This Saudi citizen hosts Iftar with Malayali food throughout Ramadan

P.A Hameed Padubidri
May 12, 2019

Ramadan is a month of mercy. Its practical model was morefully materialized by a Saudi citizen & senior official of Interior Ministry, Saud bin Abdulaziz.

He had been doing the mass "Ifthar" programs for Malayalis for 30 days during Ramadan in Exit 27 Suwaidi Tariq bin Ziyad Mosque in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the past five years.

"Each year, the number of people has been increasing & people from different parts of Riyadh get together here for their tasty & yummy items", Saud Abdulaziz said.

Malayalis are given special consideration in the Ifthar party arranged by the Saudi; this is what Suwaidi Ifthar party clearly demonstrates. 90% participants in the party are Malayalis. A lot of non-muslim brothers are also joining & doing their voluntary services in the tent of Ifthar party.

 "It's a wonderful model of of communal harmony with all people of different faiths come together at one place" Shameer, the Mosque's Janitor, who always took a key role in the voluntary works in the tent, described.

It can accommodate for around 500 fasters (Swaa'im), which contains different types of Kerala eatables & foods like Patthir, Idiyappa (rice- made vermicelli type food), Kerala poratta, domestic curries etc.

Before the Ifthar, religious discourse is being conducted by Riyadh Indian Islahi Center's Rep. Mujeeb Irumbuzhi with the cooperation of Riyadh Rabwah Jaliyath. This religious talk is followed by Question & Answer session.

 Besides, the gifts sponsored by Rabwah Jaliyath are also conferred to those who won the quiz-type questions related to the topic of the discourse.

 "It gives me an immense pleasure to arrange the Ifthar party to our expat Malayalis with their own taste of eatables & foods..." Saud bin Abdulaziz said.

Various personalities from religious, social, cultural & journalism fields are invited on the ocassion. This mass Ifthar is really a kind gesture shown by the citizen of this country to the guest workers, especially Malayalis. 

Shamnad Karunagapalli, V.J.Nasaruddeen, Sulaiman Auragam, Jayan Kodungallur, Shafeeq Kinalur, Jaleel Ayapuzha, Ayyub Karupadana, Faisal Bukhari, Najeeb Swalahi, Mithulaj Swalahi, Shamsuddeen Punalur, Mujeeb Thazhetthethil, Shinu Koyilandi, Farseen Ahmed Darshana, Suresh, Rameez Usman, Askarali Mannarkad & others were present on the ocassion.

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News Network
July 28,2020

Dubai, Jul 28: A heart-broken father who lost his 19-year-old son in a tragic car accident during Christmas last year has sponsored the repatriation costs of 61 Indians stranded in the UAE.

 The special flydubai repatriation flight, chartered by the All Kerala Colleges Alumni Federation (Akcaf) volunteer group, of which he is a member of, departed from Dubai to Kochi on July 25 carrying 199 passengers.

 On this particular flight, I sponsored 55 air tickets," said TN Krishnakumar, a sales and marketing director. He had lost his son Rohit Krishnakumar in a car accident, which also claimed the life of the teen's friend, Sharat Kumar (21).

"All passengers who were registered with the Indian missions were also asked to register on the Akcaf volunteer group website. Each passenger was further vetted, after which we made home visits to ensure that all the applicants were genuinely in need of financial support and repatriation," he said.

Commenting on what inspired him to dedicate himself to community work, Krishankumar said: "When a situation like this comes up, you realise there is no meaning in money. I invested everything I made into my son, and that had crashed in front of my eyes. He was a third-year medical student at the University of Manchester in the UK and had returned home for a vacation when the accident took place. Since then, I have been involved in a lot of social activities. If I do not do this, there is no meaning to my existence."

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Krishnakumar said the group has supported thousands of individuals in need of help. "We supported unemployed people with several hundred bags of grocery kits and other necessary items. We also supported Covid-19 patients by transferring them to the medical facility in Warsan, etc.," he said.

"I come from a very middle-class family. I got a scholarship to study in college, and I studied with the help of taxpayers' money. I have always wanted to give back to society. I have grown immensely in life and now is my time to give back.," he added.

Krishnakumar also sponsors the education of over 1,000 academically gifted school children in Kerala's government-aided schools. He is a life trustee at the College of Engineering Trivandrum Alumni Galaxy Charitable Trust and an active participant towards various educational causes.

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News Network
April 11,2020

Dubai, Apr 11: Saudi Arabia has reported another 382 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 4,033, the Ministry of Health announced on Saturday.

The ministry also confirmed five more deaths from the virus, pushing the death toll in Kingdom to 52.

A total of 35 people has made full recovery from the deadly disease, taking the tally of patients recovered to 720.

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Agencies
April 27,2020

Riyad, Apr 27: The Saudi-led Arab Coalition supporting Yemen’s UN-recognized government on Monday urged all parties to end any escalation of hostilities and return to the status that existed before the Southern Transitional Council (STC) declared self-rule.

In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the coalition emphasized “the need to cancel any step that violates the Riyadh agreement and work to accelerate its implementation.” 

On Sunday, the United Arab Emirates-backed STC scrapped a peace deal with the internationally recognized government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

Accusing the government of corruption and mismanagement, the separatists said they would “self-govern” the key southern port city of Aden and other southern provinces.

Yemen’s Foreign Minister Mohammed Al-Hadhrami described the move as a “resumption of its (STC’s) armed insurgency and rejection and complete withdrawal from the Riyadh agreement.” 

Authorities in Yemen’s southern provinces of Hadramawt, Abyan, Shabwa, Al-Mahra and the remote island of Socotra also rejected the separatist group’s claim to self-rule.

The government said local and security authorities in the five provinces dismissed the move as a “clear and definite coup.” 

Some of the provinces issued their own statements condemning it.

The coalition appealed to all parties to “give priority to the interests of the Yemeni people over any other interests”. 

It also urged the parties involved not to lose their focus on working to achieve the goal of restoring the state, ending the Houthi “coup” and “countering terrorist organizations”.

“The Coalition has and will continue to undertake practical and systematic steps to implement the Riyadh Agreement between the parties to unite Yemeni ranks, restore state institutions and combat the scourge of terrorism,” the statement said. “The responsibility rests with the signatories to the Agreement to undertake national steps toward implementing its provisions, which were signed and agreed upon with a time matrix for implementation.”

The STC has been part of the coalition-backed forces fighting the Iran-backed Houthi militia, which seized control of the Yemeni capital Sanaa and other provinces in 2014.

The Houthi “coup” has led to the formation of the Saudi-led coalition, which had since driven away the Houthis from the south and other provinces. President Hadi’s government has made Aden as its temporary seat.

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