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Assalaamualaikum Wa Rahmatullaahi Wa Barakatuh
May Allah’s blessings be with you at all times Inshallah.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Azad Ali for his outstanding contribution to CSIS and introduce myself as the new President as of 4 January 2010.
It is with regret that I announce that the President of the Civil Service Islamic Society, Azad Ali has come to the end of his term. In all honesty, it had come to an end about a year ago but as he was doing such an amazing job, the Board of Trustees were more than happy to let him carry on. However, like all good things that come to an end it is sad to be at this juncture.
Azad, in his role as President has been the face of CSIS since its inception and is well known throughout the Civil Service, including in the corridors of power. His exceptional contribution and inspirational leadership style has not only benefited the Board of Trustees and Members but Muslims and Non-Muslims in the Civil Service and wider society. The good news is that as a Trustee he will remain involved with Society business.
I have personally known Azad since I joined HM Treasury many years ago. I have always admired his ability to engage with people from all walks of life and to represent his views with confidence and conviction. He is a good friend that has always supported me and provided guidance when in need. It is his integrity, confidence and strong leadership skills that led the Board of Trustees to elect him as President in 2005. His success includes securing Sir Gus O’Donnell as Patron to CSIS alongside other Permanent Secretaries across Whitehall to champion CSIS. Increasing awareness of Islam throughout Whitehall and representing CSIS at many events across the Country and providing support and leadership to individual members and the wider Civil Service. This is notwithstanding his dedicated effort in external activities to eradicate Islamophobia and represent Muslims in wider society, on top of his day job.
It is with pleasure that I accept the new role as President and even though my predecessor is a hard act to follow, I do hope I am able to lead and support CSIS to even more success. For those who do not know me, like Azad, I am a founding member of CSIS and was actively involved in creating the Society and shaping its place as a recognised network group within the Civil Service. I was Vice-Chair for the first 3 years and have since taken a behind the scenes role as a trustee. I have worked in HM Treasury, Communities and Local Government (CLG) and am currently a Grade 7 at DCSF dealing with Intercountry Adoptions. During my time in CLG, I worked in Prevent as the Muslim Women policy officer and this gave me an insight into the Muslim community and highlighted the lack of awareness of Islam in many parts of Government and society at large. I am actively involved in my local community and am a parent governor for my son’s Independent Islamic Primary School. I pray my experience as a Muslim women and a civil servant will help me in my new role. I accept this role with great humility and pray Allah (swt) guides CSIS to accomplish even more than we have. I look forward to working with you all and with the concerted effort of COM, continued commitment of members and the will of Allah (swt) we shall Inshallah make more positive change.
We are nearing elections and I will announce shortly when these will take place. An awayday will be organised shortly after the elections to develop the future strategy of the Society. I thought it would be helpful if I were to set my priorities for the coming year:
• Encourage and support more people to participate in the elections
and nominate themselves onto COM;
• Engage more with Muslim staff across departments and increase membership
at least twofold;
• Ensure that members have the necessary support to carry out CSIS business;
• Increase dialogue with policy officials that deal with Muslim issues
to ensure our views are taken into consideration when formulating policies
that affect Muslims;
• Roll out a mentoring and coaching programme for Muslim Civil Servants
and support them to achieve their full potential;
• Raise aspirations and provide role models to help members reach the
Senior Civil Service.
I look forward to working with you all and hope to meet you soon. Please feel free to contact me as necessary at info@civilserviceislamicsociety.org
Nayer Afzal
President
