Syed Mukarram Nazeer, Canada Correspondent
Mississauga is a thriving city, located about 30km south-west of the Baitul Islam Mosque. It is home to Baitul Hamd Mosque.
In 2016, when Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa visited Canada, the Mayor of Mississauga, Ms Bonnie Crombie had the opportunity of meeting with Huzooraa. After the meeting, Huzooraa instructed Mississauga Jamaat to help Mayor Crombie with food drives and cash donations.
Waseem Ahmed Sahib reports that by the grace of Allah, on 19 October 2020, Regional Amir of Mississauga, Abdul Majid Qureshi Sahib welcomed Mayor Crombie, and Executive Director of the Mississauga Food Bank, Ms Megan Nicholls at Baitul Hamd mosque.
Ms Crombie appreciated the contributions of Mississauga Jamaat in the financial and social areas. She acknowledged that Mississauga Jamaat is always at the forefront of collecting donations or offering volunteer services for people.
Similarly, Executive Director, Megan Nicholls spoke about the ongoing assistance by Mississauga Jamaat and how they have consistently helped the Mississauga Food Bank.
Regional amir of Mississauga presented close to 22,000 pounds of food items on behalf of Mississauga Jamaat.
On 4 November 2020, Mississauga Jamaat was invited to Mississauga City Hall where $15,000 and 22,000 pounds worth of food donations were officially presented to the mayor of Mississauga by regional amir of Mississauga.
Alhamdolillah, Mississauga Jamaat was awarded the “Mayor Crombie’s citywide food drive recipient of the 2020 community challenge award” at this event.
Mayor Crombie extended the thanks and said:
“… Extending my warmest congratulations and thank you to the Ahmadiyya Community today on winning the community award. Each year, we do the Mayor’s Annual Food Drive during Thanksgiving and we ask everyone to please donate generously, but this year, the Ahmadiyya Community has stepped up and exceeded their donations of last year. … We are so pleased that you are able to contribute $15,000 and 22,000 pounds of food so you are our top community award winner and I am so very grateful to you …
“You are always there when we call on you to give and you always give so generously. I know it is a part of your principles, your traditions with Zakat but you seem to always go above and beyond to help our city and to help those who are most vulnerable in Mississauga. So, my profound thank you. ‘Love for all, hatred for none.’ I know what you believe and I am so thankful to the Ahmadiyya community for your continued generosity. Thank you so much!”
Regional Amir of Mississauga Jamaat, Abdul Majid Qureshi Sahib described the events as follows:
“This has been a wonderful opportunity for us to show that Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Mississauga is part of the fabric of Mississauga … the Jamaat has always been very generous in supporting the local community. This year, due to the pandemic, the need was much greater. By the grace of Allah, we were able to contribute much more than previous years and this year we have won the community award. … Please keep Mississauga Jamaat in your prayers.”
Missionary of Mississauga, Sadiq Ahmed Sahib, commented:
“Today we were invited by the Mayor of Mississauga at the city hall in Mississauga city. She wanted to present us with an award in regard to our contributions towards the food bank. The food drive is an initiative by Mayor of Mississauga every year. By the grace of Allah, Jamaat Mississauga has been participating in this food drive for a number of years. What’s worth noting is that this year, due to the current situation and the pandemic, we thought it would be a difficult task to achieve given people are losing their jobs … but by the grace of Allah, because this is a noble cause and as Huzooraa has also drawn our attention towards it, members of Mississauga Jamaat came forward more than before and contributed towards this noble cause.”
May Allah enable us to follow the guidance of Huzooraa and continue to serve humanity, amin.