First Responders and Community Leaders Honored in Roseville
By Ras H. Siddiqui

 

It was only a couple of years ago that we heard about the Human Ummah Foundation (HUF) in the Sacramento region and were introduced to its driving force Junaid Khan. And what we discovered was that HUF does things a little differently and primarily strives to promote Muslim inclusivity into the American social mainstream.

The impression that one gets is that HUF wants Muslim immigrants living in America, who have achieved success through hard work and sacrifice, to share their stories and give back to our local communities and adopted country in a visible and meaningful way. One unique way is to have a community banquet to honor our first responders.

There were some difficulties in executing this quest. Junaid has now relocated out of state with his family, but he had mentioned to some of us that he wanted to duplicate a similar effort which was carried out in Elk Grove last year in Roseville. For this he found support within our community. And thanks to Public Information Officers Jaime Garrett from Roseville Fire and Emergency Preparedness, and Lt Christopher Ciampa of the Roseville Police the months of effort and planning paid off with the holding of a City of Roseville Police and Fire Department  Heroes Banquet 2024 which was held at Timber Creek Ballroom in Placer County on June 8 th. It was described as a “Family Friendly Event in Appreciation of our Community First Responders” and it lived up to its expectations. 

From within the area Muslim community, this effort was supported by sponsors Sharif Jewelers, Dr Salwa Hussain, Dr Asim Mahmood and Ahsan Qadeer, Professor Ayad Al-Qazzaz of Sacramento State, Dr Ehsan Hadi, and Arshad Alvi of The Citizens Foundation. Along with them, a host of volunteers made it all possible including Durriya Syed, Laila Sheikh, Noor Abedin, Noor Arafa, Samran Khan, and Sardar Habib. And this list is surely not complete. HUF at this banquet also chose to honor the community services of Professor Al-Qazazz, Mahmud Sharif, Dr Sadiah Iqbal, Basim Elkarra, and Dr Musarrat Maqbool.

The event started with some pre-activity, with a Roseville Police and Fire Department Station Vehicle/Equipment Fair in the parking lot where the attendees were able to inspect a bright fire truck and a formidable police car. This was followed by a social hour in the lobby.  

The formalities began with an introduction to the program and an appreciation of our heroes by Noor Abedin and a short invocation by Mohammad Taha Rezai. And on a patriotic note, the Pledge of Allegiance led by Munizeh Raza was presented next with the venue standing at attention. This was followed by a combined/dual presentation of colors by both the Roseville Police Department and Firefighters Honor Guard. 

The event emcee for the evening Dr Salwa Hussain did a remarkable job here along with other Muslim community award announcers namely Khydeeja Alam, Zaki Syed, Asif Haq, Dr Asim Mehmood, Mohammad Sharif, Najme Minhaj and Durriya Syed. Dr Salwa asked for a moment of silence for the innocent victims of violence worldwide. She also took the opportunity to read out a list of dignitaries present at the event. The first person she invited to the stage was keynote speaker Imam M.A. Azeez of the Tarbiya Institute, the largest Muslim congregation in Placer County.

Imam Azeez was in a pensive mood during his delivery here. He said that we complain a lot about everything when we need to instead appreciate and show gratitude. He quoted Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on the sanctity of life and added that first responders are in line with that thought and remind him of what it means to be a good Muslim, putting their own lives on the line to save other lives. Thankfully our first responders do not have to operate in Syria and Gaza, he added. Imam Azeez dwelled deeply into the spiritual aspects of the Islamic faith, the pilgrimage of Hajj, and zeroed in on the humanity in Islam’s message which is a major and essential part of it. 

Area US Congressman Kevin Kiley in his short address here said that he was honored to be amongst friends along with his wife Chelsee, and that his office is always open to serve.   He said that to him support for our first responders was of paramount importance and he commended the HUF for recognizing them and their efforts. Kevin said that the support that we rely on when we are faced with crime, or an emergency, just doesn’t happen by itself. It relies on the men and women who are willing to risk their life and limb for the safety of others, which to him is the highest form of public service. Kiley thanked the police and fire department for all they do to keep our community safe and hoped that events such as this one would encourage young people to join the first responder community.

Roseville’s Mayor Bruce Houdesheldt also added his words of support and stressed the importance of community. He mentioned that earlier in the day he had attended the Pakistani American Cultural Festival and appreciated the fact that we are a connected community here. He said that he had learnt at the festival that Pakistan had the second tallest mountain and that it recently lost to Team USA in the Cricket World Cup. Pakistani Americans can say that they lost to themselves! He also thanked our local first responders and the Muslim community for their many contributions to the area.

The next two speakers were Roseville Police Captain Douglas A. Blake and Fire Chief  Rick Bartee. Both expressed their appreciation for the holding of his event and of the men and women being honored here from their respective departments.

And just before the awards the main person behind this Heroes Banquet, Junaid Khan, said a few words. He thanked everyone for attending, especially all the volunteers for their help, and gave a brief background of HUF, its incubation in the Los Angeles area, and its work. He shared his firsthand family experience with first responders and deeply appreciated their service. Junaid also pointed out that the attendees are encouraged to donate funds to the Roseville Public Safety Foundation whose QR Code had been provided.

The main reason for everyone being here was next. Several individuals from amongst the Roseville Police and Fire Department, our heroes, were honored here. They were Battalion Chief Jamie Pepin, Dispatcher Alex Tarr, EMS Coordinator Rochelle Gregory, Engineer Zac Graydon, Officers Hollie Ratliff, Michael Campbell, George Turkov, Samarjit Rai, Jacob Horton and Shannon Rauls, and Sergeant David Tuggle. The Roseville Customer Service: Fire & Life Safety Division led by Division Chief Michael Bradley also received a team award. Congratulations to all of them.