.

 

With trade and commerce as the backbone of their main occupation, the Members of my community have no doubt shared in the general prosperity of the Country.

 

In the Educational field,   through our   organisation, we have so far sent with the aid of Scholarships a number of students for Higher Education, and I am glad to say that two students from Zanzibar will return back in Zanzibar next year as qualified M.B.B.S. Doctors.    With the increased interest evinced by the Parents, we have done a great deal   into improving the educational standard of our children.    A number of our boys are also in the Muslim Institute, in Mombasa, in technical    lines. At this juncture, I take the opportunity to express our deep sense of appreciation to sir Phillip Mitchell, whose sympathy and invaluable services to the Muslim Community include the establishment of the Muslim Institute of Mombasa, for which the whole Muslim Community of East Africa, including my community will ever remain grateful to him.  I hope, Sir that it is the intention of my community to make some contribution to this important Muslim Educational Institution in the near future.

 

In public life, sir, there are a number of public spirited Gentlemen among the members of my Community, who find time to serve the people. There could be no better example than to mention Hon. Mr. Fazel Nasser, M.L.C. and, Hon Mr. H.K. Jaffer C.B.E. M.L,C., both are the senior unofficial members of the Legislative Council in Zanzibar and Uganda respectively.

 

In Zanzibar, Government Administration, the Ithnasheris have always held senior posts, and it is a pleasure to see Mr. Husein A. Rahim appointed to the dignified post of First Class Magistrate in Zanzibar. I take this opportunity to congratulate Mr. Rahim on his promotion.

 

Everywhere in East Africa, the members of my community have always maintained a friendly relation with the other section of the multi-racial community, and I believe sir, that with such a spirit of friendliness, cooperation and tolerance, all the sections should get together and do everything possible for the good of East Africa and its people as one community.  Zanzibar is a shining example where harmonious relations always exist between the different sections of the community under the protection of the glorious rule of His Highness the Sultan, whose love and paternal care for his subjects are well known. I pray Almighty to spare his Highness for a long time with health and happiness to rule over his beloved subjects.

 

Before I sit down, Sir, I take this opportunity to thank the Chairman and Members of our Reception Committee for doing excellent arrangement for the Conference, and to my Brother Delegates, who have spared time to come to Zanzibar to attend the Conference from all parts of East Africa, and to you Gentlemen, for your presence this afternoon. I would now request you Sir to open the Conference with your blessings.

 

Group Photograph taken in 1962/63 during the Council Meeting in Kampala