Humble request to Daiz-Zaman

[S. Insaf]

Respected Sayedna Mohammad Burhanuddin Saheb,

Head and well-wisher of the Dawoodi Bohra Community,
Badas-Salaam,

Dear Sayedna Saheb, the selfish coterie around you may not have kept you apprised you about the over all pathetic condition of loyal followers. There is a disastrous poverty all over and your followers are the worst sufferers. Take for example the India’s commercial city, Mumbai where hundreds of rich and filthy rich Bohras reside. In the same city there are thousands of Dawoodi Bohra Mumineen are living in acute poverty especially hutment areas of Santacruz, Bandra, Kurla and Jogeshwari.
Sayedna Saheb, at your old age I do not want to trouble you to go that far. But in Mumbai’s Bohra Mohalla (Taherabad) where you often come for Ziyarat of your dear father please some day get down from your car visit a few houses of ordinary Bohras living there. I know the inside of these houses as I regularly go there for distribution of medicines to the needy. Believe me Sayedna Saheb there are hundreds of apanawalas who are living a life of hell. They are afraid to accept medicines from me but poverty compels them to do so as they find no other alternative. I can see the fear on their faces.
I was a part of teams of members of Bohra Youth of Udaipur who had gone to various places in Gujarat and Saurashtra with relief material after Gujarat earthquake and Gujarat riot. The poverty of Mumineen in those small towns and villages that I have witnessed is also beyond description.
On the other side Allah has bestowed on you and your family unlimited Niyamats and best of the comforts – Palaces with all the luxuries of life, Wealth that would last for your seven generations, Permanent sources of income, Several valuable properties all over the world, Children and millions of devoted followers etc.

Respected Sayedna Saheb, I want to make a humble request. Please from this Ramazan onward advice you administration to stop collecting Sabeel and Wajebat from Mumineen and instruct them to emphasis on Mumineen to spend their due Zakat amount on their poor relatives, neighbours etc. as per Qura’nic injections.
At this age of 96 you can take this bold step the community will be ever grateful to you and history would always remember you.
Progressives will salute you.

Well-wisher of Dawat,
Saifuddin Insaf

[seeker110]

Br. Insaf
I admire your gesture but I think you are shaking the wrong tree.Tu bhikari sae bheek mangta hai.
We are the members of the proud bohra community.We have seen people like Peerbhoys and Alavi's.(sadiq bhai).I would request those souls to come again and bring back the Bohra brothers to the forefront.However I also have a glimmer of hope that Kothar can produce a human soul.We need to get back together.Progress and prosperity for all.

[S. Insaf]

Brother seeker110,
You say that, Br. Insaf, Tu bhikari sae bheek mangta hai.

I am not asking any thing from our Daiz-Zaman. Allah has given him more than enough. Let him and his family enjoy all the luxury and glory of life and carry on his mission.

My only request is that having achieved best of the both the world he should now refrain from taxing the community any more. He can do it no doubt if he is really an “Ambassador of Peace” and “Humane at Core" and well-wisher of his community. He only needs to take a bold step.

[makberi]

i know of this ardent syedna follower who resides in baroda....he has written many madehs for the syedna which have been published in the dawaats magazines....his one dream is to c the syedna visit his house once in his lifetime....but considerin he lives in a studio flat on the 3rd floor (the bldg doesnt have a lift) with 3 grand children and a widowed daughter in law...i dont think syedna's entourage wud fit in even if they did visit......the only source of income for the house is a mess which his daughter in law runs for students stayin nearby.....he is too old to work but spends most of his time at the nearby masjid ....doin khidmat....
Contrary to the beliefs of many....thre are quite a few bohris out there fighting everyday to make ends meet....in a truly islamic society they shud receive help in the form of zakat contributions from the community members ....but v r too busy attending majlises.....

[Humlog]

We should all start by cutting down our wajebats to Kothar and divert our giving to poor relatives. I know the pressure by Amils will be high, but \we should make a start. We can do this by refusing any increase in the wajebat to kothar,diverting the increase instead to any poor relatives or freinds.

I have started to do this last year and will Inshaallah do it again this year and every year.

[S. Insaf]

I dot not pay any Wajebat or any other tax to Kothar.
Once Mukasir Saheb had refused to perform a Nikah in my family. He said, that “your dues are not clear.” I told him that “we are a business community and therefore we should keep our Len-Den {give and take) clear in order to carry on further business with each other. You give me an account of all the money which you have taken from my family in last so many years and I will start giving you again.” Naturally he had no answer in front of many others sitting there and never again asked me to pay Wajebat.

Also I do not calculate my due Zakat but I have decided to bear medical and to some extent educational expenses of needy persons all through out the year, which I keep doing.

[seeker110]

Dai has been in the part of business where he can pull in the money,than there is the part of giving.I am not sure if they can manage that,what he would need is the perfect group of people who are devoted to relief organization.I am sure we have Ehide in bohri's.
After we stop giving to kothar we still need folks who can collect and provide needs of the community.Let it be factories,school or dawakhanas.
Allah please give us more of bohri Warren Buffets.Bill gates type of charitable person.

[Average Bohra]

S. Insaf,

Your request is credible and reasonable, however, have you distributed it via any other medium ? Have the Progressives tried the "in your face" approach ? What I mean is placing this letter under the windshield wipers of cars outside mosques in every city in the world where there is one progressive residing ? Additionally, having a table setup with a banner outside every mosque in countries that provide police protection for public protest ?

Just curious as this approach just needs one progressive member in each town….and no, I don’t expect Bohras lining up to join the Progressive movement in droves, but the movement appears to lack momentum. Speaking strictly as a well wishing observer, please inform us as to what mean are used to get the word out other than this forum which is very effective, but limited in reach.

Please keep up the good work....

[kabeer19922001]

very commedable request

[S. Insaf]

Brother Average Bohra,
Have you distributed it via any other medium?
Inroad in our community for people like me is very limited.
In 1966 we distributed blankets and other household items among the poor Bohras of Santacruz hutments during Ramazan. Next day some persons from Kothar went there and asked them to return those items. The Bohras who accepted our help were under the impression that the help had come from Sayedna Saheb so they did not ask us for names and addresses. Hence they could not return the material. This was considered by Kothar a “Great Sin” and week after that, their hutments were burnt.
This is the situation in our community.

I was staying in a building in Dharamsi Street opposite to Qasre Husaini (Now Raza Tahera) during my schooling in Saboo Siddiq Tech. School from 1956 to 1958. Many Bohras still know me in that locality. I also know the needy persons in that area who need and accept help from me. But each time they request me with folded hands “Saifuddin Bhai Kuda na waaste khiyal rakhjo hamaroo nam na aave” (Please see that our names are not disclosed).
For distributing unaffordable medicines I quietly go in each house, get the prescription, buy medicines, get them examine by my doctor and then give them personally. While in their house if I come to know that they need some financial help for their children who are already in schools or colleges I get them help from the Educational Trusts like Dawood Fazalbhoy Trust (Khoja). I am a man of limited means now as I have retired from services as manager in Godrej. My age has also taken its toll. So my efforts are limited but I have continued them.

Have the Progressives tried the "in your face" approach?

I do not know about others. Mine is my individual effort whatever it is worth.
But I know a wealthy Bohra gentleman in Bombay who joking tells me “Yaar stop this movement. I am doubly taxed. I pay to Kothar as well as you.” So I think there are Bohras who feel about unfortunate members of their community and do their bit secretly.
Mr. A. T. Hasanali in Bangkok, Zulfiquar Husain in Aurangabad, Iftikhar Husain in Hydrabad and Dawoodi Bohra Jamat and Bohra Youth in Udaipur, Zainuddin Vali in Godhra, Haiderali Derki in Neemuch, Yunus Baluwala in Mumbai are doing commendable human services without differentiating between reformist and orthodox Bohras.
Yunus Baluwala is a businessman and stays very near to Santacruz hutments. I have seen many poor Bohra women and men coming to his house with request to pay their hutment rent, electricity bills etc.
Reformists’ Dawoodi Bohra Jamat – Bombay distributes grains, sugar, clothes etc. throughout Ramadan every year besides giving scholarship to Bohra students and Wazifas to various old and deserving Bohras without differentiating between reformist and orthodox Bohras.

Speaking strictly as a well wishing observer, please inform us as to what mean are used to get the word out other than this forum which is very effective, but limited in reach.

This Forum, Bohra Chronicle and Bombay Samachar are the only means right now that I know.

[profrog]

you call him rwespected syedna and then you abuse him what credibility do you have left now, you would be much more credible if you just said that you have adawat in your heart like the other progs and stopped using your tiny charity work as a sugar coated cynide pill, stop hiding behind your real shaitani face

[profrog]

last thing we bohras need are well wishers like you who with tiny gifts ruin all our lifes we passed through that stage with demise same so called well wishers like karimjees in eafrica

[profrog]

while it is posible that some bohras do live in poverty but the number nowehere as you claim

[Maqbool]

Profrog,

Uuless you Will not come out of well dear progresive frog you will not know how many bohras are their who needs help.I am also in contact with many bohras who deserves help and not getting from the vazebat we are giving to the sayedna.It is high time that we follow strictly the sugession given in another thread to save as many as possible from the vazebat given to the amils by force, and to give it to the needy.

The frogs who are covered in the wall of the well will never understand humanity ever.

[S. Insaf]

Brother Profrog,
Please brother do not get misled by the day in day out presence of 10 percent well-to-do Bohras around Sayedna Saheb presenting him 52 thousand and 52 crores of rupees in one sitting. Please brother believe me there is hair-raising poverty in our community all over. Please read the following letter just received by me:-

Dear Insaf bhai,
Earlier I was posted at Nasik as police inspector. Now my posting is in Surat since last one year. Being in police department I have witnessed with my own eyes the shocking poverty among our Dawoodi Bohras in this city. More shocking is our Dawoodi Bohra women adopting prostitution for the survival of their families.
Few Bohra women stand outside Qubba. They have employed four Bohra little boys who stand near by. Whenever these women spot a potential customer entering in Qubba, they hint at one of the boys and he goes and brings that person. One of the women negotiates with him and then both disappear.
This prostitution racket is run by Sakina Mohammed bhai Umarethwala, Rabab Cutlerywala and Zehra Sarafali Tinwala. These three women stay on first floor of Sabira Appartment in Zanpa Bazar near Jamiyah Saifiyah. Many people know about their activities. The name of Sakina is on every body's lip. Poor Bohra girls and women fall in their trap to some how stay alive in acute poverty.
On last Saturday I was standing near tower in Zanpa Bazar in plain clothes when Sakina came to me and invited me to her apartment but I refused. But next day I sent my hawaldar, Majid in plain clothes to her. She entertained him. Majid reported that there were few more young women in colourful burkhas (Rida) in that apartment.
My name is Ismail. But people call me "Inspector Sab or "Rao Sab". My wife is also a Dawoodi Bohra and her name is Razia Palanpurwala.
As an inspector I wanted to take strong action against these women but my wife asked me a pertinent question: What will you do about their poverty?

Please publish this letter in your Bohra Chronicle so that our beloved Aqa Mola (TUS) can know the pathetic condition of the Bohras in the holy city of Dais, and do some thing about it immediately.
Khuda Hafiz,
Inspector Ismail - Zanpa Bazar Surat

[Alislam]

I belong to hyderabad and here i have seen so many bohras who are well below poverty line and instead of helping them during Ramadan, the kothar extracts money from them.

Kothar is also uncomfortable when someone helps a needy bohra and instructs him to pay to jamaat and not to the needy directly..They say jamaat will take care of them, but never have i seen such a case.

[accountability]

The request to syedna saheb is very genuine and heartfelt. One of the duty of the office of Dai, is to do utmost for the welfare of mumineens.

It is a known fact, that royal family is living a lavish life, without known source of income, beside collected wajebat etc from ordinary followers of their Father and grand father.

In my school and college days, we used to collect books, bind them and then give them to the next grade students with blank copies, pens, and pencils. they did not like it, they made us shut down the operation, i was called to join talabat ul quliat, but I refused, talabat ul quliat did for one or two years, and then suddenly disappeared.

It is a systematic approach to root out philanthropy from amongst us, as they might fear, that, philanthropists may yield influence, thus diminishing their own.

Brother insaf your appeal is a lone voice in the desert. As AB said, i wish if we could make your appeal more visible and heard.

I have an idea, why dont we all send individual appeals to syedna saheb's office, requesting him to take note of the plight of our community. this should be a continuous and on going effort.

I can only supplement your efforts by doing the same as you.

[like_minded]

Dear Insaf Bhai,

You are doing an excellent job, I salute you!! And hope others come forward and help you in your noble cause. If at all I could be of any help to you, please let me know. As I have decided to bring down the wajebaat which I have to pay in Ramzan, and look forward to contribute the difference to the needy.

[Hussain_KSA]

No comments from any Haiwan about Surat case cited by Mr. S. Insaf???

Where is ProFrog?

If you go through the Survey conducted by an independant body of SIMI in 1989 there were lot of Bohra family living in slums and into flash trade and liqor selling. The survey was conducted in order to help poor muslim for their basic needs like clothing, food and education. The office bearer of SIMI were astonished upon the fact that Bohra community people are also among the poorest people. It was reported to Saifi Mahal on official letter head with the names and address of the perons and Qaid Johar himself assured Maulana Ashraf Jafar that the community will take care of it. I left india in 1992. Nothing was done on behlaf of Kothar till that time.

[like_minded]

No point in expecting Kothar to come forward and help the needy.

They can sit for hours and talk fairy tales and fool the ignorant masses, thats what they are fit for.

We can appeal to people to reduce their wajebat and instead use that money to help people who are really in need.

[S. Insaf]

Mass Civil Disobedience or Non-Cooperation was the one masterstroke employed against British government during Independence movement.
The collection of money by force or otherwise has No legal or religious sanction. The word Wajebat was never used in the Dawat’s history before our innovative 51st Dai. Wajebat means compulsory taxes yet very cleverly it is called a voluntary donation. Mazoon Sayedi Abdul Qadir Hakimuddin Saheb had introduced the nominal Sabeel of one rupee per family yearly collected by the local Jamat only for the purpose of maintenance of mosques and that too on Bohras who can afford it.
In 1960 Sayedna Taher Saifuddin Saheb and Yusuf Najmuddin reintroduced it raising its amount very high and its multiple increased every year and its imposition even on business and business establishment.

If a Bohra refuses to make any monitory contribution to Amils no legal action can be taken against him or her. Amil can only threaten to declare social boycott. But social boycott is a verbal announcement and that had to be followed by the other Bohras. If we Bohras do not boycott such a person and invite him to our mujlis and social function there is nothing that Amil or Kothar do. So there is nothing in the hands of our religious establishment if we refuse to obey and cooperate with them especially for monitory contribution.

Please understand this. As I have requested to Sayedna Saheb if does not instruct his administration to stop collection of Wajebat and Sabeel now then lets start a Non-Cooperation movement. First by resisting to pay. Pay only when all others in locality have paid. Then pay only when you are stuck with some occasion like marriage or death in the family.

Please remember that there is a case against ‘Baraat’ or excommunication on board of the Supreme Court of India based on the reports of Justice Nathwani and Justice Tewatia Commissions. The Bohra religious establishment, therefore do not want now any incident of confrontation in the community till the case is over. The sudden change in Kothar’s attitude, the leniency and liberal policy of arrogant Shahzadas and Amil now you see is due to this case. Every Amil has been instructed to take care that no incident of confrontation, excommunication is reported in Police, media and to Human Right Commissions.

So it is up to us now to take advantage of this situation.

Those who have surplus wealth and want to give to Amil or Sayedna Saheb as Salaam, donation, purchasing titles, hosting ziyafats, bearing travel expenses, participating in Moharram and birthday tamashas etc. let them do it.
But please do not obey and cooperate if any demand on common Bohras is made for monitory contribution.
We are not asking Sayedna Saheb or his establishment to spare money for us. We will take care of our poor relatives and other poor Bohras in our locality and secure a place in Jannat.
Don’t wait. Start now.

[Al Zulfiqar]

Dear Saifuddinbhai,

I have elsewhere on this forum mentioned about adopting Gandhi's principles of peaceful non co-operation and am following it to the letter.

since last 13 years I have not paid a single penny to our jamaat, but go there with all rights whenever I am invited by friends on weddings, nikaahs, majlises, functions for which they are paying. I do not visit for moharram, except 10th afternoon, even then i do not partake of the niyaaz, but we organise with likeminded friends on our own. If i do not pay, i also do not want their food for free. we usually visit the ishnashari centres in moharram. in most cities now, hundreds of bohras prefer going there for real 'ilm'.

on laylatul qadr we get together, about 80 or so at a friends huge villa and genuinely pray throughout the night, compared to the idle chitchat and b.s in the masjid. we organise iftaars, sehris, tea, coffee throughout the night.

I have never organised any function in the jamat since the last 13 years either. i hold parties at home and if reqd have a majlis at home but with an ishnashari moulvi, who prays beautifully, blesses us and our home and all those present. he speaks in flawless english too and imparts genuine knowledge.

when someone in the family passes away, we distribute fateha without any raza etc. i have not taken my son's misak and we have done all this by cleverly playing our cards. no one has so far dared to ask me if i am a paying member or not. i am fully prepared for the day when i am confronted, when i am ready to ask them to officially disbar me if they want and then i will take legal action. i know hundreds of bohras and have no problems socialising with them.

when my son is ready to marry, we will cross the bridge and see. for sure, neither the chosen girl nor the girls family will be fanatics! we have an open mind about this and she need not be a bohra, any muslim will do as long as they are not the crazy taleban type.

[pro_pig]

then what the hell u doing over here.just chill

[S. Insaf]

Brother pro_pig,
As a well-wisher of the community I expected you to join me in my request to Daiz-Zaman to stop monitory collections from the community now since Allah has given him enough. But looks like you are not a well-wisher of either Dai, Dawat or the community! Sorry Brother!

[like_minded]

Dear Saifuddin Insaf Bhai

I have gone through your revelation on Social Boycott, its enforcements and the attitude demonstrated by the religious establishment in the present context and the need for harassed individuals to defy and engineer a non-cooperative stance, overall.

But the question I wish to register is that wiould it be possible for me to stop paying the sabeel, vajebaat and other monetary taxes without inviting strict action from the Kothar and local religious establishment? Because the system of getting permission (raza) from them, for each and every occassion in the bohra family is so strong that nothing is possible without this license.

Kothar, as you know uses this oppressive weapon to maintain their stranglehold, hence what difference would it make to initiate any non-coopration movement? At some instance or the other there is a need for us to approach them for miscellaneous reasons.

For example, I am going to have a special occassion in my family next month, So how do I tackle the local aamil in obtaining the raza (license) to perform and conduct this occassion at my place, without having paid all pending dues?

For these aamils and their cronies the trumpcard lies in manipulating the needs and desires of the women folk in the families, who invariably run to domestic and social show in every family.
Whatever aggressive and defying stance that we put into operation, is at the end nullified in this manner. Kindly enlighten.

[Muslim First]

.
Dear Bohra Brothers and Sisters.

Religion as practiced by Kothari Bohra is no longer Islam but worship of various God heads with living Head priest (Aa laa Sai Baba).

This head priest has established Cast system akin to Hindu religion.

On the top of this cast system are Royal Family neo-Brahmins of Bohra religion.

They are supported by hangers-on in second tier. These are, those who have gone to Kothri religious schools. They are eyes, ears and hands of Royal family. They keep you Bohra Sheep’s in control. Extract money under different schemes.

Third tier is title holders Sheikhs and Mullas. These people buy their position in second and third row. This gives them privilege to lord over you Bhora sheep.

Under all of it are you Bohra Dalits. You labor hard, many of you are smart, industrious and earn money and feed people above you willingly or under duress.

There is no cure for your illness. Only way out is change your religion. Like Dalits who are converting to Buddhism or Christianity.

You need to open your eyes and discover true Islam. Islam, which requires you to fulfill 5 basic things. Shahada you have already taken. You need to pray 5 times with Khusu and understanding just like our Prophet.

You understand Fasting. You need to pay Zakat only.

If you desire you can help out in construction, maintenance and running of Masjid you normally go to. Remember you are free to go to any Masjid you wish.

Hajj you can perform any time you wish and can afford. You do need Raza from anybody.

Become free Muslims you sheep.

Wasalaam
.

[like_minded]

Bro MF

What has to be understood here, Is Religion itself binds people, divides people, whether sunni, shia, dawoodi bohra, hindu or whatever, I propose being a free-thinker, rising above all religious dogmas.

[anajmi]

like_minded,

Is a free thinker supposed to think like you?

[makberi]

Bro anajmi ...a free thinker first will not question or put restrictions on the thoughts of others.....there quite a few knowledgable n intelligent guys on this forum...but instead of sharing ur different viewpoints u guys get in making rhetorical or derogatory comments....so guys keep an open mind ..its not neccessary that the other guy agrees with u......

[makberi]

Bro anajmi ...a free thinker first will not question or put restrictions on the thoughts of others.....there quite a few knowledgable n intelligent guys on this forum...but instead of sharing ur different viewpoints u guys get in making rhetorical or derogatory comments....so guys keep an open mind ..its not neccessary that the other guy agrees with u......