Source/Credit: Mississauga | News
By John Stewart | Jan 23, 2012
Ijaz Qamar, a federal citizenship judge who wrote occasional guest columns for The Mississauga News in the past, has died.
A Mississauga resident since 1996, Qamar died at his City Centre home Saturday of a heart attack. He was 74.
“(Qamar) was a great community worker and a volunteer at the Trillium hospital. He was a good, sincere friend who never talked ill about anybody. He would never doubt anyone’s character,” said Mian M. Siddiq, who knew Qamar for more than 40 years and was a good friend.
Born in the Punjab, India, Qamar’s father died when he was quite young and he was left to be raised by his mother, who had little education.
She was thrilled when her son went abroad to the United States to get his education. Qamar got his PhD in agricultural economics before coming to Canada in 1967.
He worked for the provincial government in Manitoba for many years and helped to establish the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mosque in Winnipeg, of which he became president.
He remained active in a number of religious and community groups after moving to Ontario. He was a founding member of the Toronto Star’s community editorial board.
Qamar also served on the editorial board of the Ahmadiyya Gazette Canada and was an adjudicator with the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board from 2007 to 2009.
He was the recipient of the gold medal from the Human Rights and Race Relations Centre of Toronto, the 25th Anniversary Award from the Urban Alliance on Race Relations in Toronto and the Federal Citation for Citizenship.
“I feel very honoured. I’m always eager to serve my community in any way possible,” he told The News on the occasion of his appointment to the citizenship board.
Qamar is predeceased by his wife Bushra. The couple had two sons, Tahir and Amir, both of whom now live in the U.S..
A funeral service will be held at the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mosque, 1194 Matheson Blvd E., where he was an active member.
jstewart@mississauga.net
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