THE Pakistani community has been shocked and saddened by the death of the musical legend Aziz Mian 'Qawwall', who died on tour last week in Tehran.

Aziz Mian, in his early 60s, had a unique style in singing devotional religious songs set to hypnotic 'tabla' rhythms, called 'qawwali' and was one of the best exponents of the art in the last few decades.

He has followers not only in Pakistan and India but also in the Middle East, Europe and America.

He had visited High Wycombe a couple of times in recent years and displayed a passionate and energetic style, which had the audience yearning for more.

He was a learned man and devoted all his adult life to performing 'qawwali'. A number of local people have followed Aziz Mian for the last three decades because his songs were threaded with poetic prose and every song had a deeper meaning and a powerful message.

TWO-THIRDS of the holy fasting month of Ramadan has now been completed with the end of Ramadan and the Eid celebrations planned for the day after Boxing Day.

During Ramadan, Muslims do not only abstain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk (roughly from 6.30am to 4pm), they also spend a lot of time in prayer and meditation.

Naturally, a larger number of youngsters are also attending the Mosques, not just for the formal prayer sessions but also to take part in studying the Koran and its meaning for everyday life.

A group of young people meet at the Totteridge Centre every Sunday afternoon, after the 'Zhur' afternoon prayers.

The Imam, Maulana Sultan Mehmood, spends the time in explaining, in depth, a particular chapter of the Koran in English.

Mohammed Khaliel, an IT consultant and a pro director of the South Buckinghamshire NHS Trust also took part of the session last Sunday. He explained the evils and the inherent dangers in the drug culture.

He found the session useful in providing information to young people in English, as the youngsters are more at ease in discussing the issues in English than in Urdu or Punjabi.

Other groups of young people also meet in the Jubilee Road Mosque, Jamia Rehmania in Castlefield and the Islamic Centre in Totteridge Drive.

Hopefully, apart from learning about the rudiments of Islam, the young are also instilled with a moral outlook and are becoming aware of Islamic values and their roles and responsibilities towards their family and the community at large.

This should help to develop pride in their identity and keep them away from the nastier aspects of life in a world where morality and family values are losing their attraction in favour of personal gain and comfort at any price.

The majority of Asian or Muslim parents may not have the time or the knowledge to teach their children about Islam and therefore welcome the support of the activities at the Mosques which can help the young to understand religion and take pride in their identities.