Instituut
voor Islamitische
Studies en Publicaties
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Introduction by Riaz Ahmadali, Chairman of the Institute for Islamic Studies and Publications, during the presentation of the CD “Look with your Heart” to the Minister of Internal Affairs for Suriname, Drs. M. Hassankhan.
Date: 17 October, 2006
Time: 9:30 a.m.
Location: Ministry of Internal Affairs
Minister of Internal Affairs, others present, I start my presentation with the Muslim greeting, As-salaamu ‘alaikum, which means “Peace be upon you.”
It is a great honour to be your guest today and to present you with a copy of the CD, “Look with your Heart”, which was released on 14 October, 2006.
This CD, which was produced in Suriname, contains Islamic songs which can be used on different occasions, such as during Ramadan, Eid ul-Fitr and birthday celebrations. Since we are now in the month of Ramadan and will celebrate Eid ul-Fitr next week, we chose this time to present the CD to you and to the people of Suriname.
The main vocals are by Sharda Ahmadali-Doekhie, and she is accompanied by various other artists. I arranged the music.
This CD can be considered a unique product in several respects. Firstly, it is now almost twenty years since the last Islamic CD by Surinamese artists was released. Secondly, this CD contains songs in two languages – Urdu and English – to bring the message of Islam to the younger people, as well. Thirdly, most of the songs have not been released previously; some of them were taken from Islamic song books and arranged with suitable music, and some of them were written by Sharda. The music has been arranged in a modern, varied style.
However, more important to us is the fact that the CD has been released to bring joy and happiness within the Islamic society, to create solidarity amongst Muslims – as music is a binding factor – and as an inspiration to deepen the relation between the servants and their Creator.
These factors combined make this product a unique one within the Suriname society, and so we considered it fitting to present a copy to you, Minister Hassankhan, as you are one of the prominent Muslims within Suriname. Therefore, on behalf of the other artists, I would like to express our feelings of gratitude to your for giving us this opportunity to present this CD to you.
Picture 1: From left to right: Sharda Ahmadali-Doekhie, Ilhaam Ahmadali, Riaz Ahmadali, Minister Maurits Hassankhan
Picture 2: Ten-year-old Ilhaam, one of the junior artists on the CD, presenting the CD to the Minister.
Picture 3: Minister Hassankhan reads the inside part of the CD cover.
Songs can be downloaded here.