New York USA Souvenir 1989 — Page 46
LAJNA IMAILLAH NEW YORK 1981-1987 Mrs. Ruxana Nasser I was asked to hold the office of the President Lajna Imaillah New York in the spring of 1981 by the Lajna National President Sister Salma Ghani. She had recently been elected as President of Lajna Imaillah U. S. A. and her trip all over the U. S. A in those days began by reviving Lajnas like New York. New York Lajna was formed in 1949 and it was active until 1960. During 1979-1980 our Lajna was active in the sense of paying Lajna chanda, attending the usual yearly meetings and Eid gatherings. I found that out of 23 Lajna members only 7-8 were active. On top of the Lajna active members list was Mrs. Farhat Ayaz, who was not only the person in charge of Lajna finances then, but who has efficiently held this office over the years. She guided me in my capacity as Lajna President in the early years not only on constitutional matters but on other matters also. Lajna New York was not lacking enthusiasm but needed to be reshaped and required to be disciplined. This was done not by my efforts but by the Grace of Allah and through the Lajna programs issued by Sister Salma Ghani. These programs were set out to educate and test our knowledge. The program was imple- mented to the best of our abilities. Our difficulty was that every program item had to be translated into English and there was lack of literature in Urdu. We began to hold meetings in homes of willing Lajna members and by 1982 our Lajna's active membership increased to about 15. The meetings were focussed on education and discipline. Many Lajna members had and have immense knowledge which had to be channeled. By 1983 our Lajna was well organized and we felt a need for a mission house. The propagational activities could not be con- ducted without a mission house. Also, at that stage the Lajnas of Brooklyn, Staten Island and Long Island had held a few meetings but distances between Queens and these other boroughs resulted in lack of cohesion and lack of communication as regards the Lajna program. This resulted in the formation of separate Laj- nas of Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and Long Island. Sis. 46