Muslims demand a refund of their money
Some Muslims in Malawi are pressurizing members of the organizing committee for this year’s annual Muslims gathering known as Ijtima in Arabic to refund the money they collected from them for the event.
According to a story monitored on Radio Islam, this comes after reports that the committee will not able to organize the IJTIMA this year due to financial hiccups.
Muslim Association of Malawi on 9 October 2011 issued a press release postponing the IJTIMA due to lack of funds, according to its secretary general Dr Salmin Omar Idrus.
Sheikh Omar Idrus, who was also former presidential advisor to president Bingu wa Mutharika said in a statement that “this year’s annual Muslim conference IJTIMA budget is over K7 million but as of now there is no any report arrived at my office indicating that the organizing committee has collected money needed for the event.”
Some concerned Muslims said the postponement of this year’s annual Muslim gathering IJTIMA which was slated from 28-30 October 2011l, leaves a lot of speculations among Muslims in the country.
“In fact there is a lot of assumptions the way IJTIMA was cancelled as it was full of politics played inside. Why Muslim Association of Malawi postponed the annual Muslims gathering IJTIMA instead of the organizing committee which is responsible for the event,” said the concerned Muslims.
They said as they have been following the matter, National Islamic IJTIMA Committee and its sub working committee for Blantyre that is responsible for the event never dreamed for any cancellation for the occasion.
The radio quoted the receipt number REVCA 14622 dated 7 September 2011 which indicated that the association has paid MK30,000 to Blantyre City Assembly for the use of Njamba Freedom Park where this year’ annual Muslim conference was supposed to take place.
“This is evidence that the organizing committee was on the fore front to push the event to be held.” they said.
James Kaombe a treasure for Blantyre sub working committee for IJTIMA confirmed that his committee had already collected over two hundred thousand for the event before Muslim Association of Malawi cancelled the annual Muslim gathering which is contrary to what MAM said that the event was postponed due lack of funds.
This prompted some Muslims to advise the officials of the organizing committee to be transparent over the matter as well as forcing them to refund the money they collected from contributors for the event.
However, Kaombe said the committee has no money to reimburse as contributors are demanding.
Kaombe further revealed that his committee is waiting for the National Chairman for MAM Sheikh Idrisa Muhammad to give them the direction over the matter.
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