Malaysia Edition
Issue 1
JAN - MAR 2012
Q&A with Sheikh Bilal Ismail! How did Mercy Mission change my life? Alkauthar: Excellence in Knowledge
Twins of Faith
The biggest annual Islamic family festival of 2011
Twins of Faith: The Biggest Annual Islamic Family Festival in Malaysia
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lhamdulilah, all praise is due to Allah alone by whose Will and Permission, the Twins of Faith Family Festival have surpassed beyond expectations! MashaAllah tabarakAllah, More than 3000 people attended and what beautiful presence of inter-cultural bonding together from all over the world. The Twins of Faith Family Festival was the first of its kind, being one of the biggest festivals held in Putrajaya catering for the entire family. There were heart-warming and inspirational lectures given by some of the world’s most amazing and talented speakers to a packed auditorium. The audience were kept glued to their seats from the beginning, with the beautiful opening recitation of Qur’an from Amirahman Abas to Sheikh Alaa ElSayed’s entertaining and insightful lecture on finding the right spouse. Speaking of finding the right spouse, over 90 brothers and 120 sisters turned up for the Marriage Corner workshop and facilitation ceremony. It was chaotic at first, with more brothers and sisters queuing outside the hall, but Alhamdulillah, it all worked out well and
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helped launch PureMatrimony.com, the online Mercy Mission marriage portal. Powerful workshops were also delivered including Ustadh Zaharuddin Abdul Rahman’s tips on family finance as well as Dr Harlina Siraj’s empowering “Women in the Eyes of God” that had an overflowing attendance of with brothers and sisters. To take this event to its heights, the volunteers and staff of Mercy Mission have done everything possible to ensure that it ran smoothly over the two days. Walhumdulilah, the response from the audience has given us a lot of encouragement, yet we need to continue on improving ourselves for the sake of Allah We pray to Allah to accept us with our sincere actions and noble intentions and forgive us for our wrongdoings and grant us hidayah in making ourselves better in our daily lives. Ameen. JazakumAllah khair for making the event a big success, Sajid Hussain General Manager Mercy Mission Malaysia www.mercymission.my
www.mercymission.my
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“Allah noticed her.”
Kashif Shabir
Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu
D Picture?
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uring the time of our Prophet ‘alayhi wa-salatu wa-salam, there was a black woman that used to clean Masjid un Nabi in Madinah. Her name is not recorded in the archives of history. We do not know who her family were, if she had children or if she was married, etc. What we do know however, is that Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and His noble Messenger ‘alayhi wasalatu wa-salam noticed her. When she died, the most noble of human beings that Allah had sent to this earth, the Prophet and Messenger, enquired of her whereabouts when he did not see her one day. When he was informed of her passing, he asked his companions to show him where she had been buried, so that he could pray upon her. This was not just anyone offering their dua for someonethis was the Prophet of Allah whose dreams were true and whom Allah has given the sole right of intercession on the day of reckoning. Think about the magnitude of this: A woman whom we have no knowledge of, except that she cleaned the masjid and was black in complexion. Any one of us would probably trade everything we have to be that black woman cleaning that masjid and be worthy of the intercession of our beloved Prophet... wouldn’t we? She was not a noble of society, but she was someone who gave her time and service for Allah and His Messenger. www.mercymission.my
Mercy Mission was founded upon a vision inspired by the final Prophet: A world where every Muslim is able to live faithfully to their belief, building an exemplary Islamic community that benefits humanity. I joined Mercy Mission a few years ago because of this lofty vision and my desire to be in the company of those striving to fulfil it. Like the black woman cleaning the masjid, I thought I could add some small, tiny value to this enormous task, and that I could help bring together others who also wanted to pursue this noble vision too. Like this black woman, I also wanted a share of that final reward when Islam has spread to the far corners of the earth, even though like her, I probably would not be able to see it in my lifetime. Allah has however permitted me to witness smaller scale success over the last few years through my work in Mercy Mission. Alhamdulilah, over 15 000 people have attended our global conferences in the UK, Canada, Malaysia and Australia, calling people back to the Deen of Allah. Over 30 000 students have engaged in learning Islam from authentic sources through AlKauthar Institute.
www.mercymission.my
Hundreds of thousands across the globe have tuned into Ramadan TV. Mercy Mission is in essence a vehicle for those who wish to take the vision of our Prophet ‘alayhi wasalatu wa-salam forward, with whatever service they can offer. The projects of Mercy Mission will increase the piety, confidence, compassion and self-sufficiency of our communities to facilitate positive changes in the world around us. Mercy Mission are working around the clock to make this happen. This newsletter will provide you with inspiration and updates on celebrating our small successes along the way, and hopes to tantalise the taste-buds of those of you with a thirst for a share of the ajr to make it happen too. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala noticed the black lady in the masjid. The question is, will He notice you? Jazakum Allahu khair. Wasalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu Kashif Shabir Chief Operating Officer – Mercy Mission World
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Selamat Datang, Sheikh Tawfique!
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t is with great pleasure to announce that Sheikh Tawfique Chowdhury and his family have decided to call Malaysia home. Welcome to Malaysia! They arrived a few weeks ago and have settled down to life in KL. MashaAllah TabarakAllah! The Malaysian team are very lucky to have the opportunity to work closely with the sheikh and will continue to strive to the best of our abilities to improve Mercy Mission in Malaysia
What do you love most about Malaysia? The people. They're so lovely and friendly, I feel like hugging them every time! What's your favourite Malaysian food? I can't get enough of Nasi Goreng!
Since being in KL, Sheikh Tawfique has delivered the AlKauthar course called “Mark of the Jurist� on 3-4 March 2012 with 331 students this very eye-opening and mind-blowing session going over the rules of fiqh and finding out that in Islam it is not just black and white.
Have you tried durian? No. It smells too horrible!
To help the Sheikh settle into Malaysia, please ensure that you give him a hug next time you see him. Brothers only.
MashaAllah Sheikh, you have five beautiful children. Any plans for a sixth? You never know... Allahul Kareem!
HayakumAllah!
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Fun Facts with Sheikh Tawfique:
Would you try it if we pay you RM 50? Hmm... Maybe...
To contact Sheikh, email director@mercymissionworld.org or contact the Mercy Mission Malaysia office at +603 7731 7104.
www.mercymission.my
Live your best life Sheikh Tawfique Chowdhury
Pick of the Bunch:
Sheikh Tawfique at his best
www.mercymission.my
Click to play videos
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AlKauthar Institute:
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Excellence in Knowledge
ack in the summer of 2009 when I had just recently moved to Malaysia I woke up one morning and said to my wife, “I’m bored, I need to do something that will satisfy my soul”… and with the mercy and blessings of Allah swt the idea of Alkauthar just popped into my head. I had noticed during my travels to Malaysia and whilst living here that Islamic knowledge in English was a limited medium. There were some classes that were taking place where you can gain knowledge for a few hours but I wanted more as the thirst for knowledge was growing. Realising that so many Malaysian brothers and sisters who had studied overseas and now returning home as well as the professional Muslims were all seeking a new way of gaining knowledge and thus the term “Alkauthar Experience” was conceived.
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We gathered a few volunteers and Bismillah of we went and organised our first AlKauthar course “Lord of the Worlds” in KL by Sheikh Tawfique Chowdhury. “Amazing truly amazing…” was the response we got so we did it again and again and we are still doing it to this date. The impact of doing AlKauthar courses has resulted in over 5000 students that have benefited from the courses, AlKauthar students have taken ownership and opened up the city of Penang, Dhaka in Bangladesh as well as Jakarta in Indonesia. SubhanAllah we will never be able to measure the impact of AlKauthar on every students life but we pray to Allah swt to accept our deeds, purify our intentions and keep us steadfast in promoting the call to gain Knowledge for the sake of Allah. Sajid Hussain AlKauthar Country Manager Mercy Mission Malaysia
www.mercymission.my
SHEIKH BILAL ISMAIL
KUALA LUMPUR
12th & 13th May 2012
UNIVERSITY LEVEL WEEKEND COURSE
w ENR w O w. L al O ka N ut L h a IN r.o E rg
For further information contact us at: Tel: 013 333 9500 Email: kuala.lumpur@alkauthar.org
Madinah Centre: A Community Centre That Completes, Not Competes The Mercy Mission Madinah Centre in Malaysia is designed to complement existing facilities and communities by providing second level of support through specialized services to assist the English speaking Muslim community in Kuala Lumpur on issues that they are currently facing. These challenges include dealing with social issues particularly related to women, families and new Muslims. While Masjids and Community Centres have excelled in front line services of the community, including solah and wudu, schools and education, the Madinah Centre will work to address the challenges and issues that affect the community in which the community centres and Masjids may not have the resources for. We are here to help relieve the burden of the these centres by assisting them in providing the necessary skills and education to empower themselves and to ultimately benefit the community. The Madinah Centre is currently under construction in Bangi, Selangor and is expected to be launched in April 2012. This feat would have not been achieved without the Grace and Blessings from Allah, the support from the authorities and the public.
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Alhamdulilah, during the Twins of Faith Family Festival 2011, we received pledges for RM1.4mil but to date we have only recovered just over RM270,000 so please continue to honor your pledges so we can support the Madinah Centre.
Pled RM ges re 1.4 c Mill eived: ion
Amo RM unt re 270 cov 000 ered :
To donate, please visit www.mercymission.my or mail cheques to: MM Community Sdn Bhd A-05-09, Block Allamanda, 10 Boulevard Lebuhraya SPRINT, PJU 6A 47400 Petaling jaya, Selangor
www.mercymission.my
The Madinah Centre consists of three major components: The Women’s Resource Centre will focus on empowering women to be successful in all facets of their lives. Central to the Women Resource Centre (WRC) is the welcome centre that will assist welcoming and integrating new sisters to Islam who may otherwise be socially isolated. To strengthen the relationship, the WRC will provide a safe space where they can be themselves and at the same time be with those who shared the same experiences. By providing the knowledge, awareness and skills – the Madinah Centre will empower women to become successful not only in their own lives, but the lives they touch as well. The Women’s Shelter Home will provide trainings, workshops and Qur’an classes as well as a temporary shelter and counselling services for women who have been victimized by domestic violence, rape and incest. These services are aimed to engage, develop and empower women with the knowledge and skills in a range of areas, allowing them to transition effectively and respectfully into their new roles, careers, family life and society. For new Muslims, ongoing support once someone accepts Islam has been a matter of concern for our community and the lack of such support often leads to disillusionment for the new Muslims. Our Madinah Centre will focus on delivering these programs to the wider community. New Muslim Care program is a widely engaging program that will bring positive impact to the lives of those who accept Islam and start living as Muslims. Our program will enable New Muslims to be nurtured in a way that will make them feel like they are at home, prepare them to face challenges that will come on their paths while practicing Islam, empower them through education and facilitate healthy networking opportunities at the Madinah Centre. This will be a holistic program dealing with various aspects of the life of a New Muslim and it will strive to provide support and services at every level Insha Allah. www.mercymission.my
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Being ME:
A Special Sisters Only Conference by Women, for Women
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omen are the essence of every ummah, society and behind a lot of the good that is happening in the world as we know it today. Islam emphasizes a great deal on women and the perception of Muslim women as oppressed and insignificant is now diluted in developed Muslim nations such as Malaysia, where women contribute tremendously in the economy, society and development of family. Being ME – Muslimah Empowered embarks upon this mission to give Muslimah’s an outlet to express the reality of their lifestyles, share accomplishments that benefit humanity and inspire others to do the same. This is the inaugural Islamic Women’s Conference in Malaysia that allows the opportunity to address the daily challenges facing the Muslim Woman today. At Being ME, we aspire to provide growth as a community and individually, to celebrate successes, showcase achievements and to enlighten, encourage and empower every Muslimah. We bring forth the opportunity to exploring the roles of Muslimahs’, discussing the struggles of the changing environment as they relate to our roles, as well as
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addressing our daily challenges became primary focal points in our efforts towards engaging our communities. Being ME will feature some extraordinary programmes: • Captivating talks • Islamic entertainment • Bazaar • Muslimah Fashion Show • Sisters’ Corner • Angel Investors • Daddy Daycare Being ME is an expansion of the Mercy Mission Malaysia portfolio of serving the needs of the Muslim community. This portfolio includes the launch of the Madinah Centre that provides for a Women’s Shelter, Resource Centre and a New Muslim Care . Other projects include Al-Kauthar Institute, Twins of Faith conference, Leadership summits and a growing list of essential programs and services that focus on Excellence in Knowledge and Action. For more information about this great event, please visit my.being-me.org or contact the Mercy Mission office at +603 7731 7104.
www.mercymission.my
MY.BEING-ME.ORG
WOMEN ONLY CONFERENCE 30TH JUNE 2012 MATRADE EXHIBITION & CONVENTION CENTRE (MECC)
CAPTIVATING TALKS | BAZAAR | PARALLEL SESSIONS An amazing full day event with inspirational lectures, interactive workshops, entertainment & fashion show, and much more!
Click to play the video
Q&A with Sheikh Bilal Ismail Sheikh Bilal Ismail a.k.a. “Sheikh Jayyid” is well known for his good knowledge and understanding of Shariah, Fiqh and Tafseer. His passionate delivery and excellent sense of humour has made him one of the favourites among AlKauthar Institute instructors. However, we were keen to get to know more about our instructor from South Africa, and took the time out to ask him some personal questions.
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heikh, who have been the role models of your life?
I cant think of one specific person in all matters, but Sheikh Abdul Kareem al-Khudayr is on the top of the list. He is a scholar par excellence and his words come from the heart and go to the heart. Contemporaries that I really admire are Sheikh Muhamed ibn Mukhtar al-Shinqeety, Sheikh Tawfique Chowdhury, Mirza Yawar Baig & Imtiaz Sooliman.
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hat is the biggest challenge that you face in doing da’wah?
The multiplicity of groups and divisions amongst Muslims is a major problem & the challenge is trying to find common ground and uniting them where possible.
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ashaAllah Sheikh, you’ve conducted over 40 AlKauthar courses worldwide. Which one is the most memorable one and why? I cant really think of one specific best course. I really love teaching the Final Rites course as it covers matters of death and teaching people the knowledge of inheritance which most have no clue about, gives one a lot of satisfaction.
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hy “Duktoor!”?
Maybe its a mark of respect, in Madinah many teachers have their Phd’s in fiqh etc so sometimes we address them as Duktoor as opposed to Sheikh, so maybe this stuck in my head.
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part from learning and teaching, what are your other passions in life? I love teaching, if I’m stressed and I get to teach it calms me down.
hat drives you to keep pursuing knowledge and studying the Deen?
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1. The fact that its an ocean that is never ending. 2. The pure joy in learning something new. 3. The satisfaction one gets by teaching something new to someone and simplifying the difficult to them.
If its taking me more than 5 seconds to think of an answer, I probably don’t have one. As I live in the most beautiful country in the world, South Africa, going to the beautiful beaches is something which is rather relaxing.
ny favourite pastimes or hobbies?
www.mercymission.my
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ou travel a lot, doesn’t this tire you out?
Alhamdulillah, I’m young and its not that difficult. The best part is meeting the fantastic students at these destinations. That makes it all worthwhile.
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our next course in Malaysia will be the A-Z of Love and Mercy. Why should students attend? Because you will spend two full days earning the pleasure and reward from Allah. You will be in worship from the morning until the evening. It’s a great course and we cover the jurisprudence, wisdoms, misconceptions and modern issues affecting marriages & if we can get a few people married too, why not!
www.mercymission.my
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Mercy Mission World Annual Summit 2011, Kuala Lumpur
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ollowing Twins of Faith Family Festival, the biggest Islamic family festival of its kind, the Mercy Mission World team were right here in Kuala Lumpur for the Annual Summit that took place in the IOI Palm Garden Resort in Putrajaya. Our Annual Summit recognizes and discusses the projects done and the projects that are to be launched for upcoming years in all the countries that we are involved in. The Heads of all the Mercy Mission World countries gather together with its General Managers from Australia, Canada, South Africa, UK, India and Malaysia including our Chairman and CEO of Mercy Mission, Sheikh Tawfique Chowdhury. We look back and learn from our mistakes, shortcomings and what have not been done over the year. Also, looking ahead for this year and the various projects to be launched, new products and new facilities which can channel Mercy Mission to provide Muslims all over the world a platform to meet and improve themselves. Here we had all the Shuyookh gathered for this meeting. The Annual Summit ran for four days and Alhamdulillah it was a fruitful and eventful event. We at Mercy Mission are looking for an exciting year ahead inshaAllah!
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www.mercymission.my
A D R .
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- DAY
TAW F I Q U E
C H OW D H U RY
U LT I M ATE
VISION E M POWE R YO U R S E L F W I T H T H E L A N G UAG E TO DE VE LO P YO U R V I S I O N S
26 & 27 MAY 2012 MELIA HOTEL, KUALA LUMPUR
I N F O @ V I S I O N W E AVE R S . N E T
Calendar What’s coming up in the region? Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia:
13-14 May 2012 AlKauthar Course A-Z of Love & Mercy by Sh. Bilal Ismail 25 May 2012 Friday Khutbah at IIUM by Dr. Tawfique Chowdhury 26-27 May 2012 Vision Weavers: Ultimate Vision Course by Dr. Tawfique Chowdhury 16-17 June 2012 Johor Bharu & Singapore Lecture Tour by Dr. Tawfique Chowdhury 30 June 2012 Being Me Sisters Conference 14-15 July 2012 AlKauthar Course Heart Therapy by Sh. Yahya Ibrahim 01-02 Sept 2012 Mercy Mission Medical Ethics Course by Dr. Tawfique Chowdhury 29-30 Sept 2012 AlKauthar Course Worst of the Worst by Sh. Furqan Jabbar
Jakarta, Indonesia: 28-29 April 2012 07-08 July 2012
AlKauthar Course Mercy To The Worlds by Dr. Tawfique Chowdhury AlKauthar Course (TBC)
Melbourne, Australia: 06-08 April 2012 05-06 May 2012
Mercy Mission Twins of Faith Australia: In Pursuit of His Pleasure AlKauthar Course The Victorious One by Ust. Mohammed Cheppih
Sydney, Australia: 12-13 May 2012 30 June - 01 July 2012
AlKauthar Course The Victorious One by Ust. Mohammed Cheppih AlKauthar Course Worst of the Worst by Sh. Furqan Jabbar
Brisbane, Australia: 28-29 April 2012 14-15 July 2012
AlKauthar Course Heart Therapy by Sh. Yahya Ibrahim AlKauthar Course Worst of the Worst by Sh. Furqan Jabbar
Dhaka, Bangladesh: 13-14 April 2012 06-07 July 2012
AlKauthar Course The Final Rites by Sh. Bilal Ismail AlKauthar Course Pillars of Mercy by Dr. Tawfique Chowdhury
For more information, please contact Mercy Mission Malaysia at +603 7731 7104 or malaysia@mercymissionworld.org or visit www.mercymissionworld.org
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www.mercymission.my
Feedback “Alhamdulillah finished a course with AlKauthar Kuala Lumpur institute "The Mark of Jurist" on what are the rules of Fiqh and how it has been derived!! Lots of wisdom behind each and every fatwa of scholars. Subhanallah still a lot more to learn about Fiqh.”
“This centre will provide a second chance at life for the less fortunate while shielding them from the very dangers that harmed them. They will develop into positive contributors of society while maintaining a very strong Islamic identity, Insha Allah.”
“I'm anxiously waiting for the upcoming Being ME Sisters Conference in Malaysia this June!”
“This course really opened the knots in my mind which was tied up for so many years. The summit is just simply visionary. Each and every word from the Mashaykh really touched me.”
“Mercy Mission coming to Malaysia is a real breath of fresh air. Fantastic global ideas that are being applied on a local level through projects that impact lives and affect the community on a large scale insha Allah!”
“I thoroughly enjoyed the talks and entertainment. Relevant, insightful and inspiring pieces. Congratulations on a successful first conference and I sincerely pray that more will come, insha Allah!” “All the speakers were great and activities were very nice. Next time however you should have more activities for the youth, especially ladies.”
How Did Mercy Mission Change My Life?
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n February 2011 I finally got married and had a walima in a small North Yorkshire town, close to my home city of Bradford. I gathered 300 of my friends to join me in celebrating my marriage. Guests travelled from across the globe to attend with people travelling from Australia, Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Canada to mention just a few of the places. As the evening drew to a close and the desserts were slowly vanishing, I looked around the room and realised that 80% of the people present were people I had not known for more than 3 years. Essentially my guests were in the main volunteers from Mercy Mission or people I had met through Mercy Mission. At that point I realised how the past 3 years had been so much more influential on my life, than the 27 years that had preceded them. I realised then the enormity of the impact that Mercy Mission has had in my life. It was no longer a question of how Mercy Mission was changing my life - Mercy Mission was my life.
So what do I enjoy the most about working with Mercy Mission? The Prophet ‘alayhi wa-salatu wasalam said: None of you will truly believe until you love for your brother what you love for yourself (Al-Bukhari). Now how do you get to that point? I had been contemplating over this for many years. However, the thing I enjoy most about Mercy Mission is seeing with my own eyes how this hadith can become an actual reality. I found the company of some of the most amazing people walking the face of this planet, and it is these people that allowed me to bring the aforementioned hadith of the Messenger ‘alayhi wa-salatu wasalam to life. These were individuals who were of such a calibre that I genuinely loved for them what I loved for myself. From the very top of this organisation, and my inspiration, Sheikh Tawfique, to team members that I meet for the first time - I truly relish every single meeting with my brothers. This is thing I that enjoy most - the company of my brothers. Azim Kidwai Chief Business Development Officer
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www.mercymission.my
Join Us!
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ltimately great things are achieved with great people, and every single one of us has the innate ability to achieve a level of greatness in something. Mercy Mission is hungry to harness the skills, experience and passion of people who are inspired by the pursuit of the vision of the final Messenger ‘alayhi wasalatu wa-salam. We are always eager to meet sincere people and therefore if you would like to join us, please send us an email with your CV attached to: ainiah@mercymissionworld.org
LATEST VOLUNTEER VACANCIES • • • • •
Events Manager Software Developer Web Content Manager Web Developer Personal Assistant to General Manager • Accounts Senior Executive • Social Media Coordinator
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• Newsletter Coordinator • Project Coordinator - Women’s Shelter Home • Venue Coordinator • Copywriter • Graphic Designer • AlKauthar Malaysia Marketing Coordinator
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Mercy Mission Malaysia (982042-V)
A-5-9, Block Allamanda, 10 Boulevard Lebuhraya SPRINT, PJU 6A 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, MALAYSIA T: +603 7731 7104 F: +603 7731 7105 E: malaysia@mercymissionworld.org www.mercymission.my