News & Events

Udaipur reformists protest against demolition of historic shrine
by A Reporter•August 08, 2011
In the month of Ramzan Muslims generally turn inward, contemplate and connect with Allah. It is a month of charity, abstinence and peace. Even the Prophet Mohammed prohibited war and conflict during the holy month. But the orthodox Bohras (the Shabab group) of Udaipur do not seem to understand its significance and care little about the sanctity of the month. They are bent upon creating trouble and disturbing the general peace of the community. more
Asghar Ali Engineer writes autobiography
July 21, 2011
Dr. Asghar Ali Engineers autobiography A Living Faith: My Quest for Peace, Harmony and Social Change was launched in New Delhi on 20th July 2011 by Vice President of India Shri Hamid Ansari. Shri Hamid Ansari praised Dr. Engineers courage and his struggle against priesthood in his own community. more
Dr Engineer in Afghanistan for talks on Islam
July 13, 2011
Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer was invited by Afghanistan Islamic Research Academy for one week from 1st July to 7th July 2011 to deliver lectures on Islam and participate in a conference on Islam and Narcotics. In Afghanistan today tens of thousands of people, including thousands of women, are addicted to drugs. more
Award and recognition for high achievers
April 19, 2011
In Udaipur, on 12 April 2011 reformist Dawoodi Bohra commemorated the shahdat of Khatoon-E-Jannat Sayeda Fatimatuz-Zehra (A.S.). Since early 70’s The Bohra Welfare Society has been organising this majlis every year in a very special way by felicitating students for their outstanding performance in the field of education, and thus promoting religious and academic progress of the community. more
Conference 2011: Important resolutions
March 24, 2011
Important resolutions were passed at the 14th All World Conference. The three important resolutions were about the communal situation in Rajasthan, Haj quota for reformist Bohras and the establishment of a separate Shia Wakf Board. more
Conference 2011: Fight for reforms continues
by Asghar Ali Engineer•February 18, 2011
The Bohra reform movement was hot news from1970s to 1990s. Thereafter nothing was seen in the papers and many people thought that movement must have died down as so many social movements do. However, it is not true. Still it is quite alive and kicking. The proof is, if anyone wants proof, the 14th All World Dawoodi Bohra Conference which was held in Udaipur – the reformist centre – from 11th to 13th February 2011. The inaugural session was attended by more than 700 people of whom about 500 were women. The subsequent delegate sessions on 12th and 13th were also attended by 400 persons of whom 300 were women. more
All World Dawoodi Bohra Conference 2011
December 20, 2010
The Central Executive Committee (CEC) of Central Board of Dawoodi Bohra Community has decided in its meeting held on 19th December, 2010 at Udaipur that next All World Dawoodi Bohra conference to be held in Udaipur from 11th to 13th February 2011. As CEC meeting was delayed due to various reasons, little time is left to organise such a huge event. more
Mass marriage: Udaipur creates history again
by Saifuddin Insaf•May 20, 2010
Dawoodi Bohra Jamat-Udaipur alongwith the Bohra Youth Association, Udaipur, organized a mass marriage programme starting 11th to the 14th of May 2010. Seven couples got married. The programme was very well organized and was a huge success. This was the 13th round of mass marriages in Udaipur since the fist historic one on the 16th of March 1975 in which more than a 100 couples participated. more
Orthodox play politics with Moharram procession
by Nasir Javed•December 28, 2009
Marsiya procession on the 10th of Mauharram by the Udaipur Bohras is a tradition that is almost a hundred years old and to this day is being continued by reformist Bohras. Every year this procession originates at the Mohiyyadpura masjid at around 2:30PM and finishes at the Wajeehpura masjid at around 4PM. The Mohiyyadpura masjid is shared by both orthodox and reformist groups for their majlises and prayers. For the last few years, it has become an annual ritual of the orthodox Bohras to interfere with the marsiya procession and create all sorts of hurdles for reformists. more
Blood donation in memory of Imam Hussain
by Nasir Javed•December 24, 2009
In keeping with the spirit of Moharram, Bohra Youth Medicare Society organized a blood donation camp in memory of Imam Hussain (AS) on December 23, 2009 (Hijri 7 Moharram, 1431). Eighty units of blood were donated to Maharana Bhopal General Hospital and Sarla Singhwi Memorial Hospital of Udaipur. Forty two men and 30 women donated blood. Medicare Society, a wing of the Progressive Dawoodi Bohras of Udaipur, provides health services for nominal charges and distributes medicine free of cost to patients. The Society operates as a non-profit organization. more
Ayodhya to Ajmer: A journey of hope and peace
by Nasir Javed•December 15, 2009
Earlier this month Karwaan-e-Aman, a peace initiative was organised by an organization called "The voice of Ayodhya: Hope". The initiative included a peace march that started from Ayodhya on December 6, 2009 and culminated at Khwaja Moinunddin Chishti's Dargah in Ajmer on December 12, 2009. more
Rehana Banu, prominent reformist wins election
by Nasir Javed•December 11, 2009
The young and popular Bohra reformist activist, Rehana Banu Germanwala has been elected as a Councillor of the Udaipur Municipal Board from Ward No. 48. Rehana Banu was the candidate of the Congress Party, she defeated her rival Hemlata from the BJP by 130 votes. She has been elected to a five-year term. Apart from the BJP candidate she had two other independent candidates in the fray for the municipal seat. more
Homeopathic vaccination against swine flu
by Nasir Javed•December 10, 2009
The Bohra Youth Medical Welfare Society along with the support of Sadhna Chemicals organised a camp in Udaipur to administer homeopathic vaccination against swine flu (H1N1). The camp was open to the general public, and pamphlets with information and precautions against swine flu were also distributed. more
On to the sacred journey to holy lands
by Nasir Javed•November 27, 2009
A group of 72 reformist Dawoodi Bohras from Udaipur left to perform Haj on Nov 19, 2009. They were sent off after Isha prayers and a grand ceremony held at Wajeehpura masjid. President of the Dawoodi Bohra Jamaat Udaipur, Dr. Abid Adeeb addressed the gathering and wished them well. more
Democracy in action - Bohras have their say
by Saifuddin Insaf | Photos by Nasir Javed•November 22, 2009
One of the prime objectives of the Dawoodi Bohra reform movement is to run jamaat affairs on democratic principles. To abolish the supremacy of few individuals, reformist jamaats everywhere strive to cultivate transparency and accountability through periodic elections and thus make the common members equal partners in decision making. Since its "independence" from Kothar's domination in the early 70's, Udaipur's Bohra Jamaat and its other affiliated units are run on democratic principles and they are an example for the rest of the community. more
Making a success of helping the needy
by Nasir Javed•June 23, 2009
Dawoodi Bohra Welfare Society (DBWS) will soon be registered as a credit society. DBWS is an orgainsation founded and run by reformist Bohras in Udaipur. On the occasion of its 16th annual meeting at Bohra Youth Public School on June 20, 2009, Yusuf R.G said that DBWS was established 20 years ago to provide loans to poor students of the community on easy terms. Till date DBWS has 1254 active members. more
Encouraging youth to do well in school and in life
by Qamruddin Mandiwala•June 17, 2009
For the past 30 years The Bohra Welfare Society has been organising a majlis in memory of Khatoon-E-Jannat Sayeda Fatimatuz-Zehra (A.S.) every year in a very special way, drawing a fine balance between religious and academic progress of the community. more
Women make a case for the reform movement
by Nasir Javed•June 16, 2009
Reformist Bohra women from the Girls Wing of Dawoodi Bohra Association, Udaipur, participated in a panel discussion under the leadership of Dr. Zenab Banu. The discussion was chaired by Swami Agnivesh and was held on May 19, 2009. more
Orothopaedic health camp: Making no bones about it
by Nasir Javed•April 28, 2009
We normally take our bones for granted. But as we age, lifetime of neglect and indifference begin to take a toll on our bones. Taking care of them early on in life is essential to keeping them healthy and strong. With just this in mind, Medical Relief Society, one of the wings of the Dawoodi Bohra Jamaat of Udaipur, along with Mewar Orthopaedic Hospital organised a camp on April 26, 2009. more
Challenges of democracy for the masses
by Nasir Javed•April 28, 2009
"The citizens of India are more concerned about religious, sectarian, and caste issues than democracy, constitution and their motherland. The biggest democracy of the world has become the democracy of uncaring and docile people". These thoughts were expressed by Ved Vyas, President of Union of Progressive Writers at a seminar entitled "Challenges of democracy for the masses". more
Reformist Dawoodi Bohras pray for Sayedna’s health
April 14, 2009
As is widely known, Sayedna Mohammed Burhanuddin was admitted into an ICU in Saifee Hospital in Mumbai on 12 or 13 March, 2009. Sayedna Saheb is 97 years old and his latest hospitalization has created quite an emotional stir in the community prompting the clergy to ask Bohras to perform all kinds of rituals and rites for his quick recovery. more
Eid-Milad-Un-Nabi celebrated with gusto
by Nasir Javed•March 13, 2009
On the occasion of the Prophet Mohammed’s birth anniversary the Muslim community in Udaipur took out a procession in his honour with great fanfare. more
Quran lays foundation of global ethics
by Aftab Fidaali•February 08, 2009
Dr. Asgher Ali Engineer was invited to attend a global conference in Nairobi, Kenya from 25 – 29 January 2009 organized by a Swiss NGO called Global Ethics. The objective of the conference was to develop a global ethics with the help of scholars and intellectuals from around the world. more
Giving blood to the city
by Nasir Javed•January 20, 2009
On January 4, 2009 reformist Dawoodi Bohras of Udaipur, commemorated Shaheed Diwas (Martyr Day) in memory of the sacrifices made by Imam Hussain (AS) and Ahle Bait and also to offer condolences to the victims of the November 26, 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India. more
Remembering the martyrs of Karbala
by Nasir Javed•January 12, 2009
Like every year, Moharram in Udaipur this year - 1430 Hijri (2009) - was commemorated with usual gusto and solemnity. All the Bohra neighbourhoods were decorated with sabeels from which water and sherbet were served. Majlises were held two times a day and ended with a niyaz in the evening. more
Rasoolpura Masjid in Udaipur celebrates 100 years
by Nasir Javed•December 28, 2008
The reformists in Udaipur celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Rassolpura Masjid on December 28th, 2008. This was an occasion of great joy and hundreds of reformist men, women and children gathered to celebrate the event which also coincided with the Hijri new year. more
All World Dawoodi Bohra Conference, Udaipur - 1-3 February 2008
Udaipur Camp - December 2002
All World Dawoodi Bohra Conference, Bhopal - February 2002
International Conference, Canada - August 2001
All World Dawoodi Bohra Conference, Udaipur - February 1999