Well-known local entrepreneur and philanthropist Mr Solly Noor received a coveted Masjidul Quds Lifetime Community Service award on Saturday night during a gala event held in Kelvin Grove, Cape Town.
He is one of five South Africans that were honoured this year by the Cape Town-based organisation. The other recipients were Dr Imtiaaz Suliman (founding member of Gift of the Givers), Sheikh Sadullah Khan (a world-renowned Islamic Scholar and CEO of Islamia College), Mrs Zuleigha Mayat (author of several books, including the acclaimed Indian Delights) and Nakhlistan (a community-based organisation feeding thousands of poor and destitute people for the past 39 years).
Masjidul Quds is an historic Islamic Mosque complex in Gatesville, Cape Town. The building is a replica of the Al Aqsa Mosque in Palestine and houses the Islamic college, which offers diploma and degree courses and an afternoon Islamic School for younger children. Masjidul Quds hosts a special inter-faith IFTAAR every year to spread the message of unity in diversity among leading South Africans. Among the many world-renowned dignitaries who have graced this event, was the late Anglican bishop, Desmond Tutu.
The organisation also recognises achievers and those individuals who contribute to the service of humanity and the cause of justness.
When Mr Noor's resumé was read, special mention was made of the support of his wife, Zohra. He received the accolade for his noble work in philanthropy, human rights and corporate excellence. He is a former president of the World Memon Organisation and served on numerous boards of NGOs. He is well known in the business world, where he served on boards such as that of ABSA Bank. He also served as a trustee of the Wits University Foundation and was a director of the Investec property group.
Although the Noor family no longer stays in Louis Trichardt, he is widely regarded as a local resident, and he still owns many business and residential properties in the region. In the early 1990s, he served as chairperson of the Greater Louis Trichardt Transitional Local Council's executive committee. This was a tumultuous period, during which strong leadership was needed to ensure the smooth transition to a new political dispensation.