Tag Archives: Dawoodi Bohra

University of Kufa Confers Honorary Doctorate on Dawoodi Bohra Leader Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin in Surat

Surat, GUJARAT :

Surat :

In recognition of his global contributions toward academic excellence, cultural preservation, and social welfare, the University of Kufa has conferred an Honorary Doctorate upon His Holiness Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, the 53rd al-Dai al-Mutlaq and leader of the worldwide Dawoodi Bohra community.

A distinguished Iraqi delegation, led by Prof. Dr Hayder Abed Dhahad, Senior Undersecretary of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and Prof. Dr Alaa Naji Almawla, President of the University of Kufa, conferred the degree upon Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin at a ceremony held in Surat.

“The Diamond City of Surat serves as a fitting venue to honour His Holiness,” stated Prof. Dr Haider Abed Dhahad. “As his ancestral home and the principal seat of Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah, which for centuries has stood as the premier educational hub of the Dawoodi Bohra community, Surat embodies a rich legacy of scholarly excellence. Conferring this honorary doctorate here underscores our shared dedication to knowledge, culture, and humanitarian values.”

Echoing these sentiments, Prof. Dr Alaa Naji Almawla said, “His Holiness Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to education, heritage preservation, and global social upliftment. This doctorate honours his efforts in connecting higher learning with selfless social service, offering an inspiring model of compassionate and visionary leadership to our institution and academic communities worldwide.”

He added, “By presenting this honour to His Holiness, the University of Kufa recognises the enduring bond between classical scholarship and global humanitarian action.”

A Legacy of Academic and Social Leadership

Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin has consistently emphasised the role of education as the cornerstone of societal development. He has served as Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University and is the present Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia and the patron of Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah, the community’s premier Arabic academy; he champions a holistic educational framework integrating classical humanities with modern science.

Beyond academia, Syedna’s leadership spans extensive environmental stewardship, healthcare access, and community development initiatives across the globe.

Located in the Najaf Governorate of Iraq, the University of Kufa is a prominent seat of higher learning and academic research operating under the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Republic of Iraq. The university, with 40,000 students, encompasses diverse faculties across medicine, humanities, jurisprudence, and natural sciences.

source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Positive Story / by Muslim Mirror / September 21st, 2026

From creators to bloggers, these Bohra women are taking social media by storm

Mumbai / Indore/ Neemuch, INDIA / KUWAIT :

A bunch of Bohra women harness the power of social media to ace their careers, clad in their colourful traditional wear

The rida is the traditional attire of the women of the Dawoodi Bohra community, a sub-sect of the Shiite Muslims.

After an adrenaline-charged skydive from 15,000 feet in the USA, everyone around Arwa Merchant was in awe, not because of her daring performance, but for her insistence on doing so in the rida. She wrote about this in a blog post for Dawoodi Bohra Women’s Association for Religious Freedom in October 2019. 

The rida is the traditional attire of the women of the Dawoodi Bohra community, a sub-sect of the Shiite Muslims. The two-piece dress is distinguishable from other forms of the hijab by its bright colours, decorative patterns and lace. With their roots in Gujarat, the members of this peace-loving trading community follow the teachings of their spiritual leader Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin. Although embedded in a tradition dating back to more than 1,400 years, this two million-strong Dawoodi Bohras in India have never been shy to embrace the latest technologies. They even have celebrated festivals like Eid and Shab-E-Baraat online due to the pandemic.

Not one to fall behind, the women of the community have taken social media platforms by storm. From content creators to food bloggers to creating clothing brands, they have managed to expand their careers online, but without giving up their rida.

Mariya Kanchwala, 31
Makeup artist and beauty influencer, Indore

Instagram: 28,000 followers
Kanchwala has carved a niche for herself in the glamour industry by showcasing her makeup skills while wearing her rida. After a brief stint as a public relations executive for a fashion brand, she turned her full attention to makeup. She started posting on Instagram in 2017 as a food blogger, but 2020 made her realise her passion for makeup and she began posting beauty looks on Instagram. In the past year, she has started working on beauty and looks projects for weddings and shoots for makeup.

Rashida Jawadwala, 20
Content creator, Neemuch, Madhya Pradesh
Instagram: 32,700 followers
Known online as GirlInRida, Jawadwala started posting comic content on Instagram while pursuing her degree in Computer Engineering from Indore in September 2020. And the follower count went up to 32,000 in a year. Jawadwala has brand deals from companies such as VLCC, Urban Clap and Dresscode. Also, offers came her way for anchoring TV and stage shows, but she declined them to focus on her studies.

Arwa Zakir, 25
Fitness expert, GoFit Studio, Salmiya, Kuwait
Instagram: 4,200 followers
Also known as GoFit Arwa on Instagram and YouTube, Zakir is a certified trainer from the American College of Sports Medicine and owns the GoFit Studio fitness centre in Salmiya, Kuwait, where she trains people of all ages and genders. Her parents are originally from Sagwara, Rajasthan, and until she turned 16 she never paid heed to her health and was an obese child. Today, she posts content around health and workouts on Instagram. Even though some people initially mocked Zakir for posting content in the rida, she never let negativity come in the way of her passion. Zakir believes that social media is the best place for small business owners to grow and for creative people to showcase their talent. 

Rabab J Ghadiali, 35
Founder, Rabab Life Coaching and Counselling, Mumbai
Instagram: 19,000 followers 
LinkedIn: 5,000 followers
YouTube: 700 subscribers 
(over 10,000 views)

Winner of the 2019 Women Icon of the Year Award in the field of coaching and the Best Life Coach of the Year Award, Ghadiali conducts workshops and seminars on motivation, personality development, life skills, etc—both online and offline—along with personal therapy sessions. Born in Tanzania, but working in Mumbai for the past 17 years, she has a master’s in Counselling Psychology along with a Life Coaching Certification from the International Learning Centre, Manchester, the UK. Ghadiali started posting videos and content on Instagram and Linkedin in 2015 when she found a lot of misinformation being circulated about mental health. It helped her grow from 2,000 to 19,000 followers on Instagram, which helped her garner many clients as well.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Magazine / by Zainab MM / December 12th, 2021