Historic Meeting Brings Together President & Founding Secretary of FOSIS

During a momentous gathering, the founding secretary, prominent alumni and staff of the Federation of Student Islamic societies (FOSIS) were brought together in an extraordinary meeting. Nabil Ahmed, the current President of FOSIS, along with several FOSIS staff members met Dato Muhammad Iqbal, Chairman of the Malaysian Institute for Management and Saif Ahmed, former CEO of Muslim Aid. Saif Ahmed served as Treasurer of FOSIS in the early eighties and Dato Iqbal was one of the seven founding fathers of FOSIS having come to Britain as a student from Malaysia almost 50 years ago. Our meeting was a unique opportunity to understand the rich history of the organisation and gauge the thoughts of two prominent alumni on the direction and vision for the future.

The afternoon saw historical documents from the personal collection of the founding secretary presented to Nabil Ahmed, to be placed in the lasting ownership of FOSIS. These included an immaculately preserved copy of the first FOSIS newsletter from 1963, minutes of the initial meetings that resulted in the founding of FOSIS and the original constitution. All these documents were compiled using a typewriter, reflecting the technology of the time.

Times have indeed changed. You’ll be hard pressed to come across a single member of FOSIS today who doesn’t possess a mobile phone or laptop. Those involved in the student movement today regularly travel up and down the country for meetings and conferences by car and train. Yet remarkably, our founding fathers would hitchhike across the country for their meetings - gatherings which resulted in the formation of the premier Muslim student organisation in the Western Europe. From humble beginnings, limited resources and a few volunteers, FOSIS has become an organisation with over 120 representative roles, led by a diverse group of students from across the UK and Ireland.

Whereas earlier generations of the FOSIS membership were predominantly made up of international students from a variety of countries, in recent decades the student membership of FOSIS has increasingly consisted of British and Irish born Muslims. At the same time, the Muslim populations in Britain and Ireland have grown exponentially. These are factors which provide food for thought, which potentially could be the impetus for a greater focus on and domestic challenges.

Throughout the discussions, one thing was clear – FOSIS is an institution which has over the course of half a century cultivated young students toward becoming global leaders. Dato Iqbal, who is well acquainted with many alumni from earlier generations, mentioned a host of individuals in the cabinets of half a dozen countries around the world. From Lord Chancellors to Presidents, these men and women spent their days as students involved and active within FOSIS.  By leading and being part of a movement of young, aspiring and faithful individuals inculcated with a deep sense of global civic responsibility and need for positive contribution, they were moulded into the men and women they are today.

In the coming months and years, we will be building a platform for our many prominent alumni to come together and form a powerful network with the view of utilising their experience toward cultivating the community leaders of the future.

As a diverse Muslim community in Britain, those at the grassroots must move beyond discussions of fiqh which are best left to the scholars of Islam, and rather focus on embodying the values and spirit of the religion. These were the sentiments expressed by Dato Iqbal. He also went on to emphasise the need to embody the Islamic tradition of global civic responsibility, positive contribution and enrichment to society as a whole. Our da’wah must go beyond the distribution of literature and organising of lectures and move toward others experiencing the faithful, and genuine acts of service toward wider society by young Muslims– fulfilling the needs of all peoples, races, and creeds. As young British and Irish Muslim leaders, facilitated by FOSIS, we must lead our community in this regard. We must set in stone, through action and shared commitment, this vision of our priorities in the present and for the future.

“What was the broad purpose of establishing a Federation of Student Islamic Societies?” asked Nabil Ahmed. “We had and have great young leaders on campuses, thinking and working on a local vision for their communities on campus and in the towns and cities of their universities”, explained Dato Iqbal. He continued, “what about the national and international vision? Who would think about, articulate and work for the national and international vision? Who would liaise with other national bodies and government? Who would come together, to provide leadership and direction to the local leaders?”  Hence the creation of FOSIS. As a consequence these student leaders, still mindful of a national and international vision for Muslim communities and wider society, went on to engage entire countries and lead them in varying roles within government and a host of international institutions. From Malaysia to Nigeria, Turkey to Sudan, Brunei to the UK, those once leading FOSIS went onto to lead nations, continuing in the spirit of engagement and activism they learnt as students throughout their lives.

In 2008 a Muslim student was elected on the board of trustees of the National Union of Students for the first time. In 2009, for the first time, the elected President of the University of London Student Union was a Muslim. Now in 2010, for the first time, the Vice President of the National Union of Students is a Muslim. Our generation of Muslim students are reaching new heights in engaging in mainstream issues and institutions, serving and contributing back to our society. Just as in the past, where leaders of the Muslim student movement went on to leading diverse Muslim countries in the 20th century, we envision a 21st century where leaders of our student movement will go onto be leaders of British, Irish and European society in all facets of life.

Thus derived is our new understanding of FOSIS, ‘an organisation which, for nearly half a century, has cultivated generations of global leaders; positively contributing and enriching our communities and societies towards harmony, equity and a better world.’ To that end, we strive. We invite you to join us.