The Next 50, Part Two: Today Meets Tomorrow

In the second part of the Envisioning the Next 50 Years town hall, the youth panellists were joined by the President of The World Federation, Alhaj Safder Jaffer, and the presidents of the regional federations. Moderator Mohammad Mahdi Karim noted that a vision depends on the people who deliver it, and that nurturing the next generation of leaders is a responsibility shared by every leader today.

Describing a successful World Federation in 2050, the leaders spoke of a community worthy of serving the Imam of our time, in which no one remains in need of charity and every Khoja feels connected and supported. On balancing youth and experience, Alhaj Abbas Bandali (President of NASIMCO) said that to win a race, “you need to have a strong horse with a young rider”, while another regional president called for young people to be supported through their mistakes and for constitutional provision for young people, women and seniors in leadership.

The leaders identified artificial intelligence, climate change, political instability and increased scrutiny of the Shia community among the challenges of the next decade, and called for institutions to provide safe spaces where young people can discuss them openly. Alhaj Abbas Bandali described Khoja identity as the beginning of a responsibility, with a duty to serve the wider Shia community.

Asked what should be started today for the community of 2076, the panel returned to young people and faith, urging leaders to bring young people into the community’s institutions now and to hold fast to the Holy Qur’an and the Ahlul Bayt (a). The session closed on a lighter note, as the leaders named role models from the community’s history, among them Shaheed Hamid Bhojani and Marhum Mulla Asghar.

In this part of the programme