Chicago Roundup
Three Friends, Three Icons . Caroling and Dinner by United Christian Community of Greater Chicago . Disaster Assistance Training by Islamic Relief USA . Tributes Paid to Dr. Habeebuddin Ahmed’s Work on Ameer Khusrau . Greater Detroit Youth Supports Pakistan Flood Victims . Ziauddin Sardar in East-West Perspectives
By Dr Mujahid Ghazi
Three Friends. Three icons
Chicago; December 12th, 2011: At the newly renovated iconic Sabri Nihari Restaurant members of the community were waiting anxiously to surprise Asifur Rahman, Chief Plan Examiner of City of Chicago, with a party to celebrate his recent achievement. Asif recently received an Award of Distinguished Service from the American Institute of Architecture (AIA) Chicago Chapter for being a strong ally of the architectural profession. Asif works closely with the architects, who develop landmark buildings in Chicago by virtue of his thorough understanding of the code and thoughtful mentoring of his colleagues. As Chief Plan Examiner for City of Chicago, he understands the current innovations in new building materials, emerging building systems and precedent setting design.
Addressing the audience, the host Ahmed Irfan Khan, President and CEO of Barkaat Foods and Taaza2u.com, praised Asifur Rahman for his dedication to his work and many voluntary tasks which he does for various community centers
“Serving and working with Chicago’s professional design industry has been a rewarding and educational experience,” said Asif Rahman, chief plan examiner for the City of Chicago, Department of Buildings. “I am sincerely grateful that my efforts are appreciated by the many members of the AIA.”
Caroling and Dinner by United Christian Community of Greater Chicago
Chicago; December 3rd, 2011: The United Christian Community of Greater Chicago organized a Caroling and Dinner event at The Trinity Lutheran Church in Roselle. Members of Pakistani American Christian Community along with Indian and Arab American Christians attended this festivity. It was jointly hosted by the South Asian Presbyterian Church, Masihi Church of God, Pak Hind Christian Church, Joshua Singing Worship Ministries and Pastors and Church Leaders. Event started with welcome and call to worship by Pastors Younis Paul and Tanveer. Carols were presented by South Asian Presbyterian, Masihi Church of God, Indo Pak United Methodist, Pak Hind Christian, Bishop Jacob Agape and Arab Christian Choirs. Christmas songs were presented by Robinson Sadiq, Shakoor Victor, John Mall, Emma Mall, Raheel Sadiq, Shehzad Marcus, Almoos Shirazi and Romail Bhatti. Scripture Lessons were presented by Pastor Gulab Mushtaq, Pastor Sam Benjamin and Sajad Masih. Testimony was read by Saleem James. Prayer of submission and humility was presented by Pastors Tanveer and Younis. Meditation was presented by Rev. Samuel J Akhtar. Prayer of Thanks was offered by Dr. Maqsood Nasir and Rev. Samuel J. Akhtar. Benediction was delivered by Bishop Jacob Agape. Blessing for the Dinner was done by Pastor Julius.
Disaster Assistance Training by Islamic Relief USA
Chicago; December 3rd, 2011: The largest Muslim relief organization Islamic Relief organized a two-day disaster assistance training for volunteers at the Islamic Foundation Villa Park. About 20 volunteers attended the training session and received certification after completion. This is the first of many training sessions to follow in 2012 to enable Islamic Relief to constitute a disaster response team in the event of a disaster
Tribute to Dr. Habeebuddin Ahmed’s Work on Ameer Khusrau
Chicago; November 27th, 2011: Dr. Habeebuddin Ahmed is an unsung hero of our community. He has worked tirelessly to introduce Amir Khusrau to the West. A large number of Urdu lovers gathered to pay tribute to Amir Khusrau and recognize the work of Dr. Habeebuddin Ahmed. Dr. Mujahid Ghazi, Dr. Abidullah Ghazi, Dr. Khursheed Khizar, Itrat Husain Itrat, Lateef Saif, Abdur Raheem Talib, Muneer Siddiqui Sharar and Hashmat Sohail presented their poetry. Hashmat Sohail presented his short story and Mohammed Waseeuddin Ahmed talked about Urdu Adab Mein Ulema Ka Hissah. Dr. Habeebuddin Ahmed in his keynote speech discussed his efforts and work to promote the work of Ameer Khusrau. This session was presided by Dr. Brindera Sinha.
Greater Detroit Youth Support Pakistan Flood Victims
Dearborn; December 10th, 2011: A packed banquet hall at Dearborn Inn, comprising mostly of the Muslim Youth of Greater Detroit, raised funds for Pakistan Flood Victims. It was a simple and well organized event to support the relief efforts of Doctors Without Borders. Sarah Riaz and Sarah Farooqi welcomed the guests and introduced Chicago land’s famous Arab American Muslim comedian, producer and host of Arab-issh, Khaled TheComic. Later, Dr.Ganesh Muthappan, a cardiology fellow in local hospital, gave a detailed report on what Doctors Without Borders is doing in the disaster afflicted regions of the world. Dr. Mujahid Ghazi, Development Coordinator of Islamic Relief USA gave his account of the victims of recent and last year’s floods in Pakistan.
Ziauddin Sardar in East-West Perspectives
Chicago; November 15th, 2011: Ziauddin Sardar was the guest speaker at East-West University’s famous lecture series East-West Perspective. A broadcaster, writer and cultural critic, Sardar is Professor of Law and Society at Middlesex University. In his presentation he talked about the various aspects of his book Reading the Qur’an. After his talk the Q and A session turned into a heated debate.
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