Mohammed Hashir Faruqi
Journalist, Thinker, Humanist and Voice of Reason
1930-2022
Mohammed Hashir Faruqi, the 92-year-old frail-looking but giant of a truthful writer, left this world in London on Jan. 11 after paving the way for robust journalism with a Muslim vibe with his sacrifices and backbreaking work.
A legend in his own right, in 1970 Faruqi founded the Impact magazine in London “to promote a genuine understanding of Islam and Muslims to the English-reading audience worldwide.”
Against all odds, he worked tirelessly to raise human rights issues, writing against injustice and violations of human dignity and urging Muslims to stand peacefully for weak and marginalized people.
With very few resources and working from a dilapidated two-room London office, Faruqi, trained initially as an entomologist, worked long hours to give voice to a community that was baffled by its negative stereotyped image in the West.
Born in eastern Uttar Pradesh in January 1930, Faruqi joined the Pakistan Movement, which sought a separate homeland for Muslims in post-British India, and formed a Muslim Student Union at Kanpur Agricultural College to mobilize the youth to create a new state that would ensure equality and justice for all.
In the 1960s he moved to London and decided to become the voice of newly arriving Muslim immigrants. As a first step, he started an English-language newspaper, even though many of his Muslim contemporaries thought that such a venture would fail in a highly competitive world. It took him ten years to achieve his dream and refute their prediction. In addition to being a regular contributor to the weekly meetings of the London Islamic Center, he also contributed a column to The Muslim, the monthly magazine of the Federation of Student Islamic Societies in the UK and EIRE.
During the Iranian Revolution, he was in the news — he was among the hostages in the 1980 Iranian embassy siege. People remember his efforts to end the siege peacefully.
In 2003 he helped organize Prince Charles’s visit to the Leicester-based Islamic Foundation in Markfield.
Ten years later, when The Muslim News presented him with the editor’s lifetime achievement award, Ahmed Versi said, “He is our connection from the world we inhabit now to a Muslim world that began its uncertain journey in the midst of decolonization, war and new modern identities.”
Once launched, Impact became a voice of honest journalism, truth and fair and balanced reporting. With the help of a few dedicated supporters, among them Saleem Siddiqi, he proved that dreams could come true on the wings of sincerity and humility. The wages were minimum and the task was huge, but Faruqi’s team worked late hours, often neglecting their families, to publish the magazine regularly.
Impact became a source of honest writing in the Muslim world. Newspapers published in India, Pakistan, Turkey, the Middle East and Africa began reprinting its articles, thereby inspiring young people to start their own English-language publications in their regions. Moreover, his writings proved that Muslims could write their own stories and discern fact from fiction.
During his long tenure as Impact’s editor-in-chief, he trained several Muslim youth in journalism. His creed was simple: Be fair, bold and balanced in your writing. Never compromise on facts. Always stand for human dignity. Never yield to propaganda, and serve God by serving humanity. These were the principles he always advocated to those who sought his advice.
Syed Ubaidur Rehman, author of “Biographical Encyclopedia of Indian Muslim Freedom Fighters,” wrote, “He was such a selfless person. His death is a massive loss for the Muslim ummah. Once I walked into his office near Finsbury Street uninvited. He welcomed a youth like me with open arms, showering his blessing like an elder who knew me for ages and didn’t allow me to leave without sharing a sumptuous lunch with him. He continued to write to me, without me regularly responding to his emails. His death will be unforgettable, especially for those who yearned to see credible Muslim media. Before Aljazeera and other contemporary media, Impact was a torchbearer for enthusiasts of the Muslim press.”
Mohammad Ghazali Khan (editor, www.urdumediamonitor.com), one of the British journalists he trained, said in his Facebook post, “One of the pillars of Muslim journalism in Britain, Muhammad Hashir Faruqi, died in London today. I worked with him for more than eight years. Not only was he my teacher in practical journalism, but he also did many personal favors for me. May Allah grant him the highest level of paradise.”
Dr. Syed M. Syeed, a former ISNA president, wrote, “We worked together on many issues, and I invited him multiple times to our conventions.”
Faruqi also served as a director at the Markfield Institute of Higher Education (2008-16).
His wife Fakhira preceded him in death a few years ago. Sons Ausaf, Rafay and Irfan, as well as daughter Sadia, survive him.
Contributed by Aslam Abdullah, a Southern Californian and resident scholar with Islamicity.org.
Zeba (Elisabeth) Siddiqui
Beloved Mother and Grandmother, Author and Illustrator, and among Pioneers of Islam in America
1934-2021
“There are those who possess a certain specialness with God — perhaps it is their big hearts, or their capacity to transcend themselves and be lovingly present with others’ in their praying, grief, sorrow and struggle, in their moments of joy and courage. Perhaps it is their sincerity. Or, yet, maybe it is their incredible faith and focus to fulfill their divine mission on this earth that differentiates them as human beings. Whatever it may be, a teacher of mine taught me: well done is better than well said. Ultimately, we are heirs only of our good works if they are accepted by God. My maternal grandmother was a woman whose legacy will outlive her nearly 88 years,” wrote her granddaughter, Nura Jandali in her tribute on social media.
Our beloved mother Zeba Siddiqui passed away on Dec. 16, 2021, in Ft. Collins, Colo., where she had lived since 1964. A cherished grandmother of 18 and great-grandmother to 18 children, she died peacefully surrounded by her husband of 64 years, Dr. Mohammed Moinuddin Siddiqui, and her five children, Mateen, Ameena, Selima, Yusuf and Hediye.
Her foundational books have guided numerous converts and been translated into other languages. Her children’s books, among the first of their kind, gave identity to generations of Muslim American children. But while she is mourned and celebrated for her incredible contributions, she is more deeply mourned by all of those who experienced her kindness, compassion, support and selfless giving first-hand. She left this world still working on what she loved best — writing; she was revising her most popular book, “What Everyone Should Know About Islam and Muslims.”
Known by both her birth name “Elisabeth” and “Zeba,” the name given her by my father’s grandmother after their marriage in 1957, she also wrote under the pen names of Suzanne Haneef and Marian Kazi. Raised as Anglican, she converted in the early 1960s after her marriage and exposure to Islam through various avenues, including the Muslim Youth Camp in California that we attended for many years. Both my parents became active with the newly formed MSA in the mid-1960s and regularly attended its annual conventions. She joined the MSA Women’s Committee and contributed to two of their early publications: “The Muslim World Cookbook” and “Parents Manual: A Guide for Muslim Parents Living in North America.” She also edited the “Islamic Correspondence Course” that my father developed to educate converts and others about Islam. As Iman Elkadi recounts their early activism, “As members of the Women’s Committee of then MSA, we collaborated in writing the Parents’ Manual, planned women’s sessions and activities for the conventions, and compiled a directory of Muslim women who attended the conventions.”
A pivotal period in her life occurred in 1970-71, when our family spent a year long sabbatical in Turkey. Her first major work, “Adhan over Anatolia: The Diary of an American Muslim” (1973), written under the pen name Marian Kazi, describes her experiences and reflections on Turkey and the state of Muslims generally. Other sabbaticals included a year in Jordan and another in Kuwait. Through her travels, she not only gained a deeper knowledge of Islam, but also embraced the warm ethos of Muslim cultures that was part of her inherent nature to begin with — generosity, sacrifice, selflessness, helping the indigent and so many other praiseworthy qualities.
Her talents and creativity took various forms. As Nura Jandali remembers, “From as early as I can remember, we spent our childhood summers visiting my grandparents in Colorado. My grandmother came from an artistic, musical background and we gained a greater appreciation of her many talents through her creative prowess. In between telling us stories, my grandmother devoted every waking moment typing away to produce some of the most preliminary and formative books. Her writings catered to every audience — each and every book a manifestation of her devotion to preserving and conveying Islam in America. At times she would spend hours searching for a single word in her Arabic/English dictionary looking to find the perfect translation so that the meaning could be conveyed with accuracy.”
Over the next few years she wrote, illustrated, edited or contributed to publications, among them the “Muslim World Coloring Book,” which contains many of the art forms and architecture she saw during her travels; “Karavan: Tales and Plays for Children” (1977), “What Everyone Should Know About Islam and Muslims” (1979), “Kareem and Fatimah” (1990), “Islam the Path of God” (1996) and the two-volume “A History of the Prophets of Islam” (2002). She also edited and added hadith reference numbers for Norma Tarazi’s “The Child in Islam” (1995) and edited and transcribed numerous scholarly works. As Abdul Malik Mujahid wrote on social media, “Zeba Siddiqui, a pioneering American Muslim writer has passed away. Three generations … benefited from her.”
Her reach was both global and local. She attended Islamic conferences in Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, where then-President Zia ul-Haq personally welcomed her. Her friend and co-MSA/ISNA active worker, Iman Elkadi recounts one of the trips: “In December 1980, we traveled to Nigeria to participate in a Muslim women’s conference at Bayero University in Kano. We stayed in touch over the years by phone and through correspondence and occasional visits. Sister Zeba was a dear and respected friend who will be sorely missed. May Allah reward her and bless her with His mercy.”
As one of Ft. Collins’ longest Muslim residents, she welcomed generations of foreign students. Her many local volunteer activities included sponsoring and aiding Cambodian and Bosnian refugees, collecting and distributing charity to the needy, co-founding the interfaith group Women for Peace and Justice and serving on the hospital’s ethics committee. She also helped countless women in need, morally, financially and physically, even in her last years and conducted classes for new converts at the masjid.
As Nura Jandali eulogized her, “It was the outpouring of love that drew everyone to her; she was a mother to the destitute, the convert who had no parents, to those struggling with spiritual and physical infirmity, suffering from poverty and inmates writing her letters from prison asking questions about Islam. Theirs was an elect generation, laying down the foundation of Islam in America, when our numbers were few as a community in a desolate landscape for Muslims. She was someone who had a living, breathing, dynamic interactive relationship with God. May Allah accept her as one of His beloved slaves, for I know she eagerly awaited her meeting with Him.”
Contributed by her daughter, Ameena Jandali, a founding member and content manager for Islamic Networks Group and former member of ISNA’s Majlis ash-Shura.
Omar Afzal
Islamic Worker and Moonsighting Researcher
1939-2022
Omar Afzal, a dedicated Islamic worker, and a devoted moonsighting researcher, passed away on January 3 after suffering a heart attack in Jacksonville, Fla.
He was popularly identified as an Ithacan due his long residence in Ithaca, N.Y., where he was resident there as a Southeast Asia assistant at Cornell University (1973) until he retired during the late 1990s.
Although academically trained in linguistics (M.A., English language and literature, Aligarh Muslim University, 1965; M.A., linguistics, Delhi University, 1971; Ph.D., linguistics, Cornell University, 1978) he was very interested in the Islamic calendar, moonsighting and the public dissemination of new research results.
During the 1990s and 2000s, he would share his moonsighting research with senior Islamic Crescent Observation Project members. He also used to host a moonsighting website (islamicmoon.com) and write widely about prayer times (e.g., “When to Pray Fajr and Isha,” 1993).
Starting off as a teacher of English literature in India’s Gauhati University, he went on to become an instructor of Urdu and Hindi at the American Institute of Indian Studies (1970-72), an English language and literature instructor at Delhi University, a chairperson of the Center for Research and Communication and adviser to the Muslim Educational and Cultural Association, which serves Cornell University and the greater Ithaca area.
In addition to these accomplishments, Afzal was very popular for his research on crescent sighting and Islamic dates, as well as a national coordinator at the Crescent Observation International Forum (1981-96). An active member of the MSA and ICNA from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, he established Cornell’s MSA chapter and served as MSA’s East Zone president.
He was a regular writer, assistant editor, and a member of the advisory board of The Message International, ICNA’s flagship magazine. His publications include “The Life of Muhammad,” “Issues in the Lunar Calendar,” “Calculating Prayer Times” and co-editor of “Islamic Identity and the Struggle for Justice” (1996).
His wife Salma Afzal and his five children Bushra, Iqbal, Sameena, Sadia and Mary survive him.
Contributed by Zaheer Uddin, executive director at Mission Kindness International, New York, N.Y.
Abdullah Abdelhamid Bade
Attorney and Community Benefactor
1935-2021
Legal counsel and advisor for numerous U.S.-based Muslim organizations, attorney Abdullah Abdelhamid Bade (pronounced ba–day), 86, passed away in northern Virginia on Dec. 7, 2021.
Born in a small farming village in British India in 1935, Bade became the first in his family and his district to attain higher education with a law degree (LLB) and master’s in economics from the University of Bombay. He followed this with a master’s in law (LLM) in 1966 from the London School of Economics & Political Science on a full scholarship. The following year, he achieved the status of barrister-at-law at the Lincoln’s Inn in London.
After migrating to the U.S. in 1971, Bade accepted a position at an Indianapolis- based law firm as the editor of legal textbooks and journals. He became a citizen in 1975, passed the Indiana Bar the next year and established a private legal practice in family law, immigration and not-for-profit corporate law in Indianapolis. He closed it 31 years later. At the same time, he offered pro-bono advice to Muslim students on immigration and domestic conflict resolution.
Beginning in 1976, Bade also served as legal counsel for the Muslim Students Association of the United States of Canada (MSA), the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT) and, later on, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). He crafted and reviewed the legal framework for establishing ISNA’s subsidiary organizations, as well as for many local mosques and national Islamic organizations. Besides shaping constitutions and bylaws, his always diligent legal work safeguarded many mosques and related properties from damaging litigation.
Maseer, one of his three children, remembers his father as one who “led an exemplary life. He was a resilient man. No matter how difficult the situation, he always maintained equanimity and kept his emotions in check, allowing intellect and reason to prevail. He was low-key, soft-spoken and shunned public recognition. From him and our mother, we learned many values including integrity, honesty, sincerity, transparency, humility, respect, charity, kindness and a tireless work ethic. Although he spoke little, his words were precise and impactful. His focus in life was not just to be a Muslim, but to actually act and live as a Muslim.”
M. Yaqub Mirza, a former MSA president and general manager of NAIT, who worked with Bade, remembers that he “did not focus on his compensation (which was often below market rates), but dedicated himself to serving the Muslim community … with legal issues confronting many affiliated Islamic centers and schools around the country.” Mirza adds, “I know no one who served MSA, MCA, ISNA, AMSE, AMSS, FID and many more organizations as my beloved brother the Late Abdullah Bade did.”
Hisham Altalib, a co-founder of the SAAR Foundation and current president of the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), admires Bade’s professional help to the community and to NAIT and SAAR, specifically during the community’s early years, noting that “benefits of his voluntary efforts reflected well on the American Muslim community as well as the international ummah overseas.”
Sayyid M. Syeed, a former MSA president and ISNA secretary general, considers Abdullah Bade “a lynchpin” in terms of how “we organized our new communities around the country and taught them the need to build a local organization around a constitution.” Syeed adds, “People could call him around the clock and this modest man was ready to provide advice…. to not a dozen or a few scores, but to hundreds of centers around the country.”
Ahmed ElHattab, former director of ISNA Development Foundation, found in Bade a man of integrity who didn’t compromise his principles. “He was a persistent, hardworking man and paid full attention to details,” says ElHattab. “He cared a lot about the wellbeing of family and family relations and was a supportive and loving father.”
Architect Mazen Ayoubi remembers Bade as a professional dedicated to helping Islamic centers, schools and communities nationwide as they transformed from student associations into well-established community organizations. He recalls, “On many occasions I worked with him in preparing legal proceedings to protect and preserve the rights of Muslim communities.” Ayoubi further noted, “As a former legal counsel for NAIT, Bade left a legacy to be proud of… I hope other legal professionals will follow his lead.”
Abdullah Abdulhamid Bade is survived by his wife of 50+ years, two sons, a daughter and eight grandchildren. He will be missed dearly and long remembered by family, friends and fellow professionals.
Contributed by Dr. Iqbal Unus, chairman of Islamic Horizons advisory board, and a former ISNA secretary general.
Fatima Baig
Fatima Baig, 28, who had valiantly faced adversity since being diagnosed with a chronic autoimmune disease at 11, passed away in Toronto on Oct. 31, 2021. She also had Crohn’s disease.
Born in Saudi Arabia to Pakistani parents, Fatima and her family emigrated to Mississauga, Ont., Canada in 1996.
The youngest of four children, she lived with primary sclerosing cholangitis, a rare autoimmune disease that attacks the bile ducts and eventually leads to liver failure. It’s extremely rare in children, as it usually impacts adults aged between 30 and 40.
In 2013, she launched her organ donation campaign and sought to raise awareness about organ donation’s importance among Canadian Muslims and South Asian communities. She made connections with other families affected by liver disease and spoke at various events, sometimes at the invitation of politicians.
Taha Ghayyur, a host at Muslim Network TV and vice president at SoundVision, remembers “Fatima and her beloved mother would go to various events setting up tables and doing presentations on this neglected issue.”
Reflecting on Fatima’s demise, Gayyur summed up her legacy: “You may be faced with adversity, but you can choose to respond with a positive attitude. You may have a disability, but you can choose to not let it define you and confine you. You may be tested with pain and health challenges, but you can choose to share your story to ease others’ pain. You may have a life-threatening disease, but you can choose to bring life to others through education, organizing, and advocacy. And, you can choose to leave behind a legacy whose impact outlives you.”
Sarah Hurtado, writing in Humber News, a campus publication (Nov. 12, 2021), reminisced, “But her impact went beyond her illness. Her light and heart were massive, all fit in a small, 4-foot 7-inch body.”
Baig also volunteered with Operation SMILE, writing stories for children with disabilities. Her memoir, “Fatima’s Journey” (2017), details her journey as a two-time liver transplant recipient. She talks about how she came to spread awareness of organ donation; share her story through social and other media outlets and public speaking; and became part of a community of transplant patients, donor families, and those with chronic illness, all of whom united together in diversity through struggles.
“Every year Baig celebrated her two transplant anniversaries — Oct. 19 and Sep. 23 –along with her birthday — Aug. 27,” wrote Toronto Star’s Angelyn Francis.
Upon graduation in 2020 with a journalism major, Baig started working for Muslim Sources (https://muslimsources.org/), which helps mainstream journalists find credible Muslim experts.
Her father Mirza Fawad Baig, mother Afia Baig, two sisters and a brother survive her.
Source: “‘Leave a legacy whose impact outlives you’: Journalist and two-time organ transplant recipient Fatima Baig dies at 28,” Toronto Star, Angelyn Francis, Equity and Inequality Reporter. Nov. 11, 2021