FROMHUMBLEBEGINNINGSTO FIRST CITIZEN OF THE BOROUGH

OSMET and friends felicitate the Mayor of Harrow

By Faiza Thassim

High Commissioner John Rankin paid tribute to the Mayor for his multi-faith work in the most religiously diverse 'borough of contrasts' as he called it. "You as Mayor represent not just the minority communities but also all of the people in the borough of Harrow. Amid your multi-faith work you have worked hard to bring together those people in a shared understanding of what they have in common rather than what divides them," the High Commissioner said.

Commenting on the social service rendered by OSMET he said "Education has been said to be the greatest investment of all and by helping people to help themselves by way of a higher education you have helped to enrich many lives."

President’s Counsel Shibly Aziz quipped, "Mayor Nizam emigrated to the UK in the early sixties. Now we see a reverse immigration of Britishers coming to reside in Galle 60 years later. At this rate the question arises - will we soon have a Britisher as our Mayor in Galle?"

Matale Mayor Hilmy Mohamed whilst commending the work of OSMET stressed on the fact that education was a must and it was something that could not be stolen.

OSMET Chairman Hussain Cassim, also spoke of the social services rendered by the Overseas Muslim Educational trust, while the Vice Chairman Shumsdeen Cader narrated a brief overview of the young Nizam Ismail and his leftleaning political aspirations even back then.