Not by a long shot could Rafeek Assim of New
Amsterdam, Berbice in Guyana and Kenneth Asraph Asgarali of Lengua in
South Trinidad have forseen that their investment in the lives of some
young boys living in Toronto would bear the positive fruits that it
did. The young folks used to gather at Rafeek’s home in Thornhill to
learn to read and write in Arabic on Friday nights. There, they also
attended Jummah Namaz (Friday noon prayers), taking turns reading the
Khutbah, learning how to do their prayers and fast in the period of
Ramadan.
Little wonder therefore that the sons of these two
men are now in the forefront in the leadership of a group they call
'Lantern of Hearts.'
Teenagers Imran Assim, Arif Assim and Adam Asgarali
are among the dedicated workers in this group of students who have a
common bond in their Alma Mater, York University.
But there are also a number of other members who
come from various countries and who are held together by the common
strand of their Muslims heritage.
Arif Assim confirms that his friends have a cure
for "ailing hearts." He believes that the glow from this
group can brighten lives everywhere, like the light of a lantern
dispelling darkness.
'Lantern of the Hearts' believe in equality of
opportunity, rights, justice and fairplay, hence no prestigious
positions exist in the group.
'Lantern of Hearts' held its 5th anniversary
celebration at the Burton Auditorium, York University last Saturday.
All presentations were religious in nature as this was the primary aim
of this event. The focus was on the Arts in Islam.
Songs and poems, called Naats, Nashids and
Quaseedas were rendered along with Quranic recitations. Imran Assim
was the MC, but every member was working assiduously to prepare the
refreshment tables and supervise the silent auction that took place.
Some proceeds of this would go to the rental of the
Burton Auditorium and the Home for Battered Women in Ajax. Items for
the auction were all donated by various people and companies. These
included the Baksh and Kutty Law Firm, Wazir Shariff, Omni Financial
and Haseeb Ali, formerly of
