American Federation of Muslims of Indian (AFMI) held 32nd convention

The American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin Chicago held its 32nd Annual Education Convention on Saturday, October 22, 2022, at Monty's Elegant Banquets in the Chicago suburb of Bensenville. The Convention made an in-person return for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Indians of all backgrounds convened to celebrate the vision of India. This year’s convention theme was 'Our Stories are Our Future: The Power of Narrative to Reimagine,' The speakers urged Indians to come together to build a just and equitable society.

This Convention resumed after two years of virtual conferences in 2020 and 2021 due to covid-19 restrictions. AFMI was founded in 1989 and is dedicated to empowering the Muslim minority in India through education and has been holding a regular convention on education and a gala award program for high-achieving Indian Muslim students. AFMI holds one convention in the U.S. annually in October and one in India in December.

The programming included promoting journalism, creative talent within the community, and supporting high-achieving students.

The convention had two parts: morning and evening. One of the morning sessions included Indian Islamic Intellectual History Prior to Colonization Presented by Saaleh Baseer, and Islamophobia and its impact on Muslim youth in the U.S. & India Presented by Amena Iqbal, Dr. Imran Khan, and Maheen Ahmed.

The evening included the Annual Gala and Convention. The gala included a reception, live speeches, a grand dinner, fundraising, and an awards ceremony. Many scholars, writers, thinkers, influencers, activists, and professionals received Awards. The awards recipients were Azhar Usman, Thenmozhi Soundarajan, Rummana Hussain, Ruchira Gupta, Shaikh Noman Hussain, Secretary of State: Jesse White, State Rep., and Candidate for Congress Delia Ramirez, Rajinder Singh Mago Khawaja Moin Uddin, Asad Khan, and several others.

The convention was streamed and broadcast to members of the community worldwide, and external speakers addressed the crowd via video link.

AFMI is a charitable organization formed by American Muslims of Indian ancestry in 1989. AFMI works to improve the social and economic status of Indian Muslim minorities disadvantaged by education. Since its inception, AFMI has remained steadfast in its mission to provide 100% literacy to Indian Muslims.

During the conference, AFMI President Dr. Khutbuddin stressed that AFMI is working towards its goal of making education accessible for all Indian Muslims. To achieve this goal, AFMI has constructed schools in many Indian villages and adopted many schools, with hundreds of thousands of students over the past 33 years. AFMI has built hospitals, managed medical camps, and brought in aid, providing relief and rehabilitation caused by a variety of issues.

Dr. Khutb Uddin further spoke about the psychological impact due to the rise of extremism and fanaticism in Indian politics and how it has negatively affected Muslims and other minorities. It has created fears, phobias, and an insecure atmosphere.

Sana Qutubuddin emphasized the challenges that minorities face in India and urged people to speak out against injustice and use all peaceful means to effect change.

The main objective of the convention was to bring together Indian Muslims living in the USA with the aim of bolstering development and unity among them. Over 300 people attended the AFMI convention, including several state and national politicians.