The ongoing contribution by financial members, as well as the self-sacrifice of many volunteers over the years has played a pivotal role in the advancement of member services, educational programs and social activities provided by the Albanian Australian Islamic Society (AAIS) today.
Another equally important aspect of the Society is that it has always provided financial members with the opportunity to complete their religious obligations in the form of collecting and distributing Fiter, Kurban and Zakat (Charity) to people who are less fortunate in the world.
More locally, the AAIS was one of the very first (since 1971) Islamic Societies to mobilise its community to donate towards the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) appeal. The annual RCH collection and donation, which has become a tradition at our Society, is still conducted to the present day and it is strongly supported by financial members and their families.
Additionally, over the last twenty years or more, the AAIS’s Executive Committee and Women’s Committee have greatly expanded the Society’s ‘Broader Community Engagement’ portfolio by initiating and actively getting involved in a number of social programs that have had a direct and positive impact on the lives of many people in the broader Australian community.
Such initiatives have provided a lot more opportunities for the Society’s financial members and their families to physically participate in extra charitable and public-spirited programs – something that many may not possibly have found time to perform on their own in the past.
Some of the local initiatives include: the biannual Group Blood Drives, annual Cars & Coffee (RCH), Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea (Cancer Council), as well as the purchase and distribution of Back-Pack Beds for Melbourne’s Homeless community.
Since September 2017, the AAIS Executive Committee started working together with Community Care Network (CCN) to support their weekly Feeding Melbourne’s Homeless program. Alhamdulilah, through the arrangement of volunteer teams and the active participation of members from our Society, the AAIS has continued to support the program on a regular basis.
Recently, the AAIS organised three (3) more teams of volunteers that took part in three separate sessions of the corresponding program (i.e. 14 July 2018, 4 August 2018 and 15 September 2018). What is really pleasing to see is that there are always new faces from the AAIS community joining our volunteer teams, as well as the fact that everyone who takes part in the program thoroughly enjoys the whole experience – actually, many have expressed their interest in joining the AAIS volunteer team again to participate in the program.
Acts of charity are deeply ingrained in Islam and Muslims are encouraged to be charitable throughout the Holy Qur’an:
“Worship none but Allah (God). Treat with kindness your parents and kindred, and orphans and those in need; speak fair to the people; be steadfast in prayer; and practice regular charity”
(Qur’an 2:83).
With so many references to charity in the Holy Qur’an, Islamic communities understand the importance of being charitable – hence why Muslims are naturally always ready to give something towards charitable causes.
This being the case, I strongly believe that Islamic Societies in Australia are perfectly positioned to form volunteer teams within their respective communities to regularly support local social programs.
Organisations like CCN, who feed Melbourne’s homeless on a weekly basis, are always seeking volunteers to assist with their work and I have no doubt that there are many brothers and sisters from Australia’s Muslim community that would gladly join volunteer teams to participate in such programs.
Insha-Allah (God-willing), the AAIS continues to directly engage in charitable programs, such as Feeding Melbourne’s Homeless and Blood Donations, so that more avenues are presented to its members and their families to collectively participate in good works in the local community. Doing so, not only provides Muslims with extra opportunities to fulfil their social responsibilities, but also earn the pleasure of God.
VAHID GOGA
Former President of AAIS
MUSLIMANET JAPIN NJE KONTRIBUT POZITIV NE KOMUNITETIN TE CILIN JETOJNË
Kontributi i vazhdueshem i anetareve financiare si dhe vete-sakrifica e shume prej vullnetareve neper vite ka luajtur nje rol shume te rendesishem ne mbarevajtjen e sherbimeve te antaresimit, programet edukative dhe aktiviteteve shoqerore te ofruara nga Shoqata Islamike Shqipetare Australiane (AAIS) ne ditet e sotme.
Nje tjeter aspekt po aq i rendesishem dhe i barazvlefshme i Shoqates eshte se gjithmone ju ka siguruar anetareve financiare mundesine per te plotesuar obligimet e tyre fetare ne formen e mbledhjes dhe shperndarjes se ndihmave si e Fitrit, Kurbanet dhe Zekatin njerezve ne nevoje neper per bote.
Ne nivel lokal me se shumti, AAIS ishte nje nga shoqatat islamike me te hereshme (nga 1971) qe mobilizoi komunitetin e saj per te dhururar donacione Spitalit Mbreterore te femijeve (RCH) per apelin e bere . Grumbullimi dhe donacioni vjetore per RCH i cili eshte bere nje tradite ne Shoqaten tone vazhdon te zhvillohet deri ne ditet e sotme dhe mbeshtetet fuqimisht nga anetaret financiare dhe familjet e tyre.
Gjithashtu, gjate njezet viteve te fundit ose me shume, keshilli ekzekutiv dhe komiteti i grave kane zgjeruar ne mase te madhe portofolin e ‘Angazhimit te Zgjerimit te Komunitetit’ te Shoqates, duke iniciuar dhe aktivisht duke u perfshire ne nje numer programesh sociale qe kane pasur nje ndikim te drejtperdrejte dhe pozitiv ne jeten e shume njerezve ne komunitetin e gjere Australian.
Iniciativa te tilla kane ofruar shume me teper mundesi per anetaret financiare te Shoqates dhe familjet e tyre per te marre pjese fizikisht ne programe publike-spirituale bamiresie shtese- diçka qe shume prej tyre ndoshta nuk e kane gjetur kohen per ta kryer vete me pare.
Disa nga iniciativat vendore perfshijne: Grupet Dyvjecare te Gjakut te Shoferave, Makina dhe Kafja Vjetore (RCH), Caji me i Madh i Australise (Keshilli i Kancerit), si dhe blerja e shperndarja e krevateve portativ per Komunitetin e te pastreheve te Melburnit.
Qe nga shtatori 2017, Keshilli Ekzekutiv i AAIS filloi te punoje sebashku me Komunitetin e Kujdesit te Network (CCN) per te mbeshtetur programin e tyre javore te ushqyerjes se te pastreheve te Melburnit. Elhamdulilah, nepermjet aranzhimit te grupeve vullnetare dhe pjesmarrjes aktive te anetareve te Shoqates sone. AAIS vazhdon ta suportoje programin ne menyre te rregullt.
Kohet e fundit, AAIS ka organizuar (3) grupe te tjera vullnetare qe moren pjese ne tre seanca te vecanta te programit perkates (dmth. 14 korrik 2018, 4 gusht 2018, 15 shtator 2018). Ajo çka me vertete eshte e kendshme dhe bie ne sy eshte se ka gjithmone fytyra te reja nga keshilli i AAIS qe i bashkangjiten ekipeve tona vullnetare, si dhe fakti qe gjithesecili qe marrin pjese ne program ne teresi e gezojne eksperiencen – ku shume kane shprehur interesin e tyre per t’u bashkangjitur ekipit vullnetare te AAIS per te marre pjese perseri ne program.
Aktet bamirese jane te nguliturat thelle ne Islam dhe muslimanet jane te inkurajuar per te bere bamiresi ne Kuranin e shenjte:
“Adhuroni vetem Allahun (Zotin), silluni mire me prinderit, te afermit, jetimet dhe te varferit, thuajuni fjale te mira njerezve, faleni namazin, jepni zekatin.” (Kurani: 2:83)
Duke patur shume referenca rreth bamiresise ne Kuranin Famelarte, komuniteti musliman kupton rendesine e te qenurit bamires- prandaj muslimanet natyrshem jane gjithmone te gatshem te japin per bamiresi.
Keshtuqe, une besoj fort se shoqatat Islamike ne Australi jane te pozicionuara ne menyre te perkryer per te formuar grupe vullnetare brenda komuniteteve perkatese per te mbeshtetur rregullisht programet sociale te vendit.
Organizatat si CCN, te cilet ushqejne te pastrehet ne Melburn ne baze javore jane gjithmone qe kerkojne vullnetare per te ndihmuar ne punen e tyre dhe nuk kam dyshim se ka shume vellezer dhe motra nga komuniteti musliman i Australise, te cilet me kenaqesi i bashkohen grupeve vullnetare per te marre pjese ne programe te tilla.
Insha-Allah (ne dashte Zoti), AAIS vazhdon te angazhohet direkt ne programe bamiresie, te tilla si ushqyerja e te pastreheve te Melburnit dhe dhurimit te gjakut, ne menyre qe te prezantohen me menyra te tjera per anetaret dhe familjet e tyre per te marre pjese kolektivisht ne pune te mira ne komunitetin e vendit. Ne kete menyre, jo vetem ju ofron muslimaneve mundesi te tjera per te permbushur pergjegjesite e tyre shoqerore,por gjithashtu paraqet me shume menyra dhe rruge per anetaret e komunitetit tone per te fituar kenaqesine e Zotit.
VAHID GOGA
Ish-Kryetar i AAIS-it
