| Article Index |
|---|
| Chairlady's Manifesto |
| Brief Outline of Sub-Committees |
| Committee Members 2010 - 2012 |
| Programmes & Events |
| Questionnaire |
| All Pages |
My Dearest Community Members,
Salaamun Alaykum
Alhamdulillah, with Allah (swt) blessing, I have been given the opportunity to serve this community in various capacities throughout the years, and now is the time to further my servitude after being elected as Chair Lady.
For those of you do not know me, I am Husna Khimji, I was born in Mombasa Kenya into a large family, at a young age my father passed away and I and some of my older siblings were left to care for the rest of the family. We struggled to make ends meet but with hard work and the help of our community we persevered and made a success out of ourselves. This upbringing forever instilled a sense of hard work and the importance of community within me.
I moved to Birmingham in 1973 with my husband, his father Ali Muhammed Khimji and the rest of his extended family. Like myself my father in-law had a great sense of community and we all helped with the formation of our Birmingham Jamaat. Since, i have always had an active role in the community, from reciting duas and nauhas, cleaning, teaching , serving food, cooking, being involved in guhsal khafan, being part of the social and welfare committee, vice chairlady- you name it I have done it. One of my most fulfilling roles was as one of the founders and the head of our great Muhammadi nursery, where with the help of a great team we created a playgroup for our children and its legacy continues to blossom into a nursery already being recognised as outstanding by Ofsted. My efforts in the community led to my appointment as chair lady.
Previous to my election, my period of office has totalled eight years. In the last four years I have been nominated but declined to stand. These years have given me the opportunity to step back and view the community as a whole, and I believe I have identified new ways to further strengthen the community.
In my term of chair and other subcommittee roles a number of beneficial changes were made such as:- The introduction of an election process for the role of chairlady and the committee giving each and every eligible member of the ladies community a voice.
- The introduction of a secretariat role and the expansion of this role to encompass two members. This increased productivity and increased the committee’s approachability.
- The creation of subcommittees and their heads such as the volunteers, welfare, social, guhsal, majlis, and niyaz. This fostered a sense of community by allowing members of the community to contribute to its success, it also increased efficiency.
- Hosting a national Hussein Day and taking part in many more, thus strengthening inter community relationships.
- Working side by side with management committee giving ladies a voice in the hosting of programmes and projects eg Opening ceremony of Mefile Abbas, Opening of the extension, Muhammadi nursery, Seyida Zainab Project, Marriage seminar, 25th anniversary of Mefile Abbas, and lots more the list long and near endless.
The ladies committee accounts for the majority of the population of our jamaat, and I believe that there are a number of changes which need to be implemented in order for us to truly promote growth and development.
As you all know it is essential to have the support of the executive committee to implement even the smallest of changes, and this in turn depends on the support of the wider community. I believe that change is necessary and this will only be achievable with the help of each and every one of you.
In my two year term of office I propose to:
- Conduct an extensive audit into the needs of the community and create a system of feedback.
- Every member should have a voice, be able raise grievances and ideas. The findings of an audit would enable the committee to cater to the community’s needs, address their grievances and ultimately allow them to shape the community to suit them. A system of feedback is vital in ensuring that each voice is heard and additionally this would increase accountability and transparency of the committee.
I hope to do this by:
- Forming an external committee who have a role of freedom and objectivity, to conduct an audit in a manner which they see best and present their findings within the next six months.
- Introduce a system of feedback after every event.
- Host an annual open forum where members can raise any issues they see fit.
- The formation of a report highlighting the committee’s actions regarding their manifesto and the feedback received from the members via the audit and biannual discussions.
- Encourage equality for women within the running of the jamaat.
- Women’s needs are just as important as those of men and I will champion fair representation of women within the jamaat as a whole.
I hope to do this by:
- Liaising with an already sympathetic executive committee to ensure that women are given fair representation at all levels e.g. MAP committee, Masjid project, Resident Alim selection and eventually Jamaat Annual general meetings.
- Reach out and support individuals within the community who need specific help
- Everyone within this community needs help, whether it is senior citizens, new members who have emigrated to a new community, people new to our faith, new mothers, those who are financially stricken just to mention a few. We need to be inclusive of all and make them feel at home.
I hope to do this by:
- Increase signposting for help through the notice board and literature.
- Host regular events open to all, but specifically targeted at: reverts, senior citizens, those who have moved from overseas, new mothers etc
- Empower the youth
- We all know that today’s youth are tomorrow’s future, and it is our job as a committee to ensure that we have leaders ready for tomorrow. We have to encourage the handing over of responsibility.
I hope to do this by:
- Increasing the proportion of youth within sub committees so that the youths voice is heard and they will gain knowledge and experience
- Work with girls club and youth committee to arrange a work experience like service for those interested in a future of working with the community.
- Handing over the complete running of a week’s programmes once every three months. They will have the freedom to do as they see fit (with support as needed) and will have to ensure everyone is catered for.
- Nurture a culture of community service
- No committee or community can run without people, a lot of people want to get involved but cannot dedicate a lot of time or are unable to help due to a lack of experience. Volunteers are always needed as is a good skill mix. Everyone wants to help, however little, and this culture of community service needs nurturing.
I hope to do this by:
- Creating a volunteer base, where individuals can sign up and state time they can give and services they can provide, from giving those unable to get to mosque for a Friday programmer to helping to move chairs, and everything in between, We want you.
- Increasing the awareness of opportunities where people can help through advertising and word of mouth.
In summary I pledge that I will do all that is in my power to:
- Conduct a community audit identifying the needs of the community and create a system of feedback.
- Encourage equality for women within the running of the jamaat.
- Reach out and support individuals within the community who need specific help.
- Empower the youth.
- Nurture a culture of community service.
One final word, I would like to thank each and every person who has made this great community what it is and to have any opportunity to serve this community in any capacity is an honour bestowed upon us all by Allah. Let us take advantage of this opportunity to really make a difference to our community. I look forward to working with you.
