Al-Qalam 
By Sana Ebrahim
Egyptian national Dr Mahmoud Youssef Baker, founder and former chief executive officer of Iqraa Trust, was honoured at a heartfelt farewell ceremony in Durban last weekend after more than three decades of humanitarian work in South Africa.
The event, held at the Iqraa Trust Knowledge Centre in Glenwood, was attended by academics, community leaders, business figures, and colleagues who gathered to celebrate his legacy as he prepares to return to his native Egypt. It was not simply a farewell, but a reflection of a life dedicated to education, empowerment, and service to humanity.
Dr Baker’s journey with South Africa began more than 30 years ago while he was working in London for the late Sheikh Saleh Kamel, founder of the Saudi Albaraka Group. Sheikh Kamel requested that he travel to South Africa to assist in establishing Albaraka Bank, which went on to become one of the country’s pioneering Islamic financial institutions.
At the time, Dr Baker was a respected economic adviser, working across some 30 countries. Yet his experiences in South Africa inspired a deeper calling. After two decades of global work, he chose to settle here permanently, dedicating his life to humanitarian causes. That decision led to the birth of Iqraa Trust, a non-profit organisation rooted in Islamic values of compassion, education, and justice.
Since its inception, Iqraa Trust has grown into one of the country’s most respected charitable institutions. Under Dr Baker’s leadership, the Trust supported more than 1600 organisations and thousands of students through bursaries, training initiatives, and development programmes.
“I was eager not only to provide financial support but also to guide, motivate, and personally mentor students with the potential to excel,” Dr Baker said in his farewell address. Among those he mentored, two students have gone on to study at Harvard University.
In 2020, he established the Iqraa Trust Knowledge Centre at Hunt Road Secondary School in Glenwood. The Centre provides free classes in mathematics, science, coding, and robotics, helping learners gain essential academic and technical skills. Governance workshops and training sessions run by partner organisations are hosted by the Centre, extending Iqraa Trust’s mission of building knowledge and ethical leadership.
Saturday’s 1 November farewell drew a cross-section of leaders from education, business, and faith-based organisations. Among them were MS Paruk; Ebrahim Vawda; Prof Salim Abdool Karim; Dr Bassiouni and Qari Basheer of Al Tawheed WAQF NPC; Shabir Chohan, CEO of Albaraka Bank and Trustee of Iqraa Trust; Adv Mohammed Vahed of the Young Leaders Academy; Shaikh Mohamed Elhaddad of An Nur Islamic Centre in Cape Town; attorney Aslam Mayat; Prof Mohamed Mostafa from UKZN’s School of Engineering; PB Mkhize, principal of Hunt Road Secondary; Prof Jairam Reddy from the Dennis Hurley Centre; and Zama Sishi from Mangosuthu University of Technology.
Speakers recalled Dr Baker’s humility, compassion, and unrelenting pursuit of education as a vehicle for transformation. Prof Karim described him as “a man of vision whose work continues to empower generations.” Shabir Chohan noted that his “integrity and moral clarity have guided not only the Trust but everyone privileged to work alongside him.”
Many speakers remarked that while Dr Baker will leave South Africa, his influence will remain woven into the fabric of the organisations, schools, and lives he helped shape. Dr Baker thanked his staff at the end of the function for their support, hard work and commitment. He then introduced his successor, Ismail Mahomed, known as Milo.
