Muhammad Abdul Munim & His Vision of Unity
By Zaheer Uddin
Muslims in America are at crossroads. They are facing many challenges from within and from outside. One of the gravest challenges comes from within, the lack of unity in the Muslim community. This malady is observable in the family, as well as in their collective life at mosques, Islamic centers and Muslim organizations.
Br. Abdul Munim who passed away on Friday, October 7, 2011, had the vision of a united and cohesive Muslim community in this land of opportunity, and worked tirelessly for more than four decades. He was cognizant of the power in unity and believed that the talent and energy in the Muslim community in America will make this dream a reality. He wanted to bring all members of the community on one platform.
Late Br. Abdul Munim was a visionary. He was a dynamic worker of Islam (Da’ee Ilallah). He was always away from the bickering commonly noticed in community and religious organizations. He was away from the “Jam’aati Asbi’at”. That’s why he was not the worker of a particular Muslim organization but a real worker of Islam praising anyone who worked for Islam.
The best example of his efforts for Muslim unity in North America was his attempt to unify Muslim New Yorkers. He was one of the founders of the Muslim Unity Day Parade, which had its 26th event this September. He wanted to see all Muslims irrespective of their color, ethnicity and language, under the banner of La ilaha illalla Muhammadur rasoolullah.
He was also a pioneer in Muslim journalism in the United States. He started a weekly, the Minaret, in early 70s. He unfortunately gave up this task when his eyesight became very weak, and was unable to read and write.
Br. Abdul Munim had passion for quality Muslim education. He wanted to see Islamic schools all over the United States. He had a desire to raise $10 million as endowment for this noble task. To achieve this goal he established a nonprofit organization, Muslim Unity Foundation, in the late 90s that is still continuing and in progress.
May Allah help us and place Br. Abdul Munim in high ranks of paradise. Aameen.
