By Robert Kumwenda
There is a saying that says educating a boy child you have educated an individual while educating the girl child you have educated the whole nation.
This is what happened when the Kanjeza Islamic Sisters graduated 440 women in Islamic Banking. Dressed in white attire and green on their r shoulders they made the event to be colorful in front of Muslim dignitaries at COMESA whole in Blantyre.
Speaking at the event Chairperson for Kanjeza Islamic Sister s Sister Jamila Lille commended the late Muhammad Juma and his friends Yasin Banda, Hussein Adam and Brother Morul Mdemanga the graduates from Malaysia for volunteering themselves to teach the graduating women for free.
She said the genesis of all this was in 2014 as a similar event where the graduates who were in attendance promised them to teach the women for free during weekends.
“Faith has got its own beliefs, in Islam we believe what the Quran said. Taking loans from Institutions that charge interest is forbidden because it makes you lose your property afrter paying back the interest and you even run away from your husband w3hich the Quran forbid in verse 30 and 3 verse 130,” she said.
She said through the training they have learned how to be successful in business, what is needed in business as well as how to sustain it.
Sister Lille further said that they also learned to follow Godly principles to succeed in business and through the training most women who borrowed money from institutions that allow interest immediately abandon it because they had no peace of mind.
She urged former transport minister Muhammad Sidik Mia who has been helping the organization to consider helping other Muslim women organizations.
Aslo speaking at the same event Fatima Makawa Vice Chairperson for Kanjeza Islamic Sisters said they will continue following Ismaic principles as well as spreading the messages in Dawah meetings.
Brother Kanonji Boardchairpeson for Kanjeza Islamic Sisters said initially there was a small number when they were starting the organization and the beginning was very tough as some people were not happy to see the organization growing but the secret is that God has got his own program that is the reason why the organization has grown bigger as it is today.
He urged the graduating women to find a program at Radio Islam to teach fellow Muslim women in villages who about the knowledge they acquired.
“You should also respect your husbands and I ask others who have the capacity to help us to come in because we intend to find our own place to build a magnificent structure to accommodate foreign visitors,” he said.
Chaipreson for Muslim Association of Malawi (MAM) Brother Aman Oman said the event which Islamic Sisters did it is an event which was never done by any Muslim organization in Malawi.
“Apart from teaching the women how to run business the organization is also looking after orphans, paying school fees for needy children and they are doing a number of programs that are benefiting the poor,” he said.
He advised Muslim women to work together in bringing up Islam and urged Kanjeza Islamic Sisters to help Muslims women that are in zones in Balntyre, it is estimated that there are over 860 mosques in Blantyre alone.
Speaking on behalf of his friends Brother Morul Ndemanda from Muha and Mo Islamic Financial Consultacy said interests are destroying families.
He said there aim is to work with the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) to bring Islamic Banking in Malawi. Morul added that there are many organizations that gives loans but what is lacking is training for people who take that loans to run their businesses.
He urged the women that were trained to businesses that are Halaal.
“We will continue to engage in dialogue with RBM to have Islamic Banking In Malawi and we are ready to teach other Muslim women who have no knowledge about what village banks are all about to reduce the numbers of village banks,” he said.
Concurring with Morul Fatima Ndaila from Muslim women organizations said Muslim women are doing businesses that are Halam because they are lacking support.
“We need leadership training course because though we are leaders we do not have the skill that is why we are not progressing,” she said.
Speaking at the same function Muhammad Sidk Mia former transport minister who was the quest of honor said that the first that Allah asked the prophet (peace be upon him) was to seek education on this he said the education which the women acquired came at a right time.
He said this is because the country is fighting poverty and Muslims are the worst hit by the poverty which is in the country.
“Refrain from greed and corruption because the two destroys everything in any organization or society. What can destroy our country is not war but the people who when there is something wrong they do not report it. As Muslims we lack so many things such that we look for other things that re not halaal,” he said.
The former transport minister said Muslims must step up in addressing these things and urged Muslims to continue findind their necessities in their lives.
“Remove corruption and greed for things to go smoothly, there are so many rich people in the country but they are not pushed to help the needy. Use capital as stationery and if there will be an opportunity that you find capital uses it wisely,” he said.
Mia promised Kanjeza Islamic Sisters that he will donate five to ten million kwacha to the organization as a starter pack while urged Muslim to be united and strong for things to move forward.
