| Prominent Corporate Figure and Philanthropist named National 'Tokoh Maal Hijrah' |
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| Thursday, 10 January 2008 | |
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Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary, the founder and chairman of Yayasan Albukhary was named National "Tokoh Maal Hijrah 1429H" at the national-level Maal Hijrah celebration held at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre in conjuction with Awal Muharam (New Muslim Year) yesterday. In a BERNAMA report, Syed Mokhtar, 57, said his upbringing by his mother, Sharifah Rokiah Syed Mohamed Rahmat, was the driving force behind his success. He revealed that he was unable to continue his studies due to financial constraints at the time, but with the wealth acquired later in life, wanted others to have that opportunity which he did not have. After two decades of doing charity work and making personal contributions to worthy causes, Syed Mokhtar set up Yayasan Albukhary in 1996, which carries out community welfare programmes and until last year, had donated RM1 billion to charity. The nationwide Albukhary Tuition Programme introduced in 2001, benefits more than 20,000 students each year at 500 tuition centres, while those who excel in the national examinations are given scholarships to further their studies. The foundation also gives aid to Muslims in other countries who live in poverty like in Pakistan, Uganda, South Africa and Lebanon. To date, about 300 students from 40 Muslim countries have been given scholarships to study in Malaysia. Besides the setting up of the Albukhary International University, Syed Mokhtar also established the Albukhary Medical Centre with a dialysis unit, at the Albukhary Complex in Alor Star. The foundation had also helped build 20 mosques, contributed to the cost of renovating the National Mosque, besides building the Islamic Art Museum in Kuala Lumpur and sponsoring poor pilgrims for the Haj. Source from Bernama |
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