His funeral was attended by around 1,000 mourners from around the world, as the Baitul Tauhid Mosque in Fartown, paid their respects to an ‘extraordinary man’.
Source/Credit: Asian Express
By Asian Express | August 19, 2015
An award winning charity fundraiser from Huddersfield has died at the age of 32 after a two-month fight with cancer.
Kamal Aftab, a youth co-ordinator with the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association (AMYA) from Huddersfield, peacefully passed away on Friday 7th August after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia back in June.
His funeral was attended by around 1,000 mourners from around the world, as the Baitul Tauhid Mosque in Fartown, paid their respects to an ‘extraordinary man’.
Right up until his death, the ever-determined fundraiser was still tackling his own charity challenge, having set himself the goal of completing a ‘Hospital Marathon’ - walking 26-miles in his five-metre square hospital room.
Now, his family and friends have vowed to finish the challenge on Kamal’s behalf, aiming to raise the £50,000 target for Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research (LLR).
Through a series of fundraising initiatives, the group hope to smash the total, with donations continuing to flood in since Kamal’s passing.
His brother, Yousaf Aftab, said the impact Kamal had on people’s lives was evident at his funeral.
“It was phenomenal,” he said. “The number of people who came from across the United Kingdom to take part in his funeral was a testament to Kamal’s inspirational nature and his personality.
“It shows the affection people had for him and the impact he had on people’s lives.
“It is still surreal to think that he is no longer here but in terms of what he has been able to achieve, the most important thing for us is to continue the legacy of his charitable humanitarian works and the care he had for people, regardless of who they were.”
Kamal, who was an optician by trade, had previously raised tens-of-thousands of pounds for several national charities and was publically voted ‘Guardian Volunteer of the Year’ in 2014.
He was amongst a number of AMYA representatives invited to the Houses of Parliament earlier this year to hand over cheques totalling £340,000 – all raised by the nationwide group over the previous 12 months.
Now his fundraising legacy will be continued by his family and friends as they first take on a Three Peaks Challenge, alongside staff from the Haematology Ward at St James’ Hospital, before a number of other fundraisers are held.
“Chemo is a very difficult thing to go through for any person yet despite being in the condition he was in, Kamal never showed that,” Yousaf added. “He fought it all the way with a smile.
“With the bad name Muslims may be getting, Kamal’s story should be viewed as the real face of Islam. He not only served his creator but also mankind in terms of humanity.”
Kamal’s long-time friend and physician, Dr Aziz Ahmad Hafiz, was the Vice-President at the AMYA group until earlier this year.
He says that despite being in a senior position, it was always his younger colleague who would be the motivator for the group.
“In my working capacity, I knew Kamal as a colleague, a best friend, and a charity worker,” he said.
“Adjectives do not do him justice when describing the work he carried out and even though I was technically his senior, he was always the one to push people that little bit further.
“He should be seen as a guiding light for young members of society across the UK and he will be sadly missed.”
If you would like to make a donation towards Kamal’s £50,000 target for the LLR, please visit www.justgiving.com/hospitalchallenge.
Read original post here: UK: Tributes to an ‘extraordinary man’ Kamal Aftab, loved ones vow to meet £50,000 fundraising target
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