Frame size: 24.0 x 30.2 x 3.3 cm
This assemblage of documents comprises a Certificate of Registration issued under the 1953 National Service Ordinance and reprinted photographs belonging to Shiraz Abidally Abdul Husain (1937-2021).A Singapore-born businessman and community leader from the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community, Shiraz was likely the first male from his community to be conscripted for National Service, enlisting in 1957. He was subsequently deployed to jungle patrols in Johor during the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960), a period of deep anxiety for his family amid limited means of communication. After completing his service, Shiraz managed his father’s spice enterprise in Hong Kong in the 1960s and eventually established his own successful spice business. Inspired by a strong family tradition of service, he took on several leadership roles in community organisations in his lifetime, serving as chairperson of the Singapore Dawoodi Bohra Muslim Association, and as a committee member of the Lions Club (East), a voluntary welfare organisation. The Dawoodi Bohras are a small Shia Muslim community in Singapore, with roots dating back to the late 19th century. Initially arriving as barter traders from India, the community became more established in the 1920s. Presently, around 1,000 Bohras form a close-knit yet vibrant community active across diverse professions and civic life.