New York USA Souvenir 1989 — Page 38
MR. AMRI OBAIDI Mr. Amri Obaidi, our very distinguished brother from Tanz:ania, was one of the most illustrious members of the Ahmadiyya Com- munity and served as a guiding light for his fellow countrymen. He took very keen interest in the Jamaat activities wherever he went and during the course of his stay in New York in connection with his assignments at the United Nations General Assembly he was a regular visitor to the Ahmadiyya Mission House. Mr. Amri Obaidi accepted Ahmadiyyat at an early age and was so intoxi- cated with the love of the faith that he dedicated his life to serve Islam and went to Rabwah, where he studied at Jamia Ahmadiyya in early 1950's to become a missionary of Islam. After comple- tion of his studies at Rabwah he went back to his country - Tan- ganyka (now Tanzania) and started his missionary activities. He became very popular with his countrymen on account of his charming personality selfless service and affectionate manners. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Il (May Allah be pleased with him) per - mitted him to enter Politics and serve his country in that field as well. He was elected Mayor of Dar-us-Salaam, the capital city and served the community and his country in a most befitting manner for a number of years. Due to his extraordinary capabilities and flawless character Mr. Amri Obaidi was appointed Minister of Justice to the Govern- ment of Tanzania in which capacity he represented his country on international forums. In 1960, he led the Tanzanian delegation at the U. N. General Assembly, where he made a great impact by his intelligence, eloquence and farsightedness. It is an acknowledged fact that extremely honest and patriotic persons like Mr. Amri Obaidi become targets of hatred by those who are corrupt and cannot achieve their nefarious designs due to such people. Mr. Amri Obaidi became a target of such ruth- less enemies. While on an official visit to Egypt he had an attack of food poisoning and fell seriously ill. He died while serving his country and is still remembered as one of the most outstanding sons of Tanzania. May his soul rest in peace. 38