Aww. It is with great sadness that news is received (and verified) that Maulana Ouwais Data is being relieved of his duties as Imam of Jamea' h Masjid e Noor, effective 15th Jan 2015. The reason given being "financial constraints".

Whilst Maulana has only been Imam for almost 2 years, he is considered with fondness by many to be "one of our very own". For those who have lived in Old Trafford for long will know that Maulana has been brought up in the midst of our community from a young age and will have seen him grow up before our very own eyes.

Maulana has made tireless effort through his varied and enriching programmes and has connected/ reconnected so many people to the Masjid and Deen from both the local and wider community. As a close friend, I know the love, affection and worry Maulana has for our community is unflinching and his dedication for this cause cannot be questioned.

Maulana's late father (Qari Saheb Saeed Data - may Allah grant him the highest status in Jannatul Firdaus) gave many years of unrelenting service to the masjid before he passed on and Maulana has done well to follow in his footsteps.

Maulana has been the much needed oxygen and breath of fresh air our suffocated community has been deprived of for so long. I feel the decision to remove him will set the community and Masjid back so many years and undo all the good work that has been done. It is shameful that one of the biggest Jamea'h Masjids in Manchester, that has the largest and diverse range of Musallis, will be deprived of a young, motivated, inspirational and an English speaking Imam!

Whilst there is Wisdom behind everything that Allah does and unquestionably He is the Best of Planners, one must not remain silent when an injustice unfolds. With this, I humbly request the community to provide support to Maulana and his family in any which way you can (his number is 07796 129377).

Removing Imams every 2-3 years consistently indicates that the committee is not thinking about our longer term needs. This is in fact the first Imam we have had in many years who actually wants to stay!

Concerned individuals are humbly requested to make their feelings known to the Masjid executive committee in a POLITE manner that their decision to remove Maulana is misjudged (as it does not represent the views of the silent majority of the community) and that Maulana is retained. You can either do this in person at the office and request to speak to the Chairman (Mr Abu Bakr Chunara) or Secretary (Mr Abdul Hamid Chunara) or via the following means...

1. Telephone: 0161 227 8687
2. Email: Masjidenooroldtrafford@gmail.com
3. Twitter:www.twitter.com/@Masjid_E_Noor
4. Facebook:www.facebook.com/MasjidENoorOldTrafford
5. In writing: Jamea'h Masjid E Noor, Stamford Street, Old Trafford Manchester, M16 9JE.
6. Online petition:www.ipetitions.com/petition/justice-for-moulana-ouwais

For letters and emails please demand a response within 72 hours (3 days) otherwise you will follow up again.

If a satisfactory response is not forthcoming, further action will be planned by the community to ensure justice is restored.

Jazakallah. Pls fwd on...