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To whom it may concern:

On behalf of the Management of the Muslim Media Corporation (publisher of Muslim Community Report, Parkchester Times and New York Parrot, and Executive Producer of Parrot TV) registered in New York, I am pleased to officially invite you to the 2020 Merciful Ambassadors Award presentation ceremony, which is scheduled to take place on May 28th, the day the Muslim World call Makkah Declaration Day.

On February 12 this year, the management of Muslim Media Corporation (MMC) in New York announced the winners of the 2020 Merciful Ambassador Award (MAA), who are Zamir Hassan, the founder of Muslims Against Hunger; Nurah-Rosalie Amatullah, the CEO of Muslim Women’s Institute for Research and Development; Muhammed Razvi, the Executive Director of Council of People’s Organization (COPO); and Shabbir Gul, the ICNA representative in New York City.

These awardees were selected based on their exceptional humanitarian services for New Yorkers, regardless of religion, race and socio-political orientation, before, during and after the peak hit of Covid-19 pandemic.

The Makkah Declaration (2019) also known as the Charter of Makkah, is a document that was endorsed on May 28 2019 in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Its creation was largely conceived and realized by the Muslim World League and it was presented by Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. It was written to create a pan-Islamic set of principles that supported anti-extremism, religious and cultural diversity, and legislation against hate and violence. This is what NYC too stand firmly for. The document was declared at the end of the four-day conference organized by the Muslim World League conference in Makkah. It was approved by Islamic leaders of 139 countries and signed by around1,200 prominent Muslim figures. Read the details of the charter of Makkah here: https://www.oic-oci.org/docdown/?docID=4498&refID=1251 .

Short biographies of the awardees are presented below.

Zamir Hassan is the founder of Muslims Against Hunger, Faiths Against Hunger, Hunger Van and One World Community Cafe. He grew up in Pakistan and has been living in the USA since 1973. He's driven by his Muslim liturgy that says 'do not to go to bed if neighbors are hungry'.  Hassan started with his congregation and neighborhood, organizing volunteers to go into soup kitchens with food and helping hands. Fulfilling a need became a passion. This passion extended to other congregations. People that wanted to bring solutions to their communities used Zamir’s training kit to get started. Within a couple of years, they were in 20 different cities. Wherever people are interested in starting a program, Zamir helps them. In 2011, Zamir launched the Hunger Van with the help of a group of Muslim and Jewish students from Rutgers. People can request and invite the Hunger Van to visit their community. As the Cabot farmers’ appreciate, every faith calls for each of us to help wherever we see a need. Zamir Hassan is a patriotic, compassionate and supportive fellow.

Nurah Amat’ullah is the founder and CEO of the Muslim Women’s Institute for Research and Development, a multi-service institution, which was founded in the Bronx NY in 1987. This organization has two Halal food pantries in New York City-the first two such food programs in the city, and among the few  Halal food programs for the needy in the United States. The pantries serve over 10,000 families in New York City each month. Apart from this, MWIRD also provides health and educational services for thousands of the Bronx residents each month. Amat’ullah received her Doctorate of Ministry degree from the New York Theological Seminary, and her Islamic Chaplaincy certification from the Hartford Seminary. In addition to her leadership of MWIRD, she is recognized for her role in faith-based service in the international interfaith community. For more information about Amat’ullah and her organization, please visit http://mwird.org/

Mohammad Razvi is the Executive Director and founder of the Council of Peoples Organization (COPO), based in Brooklyn, New York. Mohammad, born in Pakistan, emigrated with his family to the United States when he was six years old. Muhammad learned compassionate and accommodating characters from his father who was known for accommodating people at his store. This could be seen in the way Muhammad and his father support Pakistani community after the attacks of September 11th. Mohammad in particular acted as an intermediary between the Muslim families that were picked up and government agencies like the FBI. After this incident, Mohammad realized that his community needed to strengthen its ties to the larger New York community in a variety of ways. So he founded COPO, a non-profit organization, to provide legal assistance, English language classes for adults, and afterschool programs for children. Mohammad worked with the Mayor’s Office, the NYC Commission on Human Rights and other groups to develop a discrimination survey to assess the types of harassment experienced by Muslims, Arabs and South Asians in New York City. He continues to build bridges between his community and other religious and ethnic communities in New York City with the belief that when people better understand each other, they can then respect each other, prevent further violence and live in harmony.

Shabbir Gul, born in Pakistan, devoted husband and father of 5 children, immigrated to the United States in 1992. As a resident of the Bronx NY, he has established his profession as a construction contractor and humanitarian to service all communities. Apart from being the President of Gul Contractors, Gul is also the founder and President of the Bronx Community Council, Co-founder and President of the Muslim and Immigrant Coalition for Justice, Bronx Prsident of Islamic Circle of North America USA, Executive member of the NYPD 49th Pct. Clergy Council, Director of Bronx Community Resource Council, founder of Madni Masjid of the Bronx, Bronx Supervisor of the NYC Clergy Task Force and NYS Governor's Office COVID-19 Vaccine Ambassador. 

As we hope to see you on May 28, gracing the occasion with proclamations for the awardees, we sincerely appreciate your leadership as you promote inclusiveness, patriotism and compassionate traits among residents of New York City.

 

Peace.

Mutiu Olawuyi
Chief Executive Officer/Chief Editor
Muslim Media Cooperation

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