Councillors

The councillors appointed by the President
for the term 2024 – 2027

WE TAKE GREAT PLEASURE IN INTRODUCING The new faces of The World Federation

HAIDERALI MEGHANI
COUNCILLOR

HAIDERALI MEGHANI

APPOINTED COUNCILLOR - 2024 - 2027

Haiderali Gulamali Meghani is from the renowned philanthropic Meghani family of Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India. His late father Marhum Gulamali Meghani was a renowned philanthropist and became a close associate of Marhum Mulla Asghar when The World Federation started the journey to support jamaats in Gujarat. Alhaj Haiderali is a director of the family-owned International Green Ship Recyclers LLP, engaged in recycling operations for obsolete maritime vessels and exporters of ship machineries. The family company also manufactures petroleum products and has set up a solar powerplant in Bhavnagar.

Alhaj Haiderali is passionate in providing education as he believes education is the key to alleviating hardships. He is a trustee of the famous HajiNaji Memorial Trust, which besides publishing Islamic books and literature compiled by Marhum Haji Esmail (known as HajiNaji Sahib), is also involved in welfare activities including education and providing lodging and boarding to students from disadvantaged families. Alhaj Haiderali is also appointed by The World Federation as a trustee of the Husaini Education & Welfare Society Trust (HEWS) based in Bhavnagar, India.

MOHAMMAD MAHDI KARIM
COUNCILLOR

MOHAMMAD MAHDI KARIM

APPOINTED COUNCILLOR - 2024 - 2027

Mohammad Mahdi was born in the UK to Fatima and Mukhtar Karim.

He is currently a trainee solicitor at the global law firm Allen Overy Shearman Sterling LLP. He also has a passion for improving the soft skills of the youth of our community.

He leads the external engagement efforts of the World Federation which focuses on building strategic relations with other Shia entities, Muslim entities and non-faith based civic entities so we can knowledge share with others, spread our influence and better protect our communities in times of crisis.

At the age of 24, he looks forward to increasing the cognitive, experiential and generational diversity of The World Federation.

He achieved a first class honours from the University of Warwick where he read Politics, Philosophy and Law. Thereafter, he pursued a Masters in Law at the University of Law in London.

His passion for and understanding of the importance of politics stemmed from Stanmore Madrasah’s HED. In 2022 he was appointed as the UK’s Head Delegate to the G20’s Official Youth Conference and attended the G20 Youth in Summit in Indonesia (Jakarta and Bandung).

He has spoken at Chatham House about the importance of youth engagement in politics.

In 2020 he founded The MMK Academy which aims to improve the public speaking skills of children and adults and was subsequently awarded the TransferWise 20 under 20 award (2020) ranking him as one of the top 20 entrepreneurs in Europe under the age of 20.

Through the MMK Academy, he has also aimed to increase Muslim representation in UK politics. He has held events bringing young Muslims together with Muslim MPs to allow them to build their network.

He has also interned for a UK MP and has been mentored by top UK MPs and civil servants through the Patchwork Masterclass.

He looks forward to using this experience to help strengthen the WF’s external engagement to wider society and especially the decision makers in the wider community.

At a community level he led the team that planned to hold the first World Federation Youth Conference in Mombasa in 2020 and he has served as head of personal development at Hujjat’s Al Haadi Youth.

In his spare time, he enjoys his running and tennis, and spending time with his family. He enjoys travelling (especially to Zanzibar where his ancestry hails from!)

DR AHMED HASSAM
COUNCILLOR

DR AHMED HASSAM

APPOINTED COUNCILLOR - 2024 - 2027

A dedicated community worker for over 20 years, Ahmed bhai was born in Zanzibar but brought up in Uganda where he obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from Makerere University in Kampala. In 1972, he migrated to the United Kingdom and studied at the London University where he obtained a Ph.D. in Biochemistry in 1975. He is married and has two children.

He set up Quest Vitamins Ltd in 1983. The company’s manufacturing facility is now based in Dubai, licensed by the UAE Ministry of Health and European Medicines Agency. He manufactures nutritional supplements and medicinal products.

Ahmedbhai brings a wealth of experience to the The World Federation, having served as its President, Vice President, Executive Councillor on numerous occasions, and successfully lead and volunteered in multiple boards and projects. He has been the past President of Birmingham Jamaat and was actively involved in the building of the Birmingham Imamwada/Mosque and flat complex. Ahmedbhai has helped resettle our communities following the earthquake in Kutch and Gujarat, has established secure routes to help aid reach Iraq and built relationships with international organisations like the British Red Cross, Iraqi Red Crescent and other aid charities.

DR JAFFER DHARSEE
COUNCILLOR

DR JAFFER DHARSEE

APPOINTED COUNCILLOR - 2024 - 2027

Dr Jaffer Dharsee is a practising Consultation Radiologist, passionate social worker and an entrepreneur.

He has served the community in various positions including as a chairman for medical and education boards, trustee and vice president of KSIJ, Dar es Salaam.

MOHSIN GHEEWALA
COUNCILLOR

MOHSIN GHEEWALA

APPOINTED COUNCILLOR - 2024 - 2027

Born in Pakistan, Mohsin did his early schooling in Karachi, his BSc from Warwick University, and his MSc in Management from the London School of Economics (LSE). He is involved in running his own apparel manufacturing and export business for over 23 years.

Hailing from a family background where both his father (ex VP of Karachi Jamaat) and his brother (ex-member managing committee of Karachi Jamaat) have been actively involved in the affairs of the local community, Mohsin has had a lot of inspiration. He feels the need to help and improve, in whatever possible capacity, the lives of those who are less fortunate at both the Khoja community level, and humanity in general. He is a recent elected member of the managing committee of KPSIAJ (Khoja Pirhai Jamaat – Karachi) and is involved in the affairs of the Fatimiyah Hospital and KPSIAJ Sports to mention a few.

He is also a trustee of Bait ul Sukoon hospital, a cancer hospital in Karachi offering free treatment to people. He is also a board member of TRS (The Rising Sun), a charity based organization involved in using cutting edge technology to help solve the current challenges faced by humanity (using 3-D technology to resolve housing shortages), and promoting Quranic learning through the use of modern day apps.

He is also working with the Government of Sindh and the United Nations, being a member of the Technical Committee involved in Youth Empowerment across the province to allow employment opportunities to youth. Also, he has been involved in various projects with the United Nations Development Program, working for and promoting Women Empowerment and equal opportunities at workplace and diversity.

Moreover, he is a sports enthusiast who participated in both local Khoja and international cricket tournaments and, during his free time, he is a cricket analyst on TV in Pakistan.

MOHAMEDALI GOKAL
COUNCILLOR

MOHAMEDALI GOKAL

APPOINTED COUNCILLOR - 2024 - 2027

Mohamedali Gokal has great pride in the community’s history and zeal for the potential yet to be realised. A Martin Dockray scholar from City Law School, London, Mohamedali trained and practised as a lawyer before joining his family’s logistics business.

Beyond work, Mohamedali has a passion for youth and social work.  He was an executive committee member at Hujjat Stanmore for two terms, responsible for political/media outreach, community engagement and emergency relief response.  He also chaired Stanmore Jaffery’s and interned in the House of Commons.

Mohamedali is also a trustee of The Who is Hussain Foundation (www.whoishussain.org), with representative teams in five continents and two dozen countries globally, serving communities in the memory of Aba Abdillah.

Along with a friend he co-founded The Student Journals in 2010, the UK’s first national online student magazine.  It went on to be voted Guardian’s ‘Student Website of the Year’.  Mohamedali has written for many news outlets and has appeared on various television programmes, including the BBC and ITV.  In 2011, he was mentioned on the Total Politics list of Britain’s best young bloggers.  He has lobbied for various causes and volunteered for numerous charities and not-for-profit organisations, including interfaith, civil society, and relief causes, both within and outside the folds of the community.

Away from professional and community work, Mohamedali enjoys reading, spending time with his wife & daughter, and supporting his beloved Arsenal.

SUKAINA NURMOHAMED
COUNCILLOR

SUKAINA NURMOHAMED

APPOINTED COUNCILLOR - 2024 - 2027

Sukaina Nurmohamed, born in Mombasa, Kenya, completed her GCSEs in 1986 before migrating to the UK and marrying in 1987. With a career spanning from 1989 to 2023 at British Telecom (BT), she’s a dedicated professional.

Passionate about community since childhood, inspired by her grandparents’ pioneering community work, she became a Madrasah teacher upon moving to the UK. She’s been actively involved in community welfare, volunteering at the mosque in various capacities and serving on the Hujjat EC, where she promoted small businesses and founded the Bibi Khadija Youth Competition. She’s organized numerous seminars, including on AI. From 2022 to 2024, she served on the executive committee for Hujjat Stanmore.

Sukaina is part of FUTR co-working space and contributes to Hujjat Harefield Finance team. Currently, she holds a dual role at Hujjat as Office Bearer Assistant Secretary and Vice Chair Lady.

ALI SHROFF
COUNCILLOR

ALI SHROFF

ELECTED COUNCILLOR - 2024 - 2027

Aliakbar Shroff is president of the Khoja Shia Ithna Ashari Jamaat in Mumbai, India. He has been involved with many charities and social/capital projects in India over the last decade. He has a business of importing body care products and exporting stationery, in addition to being a Real Estate Investor.

Aliakbar currently is a Trustee of Kesarbaug Trust, Haji Dewji Jamal Musafirkhana, and Haji Nazarali Imambargah amongst other trusts in India. He has also served the KSI Jamaat Mumbai as Secretary for 3 years and as Vice President for 4.5 years. His team and him have been instrumental in bringing focus around education, medical, economic upliftment and capacity building in Mumbai Jamaat, all of which grew by 3-4 times in a span of 7-8 years.

As a founder member of the India Federation (Parent body of all KSI Jamaats of India) in 2013, Aliakber was successful in uniting the communities of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Vidharbha, Karnataka and Telangana to focus on achieving common developmental objectives and coordination of relief work. He has also done few notable capital projects including two graveyard projects in Mumbai, the redevelopment of Haji Nazarali Imambargah into a modern facility with state of the art infrastructure, refurbishment of facilities at Kesar Baug Hall, KSI Jamaat office, Madressa and making the largest Khoja heritage wall at Arambaug in Mumbai.

ALIHASSAN KASSAM
COUNCILLOR

ALIHASSAN KASSAM

ELECTED COUNCILLOR - 2024 - 2027

Alihassan Kassam is a qualified lawyer and an advocate of the High Court of Tanzania. He has served in various capacities within the community, most notably as the Assistant Secretary of the Africa Federation from 2015-2019. Currently, he is a member of the Constitution Review Committee of KSIJ Dar es Salaam, the Constitution Review Committee of the Africa Federation, the Incorporation Review Team of the World Federation, a Councillor from Dar es Salaam Jamaat at the Africa Federation, and an elected Councillor of The World Federation. Alihassan is also a teacher at the Husayni Madressa and a co-editor of ‘Legal Connection,’ a publication intended to educate the community on various legal issues. Additionally, he assists the AFED Archives team in their ongoing series covering various events that have affected the community in the past.

DR ASGAR MOLEDINA
COUNCILLOR

DR ASGAR MOLEDINA

ELECTED COUNCILLOR - 2024 - 2027

Dr. Moledina was born in 1950 in Mombasa, Kenya. He completed his schooling in Kenya. His favorite sports were cricket, tennis and table tennis which he played at the community sports club in Mombasa. Dr. Moledina is currently residing in Florida U.S.A. and is blessed with one son and two daughters.

He studied in Aligarh Muslim University from 1969 to 1970 and then in Grant Medical College (J J Hospital) in Bombay where he graduated as a Medical Doctor in 1975. He then went on to practice medicine in Kenya. In 1981 he moved to Uganda, where besides his private practice, he started a Pharmaceutical distribution company.

He has served in the roles of President of Kampala and Maputo Jamaat, Trustee and then, Vice President of  Africa Federation (2004-2007), Head of Central Bilal Board, as well as, President of The World Federation (2009-2017).

He has initiated various projects in education, housing, economic upliftment, tabligh and Islamic education, including establishing the BLESS in Bilal and MCE at World Federation. His love for humanity and our Khoja Community has been the prime motivation and drive for success in the service of the Creator. May Allah (SWT) accept his humble services.

He was first appointed as Executive Councillor in the 1980’s by Marhum Mulla Asgher and remained a councillor for many years after, working with The World Federation team for the progress and prosperity of the community and in the service of humanity at large. He was also the nominated Councillor of the Federation of KSI Jamaats of Africa for the term 2019-2022, and remains an elected councillor at the World Federation from 2021 to the present.

KHADIJA MAISAM
COUNCILLOR

KHADIJA MAISAM

ELECTED COUNCILLOR - 2024 - 2027

Khadija Masiam is a clinical dietitian and nutritionist, holding extensive experience in clinical nutrition. Her professional journey reflects her dedication to advancing health and wellness. She has worked in several leading hospitals across Pakistan, including Medicare Cardiac & General Hospital, Royal Institute of Medicine & Surgery. Khadija is an active member of the Pakistan Nutrition and Dietetic Society and has collaborated with numerous pharmaceutical companies and wellness brands. She is instrumental in providing expert consultation and conducting over a thousand awareness sessions nationwide. She has spoken at various platforms for food companies such as Soya Supreme, English Biscuits, Biogenics Pharma, and PharmEvo. She has also conducted health awareness sessions for the Lions Club, Karachi Gymkhana, Khoja Pirai Jamaat, Aga Khan & Bohri communities.

In addition to her clinical practice, Khadija is a respected educator. She has served as a lecturer at the prestigious Institute of Business Administration (IBA), where she has influenced many through her teaching and mentorship in the field of nutrition and wellness. She is an integral part of the entrepreneur program for IBA. She has conducted an academic session at Jinnah Medical & Dental College as an expert speaker on diabetes and dietary planning.

Khadija Maisam is deeply committed to social work and philanthropy. For the past three years, she has been an elected councillor at Khoja Jamaat, where she has made significant contributions to community welfare.

NASIMA KARIM
COUNCILLOR

NASIMA KARIM

ELECTED COUNCILLOR - 2024 - 2027

Nasima Azim Karim was born in Moshi, Tanzania to Late Musa and Fatim Haji Jaffer. She migrated to Mombasa, Kenya in 1984, and then to the UK in 2002, where she now resides. She is a proud mother of four children.

Nasima has been passionate about community service from a very young age, following on the footsteps of her marhum father, Musa Haji. She was the Head of the Hussaini Madressa’s Student Welfare Section (S.W.S) in Mombasa and has worked as an Administrator at the Shia Ithna’sheri Madressa of Stanmore and at Hujjat. She was also a teacher at the Madressa and a volunteer at Hujjat.

She has served as a secretary to the Ladies Committee for six years and recently completed two terms as Chairlady of Hujjat Jamaat. She is passionate about making communities inclusive for members with special needs and has introduced some amazing initiatives to support families, working closely with other COEJ Jamaats to provide similar services to their communities.

Nasima has organised sessions and seminars to support women’s self-growth and development. She loves to work with the women and youth of the community and constantly look to create pathways and opportunities to empower them in leadership roles within the local, national and global communities. She looks forward to continue with her passion of service to the global community as a councillor of the World Federation.

SADIQ DATOO
COUNCILLOR

SADIQ DATOO

ELECTED COUNCILLOR - 2024 - 2027

Sadiq Datoo was born and raised in London, as part of the Hujjat Stanmore community. After graduating from King’s College London school of Pharmacy, he and his wife moved to Milton Keynes before immigrating to Minnesota, USA in 2007 where he now lives with his wife and two children.

Sadiq’s passion for community service started in his teenage years when he was a volunteer in Stanmore Jamaat and a Madrasah teacher. He was also a mentor in several community youth camps organized by COEJ. During his time in Milton Keynes, Sadiq held his first EC position as secretary of Milton Keynes Jamaat. Most recently, Sadiq completed four years as President of Minnesota Jamaat where he is still an active volunteer.

He is honored to have the opportunity to serve as an elected councillor of The World Federation and is looking forward to being able to contribute to the worldwide community.

RUQAYYA DATOO-NANJIANI
COUNCILLOR

RUQAYYA DATOO-NANJIANI

ELECTED COUNCILLOR - 2024 - 2027

Ruqayya Datoo Nanjiani was born in Mombasa, Kenya, to Shaykh Fazle Abbas and Tahira Datoo. After completing her GCSEs at Jaffery Academy, her family moved to Portsmouth, UK. She now lives in London with her husband and two children.

Ruqayya holds a bachelor’s degree in Law and started her career at His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) as a Caseworker, enforcing laws under the Proceeds of Crime Act. She was later promoted to Business Manager at His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC). Currently, she is on a career break and homeschool’s her son.

Ruqayya has been dedicated to community service from a young age. At Wessex Jamaat, she was involved in various projects, including teaching at Madrasah, interfaith activities, relief efforts, and local media representation. In London, she joined the Shia Ithna-Asheri Madrasah under Hujjat, Stanmore, as a teacher and eventually was an Assistant Departmental Head. She is currently one of the leads at Hujjat Maternal Support.

She served as The World Federation’s Assistant Secretary General during the Interim Term 2020-2021 and as an elected Councillor for the term 2021-2024. In addition to being involved in The Khoja Heritage Project (KHP), Ruqayya is passionate about youth engagement. This motivated her to co-lead the World Federation Youth Conference in June 2023, which significantly increased youth participation at the World Federation Triennial Conference in May 2024.

Ruqayya hopes to continue her humble contributions and bring meaningful change to Khoja communities for generations to come.

ZAFFAR KHAKOO
COUNCILLOR

ZAFFAR KHAKOO

ELECTED COUNCILLOR - 2024 - 2027

Zaffar Khakoo was born and brought up in Dubai and has been resident in the UK for the last fourteen years. He is married with three children. His family is originally from Tanga, Tanzania.

Zaffar is an accountant by profession, with an Executive MBA from the University of Edinburgh. He is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and Affiliate member of the the Institute of Chartered Accountants, England and Wales, .

He has over 25 years of audit experience and is a Partner in one of the ‘Big 4’ firms specialising in audits of financial service companies, including leading the audits of some of the largest banks in the world.

Zaffar served as the Honorary Treasurer for the World Federation (2021-2024), and wants to continue serving the community as a councillor of the World Federation.

 

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