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  • Amynah and Amir Pirani in Houston.
    Mahek Bhojani and Sehar Tejani | 01 October 2017 | USA

    Home Away From Home – One Jamat Across the World

    Amynah and Amir Pirani in Houston. The.Ismaili
  • Amynah Pirani with her qualifications.
    Mahek Bhojani and Sehar Tejani | 01 October 2017 | USA

    Home Away From Home – One Jamat Across the World

    Amynah Pirani with her qualifications. The.Ismaili
In August and September, the global Jamat explored the first theme of the Diamond Jubilee year: “Celebrating the Grace of Jamatkhanas and Ismaili Centres in our Lives.”  We have focused, through various initiatives and programs, on the meaning and importance of Jamatkhanas to each of us, and the diverse ways in which we engage with and use our Jamatkhanas. This article highlights the role of Jamatkhana for one US family.  As we engage with other Diamond Jubilee themes through the course of this year, we will continue to highlight experiences of the Jamat with those themes.  

In October 1985, Amir Pirani left everything he knew in India and moved to the United States. With only $516.50 in his pocket and a scrap piece of paper with a phone number of the Queens Jamatkhana, Amir took a courageous step to migrate across the world in hopes of fulfilling the American dream.

His first stop was the local YMCA, from where he called the Jamatkhana. Amir recalls: “I remember it like yesterday. I called them and asked for the address and directions.” Within days, the Jamat was able to find Amir a place to live and a job at a dry cleaning facility.

Just three years later, Amir was able to save enough money to bring his wife, Amynah Pirani, to the United States. Amynah recalls: “We didn’t have much close family here. I was really scared because it was a new country but the Ismailis in our community really helped us out. They were like our family; they just made it so easy.”

As the Piranis acclimated to their new life in the US, Amir managed a newsstand business, worked in fast food, operated a cab and limousine service, and even sold life insurance, while continuing to seek mentorship from Jamati members. Additionally, he became a volunteer, responsible for the funeral arrangements of Jamati members in New York. He frequently took two days off work each time someone passed away to work with the funeral home and meet with the families.

In 1992, Dr. Habibullah Jamal, then-President of the Ismaili Council for USA, and located in New York, encouraged Amir move away from focusing on low-paying service employment by taking advantage of the education system and obtain qualifications. He suggested that Amir work while Amynah go back to school. Unfortunately, as their second son had some medical issues, Amynah could not act upon this advice until they had moved to San Antonio. After 16 years away from school, she started college the same day that her youngest son started elementary school, in 1999.

Amynah recalls that it was  difficult financially: “We were trying to survive. We were helping family back home, helping ourselves over here, and raising two kids. Amir was the only one earning money. At that time, too, the Jamati institutions provided me with scholarships and other support to help me finish my degree.” Amynah graduated with a 4.0 GPA and is now a nuclear medicine technologist. The family moved to Houston in 2005, where Amir is now a manager for an energy drink company.

Amir and Amynah’s story is just one of the many remarkable journeys of Ismailis who have migrated to the United States. And very often, it is the Ismaili Jamatkhana that offers a central place of comfort and a resource for the Jamat – no matter the location. The Jamatkhana has a dual purpose: it is a place of religious gathering as well as a place of social engagement. For the Piranis, who knew no one and nothing about the US, the Jamatkhana was their home away from home, and their family away from family. It was here that they, like many others, were able to find support to uplift them spiritually, socially, and economically.

The Piranis now aim to reciprocate the same help they received to new immigrants who come to this country. “The impact of the Jamat was so helpful when we first arrived. We are where we are today because of them. We are so proud to be Ismailis.”