Together everyone achieves more

Rachael Maskell MP for York Central met with volunteers from the Seven Kings Mosque in Redbridge to welcome them to York and to thank them for all their hard work helping to clear up after the recent flooding.

The charity event organised by the Indian Muslim Federation – Newham branch, also raised over £4,000 and plan to present a cheque to York Council next weekend.

30 volunteers coordinated by the Indian Muslim Federation (Newham Branch) joined forces with council workers and York volunteers, spending the day cleaning up community spaces across the city. Ms Maskell met with the team at the Zoo Skatepark on Foss Bank, which had been badly affected by the flood water. The team removed litter and washed down the area, making the skatepark serviceable again and hopefully it will be open soon to be enjoyed by residents.

I am really touched by the generosity of all volunteers that have come from far and wide to assist our city in the big clear-up after the flooding that took place over the Christmas period. The team from the Seven Kings Mosque in Redbridge travelled over 200 miles to help us here in York and have done an absolutely amazing job helping to clear up some our affected community areas and for that I am truly grateful.

In the wake of the floods, community spirit in our city has been immense and I have been overwhelmed by the acts of kindness both from residents and those that have travelled to York to show their support and give hope to so many in the face of adversity.

I can’t thank everyone enough for the massive volunteer recovery effort in York and I am looking forward to the Zoo Skatepark being declared open very soon.

Rachael Maskell MP for York Central

Unity in Diversity

In the wake of growing Islamophobia and rise of anti-immigrant parties, business and community leaders in London came together at a dinner called by the Indian Muslim Federation. Indian high commissioner Ranjan Mathai was the chief guest at the event.

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In the wake of growing Islamophobia and rise of anti-immigrant parties, business and community leaders in London came together at a dinner called by the Indian Muslim Federation.Indian high commissioner Ranjan Mathai was the chief guest at the event

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Honouring Lord Gulam Noon

The IMF – (Indian Muslim Federation) organised a special dinner to celebrate and honour the successes of the philanthropist businessman Sir Ghulam Noon, who is now known as Lord Ghulam Noon.

Shamsuddin Agha and Councillor Masood Ahmed were the main organisers of this event which took place at the Walthamstow Assembley Hall – In Lord Noon’s words, a venue even more grand than Buckingham Palace itself.

The dinner was a private affair attended by a small number of people all of whom were invited to take part in this tribute to a great man who has set an example for many others about what is possible if one has the right attitude, the stamina to work hard and commitment to one’s goals.

Out of all the speeches paying tribute to Lord Noon, Stephen Timms MP’s brief tribute praised Lord Noon’s maiden speech at the House of Lords. The other most impressive speaker was undoubtedly Qudsia Bano, a very capable young lady of only 13, looking really pretty in pink.

She talked cheekily about how “Noon Nana” had always patted her on the head but now she is growing so tall that she can pat him on the head!! Despite all the chuckles at this comment by Qudsia, most notably the loudest from Lord Noon and his wife Mohini Kent themselves, it has to be said that Lord Noon does deserve a pat on his head not only for all the wealth he has generated for this country but also for all his work for charities.

Lord Noon’s elevation to the House of Lords is the latest feather in his cap and in his own words; he is totally content now and feels that he has attained every goal he ever set himself. Whilst I have always been aware of the work of the Noon Foundation, the first time I really started admiring Lord Noon was when I saw his interview on Venus TV.

He comes across as a humble person whose ideas about life and work reflect the same attitude as most ordinary people who want to get on in their lives and live in an environment of peace and security. I was particularly touched about the story about his mother who gave her 21 room house in India, just built by her husband to a group of refugees in the 1940s.

In the 80s or 90s, she feared that due to the price increase, her son may try to get the property back so she asked him to convert it into the names of the people who had occupied it for several generations. And the son obliged her regardless of the loss of millions of rupees! This story also indicated where Lord Noon gets his philanthropist tendencies from.

There are in fact a lot of Asians who have become millionaires in the UK. There are I believe 200 or so. What sets most of them and Lord Noon apart is that there is no shadow or black mark on Lord Noon. No extra-marital affairs, no criminal activities, no investigations.

Whilst it’s not that difficult to earn daulat (money) if one is not too bothered about following the right path, and it’s quite easy to gain shohrat (fame) too if one knows how to use the media, the most difficult thing to earn is in fact izzat (respect). That involves not taking short cuts. And of course only the blessed few have real mohabbat (love). It seems that Lord Noon is one of those rare individuals who is blessed with all of these!

That’s the sort of thing that shows the true character of people!

The IMF deserve a pat too for organising this event!

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