Dr Khawaja Arshad Zaheer, one of the founding trustees and vice chairman of Islamic Foundation, Villa Park, Illinois, passed away on Sunday, October 29, 2022. His Namaz-e-Janaza (funeral prayer) was offered on Sunday, October 30, 2022, after the Dhuhr prayers at Islamic Foundation Mosque, Villa Park, Illinois. He was buried in the Chapel Hill Cemetery, Oak Brook Terrace, Illinois.
Dr Zaheer had a great passion for community work. He was a visionary and a dedicated community leader who served the community for more than sixty years by establishing schools and mosques in the Chicagoland area.
Dr Zaheer was one of the founding members of the Board of Trustees of the Islamic Foundation, Villa Park, IL. He served the Islamic Foundation for over 50 years — during his tenure as the Vice Chairman — Islamic Foundation grew from a small weekend religious school to one of the largest Islamic Centers in the United States with a large mosque, full-time school (Pre-K to Grade-12), and multiple weekend school programs. The school is accredited by Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and North Central Association of Colleges and Schools ( NCA).
Dr Zaheer was a very humble, kind, and compassionate leader, who focused on building bridges across diverse cultures and religions. His dedication to serve the whole community, irrespective of their ethnicity and religion, is well known in the Chicagoland area. He promoted and participated in many social and interfaith meetings.
Dr Khawaja Arshad Zaheer practiced medicine in the Chicagoland area as a board-certified radiologist. His specialties included Radiology and Vascular & Interventional Radiology. He received his school and college education in West Pakistan, and Chittagong, East Pakistan, where his father was posted in early 1950s. Dr Zaheer was one of the early South Asian immigrants and migrated to the United States in 1957. After receiving his MBBS degree (1956) from King Edward Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan, he came to the United States and completed his internship (1957) and residency (1958-1960) at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago. He was a member of American Board of Radiology, and actively participated in its professional forums for more than fifty years.
Dr Zaheer played a pivotal role in collecting funds and establishing many Islamic centers in the Chicagoland area. He was a member and avid supporter of Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA) and participated in its various conferences around the world. He actively participated and promoted the growth of national Muslim organizations like Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA).
Dr Khawaja Arshad Zaheer’s legacy lives on through his dedicated service to the community. He is survived by three children and five grandchildren. May Allah SWT bless his soul and assign him a station in Janet-ul-Firdous for his outstanding efforts and accomplishments in serving the community — for more than sixty years — at local, national and international levels. Ameen!
