British Muslim leaders mourn death of Dr. Syed Aziz Pasha

British Muslim leaders mourn death of the founder
of first Muslim Umbrella Organisation in the UK

Dr. Mozammel Haque

British Muslim leaders mourn the death of Dr. Syed Aziz Pasha, the founder of the first Muslim Umbrella Organisation in the UK, the Union of Muslim Organisations of UK & Eire (UMO). He was very disciplined, enlightened and organised leader the Muslim community of Britain had. He organised and held meetings, seminars, conferences, workshops and Summer camps and never missed recordings the proceedings of the conferences. Even he himself after the conferences sat down with his typewriter to write the press release and posted them to the newspapers and to the different departments and ministries, not only of the United Kingdom; but to other newspapers in other countries. I remembered very well as early as in the mid-70s, we used to get press releases of the conferences held by the UMO from Dr. Pasha for publication and as an editor of the Muslim World League Journal, we used to publish those press releases in our Magazine. Those press releases prepared, written and posted by Dr. Pasha are the primary source and documents of the Muslim community of Britain of those periods.

On the 7th of January, 2012 there was a recitation of the Qur’an programme at the Islamic Cultural Centre, London, organised by the UMO. In spite of my many efforts, I could not attend the programme at the ICC. I was in Saudi Arabia at that time. Though I was not physically present at the recitation of the Qur’an programme, I made special supplication at the Masjid al-Nabawi in Madina Munawwarah and also at Masjid-al-Haram at Makkah al-Mukarramah and also made dua after every prayer for the soul of Dr. Pasha.

Dr. Abdullah Omar Naseef
On Sunday, the 8th of January, 2012, I was in Jeddah in the office of Dr. Abdullah Omar Naseef, former Secretary General of the Rabita al-Alam al-Islami and present Secretary General of the International Islamic Council for Da’wah and Relief (IICDR). When Dr. Pasha passed away, Dr. Naseef was at that time in the United Kingdom and he attended Dr. Pasha’s Janaza at the London Central Mosque at Regents’ Park. I interviewed Dr. Naseef about Dr. Pasha. Speaking about Marhum Dr. Pasha, Dr. Abdullah Omar Naseef said, “Dr. Pasha was really an Islamic personality; he was spending all the time to the service of the Muslim community and nothing for his person.”

“He was hard worker and went from here to there and followed up the matters of the Muslims. He used to have good relations with the authorities in Britain. So he could manage to pass many things that are very useful for the Muslims,” observed Dr. Naseef and added, “He was very much really interested in Islam and worked accordingly, Alhamdo Lillah.”

Speaking about his personal relationship with Dr. Pasha, Dr. Naseef, who was Secretary General of the Muslim World League in those days, said, “As far as my relationship is concerned, Rabita al-Alam al-Islam is for everybody and he used to come and discuss the needs of the Muslims. Dr. Pasha put me on the Council of Muslim Education Trust as governor. I attended once or twice the meeting of the Muslim Education Trust as governor. He invited all shades of people from different communities, everybody; not only Indian or Pakistani community, everybody was there at the conferences.”

“As a person Dr. Pasha was really a wonderful man,” said Dr. Naseef and prayed to Almighty Allah by saying, “I ask Allah Subhanahu wa Taala to bless his soul and send him to Paradise.”

Recitation of the Qur’an Programme at
The London Central Mosque at Regents Park
The Recitation of the Qur’an programme for Dr. Syed Aziz Pasha Marhum, the former Secretary General of the Union of Muslim Organisations of the United Kingdom & Ireland (UMO) was conducted at the London Central Mosque at Regents Park on Saturday, 7th of January 2012 after Salatul Zuhr and it was concluded by the time of Salatul Maghreb. There were many lovers of Dr. Pasha present in this meeting. They were Mr. Noon, one of the executive members of the UMO, Sir Iqbal Sacranie, former Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and present Chairman of the Muslim Aid Trust, Mr. Yousuf Bhailok, also former Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain; Mr. Mohamed Ali from Islam Channel, Maulana Dr. Shahid Raza, Chairman of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board Trusts (MINAB) and the imam of the Acton Mosque. There was an Imam from the Islamic Cultural Centre who participated at the programme and concluded the meeting with dua (supplication).

As I was not at the meeting and as I could not find any recordings of the proceedings or any press releases, I personally contacted those people who spoke on the occasion and I am grateful to those speakers who cooperated and helped me by giving an interview at the eleventh hour about their statements. First of all, I requested Sir Iqbal Sacranie about his speeches at the programme.

Sir Iqbal Sacranie
Sir Iqbal Sacranie said, “The first point the very presence of cross section of the Muslim community is a clear testament of the love and affection towards late Dr. Pasha. Dr Pasha gave his entire life for the betterment and unity of the Muslim community. He was a beacon of light and the principled man who stood firm on the teachings of Islam.”

“I was privileged to have attended the very first meeting of the formation of UMO and was fortunate to work closely with Dr. Pasha in the UMO committees for many years. I learnt a lot from him and was able to utilise that experience and knowledge in my work for the community,” mentioned Sir Iqbal.

Sir Iqbal concluded by saying, “His mission in life was to ensure that Muslims in the UK were united so that they can have effective voice. The most appropriate way to show our appreciation to this wonderful personality is first of all to remember him in our daily prayers and to work for the unity of Muslims in the UK.”

Sir Iqbal also observed, “It is now very important that over the last 25 years, time has changed and it is about time that major organisations, such as Muslim Council of Britain ( MCB), British Muslim Forum (BMF) and Union of Muslim Organisations (UMO) should seriously consider how they can work together for the benefit of the Muslim community of UK.

Mr. Yousuf Bhailok
Mr. Yousuf Bhailok, former Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) said, “The late Marhum Haji Dr. Syed Aziz Pasha was a God-fearing man; above all, of such taqwa! Man of integrity and a man of service to the deen of Islam. Right to the last breath.”

“Dr. Pasha was a wonderful human being, an old-fashioned charm and sharp intellectual with vision for the future,” observed Mr. Bhailok and mentioned, “We held for the UMO 25th anniversary in 1990 an international three-day event at Earls Court. We lobbied at many political conferences and attended many international functions.”

Mr. Bhailok said, “Dr. Pasha always said blunt truth, without fear or favour, even to the highest dignitaries he reminded them of duty and accountability to Allah swt.”

Recollecting to his last visit to the hospital, Mr. Bhailok mentioned, “Dr. Pasha was a decent man, in the last visit to him in hospital, he said to me, first do your salaat, then sit with me. He trained many of us, we were young men then, who later took prominence in UK, but without doubt he was our senior Statesman. He had commitment, passion and energy to serve.”

“He inspired me and was my mentor. I had great respect for him as a good human being and an example in this modern society,” said Mr. Bhailok and added, “We had a selfless individual, whose lifetime and dedication to UK Muslims is second to none. He was the conscience and voice of UK Muslims.”

Mr. Bhailok concluded by praying, “May Allah Subhanahu wa Taala accept his services. I will surely miss him.”

Maulana Dr. Shahid Raza
I interviewed Maulana Shahid Raza about Dr. Pasha. Speaking on the life and services of Dr. Syed Aziz Pasha Marhum, Maulana Dr. Shahid Raza said, “Since I came in this country in 1978, from that time until the end Dr. Pasha always advocated unity among the Muslims and I considered it as one of the great contributions to the life of the Muslim community in this country. Perhaps he was the only Muslim leader who genuinely and in reality made all possible efforts in order to achieve unity of the Ummah in this country.”

“Dr. Pasha never supported or never favoured any of the groups. This country has so many groups, so many organisations, different Mazahebs and different Sects; but he was, in my opinion, loved by all, respected by all. In his programme, I have seen all the groups, all the schools of thoughts present, even the non-Muslims. But among Muslims, all the Muslim groups were represented in his programme. That was in my opinion one of the unique features of Dr. Pasha’s life that he was the symbol of unity; he was great advocate of the unity of Muslims in this country,” said Maulana Raza.

Speaking about another quality of Dr. Pasha, Maulana Raza mentioned, “The second thing I have very strongly and distinctly noticed in the life of Dr. Pasha is that he was a very bold person, a very courageous person. He used to speak in front of Prime Minister, Home Minister and other Ministers and whatever he felt truth, he never compromised. I can tell you that he never compromised. Look that I am sitting with the Prime Minister and if I say something he might be upset, he might be angry. He did not care about it. Whatever he believed to be correct, he used to speak boldly and clearly.”

Maulana Raza said, “Dr. Pasha was a messenger of truth. The Hadith (the Tradition of the Prophet peace be upon him) of the Prophet says: “If you say the truth in front of a ruler, this is one of the biggest Jihad. Dr. Pasha was a Mujahid. He continued this Jihad throughout his life in front of Prime Minister Tony Blair, in front of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, in front of Home Minister Jack Straw and whenever he used to meet the ministers in front of many other Muslims and in front of many other non-Muslims, he always used to say what he believed to be correct and true. So this is something I believe everybody will agree that Dr. Pasha was a true bold courageous leader in the Muslim community in this country.”

Speaking about Dr. Pasha’s contribution, Maulana Raza said, “Dr. Pasha’s contribution is something which we will never forget; about organising Summer camps for the training of Muslim young boys and girls and I personally know many Muslim boys and girls who attended his Summer camps of moral, spiritual and Islamic training and after attending those camps these young Muslim boys and girls became practising Muslims and they came back from his camps as genuinely interested in learning Islam. I know some of those who attended these Summer Camps, now are doctors working with big companies, in big organisations, but they still practise Islam. So Dr. Pasha, through his company, through his discourses, through his trainings put Islam and love of Islam in the hearts of thousands of young Muslim boys and girls. He also trained so many young people who later on became leaders of the Muslim community in this country.”

I enquired whether someone has suggested how to remember the services of Dr. Pasha. Maulana Raza said, “Unfortunately, there were no suggestions about how Dr. Pasha needs to be remembered regularly by us all; it could be an annual memorial lecture, it could be, for example, an annual conference dedicated to Dr. Pasha.”

I mentioned that throughout his whole life Dr. Pasha never missed the celebration of the Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him; it was a sort of interfaith conference where people of all different religious communities were invited, people from the government and political parties participated and attended in the celebration. Maulana Raza said, “This is something Dr. Pasha was unique that he celebrated Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi all the years as an interfaith programme. I think it was the first Milad-un-Nabi in the history of Muslims in the United Kingdom to be celebrated in that way where representatives from political parties, from the government, from the police and from other faith communities, they used to join Muslims and we used to share with them the great miracles and message of our great Prophet peace be upon him. So it was a wonderful programme and he was the founder of this programme and he took it at the peak and I think it would be something wonderful if the UMO can carry this programme of Milad-un-Nabi exactly as Dr. Pasha designed it. It would be a great tribute to Dr. Pasha if UMO can continue with this programme.”

Dr. Syed Aziz Pasha receives Lifetime Achievement Award

Dr. Pasha Receives Lifetime
Achievement Award

Dr. Mozammel Haque

Dr. Syed Aziz Pasha, the General Secretary of the Union of Muslim Organisations of the United Kingdom & Ireland (UMO), was given The Editor’s Lifetime Achievement Award at The Muslim News Award for Excellence Annual Ceremony, held at London’s Grosvenor House, on Monday, the 15th of March, 2010.

Over 800 people celebrated the Tenth Annual The Muslim News Awards for Excellence - Britain's longest standing Muslim awards event. The coveted award ceremony recognised the very best of Muslim contribution to British society. Special guests included Communities Secretary, John Denham, MP, and Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Grayling, MP. They were joined by civic and religious leaders, as well as representatives from the worlds of politics, business, sport and the arts, to honour unsung heroes and heroines of the community.

Presenting the Editor’s Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. Pasha, Mr. Ahmed J. Versi, the Editor and Publisher of The Muslim News, said, “As we mark the tenth year of The Muslim News Awards, this new accolade recognises those who have made exceptional contributions to the life of Britain’s Muslim community. Unlike the other Awards – whose recipients are chosen by a strictly independent panel of judges – this tribute is granted by the Editor of The Muslim News.”

“The winners of this Award personify the spirit of this entire initiative. They are our community’s unsung heroes who have diligently, courageously and persistently expended energy and striven to improve the lot of British Muslims,” said Versi.

Dr. Syed Aziz Pasha
On receiving the Editor’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Dr. Pasha said, “I was surprised to receive this Award as I was not expecting it. I do remember Mr. Ahmed Versi attended our first annual conference of Union of Muslim Organisations of the United Kingdom & Ireland (UMO) 40 years ago. Since then he has been consistently supporting our organisation and giving prominent coverage to our conference particularly our Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi celebration which is our main daw’ah activity, for which Allah the Almighty will reward him.”

“Regarding the acceptance of this award, I am hesitating whether I am violating the commands of Allah the Almighty for whose pleasure I have been doing little service to Islam and the Muslim community,” said Dr. Pasha and mentioned, “In the Holy Qur’an, it is made clear in one verse that Allah the Almighty has said: Paradise is reserved for those who do not aspire to greatness in this world nor seek mischief but piety is their guiding principle. However in another verse, he said: seek what is best for the life Hereafter (Akhirah) but do not neglect your share in this world.”

Dr. Pasha also said, “In this spirit, I am accepting this award which I hope will not affect my reward in the Akhirah. I commend Mr Versi’s enterprising spirit to provide this platform to the Muslim community to prove that practising the tenets of Islam in no way inhibits their ability to reach the top of their professional and academic positions.”

The Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, MP
Earlier, the Guest of Honour, Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, MP, said, “The Muslim News Awards are an excellent opportunity to celebrate the fantastic contribution that British Muslims across the country make to the UK.”
The Home Secretary also said, “we are celebrating the enormous contribution that Muslims make in every aspect of British life - whether that’s in politics, academia, law, sport, the arts, healthcare, humanitarian aid, the military, business and finance, or indeed, cuisine

The Home Secretary presented the Al Biruni Award for Excellence in community relations and said, “Al Biruni is not only celebrated as one of the fathers of modern mathematics – he was also an outspoken campaigner against intolerance and prejudice between Muslims and Hindus in 11th century India.”

“Each of the nominees exemplifies this spirit – whether it’s by building bridges between faiths, improving relationships between Muslim communities and the police, or promoting understanding and awareness of Islam through important cultural events such as the Edinburgh festival,” the Home Secretary added.

The Home Secretary mentioned, “Our history and our values are deeply entwined – Muslim communities have been part of British life for many centuries, long before the waves of emigration from the Commonwealth in the 50s and 60s. There are references to Islamic scholarship in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and there have been sizeable Muslim communities in this country since at least the 17th century.”

“Just as we have a shared history, so we also have shared values. The key principles of Islam – the right to life, the right to worship, freedom of expression, justice and tolerance – are universal,” said the Home Secretary and added, “They are echoed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights drawn up in 1948.”

Alan Johnson, MP, said, “There is a responsibility on government to tackle social exclusion, deprivation and discrimination in all its forms – we know that in our schools and universities, only a fraction of the potential of young Pakistanis and Bangladeshis is realised, despite significant improvements in recent years. And we know that there are Muslim communities in the UK which are disproportionately affected by poverty and unemployment, who struggle to access services or face discrimination and harassment because of their faith or ethnicity.”

“Tonight’s award winners and nominees exemplify the talent, passion and commitment among Muslim communities to making the UK a fairer, more tolerant and safer place and I’d like to thank all of them for their contribution to the wellbeing and prosperity of this country and its citizens,” said the Home Secretary.

Editor of the Muslim News, Ahmed Versi
Earlier, while welcoming the distinguished guests, ministers, religious leaders and community leaders, Editor and Publisher of The Muslim News, Ahmed J. Versi, said, “We began this event ten years ago because we wanted to acknowledge the noble accomplishments and displays of distinction within the British Muslim community and showcase the tremendous contributions British Muslims make to Britain. We wanted also to identify and highlight Muslim role models for the younger generation.”

Versi said, “I wrote then that the contributions of British Muslims to our society and economy, was not readily acknowledged and that Islam and Muslims suffered under the glare of an excessively negative media. I said then too that ‘I look forward to the day when Islamophobic stereotypes will become an anachronism and as unacceptable as racism is now.’ Sadly, things haven’t moved on much since then.”

“On the contrary, Islamophobia has considerably worsened and stories reflecting positively on Muslims and Islam are a rare thing indeed,” said Versi and argued, “This is an unfortunate state of affairs because there are enormous contributions being made by British Muslims in all sectors of our society. Yet, in the face of our many visible successes, there are those who refuse to relent and insist that Muslims are in ‘need of integration’.

Versi also mentioned, “A decade ago Muslims were in the main observed and viewed through the lens of fundamentalism. A decade on they’ve come to be observed and seen through the prism of extremism and terrorism. The preoccupation with the actions of a tiny violent extremist minority and a small vocal provocative fringe has come to eclipse the everyday achievements of the British Muslim majority.”

As the general elections are approaching, as an Editor of The Muslim News, Versi touched upon “over a decade of the Government and reflect on how matters have fared for British Muslims, particularly for those of us working in the media.”

Speaking about the Labour Party, Versi mentioned, “Labour picked the first Muslim for a safe Parliamentary seat and appointed Muslim peers, as well as Muslim advisors for a host of initiatives. There are now four Muslims in the House of Commons, all of them Labour. And we have the first Muslim minister attending the Cabinet, the Rt Hon Sadiq Khan.”

“The Government fulfilled many of our longstanding requests: A question on religion to be included in the national census of 2001; funding of Muslim schools; Shari’ah compliant financial products working within UK financial regulations; outlawing of religious discrimination at work place and in service delivery in public institutions and outlawing of incitement to religious hatred,” he mentioned.

The editor of the Muslim News, said, “However, since the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the subsequent invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, and more so since the July 7 2005 bombings in London, relations between the Government and Muslim organisations have suffered from episodes of severe strain.”

“Muslims, especially young men and university students, are predominantly viewed by the Government through the lens of extremism,” said Versi and argued, “This certainly cannot be healthy for nurturing of active citizens for tomorrow’s Britain.”

Speaking about The Conservative Party, Versi mentioned, “It was under William Hague that we saw Britain’s first Muslim member of the European Parliament. This change has continued under the current leadership of David Cameron. There are now two Muslim Tory peers and one of them Sayeeda Warsi, is a member of the shadow cabinet.”

Speaking about the Liberal Democrats, Versi said, “And the Liberal Democrats too have made strides in supporting Muslim issues and they have one Muslim peer. They aptly reflected the society’s feeling on war on Iraq by taking a robust stand against it. Nick Clegg demanded that our Government and the European Union halt arms sales to Israel during Operation Cast Lead in which hundreds of innocent Palestinian civilians, including many children were killed.”

There is a pressing need for whichever party comes to form the next Government “to re-visit policies that improve relations with the Muslim community and help rejuvenate community cohesion” and “Questions like ‘are you a Muslim first or British first’ or ‘are you from Pakistan’ will, such is our hope, no longer feature in the discourses of the future,” said Editor of the Muslim News and the main sponsor of the event.

Winners and Presenters of Award for Excellence
This Awards ceremony is about recognising those individuals who aspire to attain their very best as members of the British Muslim society. It is those British Muslims and non-Muslims that have proven themselves worthy of recognition for their contribution to Britain that we are here to honour this evening.

Al Biruni Award for Excellence in Community Relations was awarded to Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra. This Award was presented by Rt Hon Alan Johnson, MP, Home Secretary. Ibn Battuta Award for Excellence in Media was awarded to Faisal Al Yafai. This Award was presented by Liberal Democrats.

Ibn Khaldun Award for Excellence in promoting understanding between global cultures and faiths was given to Salma Abbasi. This Award was presented by John Denham, MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. Sankore University Award for Excellence in Education was given to Dr Nadia Durrani. This Award was presented by Irfan Akram, UK Fundraising Manager of Muslim Hands.

Annemarie Schimmel Award for Championing a Muslim Cause was given to Tim Cooper. This Award was presented by Samia Ahmed, PA to UK Director of Islamic Relief. Ummul Mu'minin Khadijah Award for Excellence in Enterprise was awarded to Iqbal Wahhab. This Award was presented by Karim Saad, Founder, Halaltrip.com.

Malcolm X Young Person’s Award for Excellence was given to Zain Haider Awan. This Award was presented by Meral Hussein, Religion and Belief Commissioner, Equalities and Human Rights Commission. Uthman Dan Fodio Award for Excellence in Community Development was awarded to Mohammed Mangera. The Award was presented by Dale Simon, Director, Equality and Diversity, Crown Prosecution Service.

Alija Izetbegovic Award for Good Citizenship was given to Wakkas Khan. This Award was presented by Sir Iqbal Sacranie, Chair of Board of Trustees, Muslim Aid. Imams Hasan and Husayn Children's Award for Excellence was awarded to Abdul-Akbur Ali. This Award was presented by Salmi Kidwai, Muslim Council of Wales.

Faezeh Hashemi Award for Excellence in Sport was given to Kolo Abib Touré. This Award was presented by Mrs Faezeh Hashemi, President, Islamic Federation of Women Sport. Alhambra Award for Excellence in Arts was awarded to Mohammed Umar. This Award was presented to him by Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain.

Fazlur Rahman Khan for Excellence in Engineering, Science or Technology was awarded to Dr Haifa Takruri-Rizk. This Award was presented by Rt Hon Chris Grayling, MP, Shadow Home Secretary. Ibn Sina Award for Health was awarded to Sohail A Khan. This Award was presented by Dominic Grieve, MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Justice.

Imam wa Amal Special award was given to Dr Gill Hicks. This Award was presented to him by Fatima Hussain, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist and Chair of the independent panel of judges.