Islamic Relief USA - Hope for Pakistan Campaign with Cricket Great Wasim Akram
By Ras H. Siddiqui
With several projects now covering struggling communities across continents, Islamic Relief USA (IR-USA) has been active in its work since at least 1993 when war-torn Bosnia needed immediate and critical assistance. It is now widely known for providing humanitarian assistance both within the United States and trouble spots worldwide such as Palestine, Kashmir and Syria (just to name a few). And it is not only during war or occupation that people need help. Poverty itself is disastrous to many communities especially within several Muslim countries, be it refugees, lack of education, healthcare, and clean drinking water. The problem of orphans is also quite acute as children need support after either one or both parents have been lost. IR-USA helps to support orphans in countries ranging from Afghanistan to Yemen and in this work Pakistan too gets close attention.
IR-USA has held other events in the Sacramento, California which have drawn widespread attention. But this one on December 13, 2019 attracted some special attendance for two reasons. First, it was titled “Hope for Pakistan” and the second was Cricket great Wasim Akram’s presence and participation. But there were challenges too. There have been so many fundraisers in this area in the past three months that community donor fatigue had set in. Still a Pakistani sports personality of Wasim Akram’s stature was coming so a number of IR-USA officials and workers along with local Cricket fans went into high gear. It was close but Muslims in the area eventually responded positively, with Pakistanis, Indians and Afghans showing up in significant enough numbers to make the evening successful. So a huge “Thank You” to all the IR-USA officials, volunteers and supporters up front, because not only are they doing good work but they are carrying out their pursuits in style.
It would not be fair if one somehow skipped the other speakers at this event and proceeded directly to Wasim Akram. Event emcee Zaid Akhter, the kids who performed the recitation from the Holy Qur’an, Development Coordinator Abdullah Ibrahim, Abdul Qader Khan for his welcoming words, Islamic Relief USA President Anwar Khan for his great delivery and a young lady, once herself an orphan by the name of Alina Afzal who inspired everyone beyond what words can describe here need to be applauded. And Imam AbdeljalilMezgouri for conducting the fundraiser plus the dignified closing by (our very own) IR-USA’s Northwest Manager HamayounJamali. If anyone has been left out, it is not intentional. And one cannot leave out the delicious Afghan dinner served by The Arain Palace. As mentioned earlier the going was tough (for fundraising) but the tough certainly got going here with the help of some moving videos on orphans in Pakistan.
Now to Wasim Akram. There were two parts to his presentation this evening starting with his short (vocal) delivery and followed by a Question and Answer session conducted through an informal fireside chat with the help of Ahmed Jeddy from Texas. During both,Wasim also established his credentials here as an easy going “People person.” He was relaxed and did not appear aloof as some Cricket players that have visited us in the past. He also has a great sense of humor which should not be any surprise for one who is a true Lahori from the heart of Punjab.
First a brief introduction: Wasim Akram has been included in the list of the greatest players in the history of the game of Cricket, not only as a bowler (his forte) but as an all-rounder. His claim to fame is sealed as he helped the Pakistani team to win their one and only World Cup in 1992 as a part of Imran Khan’s “Cornered Tigers” who beat formidable odds to clinch victory. And one of his many contributions to the game was swing bowling or more specifically the “Reverse Swing” which can be considered a real Pakistani invention. It is said that another great of Cricket, Sarfraz Nawaz, introduced the reverse swing to the game and he passed it on to Imran Khan who imparted this knowledge to the two “Sultans of Swing” Wasim Akram and WaqarYounis. The rest is Pakistani Cricket history. It is very difficult to make an old and worn Cricket ball to move swiftly, especially in the reverse direction but Wasim Akram was able to do that to near perfection.
During his speech Wasim commended the Islamic Relief organization for the important work that they have been doing to help the less fortunate in Pakistan. He also thanked everyone including the non-Pakistanis in attendance for being present and for their continued generosity towards providing basic things that we may take for granted in America or the UK which are real challenges in developing Third World countries. He said that we just met our little princess from Pakistan (Alina Afzal) and reflected on how she must have felt on losing a parent when she was so young. Thanks to Islamic Relief and you guys she is where she is right now. Wasim also shared his own tragedy from 10 years ago when he lost his wife and the impact that it had on his young kids.
Akram said that in the last 10 years he has himself changed a lot. He said that he came from a relatively humble background; his parents had separated and lived in a small house with his mother in an area called Mozang in Lahore. He added that he played Cricket on the streets. He went to a very good school (Cathedral) because his dad paid for it and he was picked up out of the blue to play Cricket. Allah has been very kind, he added, and that he was lucky to have had some great mentors early in his career like Imran Khan, JavedMiandad and MudasserNazar. He shared his experience of being a part of the Pakistan team as a 17-year-old touring New Zealand and not knowing what a steak was or how to eat it with a knife and fork! He said that he was used to Punjabi cuisine but one learns and should never quit learning. He spoke very fondly of kids and his Australian wife Shaniera (who does charity work in Pakistan herself). We hope to see MrsAkram accompanying her husband next time here in California.
During the “Up Close and Personal” fireside chat with Ahmed Jeddy, there were choice anecdotes shared and a lot of laughter generated. On a question from an Indian fan present Wasim said that he was good friends with former Indian Cricketers and that politics should not dominate sports. He mentioned Pakistan’s Nehru Cup victory in Calcutta over West Indies where he hit a six to win the game instead of taking a single as Imran Khan had instructed and never hearing the end of it from his captain. There were many more amusing moments before the night came to a close during which both Islamic Relief-USA and Wasim Akram plus orphans in Pakistan came out as winners. Well done!
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