A legendary Trinidadian Qaseeda singer and a veteran Guyanese Muslim Administrator have been honoured for their contributions to the development of Islam in Guyana.
Jameer Hoosein out of Trinidad and Guyanese Hajji Jabar (Haroon) Khan were presented with the prestigious awards by the Muslim community of Guyana, through the National Islamic Awards Committee. The men were honoured during the International Eid Fest Program, which was held at the Anna Catherina Islamic Complex recently, a statement from Committee spokesman Raymond Azeeze said.
Hoosein, who was born in Freeport, Trinidad in 1939, served in several orchestras and bands, including the Naya Sangeet Orchestra, the Nau Jawan Orchestra, the Naya Zamana Orchestra and the BWIA National Indian Orchestra, where he spent more than 20 years singing film songs.
Azeeze said he is considered one of the Caribbean’s and Muslim Community Cultural Ambassador, having won the coveted musical crown of Trinidad, the Mastana Bahar, and the classical singing championship, which made him the most accomplished classical singer. For over four decades, Hoosein’s famous renditions of “Afsose Too” and “Mahay Ramzan” have been part of Muslims’ Eid celebrations in the Caribbean, it was noted.
Jabor, 80, Azeeze added, laid the base for the growth of the Anna Catherina Masjid into the Anna Catherina Islamic Complex. He served with the Anjuman Hifazatul Islam in the 1970s and is widely respected throughout Guyana. Though he has migrated to the United States, he still pays return trips to Guyana to spend a few months each year.
