While serving as a time keeper at a candidate forum last Thursday on behalf of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), Mustafa Nizam suddenly pitched forward in his chair and collapsed on the floor. Emergency personnel got to him as quickly as possible, but he passed away. Burial services were held for him in San Diego yesterday.
Anaheim activist Mirvette Judah posted this wonderful tribute to Nizam on Facebook over the weekend.
INNA LILLAHI WA INNA ILAYHI RAJIUN, Surely we belong to Allah and to him we shall return. It is with great sadness that I share the death of this great man & brother Mustafa Nizam, Allah yerhamo ( May God God have mercy on him) it was last night at a community event meant to empower the community, he worked for CAIR-CA as community outreach director. He loved his faith of Islam so much God chose for him to die on a Friday ( a blessed & holy day for Muslims) at a mosque doing the job he loves, wearing his CAIR pin with so much pride till the end, as sad as his death is, the way he passed was a blessing. He smiled and was doing good work up till his last moments. May God be with his wife Executive Director of CAIR San Diego Tazheen Nizam , his daughter, family, loved ones, and colleagues. I am truly humbled by what happened, all I can say is that life is short, do good, be good to your loved ones, be compassionate to people and make the best of your life. We never know when our time will come. May God have mercy on him, may God grant him jannah ( heaven), may God be with his family, and May God guide us all, Ameen Please pray for him & his family. #CAIRLA #caircalifornia
For those who want to help his family and honor his legacy you can donate here https://www.launchgood.com/…/send_your_love_to_mustafa…
I’m told Nizam was a moderator at a candidate’s forum and was in the audience, keeping time, when he was stricken. Judah was the first to get to him.
The forum was nearly over and attended by Sunny Park, Doug Chaffee, and Vince Sarmiento for OC Supervisors. Lorri Galloway attended for mayor’s forum (Ashleigh Aikten was attending a human trafficking event at the same time) and Al Jabbar, Carlos Leon, and Hari Lal were there from the Anaheim council races.
Jorge Gavino of Anaheim posted on Twitter:
“Omg some one had a legit medical emergency at tonight’s mayoral debate in Anaheim. It was so scary to watch. I’m still shaking from how overwhelming the situation was.”
He posted again that he believes Nizam died right in front of him.
A LaunchGood fund has been set up to help the family; it’s already at $36,000 out of a $40,000 goal. If you’d like to donate, here’s the link: https://www.launchgood.com/campaign/send_your_love_to_mustafa_nizams_family? fbclid=IwAR2sOOEQ4PmFjxp0wxTe0ACr3emiHP5fYWVqBcHpzOi1LIeGoXBs-ZLRGZM#!/
Editor’s Note: a big Thank you to Mirvette for a fact check on this story which has since been revised and corrected
Mustafa was a dear friend and a great guy. I miss him dearly.