Abdulrasul Gulamhussein Abdulhusein

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Gulshan Hassanali Juma 1936–2005

Abdulrasul Gulamhussein Abdulhusein (known as AG Abdulhusein) was born in Zanzibar in 1903. Gulamhussein Abdulhusein had migrated to Zanzibar from Gujurat. The family moved to DaresSalaam around 1910.

He established a leading business called AG Abdulhussein & Co Ltd. The company exported Hides & Skins, Beeswax, Gum Arabic, Gum Copal, Raffia, Ivory and Copra. it imported Cotton, Hosiery, Machinery, Plastic ware, Building Materials, Hardware, Leather Goods and Sundry items.

"The major oil and flour millers in the 1930s in Dar es Salaam were Habib Punja S Sons, A. G. Abdulhussein, Hassam Karim and Jaffer Haji S Co. Successful industrialists in the manufacture of soap include Habib Punja and A. G. and M. G. Abdulhussein. Oral information collected from different Ismaili industrialists in Dar es Salaam; also see Mike and Cathy Booth, "The Directory of Business Names for Dar es Salaam Township 1920-1950" (unpublished paper, Dar es Salaam, 1969)."

AG Abdulhusein played a significant role during Mowlana Sultan Mohamed Shah's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in DaresSalaam. He was appointed President of Tanganyika Council in 1946. He donated a floating trophy, the Agakhan Cup, for the annual Ismaili versus non-Ismaili sports tournaments.

He attended the Evian Conference called by Mowlana Sultan Mohamed Shah from July 4th to July 8th 1952. The purpose of this Conference was to discuss the economic and social problems that the Ismailis in Africa were dealing with and to make the necessary amendments to the Constitution of the Ismaili Councils in Africa.

Evian Conference 1952]]

He was blessed with the title of Count in 1954.

During the Takht Nashini of Mowlana Hazar Imam held in DaresSalaam on October 19th 1957, Count AG Abdulhusein presented the Imam with a golden chain that had 49 links representing the lineal descent of the Imam. During this visit, Mowlana Hazar Imam had dinner at Count AG Abdulhusein's house in Oyster Bay.

Dinner at Count AG's house. Son in law Hassanali Juma is behind Count AG
The dinner spread
Hazar Imam working away after dinner

It was sometime in 1960 that Mowlana Hazar Imam had expressed a wish that a new Constitution be promulgated for the Ismaili Jamats in Africa. This was to be done in full consultation with all the Jamats, hence Constitution Review Committees were formed for Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

Count AG Abdulhusein was a member of the Constitutional Review Committee for Tanzania. The other members for Tanzania were Aziz Jamal, Nick Kassum, Mohamedali Nasser Damji, NV Gillani, Abdulla Tejpar, Fatehali Nasser Shariff, Habib Ali Meghji and Abdullah Bhojani. Jamats in Tanzania were informed in advance as to when the Committee was going to visit their Jamat Khana. Meetings were held with the Jamat with committee members sitting on the paats facing the Jamats. Sir Eboo and Vazir Ishani would lead off the discussions by by explaining the brief of the committee. (Source: Ameer Janmohamed).

In 1961, Count AG Abdulhusein attended the Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda Constitutional Review Committee conference in Nairobi where Hazar Imam was present.

1961 Nairobi Conference of the Constitutional Review Committees

Count AG Abdulhusein passed away on June 25th, 1967, he had pancreatic cancer. His grandson Gulam was only 12 at the time, studying at Ecolint in Geneva.

He has very fond memories of his grandfather, spending evenings on the Veranda of their house in OysterBay when he was in Dar, and receiving letters regularly from him when he was in Geneva.

Photos of EA Muslim Welfare Society Magazine Courtesy of Shaukat A. Jaffer of Minnesota