Mr. Tufail Ahmad

Montgomery County Muslim Foundation, Montgomery County Muslim Council, and the broader Muslim-American community recently lost a passionate and tireless worker for humanity and uplifting the needy in particular. The late Mr. Tufail Ahmad was a pillar in our community and a trailblazer in promoting Muslim civic, humanitarian, and political engagement in Maryland. In his tribute, County Executive Marc Elrich commented “Tufail saw us all as part of the human family, and he seemed to never grow weary of striving to make life better for the people of Montgomery County.” Tufail Ahmad was born in Allahabad, India, and migrated to Pakistan in 1958 after receiving his Masters’ degree in Commerce from Allahabad University. He joined the Audit and Accounts Service in Pakistan and ultimately served as the Deputy Auditor-General. In 1973, he was offered a professional opportunity in Washington D.C. and migrated with his family to Maryland. In 1979, he established his shipping brokerage and trading firm and, after successfully building it, retired in 2000, handing over the business to his younger son. Since then, Mr. Ahmad fully dedicated his life to his two great passions – bringing people together and serving those in need, both at the grassroots level. He often commented that, given his very humble beginnings, he would never have been able to achieve what he did without the kindness and generosity of others, and he always tried to do what he could to help others. Founder of Montgomery County Muslim Foundation (MCMF) Late Mr. Tufail Ahmad MCMF Founder This work took on greater urgency after the tragic events of 9/11. Mr. Ahmad spearheaded the establishment of the Montgomery County Muslim Council (MCMC) to involve the Muslim community in political and civic engagement and also to perform community service projects in the County. Mr. Ahmad also recognized that the ultimate success of such an effort would only be realized when the broader community saw Muslims practice what they professed to be the key tenets of Islam. MCMC, with limited capacity and resources, started with 3 projects: food drive for Manna where they collected food as well as distributed Christmas and Thanksgiving dinner baskets to needy Montgomery County residents. From 2003 to 2008, these programs had developed and became better known to the County government and the public. Towards achieving the broader goal of serving the community, in 2008, he led the establishment of Montgomery County Muslim Foundation (MCMF), a nonprofit and tax-exempt 501(C)(3) organization. He served as the Chairman of MCMF since then and continued to provide strategic leadership and guidance to help MCMF realize its vision, even from his hospital bed in the last days of his life. MCMF is proud that, through its work, it has now become one of the most well-recognized social and welfare organizations in Maryland, dedicated to helping realize Montgomery County’s vision of a “hunger-free and hate-free society”. In recognition of his work, Mr. Ahmad was the recipient of several awards, including the Maryland Governor’s Service Award, Neal Potter Path of Achievement Award, the Maryland Muslim Council Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Roscoe R. Nix Distinguished Community Leadership Award. His wife, Sajida, was an unwavering partner in his community efforts and unfortunately transitioned in August 2021.