Ramadan 2011 – Hampshire mosque welcomes a full time Hafiz

Naz (Nazir) Mohamed of Hadley was proud to report to Ben Storrow of the Gazette that 2011 is “the first year it [Hampshire mosque] has had a Hafiz, that is, someone who has memorized the Qu’ran and  will recite portions of the Muslim holy book each night during Ramadan, until it is completed.”

Amherst residents who want to learn more about some of the Qur’anic “Commandments” that make Muslims “the best of people” can now contact the mosque for clarification.

Chaplain Abdelaal ?

For some reason Muslim Brotherhood representative Chaplain Mohammed Abdelaal, one of the founders of the mosque, had been removed from any official connection with the corperation in November 2010.  Non-profit corporations like Hampshire mosque Inc. must be careful about non-deductible contributions to Muslim Brotherhood linked organizations like CAIR and Muslim Student Associations, or as payment to foreign nationals to circumvent immigration regulations, because anyone can file a IRS form 4506a and see copies of their tax returns itemizing all income, expenses, and the names of the principles.

Basha Ahmed (Ahamed), Naz’s husband, passed away in 2008.  His son, Hafiz, was born in Pakistan around 1980 and raised there by his mother.

Naz with her brother-in-law and “son” Hafiz Ahamed from Kashmir at Basha’s memorial service in 2008

In 1983 Bahsa was  enjoying the “swingin’ single” life in Northampton, but by 1985 he had “hooked-up” with Naz and decided to settle down.

It was October 1983… The Montrealer had brought me to Northampton one cold night from Washington, DC..I needed to change my life and Basha had been imploring me to come up to Western Massachusetts..”There are beautiful college girls here, Vasant, and art and music and culture, all the things you love, why die in DC?..come join me!”… Northampton went straight to my head..the bohemian five college art culture, the New England autumn, Smithies..and Basha….Basha was in his prime, just 30, equal parts businessman, shaman, mystic, musician, rogue, charlatan, romantic.. I found all the young college women very distracting, with their intoxicating young girl scents and vivacious ways.

Basha and I had long lunches of pita bread, dahl and rhita, chatting up some of these lovelies, in earnest, pseudo-mystical conversations… but really we were just two romantics, naive in that Indian way, not looking for the “hook-up”, specifically, but romantic soul-mates for the long winter nights.

Hafiz is also a skilled musician and interpreter of the Hindu classical style.

In 2010 Hafiz was granted a visa to take a college class in America, but fortunately he met a nice Islamic girl, who had recently sued Homeland Security for citizenship, and was married in October 2010 at Naz’s home in Hadley.

Women are always treated with the utmost respect in Islamic countries.