10.03.2025
Honouring the leaders of the community
As promised, I would like to provide a brief history, specifically focusing on
the previous leaders of the community and counteracting some of the
derogatory remarks made about both past and current leaders by one of
our members yesterday. While this message has been deleted, I still feel
the need to address the issue.
When I first arrived in England, the Cutchi community supported me,
helping me through the difficult process of settling in and guiding me
through my educational journey, which eventually led to my current
occupation. I will forever be indebted to the committee leaders and
members, which is why I continue to be involved in efforts to get the
community back on track.
I acknowledge that there may be some bias in what I write, but I will do
my best to be as honest as possible. You are welcome to verify the
information through other sources. My goal is to provide insights that will
allow you to form a better-informed opinion about both past and present
committee leaders.
Let me start by going back to 1972, when the Cutchi community was first
established. At that Ɵme, the community consisted of only a handful of
members. The project to build the community hall began during this
period, marking the start of humble beginnings.
When I arrived in the 1980s, community leaders at the time were many
including Ahmed Bhojani, Allahrakia Bukhari, Abdul Bawa, Pirmohammed,
Abdul Satar, Aziz Brepotra, Jan Virwani, Zain Dodia, Abdalla Mubarak,
Amir Kana, Rahim Bhaƫti and Habib,. I can still vividly recall their passion,
dedication, and tireless work to keep the community going. While there
were some rumblings within the community, the future always seemed
focused on ensuring the community’s well-being—whether that meant
maintaining the hall, organizing religious funcƟons, weddings, or more. I
remember those days when community members would go door-to-door
to engage everyone. Those were truly good Ɵmes.
As time went on, the community continued to face challenges, and some
of the older leaders tried stepping down to make way for younger
members, like me. I remember my brother serving as secretary during that
time. However, we quickly realized how much we missed the guidance of
leaders. Eventually, we had to swallow our pride and invite these leaders
back into leadership roles to steer the community forward.
As the years passed, things became tougher. Resources, especially financial
ones, were dwindling, and with the economic depression in Europe and
the stock market collapse, the situation became even more difficult. It was
during this time that the true character of our community leaders came to
the forefront. They took it upon themselves to ensure the community hall
remained a central part of the community. Despite the poor income from
renting the hall, they continued to work tirelessly, often without much
financial return. I remember how these leaders would rush to the hall at
midnight when an alarm went off, dig into their own pockets, roll up their
sleeves, and do whatever was needed to ensure the hall remained
available. I can even recall one of the foundation walls being dug by Iqbal
with his bare hands to extend the building so we could have a kitchen,
instead of relying on cooking at leaders’ homes. They did all of this with
little or no expectation of financial gain. I regret that, once, when asked to
contribute financially towards the mounting utility bills, I refused out of
pride. Little did I know that the community was struggling, and the bills
were unpaid because the funds simply weren’t there, with bailiffs hot on
their trail.
In more recent Ɵmes, despite all the challenges, the stress on the
commiƩee members began to take its toll. The community became
disillusioned, with members refusing to pay their membership fees, and
rumours about the lack of services spread. Some people started believing
that the leaders had drained and pocketed the community’s resources.
Unfortunately, many of us, including myself, contributed to the spread of
these rumours, much of it based on misinformaƟon, which only worsened
the situaƟon.
Eventually, we learned that the hall had been leased to a third party. While
some may criƟcize the commiƩee for this decision, it was a necessary step
to safeguard the future of the hall. The commiƩee had no choice, as there
were no bookings coming in, and many community members were
choosing to rent halls outside the community. I, too, am guilty of this, as I
held my wedding at Audley Sports Centre, spending a fortune, but was too
proud to book our own hall at a reduced rate to support our cause.
The lack of engagement from the community only made things more
difficult, and eventually, the commiƩee had to lease out the hall. They had
no choice but to protect their own sanity and the future of the hall, even if
it meant making this difficult decision. Yes, we can criƟcize the commiƩee
for renƟng out the hall, but with the limited informaƟon available, they
were simply trying to preserve what our ancestors had leŌ us.
One of the committee members was tasked with cleaning and washing,
which he took upon himself as nobody else would do it. But why should
this person not also be responsible for collecting money? I believe that
comment was disrespectful and derogatory. Unlike us, who are immersed
in modern technology, these committee members worked the old-
fashioned way. Records of spending and income were not always
documented, but if you ask the leaders, they could recall from memory
exactly how, when, and where the money was spent. We cannot blame
them for this, as it was how things were done back then. I do fear that the
modern member may not be able to comprehend this as in today’s world,
such practices are unacceptable, and all financial transactions need to be
accounted for.
Some members have repeatedly asked where the money has gone and has
become their obsession. Yes, it is the members’ responsibility to continue
holding the committee members accountable for money spent from the
community pot, but who is accountable for unpaid bills and contracts
undertaken by committee members who happen to be in this trade but
still have not been paid, as enough funds were and are not available in the
pot to pay? Should the members be accountable for raising funds from
their pockets to pay these debts that need to be addressed?
It’s important that we remain tolerant and respectful toward both past and
current community leaders. They have sacrificed their time, money, and
effort to give us what we have today. Yes, the challenges are great now and
will continue in the future, but the stakes are higher, and we need to
support the leaders who will guide us forward. Going forward, it is crucial
that community leaders are properly trained, and that comprehensive,
transparent and contemporaneous documentation is in place to ensure
that the community’s finances are well-managed. In today’s environment,
we cannot escape this responsibility. Otherwise, we will continue to face
repeated questions and obstacles that will hinder our progress.
And yes, before we close the chapter, we will ask any members who have
sƟll not deposited the money belonging to the community to do so in
reasonable Ɵme and any roles members not completed to do so. We
consider how we will pay off the work commissioned and carried out by
members as independent contractors and paƟently waiƟng to be paid.
We salute the leaders and commiƩee members of present and past as we
close the chapter and move onto higher grounds together and collecƟvely.
Inshallah.