Indian-origin philanthropist and founder of disaster relief group ‘Gift Of The Givers’, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman has won the prestigious South African of the Year Award run by the Daily Maverick newspaper.
Sooliman, in his acceptance speech at the Al Quds Mosque in Cape Town on Friday, called on Muslims worldwide to engage in caring for all communities to change Islamophobic perceptions.
Sooliman started ‘Gift Of The Givers’ after his religious mentor in Turkey asked him to do so in 1994.
Since then, the charitable and relief organisation has undertaken relief work in more than 44 countries after natural disasters such as earthquakes as well as assisting people in war-torn countries.
The doctor recalled how his religious leader in Turkey had instructed him to establish the organisation ‘Waqful Waqifin’, which translates to ‘gift of the givers’ from Arabic.
“This award came by South Africans who had voted across cultures, across religions, across people who do not have any faith too, but all of them were willing to vote for me,” Sooliman said this symbolised that people in their souls support goodness.
Sooliman is recognised internationally for his works, winning scores of awards and accolades over the decades, lauded by South African and foreign heads of state for his organisation’s assistance during times of crisis.
Sooliman has also received National Orders, South Africa’s highest civilian honour, and earlier this year was named Social Justice Champion by the University of Stellenbosch in Western Cape province.
Sooliman said if all Muslims believed in these principles of caring for their fellow citizens, it would go a long way towards eradicating the scourge of Islamophobia and perceptions that Islam supports terrorism.
Sooliman used the example of a mosque in Cape Town using its facilities to hand out Christmas parcels to the needy on behalf of the Gift of the Givers.
“There couldn’t be a better example of building relations,” he said in conclusion.
Foundation of 'Gift of the Givers' and Humanitarian aid:
In 1992, he founded the Gift of the Givers Foundation and has since then delivered more than R160 million in 13 years to 22 countries, including South Africa.
The organisation is impartial and apolitical and aims to serve with compassion, kindness and mercy. One of the notable gifts that he organised was the donation of a well-equipped field hospital first used during the Bosnian War.
In 2003, his organisation became the first in South African history to receive R60 million from the South African Government for humanitarian aid in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.
The organization has worked in many parts of the world, including Gaza City, Bosnia, Pakistan, Somalia, Haiti and Zimbabwe. During the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the organisation sent four rescue teams and aid materials to the country. In 2011, they provided food aid to Somalia, by airlifting 180 tons and shipping 2000 tons of aid.
Through Gift of the Givers, South African medics and volunteers have been assisting people during the Syrian civil war.
n 2015, after 176 died during the flooding of the Shire Valley, and with thousands homeless, the organization provided assistance for citizens in southern Malawi.
Relying almost entirely on donations and the obligatory ‘zakat’ tax paid by Muslims, ‘Gift Of The Givers’ has provided almost 4 billion rand (USD 260 million) worth of aid to drought-stricken areas, ranging from mobile hospitals, food hampers, and digging boreholes.
The Gift of the Givers has been assisting thousands in South Africa with food and medical supplies since the coronavirus pandemic hit.
They have also been assisting at public hospitals around the country, drilling boreholes and assisting health workers and communities during the pandemic.
Sooliman says that Gift of the Givers has been inundated with calls to help bring a vaccine to South Africa – from the public, corporates and even from the government.
Career and education:
Dr Imtiaz Sooliman was born in Potchefstroom, in the North West. He started his schooling in Potchefstroom but moved to Sastri College in Durban in 1978. He qualified as a medical doctor at the then University of Natal Medical School in 1984.
Sooliman gave up his career as a medical doctor to pursue the field of humanitarian aid, beyond the boundaries of race, religion, culture, class and geography.
Alongside his studies and his medical work and throughout his life, Sooliman has been involved in several associations, religious organisations and school-governing bodies progressively as a student, medical doctor and an active member of civil society.
Running for President of South Africa:
Following the disaster relief organisation’s incredible work thousands of South Africans have urged Sooliman to consider running for president.
While he is flattered, he emphatically said no when asked if he would consider getting into politics.
“The call for me to be president has been coming through loud and clear throughout South Africa for quite some time now. The problem is that there's something wrong with the system. Why would the public want somebody else to be a president when there is already an existing president that has been democratically elected by the people?
“It means there is something wrong with the way the country is being run. People are not satisfied, and to me, it should be a wake-up call to the government. I am not interested. I have a spiritual responsibility, a spiritual calling," he was quoted saying by IOL.
(with PTI and sources inputs)
