Chief Executive Officer of the “RAHMA”(REG) charity, Maulana Khalil Patel, says: Everything we do in Albania is meant to help people in need, the sick, as this is the teaching of Allaah
The mosque and school should serve education, mercy, and love for one another. Prophet Muhammad is the best example
On Friday, in the city of Elbasan, was inaugurated the new mosque, investment of “RAHMA” charity, with it’s headquarters in United Kingdom. Numerous participants at this ceremony praised the investment and support that the association “RAHMA” got, in particular from its Chief Executive Officer Maulana Khalil Patel and the Director General for Albania, Xhemali Duka. At this ceremony, the work of the local government was praised in supporting and equipping the legal and technical documentation as well as the association which made its full financial investment. Besides local representatives, present were families who received assistance, pupils, parents, believers and the Vice-Presidents of the Albanian Muslim Community. The delegation of the “RAHMA” association was composed of about 45 participants from all over the world, such as England, Australia, South Africa, Indonesia, Germany, the Arab World, Turkey, Kosovo, Macedonia etc.
This association deals with about 400 orphans in the district of Elbasan handing out about 25 euros per month each. In addition, orphans are provided with food packages for women, rape victims, the ill, paraplegic and tetraplegicindividuals, the Romani community and other families in need.
400 orphans in the Elbasan district with 25 euros per month
Built 196 water wells
7 schools, which were donated to the Ministry of Education
13 houses for the homeless,
26 mosques
Help with food packages for the poor and on holidays
1-What does this association represent?
– The purpose of this association is to help people in need in Albania and the Balkans.
2-Mr. Khalil You are responsible for Albania, the Balkans, what is your role and what’s the geographical reach of “Rahma Mercy”?
-I’m the Chief Executive Officer of the “RAHMA” charity in Albania, Kosovo, Presevo, Macedonia, and Palestine, but 90% of its activity extends to the Balkans and 10% in Palestine. After the “Association Committee” in England decided that our major focus should be in Balkans.
3- Mr. Khalil why did you prefer to operate with your association mostly in Albanian speaking and Albanian areas?
The reason is because in 1999 when the Serbia-Kosovo war occurred I heard in the news that many Kosovars came to Albania as refugees and we came to help with food suplies intented for population that had already arrived in Albania. Our initial thought was that we come to Albania once, help and then leave. We spent 10 days in Albania helping Kosovars and on the 10th day when we would return to England I remember that the Elbasan villages filled with Kosovo refugees came and said, “Where are you going ?!” We responded, that we would return to England. They again told us, why are you leaving us? You helped us and we are already your family. If you leave us, who will take care of us? And at that moment they all started crying.
After hearing these words, I was overwhelmed and in my heart I felt that I had to go back to Albania again to help. Allah accepted our prayer and our good and pure purpose so this made us love Albania and its people. Albanians are good people, brave, generous, loving, and as in now it has been about 19 years here that we are in Albania.
4- Is there any purpose behind the aid? So is it just the aid for people or there is some kind of other investments trying to intertwinine the cultures, traditions, kindness, science, and other investments such as in art and other aspects of life?
-Our first purpose is education, to build many schools, mosques, have as many qurbans as possible, food for the orphans, the poor and the needy. Create as many water wells as possible to always have drinking water and help everybody as much as we can. This is our main goal.
–We were present on the inauguration of the newest mosque in the center of Elbasan, and of course, not only from the outside, where Elbasan is a very important and prominent place, with almost half of the albanian population coming across it, and it is fairly obvious, since there already is a mosque there, but this is not the only mosque, there are many other mosques here.
5 – The mosque in the city center was inaugurated on Friday. Since there is politics behind this making it somewhat controllable as to what is being said, what is your purpose in setting up this mosque or other mosques as cult objects?
– The mosque construction happenned because a mosque is the home of Allah on earth. In the mosque comes mercy of Allah, peace, blessings, success, comfort, disasters are removed. When the mosque is built, voice of Allah, when people pray and commemorate Allah, we bring upon us peace. All the disasters, problems that people may have, murders, suicides, crimes go away. This is the blessing that descends Allah’s mercy into that town in that village. When Allah remembers, many disasters leave that place. The best example for us is our beloved prophet Muhammad, who built the mosque, and the mosque is not for only listening to Allahu Akbar, you also visit it for forgiveness. The orphan in need came to the mosque, the needy who had worries and troubles. The mosque was also a school of education, but not only. Everything was taught in the mosque and science, then we got universities. The mosque is for everything, it helps the orphans, and the troubled. Problems, worries, and spiritual issues are healed by the mosque. The affected by epilepsy visiting the mosque find another world, reassurence, they find the world of the soul.
6- In addition to mosques, you have also invested in schools and pre-school facilities. Is there a strategy in itself, to whom they will serve. They will be schools and a place of knowledge or have religious or secular features. Does this charity have any particular goal in its long term plans?
We have built many schools and most of them our association, has not only entirely built them and many others repaired, but when these projects were finishes the schools were given as gift to the Ministry of Education and Educational Departments, such as in Elbasan, Librazhd etc. We have also set up schools with one of them being the “Rahma Academy” which is under our control and is in the administration of the association and its leader in Elbasan.
7- What about expanding the education system, which is primary, since it is known that it costs and our state needs these investments? What about orphaned children, those without homes, and abandoned elderly (asylum)?
-The Albanian people deserve a lot. We have also built 13 homes for people in need, mostly orphans. Once we built these houses, we noticed that the requests were and are numerous, but all this depends on the budget, as we build our budget from donations, from Muslims, if it is possible we want to build many more houses but we have to check out budget first. Our desire is great, we want to build an asylum for the elderly also, a clinic, an ambulance, an ophthalmic center, a dental clinic. We want to help people in different ways, in spiritual, material, health and education, and we hope that we will achieve this, with God’s help, local support, and good people.
8- How is your partnership with the Albanian part in activities and meetings held so far? What do you think about your partner in Albania, Mr. Xhemali Duka?
Xhemali is my partner and brother. In reality, I do not have a brother, but even if I would have one I’d trust Xhemal more. When we work together everything is transparent and no one can address us, that I or Xhemali are getting into financial issues. Transparency is primary in the activity of our charity and we are not 100%, but 110% clear in everything regarding to out bank account.
9-For about two months Xhemali was very preoccupied with the welcoming ceremony in Albania …
Xhemal works here, stresses here while I work in England. We work both as it is a very special occasion.
10-Have you encountered any issues, accessing legal documentation or technical problems from the central, local government, do you get support from the Albanian goverment and what is something that needs to be done?
Albania and the albanian goverment have been very good to us because they have let us work freely with people in need, build schools and mosques, since we are British citizens. The only help we need from the albanian state is that when we come to the airport with many items, gifts for children to find an opportunity within the law, as we are a humanitarian association and we donate them to people in need. Because in foreign countries, humanitarian associations have special access due to our status. We have to move fast, without obstacles when we come from England to Albania. Furthermore, everything is ok with the albanian goverment and we thank them for the culture and respect shown towards us.
11-How did the inauguration ceremony of the mosque seem, where important faces of the Albanian Muslim Community and the local government as the mayor, the prefecture, the deputies of the Albanian parliament, other local representatives, citizens and students were present?
It was fantastic, really beautiful and I’m grateful since I saw everyone united, right to the left, deputies, top local representatives, deputy chairman of the KMSH, muftiates and everything went pretty nicely.
12 -You have visited many areas and surely got many meetings. How do you like Albania?
Albania is my second home.
13- There is a second project for Elbasan, which is probably even bigger than these investments so far ….
The second project, which is even bigger near Elbasan, will be a better and bigger academy in the country. It will start in February 2018 and we hope that it will finish by 2020.
14-At what level will participation be, also in regards to the infrastructure, what is anticipated, will it be a school, kindergarten, profesional education perhaps?
It will be a school responsible for education from kindergarten to high school and then we will have the college. We also want to make an Islamic college for girls who will welcome students from all over Albania.
15-How many students will be able to attend?
The school will take up to 600 students. And it will have the highest level of education, cooperating and respecting all the rules and laws determined by the state and the ministry of education, which will also require the necessary support of professional and legal assistance.
16-Will excellent students of the academy be pursued to a higher education, maybe sent abroad for trainings, masters, PHD?
Everyone wants to see the fruits of their work and we intend that exquisite students get educated in England and Europe. We do not want our students to be second, they must be the first and the best of the best.
Parents remain the best and most honest teachers in life
Another last word. Success has many reasons. On my part, which I want to convey to everyone, if we want success in our daily lives, we need the blessing of our parents. When I need something I go to my parents and I am here today where I am because of them. For every problem, concern I call, my father and my mother. Nothing is from me, it is from my parents and their prayers, that is why I am today successful. This is very important, we want to seek, to believe in our parents. We need to respect our parents in the first place, because respecting means respecting ourselves and the future.
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