Inauguration of Ayman Taha Clinic at Ayman Taha Community Center. Kosti, Sudan

March 20, 2008 also marked the inauguration of Ayman Taha Clinic, at Ayman Community Center, located on Block 39 in Kosti, Sudan.

The Clinic is a badly needed addition to the Community Center. It is a joint project with the White Nile State Ministry of Health. We provided the premises and the equipment and The Ministry will provide the Manpower: 2 doctors, 2 lab technicians and a maternity nurse. This will be a community-managed endeavor.

Sommer Preschool Class of 2008

Last Thursday, March 20 was a remarkable day at the Ayman Taha Community Center because Sommer Preschool celebrated the graduation of their first class. Ayman's father, Dr. Abdel Rahman Taha, was in attendance and was extremely delighted and remarked it was a truly joyous occasion, to look at the children and their parents, and see all the different parts of the Sudan represented in beautiful harmony. Ayman would have been pleased.

Sommer Preschool, Ayman Taha Community Center is located on Block 39 in Kosti, Sudan.

Remembering Ayman

Mr and Mrs Taha and family....

My name is Dena Bedri and I am a former classmate of il mar7oum Ayman from UAS in Kuwait. My sister Sabrina is friends with Rabah as well and we both offer my sincere condolences on your loss,and forgive me if it is late as we just found out. Ayman was a brilliant, kind and wonderful person and treated everyone with the utmost respect and kindness. He will be remembered as so. Allah yir7amo wa yi7sin ilay.

Ayman's Song

Ayman's Song was written by Kathleen Collins. You will find the lyrics below and a link is provided so that you may view the live performance.

http://www.youtube.com/user/farrisfrance
(Note: You may have to copy the link and paste it into your browser)

Ayman's Song

Verse I

I saw a shooting star today
overhead, streaking by.
I reached up to touch it, hoping,
wishing,
to dip my fingers in the fire
It was quick and it was wild,
beautifully untamed, so high.
There in its space above us all,
to dance and twinkle all night long

CHORUS I

And inside the light I saw you, Ayman,
as beautiful and blinding as the sun,
un-stoppable, immortal, outside our realm.

Still now, even though you’ve passed on, you show your face
just for a second to give us hope, to give us a bitter-sweet smile,
to make us see the lives beyond lives.

Still now, you earn our respect
Still now, you make us want to be
closer to the light, closer to what’s right.

VERSE II

I saw a shooting star today, dancing, having fun.
I reached up to grab its hand, hoping to join along.
It was there one sec and then it was gone,
but it still shines in our minds all day and night long.

The star is unforgettable when I look up to the sky,
Cause your memory paints the night with your beautiful sunrise.

CHORUS II

And inside the light I saw you, Ayman,
as beautiful and blinding as the sun,
un-stoppable, immortal, outside our realm.
Still now, even though you’ve passed on, you show your face
just for a sec to give us hope, to give us a bitter-sweet smile,
to make us see the lives beyond lives.
Still now, you earn our respect
Still now, you make us want to be
closer to the light, closer to what’s right.

Ayman and Ghassan when they were younger

Pictures of Ayman and his cousin Ghassan

The Mosque at Ayman Taha's Community Center in Kosti, Sudan

This is the finished mosque as photographed during Abdelrahman Taha's last visit to Kosti on Saturday, March 22. The rest of the compound which is composed of a preschool, a lecture hall, two shops (for rent), and a house for the Imam is mostly finished. The preschool named after Sommer Taha will open next June.

Inauguration pictures

The Inauguration of Ayman's Mosque in Kosti

This is to let you know that, by the grace of God and his blessings, Ayman Taha's Mosque and Community Center, was inaugurated on Friday, Dec. 29, 2006. In Kosti ( Muraba'a 39, off El Obayid-Kosti Hwy ), at Jumaá prayer.

Without any planning on our part, this inauguration and Friday prayer coincided with al woqoof bi Arafat, the most important activity of the Haj, and coincided almost to the day with Ayman's passing away on Friday, Dec. 30, 2005.

God bless you, wa kulu sana wa intu taybeen.

Sommer, Geraldine, Lubna, Rabah, Amal, and Abdel-Rahman Taha

Remembering My Friend Ayman

Dear Dr and Mrs Taha, Rabah, Lubna, Geraldine and Baby Sommer,

I am so deeply sorry to learn of Ayman's passing. I cannot imagine what a void this has caused in your family and I know any words that I write here will bear little comfort. Although I don't know you as a family I did know Ayman and he was a very dear friend to me.

I met Ayman while he was at the University of Massachusetts, where we were both studying and we had been friends since. I left the US in 2000, but we kept in contact by e-mail and phone. Due to the nature of his job I would sometime not hear from him for several weeks, but when months passed without any news I knew that something was wrong - I could not imagine that it would be so terrible.

Mr and Mrs Taha, you had a wonderful son in Ayman and I feel very privileged to have known him. He touched my life in a special way as he did so many others. He had so many qualities that I admired - integrity, intelligence and he was wise beyond his years. He had an inquisitive mind, a thirst for learning and he was open to other peoples beliefs and cultures. He could talk to and more importantly strike up a friendship with people of all ages and diverse cultural backgrounds. He enriched so many peoples lives and he certainly enriched mine.

I know that you as a family will miss Ayman immensely and although memories are hardly enough, his memory will always burn bright in my heart.


You are all in my thoughts and prayers

With deepest sympathy

Yours

Tehmina Jifri

Ayman and Geraldine's Wedding Pictures