Muslim Views, April 2015

Vol. 29 No. 4

RAJAB 1436 l APRIL 2015

Cape teen’s link to Isis raises questions MAHMOOD SANGLAY

HIS girl is steeped in her knowledge of Isis [Islamic State of Iraq and Syria]. She had five cell phones and voluminous information on Isis. Her parents were not even aware that she had five cell phones.’

This is according to a reliable source close to the family of the 15-year-old Grade 11 Muslim girl from Kenwyn. She was apprehended on Sunday, April 5, by members of the State Security Agency (SSA) while on board a flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg, allegedly in order to join Isis.

The incident has created unprecedented tensions and speculation in the Muslim community.

At the time of going to press, the parents of the teen have not spoken to the media at all and reports since the incident occurred are based on a missing person notification circulated on social media when she disappeared early that Sunday.

Furthermore, contact with the family appears to be limited to the SSA and privileged persons close to the girl’s parents.

Given this background and the routine confidentiality associated with national security issues and matters of privacy concerning a minor, it is not surprising that little about this case has been disclosed publicly.

Muslim Views, through access to exclusive sources, has learnt that she comes from a conservative and stable home, and that she completed Grades 8 and 9 in Cape Town.

The radical change in her occurred upon her return from a school in Durban where she spent a year in Grade 10, in 2014. The principal of the school in Durban confirmed that she had attended the institution last year.

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The source in Cape Town said that her departure from the school here was because it was not ‘Islamic enough’ and that she was responsible for the relocation of the family to Durban in order to attend Grade 11 there.

Her reason, ostensibly, for returning to Cape Town was that the Durban school was ‘too snobbish’ and that the environment in Cape Town was much ‘friendlier’.

The source says her decision to move from, and return to Cape Town, was imposed on her parents and two siblings.

However, it was upon her return to Cape Town in 2015 to continue her Grade 11 schooling that the change had occurred. She was the only learner at school to don the niqab (which involves a cover of a woman’s whole body and face, except the eyes), ironically to diminish attention from the boys. According to the source, when she returned to Cape Town she was already an Isis loyalist.

On hindsight, various learners and school staff who have had contact with her in Cape Town since January this year, realise that many of her claims and comments relating to joining Isis and to jihad were not made in jest.

Often, such comments by a young teenager are not taken seriously, hence she was ridiculed.

And, says the source, her comments were almost an attempt ‘to test the waters’ in an ‘ultra-calculating and manipulative’ way, perhaps as a means to seek more recruits.

The principal of the school says she is an ‘exceptionally bright child’ and that a decision regarding her return to the school is still pending. This is possible if no charges are brought against her by the state. Despite what has happened, she says she still wishes to join Isis. When asked if she feels remorse, she replied that the only people she feels she let down

are the people of Isis. Indications are she was astoundingly composed throughout the saga.

The principal asserts that its curriculum is not consistent with anything that may make Isis remotely attractive for the learner.

What the fifteen-year-old has done is an aberration.

‘The majority of learners at our school do not know what Isis stands for. The chief concerns for the typical learner at our school are the worldly issues relating to teenage culture,’ he said.

He added that he believes both he and the school are also under investigation, although this was denied by Brian Dube, the spokesperson for the SSA. The principal added that he is 100 per cent confident that the SSA investigation will find nothing implicating the school or its staff of any wrongdoing, and that he is giving the agency his full cooperation in their investigation.

The SSA has made a single statement widely reported by the media and says that no further statement will be made until their investigation is concluded. The agency told Muslim Views that this is the first case of this nature in South Africa. Other than that, there have only been unconfirmed reports of individuals involved in foreign military assistance.

Many questions about this case to which only the SSA knows the answers remain. Will the teen be charged? Is she currently under surveillance while released in the custody of her parents? Did she have an accomplice in South Africa? What does the evidence found in her possession reveal?

Muslim Views found that the SSA had not yet questioned the school in Durban where she attended Grade 11 in 2014.

The principal of the Durban school, however, told Muslim Views, ‘We were surprised to learn of the actions of the young

girl in question who had spent the 2014 academic year at our school.

‘We nurture our learners to be productive members of society and to be of service to the community we live in. Our Islamic Studies syllabus is based on the Quran and the Sunnah, and Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as a mercy to mankind is the role model for the students.’

He added that this is the case with Muslim schools, generally, for the past thirty years. ‘We implore all parents to be aware of the deleterious impact of social media and to remain vigilant of their children’s activities,’ he said.

This view is echoed by Mohamed Dockrat, the chairman of the Association of Muslim Schools (AMS), who says member schools of the association account for 12 000 learners. He added that AMS is ‘not in a position to account for the thoughts and wishes’ of each learner.

‘We do not apologise for the fact that Palestine features frequently in our discussion,’ he said. AMS codemns Isis, and says allegations of possible recruits at their schools is a ‘thumb-suck in the absence of any definite proof’.

QUESTIONS These disclaimers warrant further research. The fact that such an aberration had occurred while the teen happened to be a learner at a given school speaks to causal factors that may not be directly linked to the school’s formally prescribed curriculum.

Typically, the developmental stage of the adolescent who begins to explore questions about issues such as identity and the purpose of life renders the adolescent impressionable and even vulnerable.

Often, at this age, impressionable youth are typically lured by the idealism and romanticism of

ideology. For the Muslim adolescent, the return of caliphate in an Islamophobic world offers that allure, despite the deep fallacy inherent in this notion as presented by Isis.

However, none of these detract from the truth that schools are ever-significant spaces for the socialisation of adolescents. This socialisation is accentuated in Muslim schools globally through religious and cultural messaging, both curricular and extra-curricular.

The impact of these influences cannot be ignored in any sober, global analysis of how a child is socialised at school. They cannot be ignored when considering an adolescent’s intellectual development and his or her initial encounters with ideology.

Hence, it is relevant to ask the following questions, amongst a host of others that could be asked.

First: how is the reality of global imperialist wars, in which Muslims have largely replaced ‘Communists’ as ‘the enemy’, mediated by social actors such as families, religious institutions, educational institutions, social and other more traditional media, marketing devices and so on?

Second: is the young girl ‘incorrect’ or ‘misguided’ in her alleged attempt to join Isis? Why did she want to join Isis? As yet, we do not know the answers to this complex question.

Third: is there a problem with the notion of contemporary social institutions, amongst these being families, religious leadership and religious institutions, schools, including Muslim schools, in their potential to sustain a social environment conducive to recruitment for ‘extremist’ ideologies?

These and other questions are bound to occupy our collective minds in the days and months ahead.

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Muslim Views . April 2015

Muslim Views . April 2015

with the farmworkers, in which the interests of two are set up against each other in negotiations.

This becomes the ultimate corrective mechanism for a developmental state struggling to deliver to its citizens. As tragic as Marikana was, and as sad as this type of conflict resolution may seem, it is really the best methodology available to workers who have the collective power to influence policy.

The government suffers from no dearth of economic programmes.

Advisory panels and forums like the National Economic Development Labour Council (Nedlac) and programmes like the New Growth Path and the National Development Plan are instances of the government’s intervention.

Yet, none of these programmes have the potential of the collective power of workers to bring about change at PRIL 27 is Freedom Day. It’s grassroots level. the day we celebrate And some, like the Growth, democracy, peace, unity and Employment and Redistribution Plan the preservation and restoration of (GEAR), in 1996, actually marginalised human dignity. the interests of workers while favouring The state of the poor in our economy is economic growth for corporations. a vital indicator of true freedom.

Thus, we today have an entrenched However, confidence in the state as an neoliberal economic system where, enabler of the poor and marginalised ordinarily, (discounting the impact of has dissipated over the past twenty crises such as that precipitated by years.

Eskom) South Africa is a relatively At the same time, there has been strong economy with healthy growth much contestation of the notion of prospects.

South Africa as a developmental state. However, little of the success in this Recently, during the parliamentary economy is inclusive of the poor debacle, the Economic Development masses. This is not because the poor minister acknowledged that the are excluded from the economy but government must ‘do much more to because they are systemically speed up inclusive growth, job marginalised. creation, radical economic The National Development Plan (NDP), transformation’. in effect, denounces the poor as The minister’s emphasis on action by ‘passive citizenry receiving services government is ironic but well placed. from the state’ and encourages them to The government and industry typically become ‘active champions in their own lead the discourse on economic policy. development’.

The irony is that our democracy is This is code for a policy of greater designed to empower mainly politicians reliance on private essential services and corporations to use power to give like health and education. effect to policy that affects the majority Indications are that the actual of poor people in our country. transformation agenda, in its broadest Worker and public concerns about sense, is not being driven by the state. basic needs are muted as the official This is evident in spheres like and corporate responses to these education where the symbolism of concerns are typically about fiscal colonialism has precipitated a deeper unsustainability and the threat of debate on transformation in education downgrades by international rating that includes race, class and a host of agencies. other relevant issues.

The only means ultimately available to We need much more public discourse workers is confrontation with the state on these matters to envisage true and with industry, as at Marikana, and freedom.

True freedom is economic freedom

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Our editorial comment represents the composite viewpoint of the Editorial Team of Muslim Views, and is the institutional voice of the newspaper. Correspondence can be sent to editor@mviews.co.za

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Muslim women continue living with indignity in a democratic South Africa ROSIEDA SHABODIEN

fter 21 years of living in a free and democratic South Africa, Muslim citizens’ marriages are still not recognised and regulated, despite provision for it in the Constitution.

We still see the practice of polygyny as a secret collusion between an imam and the husband, without fulfilment of the condition of being by the means, and without consultation with the existing spouse, let alone the equal treatment of all spouses as directed by the shariah.

We still experience the trauma of inheritance shrouded in intrigue and indignity.

So many women live suspended lives because verbal divorces and custody and maintenance agreements often are not subject to due legal process.

How did we lose our way after the hope and optimism of 1990?

The following timeline may shed some light on the path we have travelled.

1990: Nelson Mandela is released, signalling the commencement of the transition from apartheid to democracy, and the call for South Africans to imagine a new future based on justice, equality and dignity.

1991: Muslim organisations respond to this call by convening the National Muslim Conference where over 600 bodies agree, amongst others, to ensure that Muslim Personal Law is minimally recognised and regulated.

1992: Two National Interfaith Conferences are convened and not only endorse the Muslim call for such recognition but this call inspires other religious communities to formulate their own equivalents of customary or religious codes.

1994: As the ANC campaigns for election in the country, it expresses a willingness to depart from a strict secularism to accommodate aspects of tradition, custom and religion.

1994: After the elections, the Muslim Personal Law Board is established with the core of the National Muslim Conference represented but with the discourse shifting from the aspirational to the technical.

1996: The Constitutional Assembly presents the new Constitution and Bill of Rights to Parliament, and, indeed, Section 15(3)(a)(i) makes provision for religious and customary marriages but has to be read in conjunction with Section 15(3)(b) that makes the Bill of Rights inviolable.

2000: After much inconclusive debate within the Muslim community, the SA Law Reform Commission gives impetus to a project committee to give effect to the recognition and regulation of Muslim marriages.

2003: The SA Law Reform Commission Report makes a positive recommendation for such recognition and regulation.

2009: Given another long

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silence and inaction, the Women’s Legal Centre goes to the Constitutional Court to force the President to enact legislation, and even though they fail on a technicality, effectively, the process of judicial precedence has started.

2010: The Minister of Justice tables the Muslim Marriages Bill in Parliament, and calls for all interested parties and individuals to respond to it with inputs and submissions, which show a diversity of opinion from Muslims.

2011: Researchers, the Women’s Legal Centre and the Recognition of Muslim Marriages Forum find that life has not substantially changed for Muslim women; and 2014: The Department of Home Affairs, in an election year, offers the Muslim community the prospect of ulama gaining the official status of marriage officers.

Twenty-one years later, it is clear that the lived reality for Muslim women has not altered substantially and, in fact, some men are acting with greater impunity, asserting their untrammeled right to polygyny, and citing the shariah to justify their secrecy, unequal treatment and other excesses.

Debates in our community have ranged between no regulation by a ‘man-made’ civil code, to a desire for qadis and shariah courts.

The debates aslo manifest between progressive Muslims desiring no exceptions from the constitutional provisions of equality for women to conservative ulama asserting that such equality would be anathema.

At this stage it seems that this may well mean that judicial precedence is the best way to ensure dignity for Muslim women.

Every case, from Rylands vs Edross to Daniels vs Campbell to Hassam vs Jacobs to Mahomed vs Mahomed to Hoosain vs Dangor, and others, is establishing an effective set of laws for Muslims, based entirely on the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, without compromise.

Already it is setting precedents for inheritance, maintenance, divorce, asset division, insurance payouts and the rights of all wives in a polygynous marriage.

If more Muslim women step forward to use the courts, full constitutional equality and dignity may well be on the agenda.

However, piecemeal legislation is costly and the majority of Muslim women do not have the financial resources to access the courts for relief.

It is, therefore, imperative that the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development does his job and ensures that the recognition of Muslim marriages is enacted so that matrimonial matters in the Muslim community are removed from the capricious domain to the legal arena.

This newspaper carries Allah’s names, the names of the prophets and sacred verses of the Holy Quran.

Please treat it with the respect it deserves.

Either keep, circulate or recycle.

Please do not discard.

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Muslim Views . April 2015

Attack on author angers Muslim community MUSLIM VIEWS CORRESPONDENT

EVERY year, Durbanites look forward to the annual Time of the Writer (TOTW) Festival, hosted by the Centre of Creative Arts.

This year, the festival was marred by an attack on guest author Zainub Priya Dala.

At a TOTW event held in Chatsworth, Dala was asked about her favourite authors.

She named, amongst others, Salman Rushdie, citing his ‘literary style’ as appealing.

This revelation led to an adverse reaction with some Muslim members of the audience walking out.

But what followed is heinous: Dala was followed to her hotel by three people in a vehicle.

They pushed her car off the road, held a knife to her, hit her in the face with a brick and blurted, ‘Rushdie’s bitch!’

Members of the Muslim community were aghast.

Dr Lubna Nadvi, lecturer in political science at University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), and an activist said, ‘Writers, enlightened Muslims and the general community as a whole are in shock after hearing about the physical attack on writer Zainub Priya Dala after she expressed appreciation of Salman Rushdie’s writing style.

‘The thugs who attacked her are guilty of assault and must be held accountable for their crimes.

As writers, we say many things which may offend others.

‘There will always be books written and films made that will offend someone.

‘Instead of us focusing on the

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Dala was followed to her hotel by three people in a vehicle. They pushed her car off the road, held a knife to her, hit her in the face with a brick and blurted, ‘Rushdie’s bitch!’ fact that a sister has written a great, new novel and talking about that and celebrating writing and reading, we are lamenting on the declining state of the Muslim community.’

The South African Muslim Network (Samnet) issued a statement saying, ‘While there is no indication of the religious affiliation of the assailants, as a matter of principle in the shariah, regardless of whoever they are, the Muslim community is united against the unIslamic actions on sister Zainub Dala, which are unequivocally condemned.

‘We call on all to disassociate themselves from them and to denounce such acts of delinquency.

‘We also urge everyone to be extra vigilant and help us remove this cancer of hate crimes,

whether in writing, speech or action.’

The incident also triggered a response from three female individuals who gathered signatures of support for Dala.

Dr Fatima Seedat, also from UKZN explained, ‘community-

forzpdala is the spontaneous response of three people moved by the awful assault on ZP Dala after she aired an unpopular opinion.

‘Our simple aim is to air our support for her right to hold and air an unpopular view with which people may disagree but which can never justify any form of assault.

‘The attack on writers with unpopular opinions becomes that much more serious when the writer is a woman and her attackers are men who by throwing a brick at her face have fractured her cheekbone.

‘Their intention is clearly to close her mouth and to silence her dissenting opinion.

‘Ours is to make space for her to hold that opinion.

‘We hope that in showing our support, we may also hold a

‘Our simple aim is to air our support for her right to hold and air an

unpopular view with

which people may disagree

but which can never justify any form of assault.’

space wherein dissenting opinions can be aired and debated, whether resolved or not.’

Author’s reaction Dala’s book What about Meera was supposed to be launched on Human Rights Day but had to be postponed after the incident.

In an interview with The Daily Vox she shared her thoughts about the reaction to mentioning Rushdie.

‘I have understood it on two levels.

‘I am trying to process it on a personal level by trying to heal, both mentally and physically.

‘On a macro level, I am trying to understand it in a way that does not make me look at the entire community as people who resort to violence.

‘I can understand fully that it’s just a small, possibly ignorant group of people that have perpetrated this crime.

‘I am very aware that Islamophobia is very much in the news and in the mainstream media.

‘I think that such an incident that happened to me, as tragic as it is, is something that does open up a dialogue as to the views of various segments of the Muslim community.

‘By this incident, what should be sent out to the world at large is that this is a very small section that is not condoned by the entire, large Muslim community, who are strongly opposed to what happened.

‘I hope that this dialogue that we open can conscientise the rest of the world about the peace of the religion and about the peace of the people, largely.’

Muslim Views . April 2015

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Muslim Views . April 2015

New book on education combines a life of political struggle with a commitment to learning FRANK VAN DER HORST

IMAM Achmad Cassiem is an anti-apartheid activist, liberation fighter, Robben Island political prisoner and was often banned.

His book, The Oldest Profession, was launched at a wellattended function on March 25 at Wittebome Civic Centre, in Wynberg, Cape Town.

The Oldest Profession provides a radical insight to the profession of teaching and learning with thought-provoking content.

He does it in a systematic, organised and structured way with detailed analysis and easy to read formulations.

His fearless approach is enriched by valuable intellectual teaching and political experience as well as sound moral and spiritual values. He inculcates and cultivates the principle of the obligation to learn and teach all human beings, without racial prejudice or discriminatory tags.

Cassiem deals with problem solving, the identification of symptoms, clearly and correctly defining the problem; the causes, contributing and aggravating factors, and its solution.

This involves an analysis, synthesis and evaluation of the fundamental principles of education in order to understand the conflict from perspectives like capitalism, secularism, liberalism, socialism, communism, Marxism and all major religions.

Cassiem indicates that efficient and effective teaching, with motivation, intellect and vision dis-

Muslim Views

The author, Imam Achmad Cassiem, signing a copy of his book The Oldest Profession in the foyer of Wittebome Civic Centre, Cape Town, for a reader before the formal launch of his latest work.

Photo YUNUS OMAR

arms the oppressor and exploiter, and finally destroys the system of oppression and exploitation.

The Oldest Profession comes at a critical time in the deep crisis of our educational system and our disintegrating, corruption-ridden, class-based society. Achmad Cassiem’s underlying motivation challenges the unjust, discriminatory social and unequal education systems and compels a critical analysis thereof.

In South Africa, the poor majority suffers under a destructive social system of class discrim-

The Oldest Profession comes at a critical time in the deep crisis of our educational system and our disintegrating, corruption-ridden, class-based society. inatory public education, overcrowded classrooms and often

inferior or badly neglected buildings.

This is worsened by huge student drop-out rates from Grade 1 to matric. Costly teacher training and the destructive closure of community schools of the poor (4 000 in South Africa from 1994, 1 000 to go in Eastern Cape and 175 in Limpopo, 27 ‘saved’ in Western Cape) add to the problem.

Our students’ futures are ruined by a decaying society and a destructive system of unequal education.

Public education is planned to provide cheap surplus labour for huge profits for a thin, greedy layer of rich elites (local and overseas billionaires/ millionaires) who own most of the country’s wealth.

We must address the deep crisis in education and the future of our youth.

The aim of education should be to build the principled united front of the oppressed and exploited, to build a new radically changed society, with caring human values, equal control and sharing of the country’s wealth and a free equal compulsory quality education to best global standards to tertiary level.

In the context of the above facts, Imam Achmad Cassiem’s impressive and analytical book The Oldest Profession, is a must read for everybody.

The Oldest Profession is available at R100 per copy.

Please call 021 704 0007 to purchase your copy or call Idris Survé at 084 611 6786 and Rashida Survé at 021 696 9838.

Frank Van der Horst is a member of the Concerned Educators Forum.

He was one of the speakers at the launch of The Oldest Profession, along with school principals Brian Isaacs and Ahmad Chothia.

Muslim Views . April 2015

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Muslim Views . April 2015

‘Recruitment of the restless’ and other extremist phenomena MAHMOOD SANGLAY

THE Embassy of the Republic of Iraq hosted a symposium on the theme ‘Countering Extremism and Terrorism’ on February 16.

Last month, Muslim Views reported on the opening presentation by the former South African ambassador to the United States, Ebrahim Rasool.

The second speaker was Peter Knoope, of the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, in the Netherlands.

He addressed the topic ‘Profiles, Drivers and Motivational Factors for Political Violence’ and focused on how the recruitment of the restless occurs.

He said that fifteen years ago this phenomenon was unknown and that it is important to understand why people feel attracted to extremist groups like Boko Haram, Al Qaeda, Al Shabab or Isis.

Knoope said there is no profile of the person targeted for recruitment into extremist organisations but that state ‘humiliation’ of Muslims over the world provokes especially young people to find solidarity in their collective experience of it.

A collective narrative of humiliation creates a reason to join the ranks of those who want to do something about it.

The third speaker was Dr Mohamed Shahid Mathee of University of Johannesburg who spoke on ‘Takfiri Religious Discourses in Pursuit of Political Power and the Devastating Consequences for Societies’.

Mathee pointed out that Allah’s admonishment in surah 9:6 in the Quran provides for protection of the mushrikeen who

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The ‘Countering Extremism’ symposium hosted by the embassy of Iraq, in Cape Town, was attended by a range of diplomatic personnel, religious and political experts and media representatives. Pictured, from left, back, are Dr Mohamed Shahid Mathee, University of Johannesburg, Ebrahim Rasool, former SA Ambassador to the USA, Dr Hisham Al-Alawi, Iraqi Ambassador to South Africa, Farid Sayed, Editor of Muslim Views and Shaikh Fakhruddin Owaisi, Sunni Ulama Council. In front, are Dr Andrea Brigaglia, University of Cape Town, Muhammad-Nur Nordien, Director of Nordien Consultancy, Johannesburg, Peter Knoope, International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, Netherlands, and Shafiq Morton, Voice of the Photo YUSUF SALAMI Cape.

show no hostility toward Muslims and who worship other deities only out of ignorance.

He said that, historically, for the Khawarij, there was no such guidance in the event they encountered fellow Muslims who differed from them, hence the violence of Muslims against Muslims.

Mathee says extremist discourses on fiqh are vulnerable to

manipulation by extremists like Isis who pursue a political agenda.

He adds that it is inaccurate to say that their extremism does not have its roots in classical Islam.

He argues that there are important theological differences between the classical Khawarij positions on Christians and that of Isis. In contrast to the Khawarij of old, the modern takfiris of

Isis clearly regard Christians as legitimate targets in their campaigns.

Mathee calls for a reading of the legacy of Islam for its ‘beauty and its ugliness’ and for a critical discourse that upholds an essential human egalitarianism.

He was followed by the Iraqi ambassador in Pretoria, Dr Hisham Al-Alawi, on the topic ‘Consequences of Violent Extrem-

ism and Terrorism: Iraq and Syria’.

The ambassador pointed out that the effects of extremism in these two countries have farreaching consequences beyond their borders, and that Iraq, in particular, has a very rich history and milestones in human civilisation and progress.

His presentation showed an alarming increase in the rate of recruitment of foreign fighters into Syria and Iraq, from 7 000 in February 2014 to 20 000 in January 2015.

The recruits have been sourced from almost every country in the world, including European countries and the United States.

Ambassador Al-Alawi said that between 150 000 and 200 000 Syrians have been killed, mostly civilians, and that nearly 10 million Syrians have been displaced.

He proposed a twofold approach to extremism, namely, a co-ordinated international effort to protect people against terrorism, and a series of preventive measures and policies that ameliorate the grievances and conditions that give rise to terrorism.

The next speaker was Dr Andrea Brigaglia of University of Cape Town who addressed the topic ‘Nigeria and Central African Republic (CAR): Specific Experiences and Challenges’.

Brigaglia argued that in CAR there is no link between the Muslim militias and any Islamic extremist groups, even though thousands of Muslims have been displaced internally as well as in Cameroon and Chad.

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Muslim Views . April 2015 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

However, the displaced people of CAR are now exposed to Boko Haram as targets for recruitment.

Almost all except 1 000 of the 300 000 Muslims in Bangui have been displaced to Chad and Cameroon.

He proposed that a key way to address the problem in CAR is to allow the return of the refugees as a start to a resolution.

In Nigeria, he proposed holding the delayed elections as soon as possible in order to stabilise the government and then deal with the complexities of addressing the forces of extremism in the country.

Mr Mohamed Ali Mire, Charge de Affairs at the Embassy of Somalia, spoke on ‘Somalia and Kenya: Specific Experiences and Challenges Filling the Void’.

Mire said Al Shabab is an imported phenomenon and that Somalis have an interest to know more about this extremist group for the sake of their survival.

He pointed out that Al Shabab is very skilled technologically and reject any form of Somali democratic government or the concept of a nation state.

Most of their victims are Somali Muslims.

Mire said that Al Shabab consists of 6 000 to 8 000 fighters, including 200 to 300 foreigners.

He says it appears Al Shabab is well resourced financially and that they attend to the social needs of local communities as part of their strategy.

He called for a shift from a purely academic focus on Al Shabab to actual support for the Somali government, and to assist with initiatives such as job creation and education in order to help defeat Al Shabab.

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… there is no profile of the person targeted for recruitment into extremist organisations but … state ‘humiliation’ of Muslims over the world provokes especially young people to find solidarity in their collective experience of it. A collective narrative of humiliation creates a reason to join the ranks of those who want to do something about it Muhamed-Nur Nordien, a private consultant, did a comparative analysis of ideology and practices of Al Qaeda, Nusra Front (NF) and Isis.

He said that in terms of financial resources of the three groups, Al Qaeda does not have a large budget for infrastructure in order to operate cells which function independently where they operate. They have no fixed costs.

In contrast, Isis has a great deal of fixed costs and have to pay salaries, sell oil and derive an income, probably from the black market for oil.

Nusra Front, says Nordien, is funded traditionally by Al Qaedah although the latter is still deciding on the feasibility of funding Isis.

Nordien recommended an alternative focus from Middle East Islam to South East Asian Islam where possible extremist movements may also emerge.

Shaikh Fakhruddin Owaisi, of the Sunni Ulama Council, addressed the ‘Open Letter: What were the Key Messages?’ The open letter was written and endorsed by many leading, authoritative and diverse Sunni Muslim leaders to Isis in a 24point response.

The first point in the letter is that it is forbidden to issue fatwas without the required qualifications and learning.

Another point raised by Owaisi is that it is forbidden in Islam to kill the innocent, as well

as journalists and aid workers.

This principle is broadly violated

by Isis.

Owaisi pointed out that there are no Saudi signatories to the letter and that it should be part of a broader international campaign to educate people and to include the letter in the curriculum of Muslim seminaries and educational institutions.

Farid Sayed, editor of Muslim Views, addressed the ‘Role and Responsibilities of Media Networks in the Digital Age’.

He argued that the role of the media is not to counter but to inform and analyse. If media should be part of a global agenda to counter extremism, it may detract from its role to speak truth to power.

Sayed argued that there is generally a lack of analysis, and that breaking news often takes precedence over depth and fair comment in order to report sensational headline news.

He added that media networks often serve the interests of those in control of political groups who have an interest in sustaining the imperial war on terror.

Sayed proposes, inter alia, that media provide a deeper analysis of terrorism and extremism, that it should make clear distinctions between resistance and terrorism and that it should draw parallels between state terrorism and that of Isis.

Marius Fransman, ANC Western Cape Chairperson, spoke on

the topic ‘Building Effective Partnership between Government and NGOs’.

Fransman said there was a decline in the first two decades of democracy in the human resource base of the organs of civil society organisations. It is in this context that he called for an act of citizenry in the response of civil society to terrorism and extremism.

He said that if we are to succeed in combatting terrorism and co-opting an engagement of civil society in pursuit of this goal, it would be wise to understand what can be called a dialectic of terrorism, and the threat terrorism poses in undermining national and global interests.

He raised the matter of the appeal of the rhetoric of terror to marginalised and disaffected youth in the South African context, given the figure if 3,5 million youth in our country.

He called for the strengthening of local civil society organisations in order to meet the present threat.

Fransman was followed by Ambassador Elisabeth Barbier, of France, who spoke on the topic ‘Establishing Regional and International Cooperation: Opportunities and Challenges’.

Barbier said terrorism is a challenge to the democratic values of freedom of expression and religion, pluralism tolerance and the rule of law.

She added that the solidarity shown to France on January 11

after the attack in Charlie Hebdo demonstrates a rejection of divisiveness and discrimination while ‘terrorists want us to feel fear and hate’.

She called for co-operation between governments and civil society organisations in combatting terrorism as well as the underlying causes of radicalisation.

Barbier referred to examples such as the international sanctions against any organisations on the UN Security Council terror list and called for wider support of a series of international counter-terrorist initiatives.

The final speaker, Moulana Sayed Aftab Hayder, director of Ahlul Bayt Islamic Centre, addressed the topic ‘The Role and Responsibilities of Muslim Educational Institutions’.

Hayder said that, irrespective of the ideological and theological analyses, the problem of extremism must be addressed on the societal level.

He identified the lack of social cohesion and the prevalence of ‘anxiety, fragmentation and fear’ as key symptoms.

He proposed dialogue, specifically inter-faith and intra-faith dialogue, as an essential part of the solution to eliminate the fear of the other.

The openness to know each other without fear is a ‘rich alternative’ to fear in order to address religious fault lines just as it is the key to ethnic fault lines.

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Muslim Views . April 2015

IPSA debates the complexities of khilafah Dr AUWAIS RAFUDEEN

ON March 23, 2015, International Peace College South Africa (Ipsa) hosted a colloquium entitled ‘Understandings of Khilafah: Examining current geopolitical complexities in the Muslim world’.

Over a number of years, Ipsa has become renowned for seeking to address topical issues from the perspective of the ‘Middle Way’ – the Quranic perspective of balance that has traditionally informed the approach of the vast majority of this ummah’s scholars.

This colloquium was no different. Headlined by accomplished Islamic legal scholar, Professor Jasser Auda as well as prominent politician and founder of the World for All foundation, Mr Ebrahim Rasool, the colloquium sought to shed light on current events in the Middle East in a way that went beyond media headlines, and focused instead on the underlying structural issues at play.

This did not mean that these headlines were ignored. As Ipsa’s principal, Shaikh Ighsaan Taliep, made clear in his introduction, the ‘khilafah’ of Isis has been condemned by ulama, including the Muslim Judicial Council, and Muslims need to be unequivocal in this regard.

He also reiterated that the factional conflict which has become the hallmark of the conflict in the Middle East is thoroughly unIslamic.

A Middle Way response, he suggested, would look at alternative models of communal living that have been proven to cultivate successful co-existence. The South African Muslim community, in Shaikh Ighsaan’s opinion, is a sterling example in this regard.

Professor Auda addressed the question: ‘What is an Islamic state?’ He made it clear that Isis is merely a symptom of a larger problem, namely, a fundamental lack of understanding on what an ‘Islamic State’ entails.

In Professor Auda’s view, a true Islamic

state is not a formal or rule-based state but is driven by moral requirements. In the shariah, these requirements find their expression in the domain of the maqasid – the objectives of the law.

These objectives are centred on the protection of religion, life (including body), mind, wealth, offspring and dignity.

A state is Islamic to the extent that it preserves and enhances these objectives, not by a mere formal declaration of being an Islamic state or of implementing Islamic law. Judged by such criteria, some Western states turn out to be more ‘Islamic’ than Muslim ones!

Deputy Principal of Ipsa and noted South African expert on Islamic law, Shaikh Dr Abdul Kariem Toffar, affirmed Professor Auda’s position and argued that it made contextualisation in the teaching of the shariah imperative.

One cannot just ‘cut and paste’ certain rules of fiqh that developed under different social and political circumstances to our current landscape.

Former Ambassador Rasool, in his presentation, implored his listeners to see this seemingly low ebb in the history of Islam as a space in which to rethink, regroup and reimagine the ummah. As such, it can be a positive space as the notion of ‘victory’ in the Quran can be seen in a complex way.

Among issues that such a space needs to urgently address is the Sunni/ Shia fault line, the Islamist/ secular divide and the problem of extremism.

New forms of politics can then be imagined, one that places emphasis on ethics and avoids the extremes of the secular state, on the one hand, and a totalising one that speaks in the name of Islam, on the other.

Professor Aslam Fataar of Stellenbosch University pursued the point by noting that the modern nation state has failed to provide the ‘good life’ to all. It has failed as a source of securing happiness and wellbeing for the world as a whole, as can be seen in particular local contexts.

Isis, he suggested, is not only symptomatic of problems in the Muslim world but of the global order and its neoliberal logic.

It was clear from his observations that, in order to pursue social justice for all, we need to rethink the logic of this order.

The thoughts expressed by these speakers were richly enhanced and problematised by a number of discussants who were present.

They included Safiyyah Surtee, Nabeweya Malik, Dr Andrea Brigaglia, Sh Ismail Qamane, Sh Fakhruddin Owaisi,

Moulana Ebrahim Bham, Dr Anwah Nagia and Moulana Muhammed Sheikh.

Ably facilitated by seasoned journalist, Shafiq Morton, the colloquium at the very least alerted us to the fact that the complexities around the understandings of khilafah run deep: they involve theological, geopolitical and even philosophical considerations.

And they involve not only the Muslim world but the world as a whole.

A ‘Middle Way’ response to the current crisis starts by appreciating this complexity.

Poor public response delays advisory panel appointment MAHMOOD SANGLAY

THE Muslim Judicial Council’s (MJC) plans to set up an Independent Advisory Panel (IAP) to advise the council on anything except religious matters is facing an unexpected setback.

The setback, according to the president of the Muslim Judicial Council, Moulana Ihsaan Hendricks, is that the call for nominations made on November 25, 2014, to appoint the IAP, has not been met with the anticipated response from the Muslim community.

The window period for nominations ended on December 24, 2014, and has apparently not yielded the desired response.

On April 2, Moulana Ihsaan Hendricks told Muslim Views that the process of appointing the IAP is still managed by the Nominations Committee (NC) convened

by Ethicore, a political consultancy firm that offers professional political lobbying services, as well as intelligence and communications services.

The convenor of the Nominations Com-

mittee is Abdul Waheed Patel, managing director of Ethicore.

The other two members of the committee are Sulaiman Noor Mahomed, a leading businessman and philanthropist, and Associate Professor Waheeda Amien, an academic in law at University of Cape Town.

The NC has not reported to the public since it made its call for nominations last year, hence the questions relating to its progress in this respect and the level of public participation.

Other questions relating to the powers of the IAP and the final terms of reference also remain unanswered.

According to Shaikh Ighsaan Taliep of the MJC, the nominations committee is in the process of finalising a ‘comprehensive report on the outcomes of the process’ and were expected to have announced this at a media briefing at the time of going to press.

This briefing is expected to clarify questions around the nominations handling process, vetting procedure and the number of nominations, if any, received by the Nominations Committee.

Awqaf SA, Boland Islamic Council sign MOU

From left: Mickaeel Collier, Deputy CEO and Western Cape Regional Head of Awqaf SA; Shaikh Masood Joseph, Imam at Nurul Latief Masjid, Faure; Moulana Muhammad Peters, Imam at Sandvlei Masjid; Najmie Fredericks, Awqaf SA Secretary; Moulana Shahied Alexander, Imam at Masjidus Saabireen, Macassar; Shaheed Essop, Awqaf SA; Moulana Shakier Vermeulen, Imam at Gujatul Islam Masjid, Stellenbosch.

Photo SUPPLIED

AWQAF SA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Boland Islamic Council (BIC), which represents all the outlying towns of Cape Town.

In the MOU, the two organisations agree to cooperate on joint projects. Awqaf SA handed over a cheque of R100 000 towards the establishment of the Boland Islamic Council Waqf Fund.

Mickaeel Collier, Deputy CEO of Awqaf SA said: ‘The BIC will promote Awqaf SA as part of a roadshow to all the towns of the Boland.’

The MOU was signed at the historic site of the Faure Kramat, where Shaikh Yusuf lies buried, and the site where the first Muslim community in South Africa was established.

Zeinoul Abedien Cajee, Awqaf SA CEO said: ‘We are very excited about this initiative and wish to thank all who made this possible – the BIC team and the Awqaf SA team.

‘We wish to particularly thank our Waqf donors who have embraced the waqf concept and helped Awqaf SA reach this point.

Special thanks also to our trustees who have supported the management team.

Muslim Views

‘We are confident that more initiatives like these can be made in the future with communities in other areas, and that more community members, leaders, youth, women, professionals and ulama will embrace the prophetic and divine institution of Waqf and help Awqaf SA reach greater heights, and thereby help empower communities.’

Speaking at the signing ceremony, the president of the BIC, Moulana Abdul Khaliq Allie, said the BIC was committed to taking Awqaf SA and the waqf concept to all the 18 towns served by the council.

‘Our ulama have embraced the opportunity to work with Awqaf SA and believe that waqf will best sustain the future endeavours, projects and programmes for Islam, the Muslims and humanity.

‘We salute Awqaf SA in this historic moment for the BIC.’ This year, the BIC, a regional body supported by the Muslim Judicial Council, is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

The council coordinates the imams, madrassah education system, youth activities and related programmes for most Boland towns.

Muslim Views . April 2015

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Maqasid: the Isis report card SHAFIQ MORTON

ISIS or to use its real moniker – Da’ish – claims to have established an ‘Islamic State’ in parts of war-torn Iraq and Syria to await the final days.

However, genuine Islamic sovereignty can only be established if the state ascribes to the true spirit of the shariah, which is governed by mercy.

However, for Isis, it seems sacred law has meant the misappropriation of hudud, or legal chastisement, to enforce martial rule signified by brutal application.

We should realise that mass killings justified by declaring unbelief on those opposing you, and the YouTube performances of Jihadi John, are not the true face of Islam.

An authentic reading of history will reveal that Islam has traditionally been hallmarked by diversity and tolerance.

From the plains of Mongolia to the skyscrapers of New York, and from the Sahara to Anatolia, Islam has never been a homogenous whole marching to one drummer.

The classical scholars of Islam have never called for mass migrations to the Middle East as the neo-Wahhabi, Isis, has done.

Ironically, Ibn Taimiyya – an iconic figure of Isis –ruled in his famous 12th century Mardin fatwa that Muslims could live peacefully under non-Muslim rulers who are not hostile to them.

Diversity has been the footprint of the Muslim community

for over 1 400 years.

Sustained by differing interpretations of shariah by four imams of legal thought, Islam has been driven by ijtihad –inductive reasoning – of qualified men and women who’ve applied their minds to questions of the day.

Shariah, the human interpretation of Quran and Sunnah, has been subjected to rigorous research.

Fiqh, the juridicial application of shariah, has been evolving for centuries. Had it not, Islam would have been fixed in a time warp of mud houses, palm fibre beds and sandals.

To understand shariah, we have to look at its definition.

Shariah, we learn, is the pathway to a watering hole. The pathway is the following of God. The water is the sacred law’s intellectual nourishment and its life-giving qualities.

Shariah is governed by principles or goals, which are called maqasid.

The first scholar to identify the maqasid as a separate discipline was Imam al-Juwaini, who wrote about it in the fourth century after the Prophet’s (SAW) demise.

Some of the prominent scholars who built on his writings, and further codified the maqasid, were Al-Shatibi, Al-Razi, Imam Ghazali and Al-Qarafi.

According to the final consensus, Shariah had to be grounded in six principles: the protection of religion, life, mind, family, wealth and character.

Some jurists felt that life took priority over religion but, essentially, all agreed to the categories.

Shiah and Sufis (who are Muslim) enjoy no protection from Isis, let alone Yazidis, Christians or Alawites, who have all been killed for their views Basically, the above six classifications (hifdh ul-deen, nafs, aql, nasab, mal and ird in Arabic) are the yardstick to measure the shariah-centric direction of a society – where, ironically, non- Muslim countries such as New Zealand score higher than socalled ‘Islamic’ ones.

So, the big ask: how does Isis – the Islamic state of all Islamic states according to its massive propaganda machine – measure up to the above?

Protection of religion: Isis has killed anyone not taking an oath of allegiance to its leader, AlBaghdadi, and persistently insults Judaism and Christianity.

Shiah and Sufis (who are Muslim) enjoy no protection from Isis, let alone Yazidis, Christians or Alawites, who have all been killed for their views.

Isis scores zero in this category, as the Quran classifies Jews, Christians and Sabians as ‘people of the book’.

Protection of life: Dabiq, Isis’s magazine says: ‘Every Muslim should get out of his house, find a crusader (a Christian or Jew), and kill him. It is important that the killing becomes attributed to patrons of the Islamic State who have obeyed its leadership...’

Given Isis’s roadside executions, YouTube shenanigans and massacres, this proves that Isis does not preserve or protect life.

Protection of the mind: this classification has been interpreted as academic endeavour and civic freedom.

Isis’s misinterpretations of Islam and its highly selective use of a few errant scholars, is not reassuring.

Its readiness to declare takfir (and death) on anyone disagreeing with it, gives Isis a zero here.

It’s the caliph’s word or off with your head.

Protection of family: Isis’s mediaeval worldview with regards to slavery and the capturing of non-Muslim women (after having killed their husbands) for sexual exploitation thoroughly degrades family life.

Isis gets a zero for protecting family life, for its murderous chauvinism and for the marginalisation of the mother.

Protection of wealth: Isis has plundered Iraq’s banks. Isis has destroyed the homes of civilians, a violation of this principle tied to the respect of property.

Isis has smashed religious shrines, priceless archaeological

artefacts and ancient churches.

Isis has extinguished the cultural, social and fiscal wealth of Syria and Iraq; a fat zero here.

Protection of character: the character or honour of any person not seen to be embracing the Isis brand has been besmirched, being called an unbeliever, a hypocrite, a Crusader or a polytheist.

Al-Baghdadi’s concept of ird is reflected in his statement (in Dabiq) that anyone insulting a Muslim should have his arm chopped off – another profound zero.

Of course, many of us will recognise that the above maqasid – designed for the benefit of humanity in the mercy of the shariah – have as equally been violated by other leaders and major powers of the day who, professing an undying sympathy for human rights, have killed millions in wars on abstract nouns.

However, the point here is that Isis claims to aspire to something nobler than the hegemonic powers it says it is fighting in the name of Allah.

It begs the question – the ancient cliché naturally – of whether the means can ever justify the ends or whether two wrongs ever will coalesce into being a right.

The maqasid are all about the means, first and foremost.

In this case, if there are no positive means there can be no fruitful end.

This is something that Isis has spectacularly failed to understand and, because of this, the so-called ‘Islamic Caliphate’ in Iraq and Syria is already a failed state.

Muslim Views

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Muslim Views . April 2015

ŶŐĂŐŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ EĂƟ ŽŶĂů ĞǀĞůŽƉŵĞŶƚ WůĂŶ Our Future. Make it Work!

ZĞŐŝƐƚĞƌ KŶůŝŶĞ EŽǁ Ăƚ ǁǁǁ͘ĂƐƌŝ͘ŽƌŐ͘njĂ

Gala Dinner - R480 ;ϲ ŵŽŶƚŚ ƉĂLJŵĞŶƚ ƉůĂŶ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Λ ZϴϬƉŵͿ

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More Info: www.asri.org.za

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Muslim Views . April 2015

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Muslim Views . April 2015

- ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE -

Support Operation Winter Warmth 2015 MUCH of the country is already in the grip of icy winter weather with sporadic floods causing homelessness, flooding roads in impoverished areas and cutting off communities, leaving them in dire straits.

This winter, the South African National Zakah Fund (SANZAF) will provide essential items to children, the aged and families in need across South Africa.

Recent statistics highlighted in a five-year study conducted by University of Cape Town’s Food Security Unit Network, has exposed a food crisis that constitutes a ‘death sentence’ for many, which the government has labelled as ‘serious’.

The study cited that the hungriest people are in Cape Town (80%) and Msunduzi, in KwaZulu-Natal (87%).

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This winter, we aim to reach 6 500 primary school learners in need and provide them with a winter pack which consists of a woolly beanie, scarf, gloves and a hot meal to protect them from the cold.

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Your contribution in cash and kind will help us help others to feed, clothe and provide warmth to the thousands of people who find themselves at the mercy of the icy cold and wet winter.

CAD Graduation success Shadia Jacobs, one of the students sponsored by SANZAF, shared her feelings and those of the other graduates on completion of the Office Administration course at the Computer, Accounting, Development (CAD) Training Centre: ‘On behalf of my fellow bursary recipients, I would like to express our heartfelt and sincere gratitude to the South African National Zakah Fund, SANZAF, for making it possible for all of us to further our studies which has done so much for our confidence

SANZAF Wellness Programme

From left: Avril Hendricks, Coordinator of Youth Men’s Christian Association nurses, Dorothy Adams, Amina Sassman, Jennifer Martin, Pricilla Bailey, Rushana Sedick and Deborah Hartogh.

Photo SUPPLIED

THE South African National Zakah Fund, SANZAF, hosted a Wellness Programme from 9:00am until 11:30am on March 24, 2015, at the Bridgetown office.

The programme aimed to make people aware of their health

and helped us be more positive in improving the quality of life for ourselves and our families.

‘We feel enormously blessed and are at a loss for words to describe our appreciation. It has not only been a privilege but the greatest opportunity of a lifetime.

We know that each and every one of us here will benefit from it, now and in the future. On behalf of everyone, once again, let me say shukran as we will never forget what SANZAF has done for us.’

From left to right, front row: Waseema Moosa, Widaad Robertson, Shadia Jacobs, Fatima Bester and Insaaf Osman, SANZAF Skills and Development Coordinator. From left to right, back row: Lecturer Ieleen Skeates, Firdows Photo SUPPLIED Hemans, Rasheeda Basardien and lecturer Liz Cawood.

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Maryam Isaacs is weighed by Deborah Hartogh and Jennifer Martin.

Photo SUPPLIED

status, make recommendations and encourage them to take the necessary precautions in the event of a health risk.

Seven nurses from the Youth Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) examined forty-five guests for diabetes, high blood pressure and potential weight problems.

SANZAF Annual Bazaar Date: April 24 and 25, 2015 Location: Spine Road High, Merrydale Road, Rocklands, Mitchells Plain, Cape Town Time: Friday, 2 pm to 11pm and Saturday, 9am to 11pm Contact: 021 638 0965

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Muslim Views . April 2015

Perspectives

Hallaq’s impossible state: an interpretation Part 7 The shariah and a globalised economy HOW does the economic worldview of the shariah – a profoundly moral system – fare in the face of the largely amoral forces of globalisation?

Not very well, says Wael Hallaq.

There is a fundamental incompatibility between the economy cultivated by the shariah and that which is unleashed by neo-liberalism.

This goes beyond the fact that an Islamic economy forbids interest and unnecessary business risks. (Hallaq finds highly problematic the fact that Islamic banking and finance appears to restrict its understanding of Islamic economics to these two elements.)

Rather, the entire philosophy of shariah economics goes against the grain of that which propels the corporate, capitalist ethos.

Along with the preservation of life, religion, mind and lineage (including family and community), the preservation of property and wealth is one of the five ‘universals’ of the shariah.

But, precisely because it is one of these five, it is circumscribed by the due regard that needs to be given to the other universals (just as these others need to give due regard to it).

In other words, the preservation of wealth and property is bound by certain conditions.

What are these conditions?

In this series of eight articles, Dr AUWAIS RAFUDEEN presents an interpretive summary of a major recent book, The Impossible State, by a distinguished expert in Islamic law, Professor Wael Hallaq. The book speaks in a major way to the modern Muslim condition and the issues it raises are deserving of careful consideration by all those seeking to faithfully adhere to the shariah while navigating the tempestuous modern world.

Firstly, an individual has to realise that he does not ‘own’ his wealth or property. These, in reality, belong to Allah. The individual is the custodian of this wealth that has been given to him as a bounty from Allah. And so he should constantly be in a state of thankfulness to Allah.

This creates a radically different outlook on life, on fellow human beings and on nature than that which prevails in capitalism.

Secondly, he is required to express this thankfulness by giving to the poor and needy. The minimum required of him in this regard is, of course, to pay his zakaah (alms-tax) and any other compulsory dues.

But he is also strongly encouraged to voluntarily give to chari-

…[A]n individual has to realise that he does not ‘own’ his wealth or property. These, in reality, belong to Allah. The individual is the custodian of this wealth that has been given to him as a bounty from Allah.

And so he should constantly be in a state of thankfulness to Allah. This creates a radically different outlook on life, on fellow human beings and on nature than that which prevails in capitalism. table causes. And, unlike corporate ‘charity’, there should be no strings attached to his giving, and it should be done solely for the sake of Allah.

Such spending also purifies wealth since a person cannot always be sure that his income and profits have accrued to him in an untainted manner.

The shariah places great stress on the fact that a person’s earnings should be gained in a manner that is consistent with its broader moral imperatives.

Thirdly, while Islam permits and even encourages the acquisition of wealth, it forbids hoarding.

One is not allowed to acquire wealth for wealth’s sake but may do so for the purposes of social justice.

But no excessive effort must be exerted to acquire wealth. Rather, one’s utmost effort should be on becoming virtuous, with wealth being used as a means to cultivate virtue.

The profit motive – profit for profit’s sake – a motive that is the very lifeblood of corporate-driven capitalism, is absent from the Islamic worldview.

In fact, Hallaq makes the point that the shariah never conceived of a ‘corporate juristic personality’.

For the shariah, morality was anchored in persons, not in corporations. He writes: ‘The corporation and all it represents as a virulent capitalist enterprise is not only amoral and often immoral; it is also the epitome of anti-Shari’sm.’

Reference: Wael Hallaq, The Impossible State, Columbia University Press, New York, 2013.

The series concludes in the following edition with a look at ‘The Way Forward’.

Dr Rafudeen is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Religious Studies and Arabic at University of South Africa.

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Muslim Views . April 2015

‘In the darkness, the masjid was the lamp’ MAHMOOD SANGLAY

IDDIQUE Islamic Centre (SIC) carries an illustrious legacy dating back to 1952 when Moulana Abdul Aleem Siddique is known to have laid the foundation for the masjid named in his honour.

The Mayor of Cape Town, Fritz Sonnenberg, amongst other dignitaries, and a crowd of about 700 people were present for the occasion.

However, this great legacy was preceded by the establishment, in 1943, of the Elsies River Muslim Educational Society (ERMES) with the support of twelve visionary founders whose work led to the purchase of land in Halt Road for £230 from one Abram Salber.

It is noteworthy that the society, with the blessed presence of Moulana Siddique at the founding ceremony, were not saved from challenges to the institution.

Two years after the event, around August 22, 1954, the day Moulana Siddique departed from this world, the society was advised by the local authorities that they had been denied permission to erect a masjid on the site.

Farooq Pangarker, the present liaison officer of SIC, says the reasons for this were probably political or simply prejudice from the prevailing apartheid City Council.

The precise reasons may still be on record in extant achived documents, and are worth exploring.

At a meeting of ERMES on December 16, 1954, Shaikh Ebrahim Mukaddem and Shaikh Mahmood Mukaddem donated a new site for the building of the Siddique masjid.

The next day, new ground was again broken for the masjid. Two years later, construction of the original Siddique Masjid on its present site was completed with Siddique Road, Southern Cross Road and Salberau Avenue as boundaries.

According to As Siddiq, in 1993, the official magazine of Siddique, the first imam of the masjid was Dawood Sahab Firfirey, and Abduragman Palekar was its first muadhdhin.

Shaikh Amien Fakier was appointed imam in 1963 and, ten years later, in 1973, ERMES changed its name to Siddique Islamic Centre.

In a fascinating interview with Shaikh Amien by Moulana Hassiem Cassiem, in a 2009 publication celebrating his 50th year of service to Siddique, it is recorded that Shaikh Amien was, at first, assistant to Imam Umar Abdullah

The trench digging ceremony for Siddique Masjid in its present location took place on December 17, 1954. AC Pangarker, the philanthropist who donated land for the extension to the masjid in 1973, shovels the first spade of concrete, with Shaikh Muhammad Salie Dien (in the black robe) also present.

Photo SUPPLIED

S

Ulday at Siddique in the early sixties.

When the latter gave up the post, in 1963, Shaikh Amien was formally appointed imam.

Formally, Shaikh Amien is the official imam of Siddique and Moulana Hassiem is the resident imam.

As such, Moulana Hassiem’s interview offers unique insights into the relationship between Shaikh Amien, the committee, its congregation, the resident imam and how the relations helped shape Siddique Masjid and its community.

The abiding sense emerges of an imam who prefers to function with a measure of mutual independence from the masjid committee.

More importantly, it conveys a sense of a community that is largely poor but spiritually enriched.

The vast majority of Muslims were (and still are) poor, and living conditions remain difficult but the sincere commitment and faith that bind together people from different classes, cultures and ethnic groups have transcended these differences.

‘In the darkness, the masjid was the lamp,’ says Pangarker.

He recalls the eighties, when attendance at the masjid was low and worshippers were fetched from home for the pre-dawn prayer. At the time, Moulana

Hassiem’s social welfare cases were largely related to alcohol abuse and imprisoned breadwinners.

The South African National Zakah Fund (Sanzaf) opened its office at Siddique in 1986, which introduced a formalisation of welfare casework as part of a useful and organised system of records and case histories.

In turn, welfare workers were exposed to training and skills development opportunities in order to serve the community better.

In 1975, Shaikh Amien introduced the Mubarak Fitrah Fund to Siddique, which is unique to the masjid and which commenced with an initial budget of R200.

Today, this fund is supported by 20 masajid, and its target for Ramadaan 1436 is R100 000 more than the R600 000 raised in Ramadaan 1435.

Until the establishment of Husami Masjid, Siddique drew its congregation from Cravenby, Belhar, Kraaifontein, Bellville and Kalksteenfontein.

Shaikh Amien is of the view that Siddique is the ‘mother of all other mosques which came into being in the northern suburbs’.

In addition, today, the congregants and benefactors of Siddique, like E W Parker, have made significant contributions to establish other masajid in Uitsig, Leonsdale and Belhar.

Siddique, writes Shaikh Amien, was also a ‘training centre’ for many young students and graduates who took the opportunity to deliver their ‘maiden’ Friday sermons at the masjid.

Like many of our masajid, Siddique is not simply a place of daily prayer, it is a community centre of sorts, including a madrassah accommodating 200 children. It houses the offices of Sanzaf and it offers the facility of an open crèche for 150 children of all faiths.

The demographics of the Siddique congregation are particulary interesting. Pangarker is of Indian descent, and his father, A C Pangarker, was chairman of SIC and the donor of land for the extension of the original masjid in 1973.

However, he notes that he had never been socialised as an Indian or an outsider of the local community. The Indians possessed the wealth because they were traders thus much of the financial support for the development and maintenance of Siddique came from Indians.

Also, the committee of the masjid consisted only of Indian businessmen.

During the early eighties, this lack of demographic diversity in the management of Siddique was addressed openly and in a simple process of consultation with a view to transform.

Pangarker says the initial committee had initiated a review of its own structure, and the desired transformation was accomplished quickly with the full support of all stakeholders. A new committee was created that is more representative, more inclusive and more effective.

One of the structures that emerged from a more formal modus operandi was a burial society, particularly for the benefit of poor congregants.

They were then a Muslim minority community with a single masjid in a predominantly Christian suburb serviced by over a hundred churches. Yet, interfaith relations had always been cordial and interfaith co-operation thrived in the eighties when there was a call for support of antiapartheid resistance by faith communities.

Pangarker says Shaikh Amien was typically a speaker and a representative from Siddique at such gatherings where activists like Imam Gasan Solomons and Trevor Manuel spoke, encouraging Muslims and Christians alike to support the struggle for social justice.

Pangarker points out that Shaikh Amien took this position as an independent aalim, without any endorsement or support from the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC).

Another project for which Siddique is remembered by its founders and early stalwarts is Siddique Islamic Primary School, which opened in 1957, in Halt Road, Elsies River.

Due to a lack of space, the school also operated in four other locations. The Halt Road campus of the school was asked to vacate the premises and relocate due to a road-widening project by the Divisional Council.

The other campuses became unsustainable and the school was forced to close its doors in 1975.

The school was a fully functional institution with 200 learners at the time of its closure. Its first principal was Shaikh Muhammad Salie Dien, followed

by Gawa Manuel and Hassiem Edross.

This rich history, together with its challenges and milestones, makes Siddique one of the most vibrant Muslim institutions in our community.

E v er yd ay ! e s Ev i c es p r ice o w pr V E ..... . L ow O P & S A VE S H OP V Visit isit our Website Website for all our Specials - www.elitecc.co.za www.elitecc.co.za EE-mail: mail: P PDQDJHU#HOLWHFF FR ]D ZZZ IDFHERRN FRP HOLWHFDVKFDUU\ DQDJHU#HOLWHFF FR ]D ZZZ IDFHERRN FRP HOLWHFDVKFDUU\ Muslim Views

Muslim Views . April 2015

17

Forgiveness from a mother

HAOS. Absolute chaos.

That is the only way to describe the frenzied and completely confusing activities in the Haram a few days before Hajj.

Pilgrims stream in by the tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, daily.

The vast majority are from rural areas; from the Indonesian rice paddy fields to the rugged mountainous terrains of Turkey, and from the hot and arid lifeless soil of Somalia to the icy crevices of the Kashmiri highlands.

For most, it would be the only overseas trip that they will ever undertake.

The spiritual and physical journeys to complete the fifth pillar of their religion is the ultimate goal in the lives of many of them.

Reaching the Haram housing the Kaabah, the physical centre of the Islamic universe, is at that time the apex of their existence.

Hajj is still a distinct event in the future because seeing the Kaabah

C

The Saudi authorities tried to regulate this chaos by trying to create a constant flow from one side of the masjid to the other, writes Doctor SALIM PARKER. is their only focus on entering Makkah.

Last year, there were still extensive renovations being carried out inside the Haram.

The mathematical problem was really simple.

There were more people trying to enter the Haram than could possibly be accommodated.

Furthermore, those inside wanted to spend as much time inside the Holy Mosque, further limiting the inflow to a trickle.

Inflow and outflow were also occurring at varying rates at different entry and exit points.

The Saudi authorities tried to regulate this chaos by trying to create a constant flow from one side of the masjid to the other but

added to the mayhem as they often shunted pilgrims to a side opposite to where their hotels were.

The confused and bedazzled pilgrims then tried to return via the very route that they were herded along.

Instead of order being created, scenes of pandemonium were often observed.

Those entrusted with the task of crowd control proudly wore their mantles of authority and invincibility.

Many of these officials, in their brown, official uniforms, were barely out of their teens.

The vast majority were native Arabs as the process of ‘Saudiasation’ of jobs was being rigorously pursued.

The previous decades were marked by the influx of labourers native to the Indian subcontinent.

This led to the notion that they were distinctly third-class citizens, and the concept of Arab superiority was probably imbedded in the young official’s mind.

He was thin, his pants reaching way above his midriff, his formal and professionally pressed shirt neatly tucked in. His virgin moustache resulted in a Charlie Chaplin-like appearance, and he paraded his area with snobbish and boorish authority.

At that stage, a group of elderly ladies were following their group leader who clearly had very little idea of the complexity of reaching the Kaabah.

They scurried from one part to another but the temporary barriers put up by the construction companies led to a confusing maze of never-ending pathways which led everywhere except to the Kaabah.

They approached the area patrolled by the young official, clearly moving upstream as he

was helplessly trying to direct some orderly movement of ihraam-clad pilgrims. The group probably did not see him. In fact, walking into fellow pilgrims, some pushing and shoving was usual at that time.

The ladies held tightly onto each other, their scarves bearing tags stitched onto it emblazoned by the Pakistani flag.

As the young official tried to redirect the ladies, a group behind them pushed forward and collided with them.

He, being thin and of rather smallish stature, fell to the ground. His ego and his sense of being in command sunk even lower. He let out a series of highpitched shrieks.

I did not see what happened next; maybe he got up and shoved one of the ladies, maybe she tripped over him.

All I saw was an elderly lady sprawled on the floor and he stooping over her, still verbalising his abusive thoughts.

The next moment he was flattened, courtesy of the fist of a two-metre tall, muscular and, very evidently, enraged Algerian.

The North African, his country’s flag and all his contact details imprinted on his jacket, stooped down over the official.

‘How dare you do this to a mother?’ was about all I understood from his tirade of Arabic utterances.

Other officials rushed to the scene and surrounded the Algerian.

He was not alone though, and a heated exchange ensued with the officials being vastly outnumbered by the crowd. ‘No one does this to a mother!’ and, ‘What if this were your mother?’ were shouted out a number of times.

The Algerian uttered a few words and walked away, slowly.

The prone official was clearly dazed.

His partners helped him up and he slowly regained his composure.

The elderly lady still lay on the floor, bewildered, and softly started crying.

Her companions assisted her in sitting up and Zam-zam was very quickly offered to her.

It was evident that she was from a rural area as I had noticed her hesitancy earlier in getting on and off an escalator, as well as certain of her mannerisms.

We all have unique mannerisms. Some paan-chewing Indians have no qualms about spitting in the street, some South Africans will refuse to make space for a pilgrim who arrives late for prayers, and some Turks lock arms whenever they venture outside the safety of their hotel rooms.

She continued her soft sobbing as she sipped some of the blessed water. She sat, in a country where her countrymen are mere cleaners, maids and occupiers of the lowest ranked jobs.

He stood, still a bit embarrassed, with the cause of it now sitting helplessly at his feet.

Police reinforcements arrived but it was clear that trying to accost the Algerian would have led to a serious, violent backlash by the considerable number of pilgrims who now masqueraded as bystanders.

The rest of the officials all glared at the elderly lady but the guilty one slowly kneeled down.

What wouldn’t I have done to be privy to their thoughts!

There was a language barrier – he knew no Urdu and she probably did not understand a word of Arabic, though she could read it.

Language, however, is no barrier to what followed.

With some gestures and a few words he must have apologised.

This mother evidently forgave him. What else could embracing the young official have meant?

She gently touched the bruise evident on his face. That was going to hurt for a long time.

‘Allahu Akbar!’ someone exclaimed. ‘Allahu Akbar!’ soon echoed all around.

A potentially explosive situation had been averted by a simple apology and by a mother’s sense of accepting it.

‘Allah is indeed Great,’ I thought.

The Algerian was clearly not impressed and mumbled something about no one having the right to strike a mother. His friends tried to pacify him but he was not interested, and walked away.

‘How ironic,’ I thought, ‘that the victim often forgives but others simply do not.’

The young son helped the elderly mother to her feet and both smiled. Witnessing this touched all, and a number of pilgrims could be seen wiping tears.

This scene of tranquillity took place amongst the chaotic hustle and bustle of tens of thousands of pilgrims swarming like sardines, looking for and leaving the Kaabah.

‘Allah’s serene touches can be found everywhere,’ I thought, ‘if we just took the time to look for it.’

Even at the Hajarul Aswad, where it is so chaotic that pilgrims sometimes become aggressive, a woman appears to have found a moment of peace while other pilgrims clamour to get to where she is to kiss the Black Stone.

Photo SALIM PARKER Muslim Views

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Muslim Views

Muslim Views . April 2015

Muslim Views . April 2015

AWQAF - promoting self-reliance and sustainability

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Why waqf: a brief psychological inquiry SELIM ARGUN

IT is not a secret that everybody has some inborn, subconscious fears and desires that, one way or another, affect their lives. For example, people desire to be remembered after their death with respect and dignity.

While the peril of destitution, of sinking into oblivion or the hope of eternal salvation were the shared concerns of millions of people, the desire to display wealth, to ensure a lasting and positive posterity, to demonstrate empathy and the pleasure of comforting a living creature both materially and spiritually, drove and still continues to drive many philanthropists to spend their hard-earned money in charity.

However, the underlying common denominator for these innate desires is, I believe, mankind’s unappeasable quest for immortality.

By building monumental mosques, hospitals and bridges, and by consecrating huge amounts of revenue for their upkeep in perpetuity, the donors, in a sense, not only wished their public persona to be engraved in stone and remembered forever.

They also, through the recurring mechanism of the waqf, where ongoing good deeds promise infinite rewards, sought nearness to God and, thus, to attain eternal salvation in the hereafter.

Therefore, by establishing a charitable waqf, the donor subconsciously seeks to live with

About the book Awqaf during the Ottoman (osmani) era proliferated throughout the length and breadth of the Ottoman provinces, including the Balkans, the Maghreb – North Africa, Middle East, Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Istanbul became known as the ‘haven of Awqaf’.

Selim Argun’s study of the ulama, waqf and the Ottoman State (1789-1839) is a welcome addition to the growing literature on Waqf, and provides insights that are both striking and incisive.

The author provides insights into how awqaf succeeded in being an active means for ‘Islam to perpetuate itself as an organised religion’. Never before has such a deep analysis been made of the relationship between the ulama and the state, and the vying for power to control the cash rich awqaf with its gigantic revenue flows.

As sponsors of the publication of the book, Awqaf SA welcomes the lively discussion with the hope and prayer that the waqf system, once again, becomes the mainstay and contributor to Islamic civilisation.

Waw, the twenty-seventh letter of the Arabic alphabet is considered to have mystical qualities. A saintly saying warns the faithful against words that begin with this letter by drawing attention to the sense of heavy responsibility and perils of accountability attached to their meanings. For example, waqf (religious endowment), wasiyah (will/ trusteeship), wirathah (inheritance), wakalah (legal representation), wadiah (entrustment), wizarah (ministry), are words one must approach with utmost care when using them in his/ Image SUPPLIED her daily life.

high esteem forever.

Another important psychological motive is the inherent inclination for the exhibition of the wealth, which related to the nature and size of the waqfs.

Various different societies and individuals in the history of humanity have resorted to a variety of methods to satisfy this desire.

If wealth, no matter what its extent, is not directed in a productive and meaningful way, it

may be squandered in less utilitarian and more sumptuous ways, as evidenced by extravagant lifestyles.

If the channels of meaningful exhibitions of wealth are somehow closed then the accumulation of wealth may lose its meaning in some sense and, eventually, may cause disengagement from economic activity and economic setbacks.

The waqf institution therefore not only recognises these ingrained desires, and provides the wealthy individual a morally legitimate way of exhibiting their wealth but it also delivers spiritual contentment and, at the same time, fulfilment of pressing social needs.

Excerpts from author’s book: The Ulema, Waqf and Ottoman State published by Gravity International Print and Design, an AWQAFSA Publication.

Selim Argun, PhD McGill University, Montréal, Canada, is currently Faculty Member and Senior Lecturer at Istanbul University, Department of Theology.

LOCAL KIDS CARE ABOUT OUR WATER

Princess Vlei is looking a little more sparkly, thanks to the volunteers who came to the Clean Up day on Saturday, March 14, and collected about 30 bags of litter.

The event was organised by the Princess Vlei Forum, which is working with the City of Cape Town and the community to transform Princess Vlei into a pristine nature and heritage site. Over 60 children from John Graham Primary School, Hyde Park Primary School and Lotus High School attended the event, along with their teachers, family members and several adult volunteers and supporters.

The day was held in collaboration with the Watershed Project to mark the start of National Water Week, and to celebrate one year of the community victory in saving Princess Vlei from a shopping mall development. Learners from the John Graham Science Club started the day by talking about the importance of conserving water to support the eco-system and human health. After this, teams went out and collected litter. The learners also made origami jumping frogs and learnt about the frog and toad species living at the vlei. To reward their efforts, Gravity Adventures gave the learners a boat ride on the vlei. There were also hotdogs and drinks donated by a supermarket chain, and doughnuts from a nearby bakery. The event highlighted the importance of conserving our local freshwater resources. Princess Vlei forms part of the fresh water chain that is fed by the Diep River, and feeds the Rondevlei, Zeekovlei and Strandvlei wetlands. These all provide habitats for wildlife and ecosystem services. It is critical that this water system be cleared of pollution and kept clear so that it can support a healthy eco-system and be used safely for baptisms and recreation. Princess Vlei Forum is encouraged that the city is taking these concerns seriously and working with the community to find ways to address their concerns. More events to celebrate National Water Week may be found at http://www.thewatershedproject.co.za/. More about Princess Vlei Forum may be Photo BRIDGET PITT found at www.princessvlei.org

w.d

Muslim Views

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Muslim Views . April 2015

Why I’m relieved Netanyahu won ALI ABUNIMAH

MANY had hoped that Benjamin Netanyahu would be defeated in the recent Israeli election. I was not one of them.

Many had already written him off – pre-election polls showed his Likud Party lagging behind the allegedly centre-left Zionist Union, headed by Yitzhak Herzog and Tzipi Livni.

But I kept in mind the 1996 election where Netanyahu was universally thought to be the loser well after the votes had been cast.

In the wake of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, it had been expected that his ‘dovish’ successor, Shimon Peres, who had launched a bloody invasion of Lebanon months earlier in the hope of proving to the electorate his tough ‘security’ credentials, would easily win.

But, on that election night, Netanyahu told his supporters, ‘The hour is still early and the night is long.’ As the votes were counted, he pulled ahead, beating Peres and securing his first term as prime minister.

Netanyahu did it again on Tuesday, March 17. With virtually all the votes counted, Likud had 30 seats, the Zionist Union had 24 and the Joint List of predominantly Arab parties was in third place with 14.

Truth in labelling Let me be clear: I am not happy that Netanyahu won, as such. Netanyahu is a bloodsoaked killer. He should be put on trial for his many crimes, from the relentless theft of Palestinian land to last summer’s massacre in Gaza

Muslim Views

– and I yearn to see that day.

But revelling in the murder of Palestinians and calling it ‘selfdefense’ barely distinguishes him from his rivals.

Livni, a fugitive war crimes (http://www.thesuspect, guardian.com/world/2014/may/1 3/israel-tzipi-livni-diplomaticimmunity-uk) was one of the proud and unrepentant architects of Israel’s massacre in Gaza in 2008-2009, which undoubtedly served as Netanyahu’s model.

Her partner, Herzog, has faulted Netanyahu for not attacking Gaza viciously enough (http://mondoweiss.net/2015/02/l eader-attacks-netanyahu).

Netanyahu’s ugly election-day incitement that the ‘Arabs are advancing on the ballot boxes’ revealed once again his true feelings that Palestinian citizens of Israel are not legitimate citizens deserving full rights. But Tzipi Livni has frequently expressed the same view.

And while he is absolutely committed to the theft and colonisation of occupied Palestinian land, that too does not distinguish Netanyahu from his ostensibly dovish predecessors.

A recent interactive feature published by The New York Times shows that Israeli settlement construction in the occupied West Bank (excluding occupied Jerusalem) was often far higher under the supposed peaceseeking governments of Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert.

But what has distinguished Netanyahu is that he strips away the opportunities for the so-called ‘international community’ to hide its complicity with Israel’s ugly

No Palestinian state

Israel can no longer practice apartheid at home while falsely presenting itself as a beacon of liberalism around the world. crimes behind a charade of a ‘peace process’.

Moreover, Netanyahu’s open alliance with the most racist, white supremacist, Islamophobic and bigoted elements of the North American and European right – his speech to Congress earlier this month was a manifestation of this – places Israel in the correct ideological camp.

Israel can no longer practice apartheid at home while falsely presenting itself as a beacon of liberalism around the world.

In short, Netanyahu’s re-election is like the ‘Nutrition Facts’ label on a box of junk food: it tells you about the toxic ingredients inside.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s clear declaration days before the vote that he will not allow a Palestinian state was simply an affirmation of the real policy of every Israeli government since 1967, to which Herzog and Livni would have adhered.

Herzog and Livni would not have permitted a Palestinian state worthy of the name.

Rather, with international support, they would have attempted to draw Palestinians back into ‘negotiations’ over what would, at most, be a ghetto-like bantustan designed to legitimise Israel’s theft of vast tracts of land, its annexation of Jerusalem and its abrogation of the rights of Palestinian refugees.

(Ben White’s analysis of this horrifying plan for permanent apartheid is a must read.)

Herzog, too, had vowed to continue building settlements on stolen Palestinian land.

But he would hide this expansionist policy behind one of the cosmetic and fraudulent ‘freezes’ during which colonisation continues unabated.

Had the Zionist Union won, there would have been the very grave danger that the Palestinians would have been dragged back a decade into fruitless, Oslo-style ‘negotiations’ that would have served as a cover for continued subjugation and colonisation.

Such negotiations have provided the principal excuse for the socalled international community to endlessly defer holding Israel even minimally accountable.

The refrain from gutless offi-

cials is always some version of, ‘Yes, isn’t it terrible what’s going on but there’s a peace process and we support the peace process.’

The one positive outcome of Israel’s election is that that path seems to be closed.

Step up BDS We should be under no illusion that with Netanyahu’s re-election, European, North American and Arab governments are suddenly going to end their complicity with Israel.

There’s every reason to believe that the Obama administration, for instance, will continue its relentless campaign of opposing Palestinian rights and efforts to hold Israel accountable in any forum.

But the Israeli Jewish public’s choice to re-elect Netanyahu should make it clear to people around the world that Israel does not seek peace and does not seek justice.

It will continue to oppress and ethnically cleanse Palestinians until it is stopped.

Negotiating with such a regime is pointless when its power over its victims remains vast and unchecked.

The message we should take away is simple: the proper treatment for a polity committed to occupation, apartheid and ethnoracial supremacy is to isolate it until it recognises that it must abandon those commitments.

Palestinians have asked the world to do that through boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS).

Netanyahu makes the case a little easier, so it’s time to step it up.

Courtesy: electronicintifada.net/

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Feeding schemes don’t reduce poverty

To misinterpret the Quran is a grievous sin

I WOULD like to respond to the article by Mahmood Sanglay (MV March 2015), ‘Partnership addresses local poverty’.

Soup kitchens have never addressed any poverty in the townships. Instead, they are the source of divisions, dependence and indignity.

The feeding scheme partnership between Muslim Hands, Islamic Relief, Neighbourly Needs and Sanzaf is not new.

Organisations have run feeding schemes without making any difference to the reduction of poverty.

It’s a concern that Sanzaf is partnering for a feeding scheme in Black Townships, while running skills projects in other areas within the same city (MV, March 2015). I went to Sanzaf, Islamic Relief and Muslim Hands seeking assistance for my fee debt and was refused.

Poverty will only be addressed when those benefactors consult the communities of their needs.

Some of the food sponsored has been rejected by client communities because of poor quality, which means it had to go to the bins. That money could have paid school fees or masjid electricity etc. had the community been consulted.

I HAVE to respond to the letter

by Ismail Achmat (MV (March 2015), ‘Realise the dynamism of the Quran’.

He has incorrectly interpreted the quotation from the Holy Quran, Surah 9, verse 31: ‘They have taken as lord’s besides Allah, their rabbis and monks, and the Messiah, son of Mary …’

Mr Achmat claims that this holy verse refers to our respected ‘mullahs, faqirs, pirs and imams’.

He does this to mislead the Muslims and to remove the love and honour we have for our beloved servants of Allah from the hearts and lips of the Muslim public.

To misinterpret Surah 9:31 and say that the Muslims are subservient to Allah’s servants is a grievous sin. No Muslims take their faqirs, pirs and imams as lords or God or associate them as partners with Allah, and no Muslims of today are subservient to them.

And yes, they all respect the servants of Allah.

The holy verse quoted above is misinterpreted by Ismail Achmat, and to associate it with our holy, respected servants of Allah is utterly baseless and a very serious allegation.

I end my letter with a verse from the Holy Quran (4:69).

Read what Allah says about them, the servants of Allah:

Saiful Islam Bulelani Godla Khayelitsha, Cape Town

‘All who obey Allah and the Apostle are in the company of those on whom is the grace of Allah, of the Prophets (who teach), the Sincere (lovers of truth), the Witnesses (who testify) and the Righteous (who do good).

Ah, what a beautiful fellowship!’

May Allah protect the imaan of all Muslims, Insha Allah.

Janaab Abdul Gafoor Hurzook Rylands, Cape Town

This letter has been edited.

The travel agent with a truly personal touch WE, Akber and Safeyah Essop, would like to thank Travel Xpress for assisting us to fulfil our dream Umrah journey.

This agency truly went beyond their call of duty and surpassed all our expectations. They are, with all sincerity, a remarkable agency with a personal touch with whom we will definitely travel again in the not too distant future, Insha Allah.

My wife and I were scheduled to leave on December 15, 2014, when disaster struck at OR Tambo airport due to a validity issue with my passport. The customs officials would not allow us to fly that day.

My wife and I were devastated since we had saved so long for this trip and had built up immense excitement. It was even more heart-wrenching when hear-

Muslim Views . April 2015

ing the announcement at the airport that Akber and Safeyah Essop were removed from the flight.

I immediately contacted Sedick Steenkamp who was with us at OR Tambo, and who immediately tried to pacify us. Within five minutes, Abdullah Achmat, who was manning the Travel Xpress office in Cape Town, contacted us to try and explain possible positive scenarios and suggestions.

Between Sedick at OR Tambo and his wife, Abeda, and Abdullah who were in Cape Town, I was literally contacted every 15 minutes to half an hour.

Yasmin Kagee, who was also at OR Tambo at the time assisting Sedick, stayed with us until our issue was resolved. Travel Xpress truly went all out to try and resolve the situation and put us in a positive frame of mind.

They were so hands on that Sedick arranged for one of his friends, Tagsien Barnes and his wife, who reside in Johannesburg, to take us to Home Affairs in Kempton Park.

Meanwhile, in Cape Town, Abdullah and Abeda contacted our families and made a special trip to Home Affairs to get to the bottom of the issue. My family eventually found my valid passport later that afternoon and Abdullah managed to get it to me the next day.

Abdullah and Abeda also managed to find time to re-book our flights and tranfers for the Wednesday afternoon, December 17, 2014, Alghamdullillah.

My wife and I had a memorable, unforgettable, pleasant Umrah exerience. We owe all of this to the quick thinking, efficient Travel Xpress team to whom we will be eternally grateful.

We would also like to thank

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the Travel Xpress members, Nadeem and Kariema Davids, Mustapha Kader, Mansoor, Shaikh Nazeem Shabudien, Shaikh Faiek Basardien and last but definitely not least, Sedick Steenkamp who made sure that our stay in Madinah and Makkah was a comfortable one.

We would also like to thank Sedick and Faseegh Davids who also offered us continual guidance and assistance.

I have to take my hat off to Nadeem and Kariema Davids who were true father and mother figures to us and assisted us throughout our Madinah and Makkah stays.

I highly recommend Travel Xpress to anyone who has made their niyah to embark on an Umrah or Hajj journey. They are truly remarkable.

Shukran again Travel Xpress for making all of the above possible.

May Allah grant all of you abundant ghair and barakah and may you continue the exemplary service that you deliver to our communities, Insha Allah.

Akber and Safeyah Essop Cape Town

Write to The Editor. editor@mviews.co.za

Please keep your letters as brief as possible. Muslim Views reserves the right to edit letters that exceed 500 words. Kindly include full name and address details.

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Muslim Views

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Muslim Views . April 2015

Health File

Diabetics wanting to fast in Ramadaan: a collaborative approach Doctor SALIM PARKER

F the seven billion people on earth currently, about 1,5 billion are Muslim.

Of the estimated 350 million living with diabetes, about 50 million are Muslim.

Diabetes is clustered with obesity, smoking, high blood pressure, increased cholesterol and inactivity as causing diseases of lifestyle.

It leads to more than a million deaths annually and, in fact, was a second commonest cause of death in female South Africans in 2013, after tuberculosis.

Ramadaan is only two months away, and it is known that diabetic Muslims would dearly want to fast, adhering to the Quranic decree: ‘O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you that you may (learn) selfrestraint.’ (2:183) Doctors are known to be averse to risk, and are always worried about the complications that may arise if diabetics fast.

These include low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia), which can lead to feelings of jitteriness, hunger, irritability, loss of concentration, blurred vision and confusion.

Some progress to coma and, of those hospitalised due to hypoglycaemia, twenty per cent of those patients die within one year, for whatever reason.

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Hyperglycaemia

Hypoglycaemia

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Another complication is high blood sugar (hyperglycaemia), which leads to nausea, weakness, dizziness, cramps, thirst and tiredness.

This is sometimes due to excess consumption, which is in direct violation of the need for selfrestraint.

However, it is sometimes due to diabetics not taking their medication as they fear inducing hypoglycaemia and then having to break their fast.

Doctors, inevitably, advise diabetics not to fast because one of the most important maxims in medicine is: ‘First do no harm.’

Diabetics are mostly aware of the standpoint adopted by doctors and frequently do not consult

them as they fear having the perceived ‘authoritarian’ dictum reinforced.

Religious scholars corroborated the medical view described above, and numerous Quranic verses reinforce this view such as: ‘(Fasting) for a fixed number of days; but if any of you is ill or on a journey, the prescribed number (should be made up) from days later.

‘For those who can do it (with hardship) is a ransom; the feeding of one that is indigent.

‘But he who will give more of his own free will, it is better for him. And it is better for you that you fast, if you only knew.’

(2:184) Another Quranic verse states: ‘On no soul doth Allah place a burden greater than it can bear.’

(2:186) What has become increasingly evident is that diabetics will fast.

Over 40 per cent of type1 diabetics (those who acquired diabetes early in life and are mostly on insulin) will fast, and a staggering 80 per cent of type2 diabetes (those who acquired it later and are on lifestyle modifications, tablets and sometimes even on insulin) will indeed fast!

A respected medical journal noted: ‘While religion exempts people with significant illness from the obligation of Ramadaan fasting, Muslim patients usually have a strong motivation to continue the lifelong practice of fasting.’

Adhering to one of the five pillars of Islam is entrenched in the souls of Muslims, especially the elderly diabetics who consider it an abomination not to fast.

This can create a medical challenge, both to the patient and to the doctor involved.

The words of Professor Elliot Joslin are instructive in this case: ‘The patient who knows the most lives the longest,’ and, ‘Patient education is not one of the treatments; it is the treatment.’

A strategy of structured intervention was studied in northern hemisphere countries when Ramadaan was in their summer months, resulting in long hours of fasting.

This involved talks at mosques about how diabetics should approach Ramadaan, and patient-orientated sessions by

doctors and nurses, at least six weeks before Ramadaan.

The talks focused on stratifying risk groups, the role of those cohabiting with especially the elderly (caregivers, children and even neighbours), medication adjustments and raising awareness of diabetic complications and how to react to it.

These interventions led to a significant reduction in hypoglycaemia.

In one study, not a single attack requiring medical treatment was recorded.

The Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) and the Islamic Medical Association (IMA) have recognised the importance of diabetes in the community and take cognisance of our diabetics’ desire to fast during Ramadaan.

The topic is to be addressed on Tuesday, May 5, 2015, at Masjidul Quds, in Gatesville, at 10 am, during Shaikh Abduragmaan Alexander’s Ladies Class.

It is planned that dietitians, cooks and alternative practitioners will address the crowd.

Diabetics can book sessions with diabetic educators who’ll address specific needs in breakaway sessions.

To book for these breakaway diabetic sessions please call the IMA at 0217621414 or mail imasa.wcape@gmail.com.

Further details of the event will be broadcast on local radio stations, and information can be obtained by contacting the IMA at 021 7621414 or imasa.wcape@gamail.com

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Muslim Views

Muslim Views . April 2015

23

Does smoking cause throat cancer?

Doctor A K EBRAHIM

I AM often asked this question after informing patients about their new diagnosis of throat cancer. It seems there’s a public perception that smoking only affects the lungs and not the upper respiratory tract.

Throat cancer refers to cancerous tumours that develop in the throat (pharynx), voice box (larynx) or tonsils.

Your throat is a muscular tube that begins behind your nose and ends in your neck. Your voice box sits just below your throat and is also susceptible to throat cancer.

The voice box is made of cartilage and contains the vocal cords that vibrate to make sound when you talk.

Throat cancer can also affect the piece of cartilage (epiglottis) that acts as a lid for your windpipe. Tonsil cancer, another form of throat cancer, affects the tonsils, which are located on the back of the throat.

You can reduce your risk of throat cancer by not smoking, not chewing tobacco and not using alcohol.

Signs and symptoms of throat cancer may include: a cough; changes in your voice, such as hoarseness; difficulty swallowing; ear pain; a lump or sore that doesn’t heal; a sore throat; weight loss.

When to see a doctor Make an appointment with your doctor if you notice any new signs and symptoms that are persistent. Most throat cancer symptoms aren’t specific to cancer so your doctor will likely investigate

stop because l smoking makes treatment less effective; l smoking makes it harder for your body to heal after surgery; l smoking increases your risk of getting another cancer in the future.

Stopping smoking can be very difficult. And it’s that much harder when you’re trying to cope with a stressful situation, such as a cancer diagnosis. Your doctor can discuss all of your options, including medications, nicotine replacement products and counselling.

Quit drinking alcohol Alcohol, particularly when combined with smoking or chewing tobacco, greatly increases the risk of throat cancer. If you drink alcohol, stop now. This may help reduce your risk of a second cancer.

Prognosis other, more common causes first.

Factors that can increase your risk of throat cancer include: l tobacco use, including smoking and chewing tobacco; l excessive alcohol use; l a virus called human papillomavirus (HPV); l a diet lacking in fruits and vegetables.

In order to diagnose throat cancer, your doctor may recommend:

Using a scope to get a closer look at your throat Your doctor may use a special lighted scope (endoscope) to get a close look at your throat during a

procedure called endoscopy. A tiny camera at the end of the endoscope transmits images to a video screen that your doctor watches for signs of abnormalities in your throat.

Another type of scope (laryngoscope) can be inserted in your voice box. It uses a magnifying lens to help your doctor examine your vocal cords. This procedure is called laryngoscopy.

Removing a tissue sample for testing If abnormalities are found during endoscopy or laryngoscopy, your doctor can pass surgical instruments through the scope to

collect a tissue sample (biopsy).

The sample is sent to a laboratory for testing.

Imaging tests Imaging tests, including X-ray, computerised tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET), may help your doctor determine the extent of your cancer beyond the surface of your throat or voice box.

Quit smoking Throat cancers are closely linked to smoking. Not everyone with throat cancer smokes. But if you do smoke, now is the time to

The outlook for laryngeal cancer depends on how far the cancer has spread before it is diagnosed and treated. This is referred to as the stage of the cancer.

Fortunately, most laryngeal cancers are diagnosed at an early stage, which means the outlook is generally better than some other types of cancer.

If you smoke, stopping smoking after being diagnosed with laryngeal cancer may help improve your outlook.

Dr AK Ebrahim is an Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist & HeadNeck Surgeon based at Melomed Hospital, Bellville. The telephone number is 021 948 8131.

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Muslim Views . April 2015

- ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE -

Muslim Hands Drug Awareness and Crime Prevention programme in Saldanha Bay THE United Nations General Assembly adopted this declaration ten years ago, and it is just as true today.

‘Drugs destroy lives and communities, undermine sustainable human development and generate crime. Drugs affect all sectors of society in all countries; in particular, drug abuse affects the freedom and development of young people, the world’s most valuable asset.’

With drug abuse and crime on the increase in Saldanha Bay, Muslim Hands chose this town to embark on our awareness campaign for the year 2015.

In efforts to combat crime and deter the youth from drug abuse, Muslim Hands Drug Prevention and Crime Awareness Campaign took place on March 7, 2015, in the hall of Diazville High School, Saldanha Bay. This campaign was part of the broad range of initiatives Muslim Hands provides for young people and struggling communities.

The objective was to educate the youth on the dangers involved and to motivate them to steer clear of crime and drugs and to, preferably, get involved in youth skills development projects in Saldanha Bay. Facilitators from Favour SA and CARES were invited to speak to the youth. These organisations are actively involved in preventa-

Muslim Views

tive work and deliver evidencebased informational and educational programmes, and give the youth success stories of real-life addicts.

The youth who attended the event were from the Diazville area in Saldanha Bay and surrounds.

The community came out in their numbers to support the event on the day. Muslim Hands also fed in excess of 600 people of the community on the day.

This programme was aimed at the entire community, with spe-

cial emphasis on school-going youth. As such, we had a varied range of age groups that attended the event and who actively participated with their input and personal stories of their own trials and struggles with drugs and crime.

Organisations that have identified drug users and are in the process of rehabilitating defaulters play an important role in these types of programmes in order to initiate positive change.

Professional officiators from

the organisation Favour SA conducted a powerful presentation.

The aim was to empower the youth and encourage them to complete school and get a proper education.

Recovering drug addicts spoke to the youth and relayed stories of their own journeys. Hearing these first-hand experiences impacted majorly on all in attendance.

‘We could see that the community was touched by the presentations and the stories of previous drug users. We hope that this will

be the beginning of a continuous engagement with the communities in the Saldanha Bay area.

‘Drug abuse and crime are rife in our communities and your event has really opened our eyes about the consequences of these two elements that destroy our communities,’ said Secretary Hoosain Padayachee, of Al Ansaar Saldanha.

‘On behalf of the West Coast and as the Imam of Saldanha, I want to extend our highest gratitude to Muslim Hands for delivering a pioneering drug and crime prevention programme of such a nature.

‘We feel honoured that you graced our shores with your presence, and need to inform your honourable selves that so many people benefitted from the drug awareness and crime prevention presentations.

‘The programme had some of our youth worried and others in tears, and we really enjoyed all of it, Alhamdulillah. We are all faced with very difficult times and many youth need this type of programmes,’ said Moulana Marewaan Cassiem, imaam of Saldanha Bay. If you would like to be involved in future projects of such a nature or for further information, kindly contact Muslim Hands on 021 633 6413 or mail@muslimhands.org.za

Focus on Finance

Muslim Views . April 2015

25

How the 2015 budget will affect your pocket HASSEN KAJIE, CA (SA), a director of NEXIA SAB&T, based in the Cape Town office, and Aysha Osman CA (SA), National Technical Manager for Nexia SAB&T in the Centurion office, look at the impact of the 2015 Budget on your pocket.

o SPEAKING to Parliament on Wednesday, February 25, 2015, Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene outlined the nation’s predicament.

‘Even after lowering our expenditure ceiling ... there is a structural gap between our revenue requirements and projected tax proceeds,’ he said.

‘To bridge this gap we require additional revenue.’

And it therefore became the onus of Nene, in his very first national budget speech, to outline the grim list of tax increases.

The increase in taxes and the rise in the fuel levy announced in the 2015 Budget speech has left consumers asking how these increases will affect our pockets going forward.

Let us try to drill down the effects on individuals.

The marginal tax rates will increase by one percentage point for all tax brackets above a taxable income of R181 900 a year in the 2015/16 tax year, which begins on March 1.

The finance minister adjusted the tax tables and rebates to account for the fiscal drag, which is the impact of inflation-related increases on income.

‘The net effect,’ said the minister, ‘is that there will be tax relief below about R450 000 a year, while those with higher incomes will pay more in tax.’

t

The tax rate for trusts will increase by one percentage point.

The fuel levy will increase by 30,5 cents a litre.

A 50 cents per litre increase in the Road Accident Fund levy was also proposed.

‘This is a substantial increase from the present levy of R1,04,’ acknowledged the minister.

This amount is required in order to clear the current claims backlog, which has accumulated a R98-billion unfunded liability.

Employees who use their vehicles for work purposes will be able to claim back less from the taxman, whether you base your deduction on the prescribed rate or the deemed costs in the table published by the South African Revenue Service.

The prescribed rate for the 2015/16 tax year is R3,18 a kilometre, down from R3,30 a kilometre in 2014/15.

In the table of deemed vehicle costs, the annual fixed costs and

the maintenance costs have been increased slightly, as they usually are each year.

However, National Treasury has decreased the rates for fuel costs by between 13,6 cents a kilometre (for vehicles with a value of up to R80 000) and 22,5 cents a kilometre (vehicles valued at R480 001 and more).

Nene said that the government proposes to increase the electricity levy by 57 per cent, from 3,5 cents to 5,5 cents a kilowatt hour.

He did not say when the increase will take effect or if it will apply equally to residential and industrial users.

However, the two-cent increase is a temporary measure that will be withdrawn when the carbon tax is introduced in 2016.

Sin Taxes are predictably also on the up, with the excise duties on alcoholic beverages rising by between 4,8 and 8,5 per cent, and the duties on tobacco products increasing by between five and seven per cent.

A 340ml can of beer will now cost seven cents more, a 750ml bottle of wine will cost 15 cents more and a 750ml bottle of spirits will cost R3,77 more.

For smokers, a pack of 20 cigarettes will cost 82 cents more so, with all the increases noted, it may be time to QUIT. Three helpful TAX GUIDES are provided here:

Hassen Kajie is a Director, based in the Cape Town office of Nexia SAB&T.

Individuals and trusts

Aysha Osman, National Technical Manager in the Centurion office of Nexia SAB&T.

Natural persons

Natural persons Trusts The tax rate on trusts (other than special trusts which are taxed at rates applicable to individuals) increased from 40% to 41%.

This article is intended for information purposes only and should not be considered as a legal document. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy, Nexia SAB&T does not accept

responsibility for any inaccuracies or errors contained herein. If you are in doubt about information in this article or require advice on the matter, please do not hesitate to contact any Nexia SAB&T office nationally.

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DISCUSSIONS WITH DANGOR

Muslim Views . April 2015

CAR: A Muslim minority under threat of genocide Much of the Muslim population of the Central African Republic has fled to Chad, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo, writes Emeritus Professor SULEMAN DANGOR. SINCE September 2013, the minority Muslim population in the Central African Republic has been targeted in a relentless wave of coordinated violence by predominantly Christian militias and animists known as antibalaka (anti-machete).

The anti-balaka, which originally emerged as village self-defence groups organised to fight armed robbers, re-emerged as a militia to fight against the mainly Muslim Seleka.

The widespread atrocities committed in 2013 by the Seleka rebel group are at the root cause of the current violence in the Central African Republic.

After Michel Djotodia (a Muslim) seized power in March 2013, having ousted President François Bozizé in a coup, the Seleka committed terrible abuses against the country’s majority Christian population.

Muslim Views

They carried out a campaign of executions, indiscriminate killings, village burnings and rape that plunged the country into chaos and displaced nearly a quarter of the country’s majority Christian population.

Members of the Central African Armed Forces (FACA) and the elite Presidential Guard who remained loyal to Bozizé, joined the anti-balaka militias in their fight against the Seleka, providing the militias with military expertise and weapons.

The anti-balaka has conducted coordinated attacks on Muslim neighbourhoods since September 2013.

The attacks include horrific and brutal assaults, including on women and children, against Muslims trapped by fighting or trying to flee.

Anti-balaka forces have cut the throats of Muslim civilians, publicly lynching, mutilating and setting their bodies on fire.

Yaloké, a major gold trading centre, had an estimated Muslim population of 30 000 and eight mosques prior to the conflict.

Now, fewer than 500 Muslims and one mosque remain. Muslim residents gathered at the mosque, protected by French peacekeepers, while Christian militias and residents looted and destroyed their homes and mosques.

In Bangui, the capital, anti-balaka fighters armed with AK-47s, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and grenades attacked numerous Muslim areas, forcing the population to flee.

Former Muslim strongholds in Bangui are now ghost towns, devoid of Muslim residents. Some anti-balaka militants have told Human Rights Watch (HRW) that they would kill any Muslims remaining in these neighbourhoods.

Much of the Muslim population of the Central African Republic has fled to Chad, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

An estimated 50 000 Muslims have been flown out of Bangui’s military airport.

Tens of thousands more have fled on road convoys, frequently attacked by anti-balaka forces on the way.

Armed men within Muslim neighbourhoods, including some remaining Seleka fighters, have attempted to fight back but have been unsuccessful in warding off the assaults, which have also overwhelmed French and African peacekeepers.

In many meetings with Human Rights Watch, anti-balaka leaders have used hateful and belittling rhetoric about Muslim residents of the country, saying that all Muslims must leave the Central African Republic, and that the Central African Republic ‘belongs to Central Africans’, whom they define as Christians and traditionalists.

One anti-balaka leader told HRW that he had ordered his men to stop killing Muslims but insisted that all Muslims must leave the country, saying, ‘We don’t want any more Muslims in our country.’

Anti-balaka leaders have also

directly ordered Muslim communities to leave.

The attacks on Muslim communities have often involved shocking violence. Since late January, HRW researchers have witnessed four public lynchings by the anti-balaka. In each case, the victim’s hands were cut off and, in some cases, mutilation also included cutting off the penis and legs.

When anti-balaka fighters were asked about the mutilations, they told Human Rights Watch, ‘We cut off the hand that killed our parents.’

On September 5, 2013, antibalaka fighters began a carefully coordinated offensive against five secondary trading centres, attacking small Seleka bases and Muslim communities.

The anti-balaka killed hundreds of Muslims and carried out deadly attacks on cattle camps run by a largely nomadic and Muslim population. The assaults led to massive displacement of Muslim residents from the regional capital.

This pattern of attacks recurred in many other areas in the country’s northwest and southwest.

Muslims fleeing the attacks would gather in major population centres but then would be attacked in those larger population centres.

A group of anti-balaka fighters, while burning a village’s main masjid, told HRW that they would continue attacking the Muslim neighbourhoods of Bangui, and that they would kill any Muslim they could.

Day after day, heavily armed anti-balaka gunmen with AK-47s, grenades and rocket-propelled grenade launchers arrive from their strongholds to attack Muslim neighbourhoods from their outskirts, forcing Muslim families to flee their homes and seek safety deeper in the remaining Muslim areas.

As soon as families flee, looters arrive to pillage their homes and

take away the doors, windows and roofs, leaving the areas uninhabitable.

On a visit to one neighbourhood, HRW found virtually every family packing up their belongings and preparing to flee in the next convoys heading to Cameroon and Chad. The remaining residents were clearly terrorised by the violence.

One resident, Ali Ousman, a 39-year-old diamond dealer, told Human Rights Watch that the attackers had lynched his mentally disabled brother, Senussi Djalé, and burned his body that morning.

On January 8, hundreds of antibalaka captured a town from the Seleka and began to slaughter its Muslim residents. When HRW visited the town not long after, Red Cross volunteers were burying bodies and filling wells where corpses had been dumped during the slaughter.

HRW researchers arrived in Boda on February 4, 2014, and found thousands of nomads and Muslim traders huddled in fear in the remaining compounds. The town’s market had been burned, and HRW found people who had suffered horrific machete and burn wounds during the anti-balaka attack.

Anti-balaka fighters who carried out the attacks told HRW that in their view all Muslims had to leave the town.

Establishing an effective disarmament programme for Christian and Muslim militias will be a priority for the interim president and the international peacekeeping force in the country.

Christian militias are still unwilling to disarm until Muslim rebel fighters have been demobilised. At the moment, their fate is unclear. Under severe pressure, some are withdrawing from the capital and several of its top brass fled in a convoy under the protection of peacekeepers.

Light from the Qur’an

Muslim Views . April 2015

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Miracles of the ambiya: their significance and wisdom IBRAHIM OKSAS and NAZEEMA AHMED TORIES about the ambiya abound in the All-Wise Quran. Have we considered whether these narratives are simply stories with historical significance or does their inclusion in the Quran represent far greater wisdom?

This article is the first in a twopart series on the significance and wisdom inherent in the miracles of the ambiya.

In his contemporary Quranic tafsir, Risale i Nur, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi discusses this matter in ‘The Words’, one of the books in the Risale i Nur Collection.

Bediuzzaman states that all the Quran’s ayahs contain numerous aspects of guidance and instruction.

The ayahs of the miracles of the ambiya, which are the most brilliant of the All-Wise Quran ayahs, are therefore not mere historical stories but comprise numerous meanings and sorts of guidance.

He contends that Allah Almighty sends the ambiya to communities as leaders and forerunners of spiritual and moral progress. Similarly, they are all given a number of wonders, and Allah Almighty makes them the masters and foremen in regard to mankind’s material progress, and commands men to completely follow them.

Thus, just as by speaking of the

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spiritual and moral perfections of the ambiya, it is encouraging people to benefit from them so, too, in discussing their miracles, it is inferring encouragement to achieve similar things and to imitate them.

It may even be said that like spiritual and moral attainments, material attainments and wonders were first given to mankind as a gift by the ‘hand of miracles’.

Thus, what first gave man the gift of the ship, which was a miracle of Nabi Nuh (AS), and the clock, a miracle of Nabi Yusuf (AS), was the ‘hand of miracles’.

Bediuzzaman states that it is a subtle indication to this truth that most craftsmen have a nabi as the patron of their craft. For example, seamen have Nabi Nuh (AS), watchmakers have Nabi Yusuf (AS), tailors have Nabi Idris (AS) and so on.

Thus, in mentioning the ambiya’s miracles, it is tracing the final limit of man’s science and industry. It is pointing the finger at his furthest aims. It is specifying his final goals. And as a means of encouraging man, it is urging him forward towards them.

Bediuzzaman suggests that just as the past is the store of the seeds of the future so the future is the arable field of the past.

He then explains this matter by citing the following Quranic ayahs. For example, the ayah in Sura Saba’: ‘And we gave Sulayman power over the wind – a

Bediuzzaman states that all the Quran’s ayahs contain numerous aspects of guidance and instruction month’s journey in the morning and a month in the afternoon’ which describes one of Nabi Sulayman’s miracles, the subjugating of the air.

This says: ‘Sulayman traversed the distance of two months in one day by flying through the air.’ It is thus suggesting that the road is open for man to cover such a distance in the air. In which case, O man, since the road is open to you, reach this level!

And, in meaning, Almighty Allah is saying through the tongue of this ayah: ‘O man! I mounted one of my servants on the air because he gave up the desires of his nafs.

‘If you too give up laziness, which comes from the nafs, and benefit thoroughly from certain of my laws in the cosmos, you too may mount it...’

And the ayah in Surah AlBaqarah – “We said ‘strike the rock with your staff’. Then twelve fountains gushed out from it” –

explains a miracle of Nabi Musa (AS).

This ayah indicates that the treasuries of mercy concealed under the earth may be profited from with simple tools. Even from places as hard as rock, the water of life may be attracted with a staff. Thus, through this meaning, the ayah says to man: ‘You may find the subtlest effulgence of mercy, the water of life, with a staff. In which case, come on, work and find it!’

In meaning, Almighty Allah says through the ayah’s allusive tongue: ‘O man! I put in the hand of one of my servants who trusted in Me a staff that draws the water of life from wherever he wishes, if you too rely on the laws of My mercy, you may obtain an implement resembling it or close to it.

So, come on and do so!’

Bediuzzaman says that one of the most important contributions to man’s progress was the creation of an implement that causes water to flow forth from most of the places it struck. This ayah thus traces farther goals and limits, and ends beyond that, just as the previous ayah specified final points far ahead of today’s aeroplanes.

The ayah in Surah Ali Imran, ‘I will heal the blind and the leper, and bring the dead to life, by Allah’s permission,’ concerns a miracle of Nabi Isa (AS).

According to Bediuzzaman, just as the Quran explicitly urges man to follow Nabi Isa’s (AS) ele-

vated morals, so it allusively encourages him towards the elevated art and dominical medicine of which Nabi Isa (AS) was the master.

The ayah indicates the following: ‘Remedies may be found for even the most chronic ills. In which case, O man, O calamityafflicted sons of Adam, don’t despair! Whatever the ill, its cure is possible. Search for it and you will find it. It is even possible to give a temporary tinge of life to death.’

And, in meaning, Almighty Allah is saying through the figurative tongue of this ayah: ‘O man! I gave two gifts to one of My servants who abandoned the world for Me. ‘One was the remedy for spiritual ills, and the other the cure for physical sicknesses.

‘Moribund hearts were raised to life through the light of guidance, and sick people who were as though dead found health through his breath and cure. You too may find the cure for every ill in the pharmacy of My wisdom.

Work to find it! If you seek, you will certainly find.’

Thus, this ayah traces the limit which is far ahead of man’s present progress in medicine. It hints at it, and urges him towards it.

Alhamdulillah, may we reflect upon these Quranic ayahs and seek to appreciate the way in which our Merciful Allah has created us with the most astounding human potential!

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Muslim Views

Muslim Views . April 2015

Positive and Effective Parenting

Muslim Views . April 2015

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Thoughts on sibling rivalry FOUZIA RYKLIEF PART ONE N this issue I will attempt to put sibling rivalry into perspective, why it happens and how our own experiences of sibling rivalry influence our attitude towards it.

I

What is sibling rivalry?

Sibling rivalry is the competitive struggle that exists between brothers and/ or sisters. It is normal and can occur at any stage of a person’s life. It would be unrealistic to expect our children never to fight with each other.

It may not always be obvious but that does not mean that it is not present.

Some children have been raised to repress their feelings of antagonism. This obviously makes life a great deal easier for parents if it is concealed than in ‘normal’ households where there are varying degrees of squabbling and bickering.

Fighting is one of most annoying and stressful parts of family life. If the same child is continually being physically or verbally abused, our intervention is critical. Sibling rivalry can be very destructive if not addressed as it can have a deeply negative effect on the children’s development and their future relationships.

However, sibling rivalry, within limits, can have positive outcomes as children can learn negotiation and conflict resolution skills provided that our approach to it is a healthy one.

Our own experience In order to understand sibling rivalry in our families, we need to look at how it was for us when we were children. Perhaps we have memories – good or bad – of our experiences, and how our parents handled the rivalry.

Could it be that our children are experiencing the same hurt and anger that we went through?

There may still be some unresolved feelings about our own experiences so we need to ask ourselves: is rivalry still present?

We often assume that sibling rivalry starts when a new baby comes into the family, and disappears as the children get older.

This may happen but, in many families, the rivalry between siblings can, and does, continue forever and often influences how we respond to the rivalry between our children.

If we see it as history repeating itself, we may adopt a defeatist attitude but if we see it as a normal occurrence with children, we will deal with it in a constructive way.

Reasons for sibling rivalry There are many different reasons for sibling rivalry. Here are some of them: There are broad environmental factors such as family atmosphere and values, the larger cultural setting and socio-economic influences.

Differences between children will probably be the result of different expectations of the child (sex stereotypes) and similarities may be the result of values and family atmosphere.

The arrival of a new baby often results in children feeling ‘dethroned’ and neglected. Children may fight simply to get their parents’ attention!

In many cases, it is due to a lack of privacy, and shared space.

Just as we need privacy and time alone, so do children. A neat and tidy child who shares a bedroom with a messy child can find such behaviour very frustrating.

There is sometimes imagined or real unfairness experienced by children. However, some children have a much greater need to be acknowledged and will often feel unfairly treated even if the parents have been fair.

Actual favouritism or perceived favouritism is another contributory factor.

Sometimes, when a parent has an easier relationship with one child because the child has an easier temperament or the parent has more in common with that child, the other children will feel that

they are the non-favoured children.

A child’s position in the family can affect his experiences and thus his perception of the world. I refer here to the birth order, which provides each child with unique experiences as well as to the roles that children unconsciously adopt within the family in an attempt to meet their emotional and social needs.

The eldest child starts off being an only and, often, treasured child who, very early in life, has to manage the trauma of giving up the throne and sharing his parents’ affection and attention with the second born.

First-born children often tend to feel the need to be responsible, in control, caring and pressurised to meet their parents’ expectations. They may be pampered and spoilt, the centre of attention, enjoying this and feeling special.

Second children have to cope with the older child’s resentment at having to share their parents’ affection. They can become the victims of aggression from the first-born and have to learn to defend themselves. These children believe that they must gain and hold superiority over other children.

Second children often strive to keep or regain attention through conformity. If this fails, they may choose to misbehave. They may develop competent, responsible behaviour or become very discouraged.

They resent having to make do

with ‘hand-me-downs’. They may feel that they are being unfairly treated compared to the older child.

The middle child does not feel special and often feels squeezed out. Middle children are neither the eldest, responsible child nor the special ‘baby’.

Often, ‘middle’ children tend to just get on with life and are able to pair with the younger or older sibling. They learn to be adaptable and learn to deal with both eldest and youngest. The middle child often develops talents/ abilities different to the other two.

The youngest or last child has the advantage of the parents’ experience. They tend to be less pressured, more confident and charming. They may also be overindulged and protected, not allowed to grow up, not taken seriously nor respected or given much responsibility.

‘Only’ children do not have to share or fight for their rights but may regret not having sibling companionship. With their parents’ attention focused on them, they often feel a strong need to establish some privacy and space for themselves in the home.

They may have poor relationships as children but better relationships as adults.

Siblings, in their attempts to meet their needs for affection from their parents, find themselves competing for places and roles in the family where they feel special.

Children, thus, unconsciously, choose to excel in areas very different from one another.

There are children who, unconsciously, attempt to be the ‘best’ worst child in the family.

These worst, bad or ‘problem’ children often serve as the family’s scapegoats and attract all the negative and aggressive family feelings onto themselves.

Here is an exercise parents may find helpful.

Consider the following questions: What is happening that makes you think that sibling rivalry exists?

Who fights/ argues with whom?

Where does the fighting occur?

Where are you at the time of the fighting?

What is the fighting/ arguing about?

What do you usually do about the fighting?

The answers to those questions will help to put things into perspective and point to possible solutions.

Next month’s issue will focus on what can be done to prevent or, at least, minimise sibling rivalry, when to intervene and what strategies can be used to help children to resolve conflicts.

References Parent Centre Positive Parenting Manual Dinkmeyer Don, McKay Gary D. Parent Education Leader’s Manual (Coral Springs. FL. CMTI Press. 1978)

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Muslim Views . April 2015

From Consciousness to Contentment

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Forgiving JASMINE KHAN

HE spiritual season for Muslims starts with the sacred month of Rajab, and ends with Eid-ul-Fitr.

Nabi Muhammad (SAW) said: ‘Rajab is the great month of Allah, unmatched by any other month in the respect and significance accorded to it.’

Alhamdulillah, all praise to Allah Almighty for allowing us to experience this magnificence once again.

Our beloved Rasul (SAW) stated: ‘Verily, Rajab is Allah’s month, Sha’ban is my month and Ramadaan is the month of my ummah; whosoever fasts a day in the month of Rajab will be granted the great reward of Ridwan, (an angel in heaven), the wrath of Allah will be distanced and a door of Hell will be closed.’

What a merciful Creator we have! This month is a good time to reflect and to ponder on the mercy of Allah.

Allah has many names, 99 of which have been revealed to us.

All of Allah’s names describe the attributes of Allah.

Which of Allah’s attributes do we know the most and use continuously; in fact, with which of His attributes does Allah introduce Himself to us?

We use ‘Bismilaahi raghmani ragheem’ at the start of every action, every conversation, every recitation. However, do we really grasp the full significance of what we are saying?

When we say, ‘In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, Most

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There is no end to the bounties that Allah has heaped upon us for there is yet another mercy that we are blessed with. Allah sent His most beloved Rasul (SAW) to pile mercy upon mercy, upon Allah’s infinite mercy: ‘We sent thee not save as a mercy to all…’

Forgiving,’ do we stop and ponder just what we are saying? Do we acknowledge that ‘Ar raghmaan, ar ragheem’ is a promise that Allah makes to us, and that He fulfils that promise?

‘Raghmaan’ means ‘intensely merciful’; mercy that is of such a quality that it surpasses by a thousandfold the mercy a parent has for a child. We know that the mercy we show day to day cannot possibly be compared to the mercy of a parent; so how much greater is Allah’s mercy?

‘Ragheem’ means ‘continuously merciful’; whereas the mercy shown by most has a time limit, Allah’s mercy never ceases.

In the Holy Quran, Allah promises: ‘Say: O my slaves who have transgressed their own souls, despair not of the mercy of Allah, Who forgives all sins. He is the

Forgiving, the Merciful.’ (39:53) We are so blessed, Alhamdulillah, for not only has Allah taken a covenant to shower His mercy upon us, He also gave us the Quran, which is a mercy: ‘And we reveal of the Quran that which is a healing and a mercy for believers though it increases the evildoers in nothing but ruin.’

(17:82) There is no end to the bounties that Allah has heaped upon us for there is yet another mercy that we are blessed with. Allah sent His most beloved Rasul (SAW) to pile mercy upon mercy, upon Allah’s infinite mercy: ‘We sent thee not save as a mercy to all…’ (Quran 21:107) As Muslims, we are favoured with intense and continuous mercy, throughout our lives, simply by acknowledging that what-

ever we do, whatever we say, whatever circumstance we find ourselves in, is by the permission of Allah alone.

We do this by saying ‘Bismilaahi raghmaani ragheem’ before starting anything or embarking on any deed. How much more can we possibly ask for? How can we fall into despair when we are assured of the mercy of Allah?

Rajab is derived from ‘Rajaba’, which means ‘respect’. So, as we find ourselves in this blessed month of Allah, let us show respect for this glorious month, respect which encompasses our deeds, actions and our relationships with family, friends and all humankind.

When we utter, ‘In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Forgiving,’ let us be fully conscious of what we are about

to say or do. In doing so, we acknowledge not just the existence of our glorious Creator, we are paying the most infinite form of homage to Allah.

It is a fact that forgetting to say this invocation removes all the barakah attended to the action.

More important, in the omission, we are deprived of Allah’s infinite mercy and forgiveness.

Allah is so forgiving that if we remember to say ‘Bismillah’ some time into the act, Allah’s mercy and forgiveness pours down upon us.

Subhan Allah, Alhamdullillah, Allahu Akbar; as an ummah, we can never display enough gratitude to Allah for the bounties and blessings that He has heaped upon us. If they were bricks, we could possibly build a tower that will stretch all the way up into the samah, Alhamdulillah.

Insha Allah, the next time we utter, ‘In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Forgiving,’ we will be cognisant of how fortunate we are to be Muslim, and will indeed proclaim: ‘Which of the favours of my Lord will I deny?’ (With respect to Surah Ar Rahmaan) As we are about to enter the blessed month of Rajab, let us resolve to intensify our Allah-consciousness.

Let us join in the duah of our Rasul (SAW) when he beseeched: ‘O Allah, make the months of Rajab and Sha’ban blessed for us, and let us reach the month of Ramadaan, so that we may benefit from its merits and blessings.’

Ameen. Ya Rabbul al-ameen.

FOR ALL

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Jeremy Day’s hyper-realist art A postersized canvas displayed everyday household items seldom given a second glance… razor sharp in every detail, writes Doctor M C D’ARCY. T’S not often that you walk into an art exhibition and get stunned by a ‘wow’ moment.

It happened to my wife and me recently at an art exhibition held in the small Sanlam Exhibition Hall snugly ensconced in the greenery of the world-famous Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden.

The day was hellish-hot – a Tuesday, when entry to Kirstenbosch Garden is free for South African pensioners.

‘Free’ is a very attractive word.

Like ants, people swarmed all over the place, ready to savour the botanical honey of Kirstenbosch and, possibly, also the artistic nectar of the exhibition.

Parking at the upper gate was full. Our anticipated Kirstenbosch tranquillity fled. A rally of red, ‘topless’ tourist buses roared by and blasted the mountain stillness.

My wife and I had to pant afoot up the hillside to the entry point.

Fortunately, we discovered a shaded pathway winding along under the tree canopies otherwise we might have ended up as mummified bodies shrivelled in summer dust, manna for future archaeologists.

The South African Art Society’s fare was rather spotty. I learnt later that 90 paintings had already been sold and we had viewed a rather depleted selection. But what struck us were some large paintings that arrested the eyes and sucked one’s breath

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away.

A poster-sized canvas displayed everyday household items seldom given a second glance: Lion match boxes, Jungle Oats packages and good old Mrs Ball’s Chutney, razor sharp in every detail.

A second canvas depicted an exquisite landscape of the St James open-sea swimming pool and its rainbow bathing ‘boxes’.

A third dramatically portrayed a propeller-plane of yesteryear flying past Table Mountain’s upper cableway station.

In one corner, the ill-fated passenger-liner Lusitania, torpedoed

by Nazi submarines off the Hebrides during the First World War, in 1915, with the loss of 1 198 lives, sailed once more on a tranquil canvas sea.

And then there was a rather strange painting of a flower seller posing in front of the Queen Victoria statue in the grounds of the Houses of Parliament, the empress holding a mace-staff, symbol of power, in one hand and an orb in the other.

The flower seller was holding a gladiolus flower in one hand and a spanspek (cantaloupe) in the other. This strange picture told an interesting story.

Artist Jeremy Day explained: ‘The flower seller, in typical Cape Town humour, had said: ‘Die miesies het a stok in die een hand en ’n spanspek in die ander hand.’

(The madam has a stick in one hand and a cantaloupe in her other hand.)

The compositions and execution of the paintings were amazing. They were so vivid, realistic, as if you were right in the kitchen having breakfast or cooling off in St James’ tidal pool or even sucking up the breezes at Table Mountain’s top. Best if you were not on the Lusitania.

These paintings were hyperrealism at its best.

Jeremy Day, the artist who pushed the paintbrush millimetre by painstaking millimetre across these canvases is a 70-year-old

graphic artist.

Certainly, he’s endowed with heaps of patience and blessed with great artistic skill to match disparate scenes with infinitely varied light and colours, and the ability to combine them with creative dexterity that could emanate only from many years of practice and fortitude.

Remember the old adage: 10 000 hours of practice makes perfect.

‘I’ve been painting since I was six-years-old,’ said the artist. The result certainly attests that the intervening years of midnight oil were fruitful, and pleasing to the eye.

But what is hyper-realism, and how does it differ from photorealism? Are they just reproductions of photographs or are they in a special art genre of their own?

Some critics and artists scoff and dismiss these niche arts as mere copying slavishly. But then jealousy and envy have no bounds. Snide critics are like cackling hens that lay only ‘windeiers’ – eggs filled with air.

My own cliché is that anything beautiful in your eyes is art. So, to me, they are art forms; certainly wonderful examples of artistic patience and ability in composition, matching colour tones and delivering achingly accurate perspectives so that the viewer can almost climb into them, so ‘real’ are they.

Photorealism goes a step further in that the artist faithfully reflects what he or she sees in a picture or photograph – every pixel, every nuanced fleck of light and every flaw.

Persian, Turkish and Indian miniature paintings often show extreme detail in pictures that are painted with a brush having only a single hair. Typically, they are neither realistic nor hyper-realistic.

Usually, they depict scenes, figurative drawings or spiritual reflections. With these the viewers can experience similar sensations

Jeremy Day’s hyper-realistic painting of St James Beach with its unmistakable, Photo M C D’ARCY colourful changing cubicles.

to the more modern realistic canvases.

Oriental miniatures have played a part in recording history, historic figures and events without which we would be the poorer.

With that in mind, one can only condemn what purported Muslims are currently doing in the Middle East and its surrounds. Their scurrilous bombing and bulldozing of ancient treasures from Nineveh in Iraq and other sites can only be condemned as immoral acts against mankind and his glorious past.

Their ‘jihads’ to destroy figurative historic relics are based on silly notions of the threat of ‘idolatry’. Is faith as shallow and vulnerable in this day and age as to be threatened by ancient figurative artefacts that tell us of the life of ages gone by?

The faiths of these psychopathic morons must be shallow and insecure to believe that. It is my contention that their destructive acts are based on ignorance, intolerance and hypocrisy.

Such cretins worship their own images in the mirror and on the screens of their phones and TVs. Their so-called ‘ustads’ (teachers) have much to answer for by advocating that vicious acts of murder, plunder and mayhem are part of religion.

Their agenda of cleansing the world of its historic heritage is criminal. Darkness and stupidity walk in their footsteps. These abominations are nothing but sinful corruption of the light of cre-

ation.

Without a history, what is there for mankind to build on, to reflect and to learn from the past?

Their addled brains are surely as desiccated as their beards.

Unlike the warped senses referred to above, in a complex scene, the normal human brain does not see everything in full focus. It cones in to a certain object and sees that particular object in clear focus.

Other objects in the scene are diffused into soft focus so that the mind can absorb all the details of the one interesting object it focuses on. That’s brilliant; the mind can concentrate on important issues without being distracted by unnecessary visual clutter.

Walk back to the hyper-realism on cotton canvas. From Jeremy Day’s website: ‘All my work is hand crafted…with paint and brush, with no reliance on digital copying, pre-printing or projection of images.

‘Although I use photographic references, inevitably the camera does not convey the degree of realism that the naked eye sees, so my relentless pursuit of minute detail is intended to deliver sharp images with a greater depth of field, corrected perspective and nothing out of focus.’

In conversation, Jeremy agreed with all other artists: ‘People don’t realise the time and effort that most artists put into a painting, and they want to pay virtually nothing for your works. Some of the hyper-realist paintings of mine take up 250 hours of work on them.’

I voted with him. A friend had the audacity to tell me: ‘You must leave me one of your own paintings when you’re dead.’

A Muslim patient said of an artwork on my surgery walls that I had bought with hard-earned money I could ill afford then: ‘That painting’s very nice. I want it. You must give it to me.’ To my chagrin, he said that every time he visited my rooms.

The strength of hyper-realism is that everything is in perfect focus and it excites at the first viewing.

But if you look too long at such a work, the brain gets tired of overall in focus sensual input and is sometimes disturbed by it, hence some people find long viewing of hyper-realism somewhat uneasy.

Human vision is really ‘selective’ vision.

Art is complex. Its different art genres, like the body and the brain, gel into a whole.

On the one hand, hyper-realism gives you everything. On the other hand, some artists have submitted blank canvases, filled with sweet nothing, as art-pieces that send messages.

The ultimate choice is yours.

Hyper-realist artist, Jeremy Day, displaying some of his artworks for sale.

Photo M C D’ARCY Muslim Views

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SPORTS-TALK

Muslim Views . April 2015

Running for change SHANAAZ EBRAHIM-GIRE

IVE years ago, an ordinary teacher from Mitchells Plain, Cape Town, embarked on an extraordinary journey with one goal in mind – to effect a positive and longlasting change in his community through running.

Irafaan Abrahams is well known as the sports anchor for the Voice of the Cape radio station. He has, however, made a name for himself as a marathon runner, having competed in some of the world’s premier events.

His journey began in 2010 when he was challenged, live on air, to join the Itheko club for a casual run at Rondebosch Common.

‘Although I enjoyed sports and actively participated in soccer and cricket, I never dreamed of getting involved in running. I boldly accepted the challenge, joined the club for that first run and the rest, as they say, is history.’

At a conference in Cape Town, Abrahams explained that it was here that the first seeds of running for a cause were planted.

‘I heard that then MEC for Education, Cameron Dugmore, completed the New York Marathon for the JAG Foundation. It was exciting and I realised that I too wanted to make a difference in my community.

‘I roped in some of my fellow club members at Itheko and we brainstormed how we could marry my two great passions – running and education. This is how the Irafaan Abrahams One Million Rand Challenge was born.’

The aim of the challenge was to help impoverished schools across the Western Cape raise funds to improve infrastructure or to invest in resources such as textbooks and stationery.

In 2011, Abrahams secured an entry into the New York City Marathon, which is the world’s second largest event of its kind.

The fundraising initiative saw seven schools participate and a total of R250 000 was raised.

‘When we decided to embark on this initiative, we pledged to ensure that all funds raised would be ploughed back into the schools.

‘We wanted to create safe and educational environments for children who often face some of

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the worst social conditions, on a daily basis.’

The Chicago Marathon in 2012 was the second and toughest challenge to date for the inspiring educator.

‘This event was the most challenging – personally and spiritually – as my father was ill with cancer. I dedicated this race to him.

Two organisations and eight new schools benefitted directly from the funds raised.

‘I could never have thought that this crazy idea my friends and I had would snowball into such an empowering project that is bigger than all of us. We have definitely seen the barakah and the changes at some of the schools who have participated in the fundraising initiative.’

According to Abrahams, Rylands High School raised over R50 000, which was used to install an irrigation system.

Rylands Primary School raised money towards building a new school hall.

Habibia Primary School – who raised R180 000 over two years – managed to install new floodlights at its sports field.

However, the fairytale for him was Riebeeck Street Primary School, in Belhar. ‘Belhar is one of the poorest and downtrodden areas in Cape Town. I was approached by a teacher, Kashiefa Abrahams, who was keen to get the school involved in the project.

‘Given the many social challenges faced by this community, we were, at first, a bit perplexed.

However, keeping in mind our pledge to make a difference in our communities, we gladly assisted.

This school raised R55 000, which has been used to acquire resources for its junior primary.’

Meanwhile, project coordinator, Hasanain Abdullah, laid the success of the project on the noble intentions of the many small and medium enterprise businesses that came on board to assist Abrahams get the project off the ground.

‘Networking was vital to the success of this project. We needed to cover basic travel costs and we had to come up with some really creative ideas – including the name.

‘We felt by calling it a ‘million rand challenge’ it would captivate audiences and half our job would be done. However, the true champions were companies such as Al

Anwar Hajj and Umrah who came on board during the first two challenges.

‘We knew that we did not have the financial backing to sustain this project. We then looked to our own networks and roped in people who would volunteer their professional skills and services for the cause,’ he said.

Abrahams added that, despite the many initial obstacles faced, they kept true to their intentions and saw only success as a result.

‘Never in my wildest dreams did I think that this project would be heading into its fifth year. It was never for me but for the children, and making a difference – showing them that anything is possible.’

In 2013, humanitarian organisation Islamic Relief South Africa adopted the project and became a title sponsor for the Amsterdam Marathon, followed by the London Marathon in 2014.

‘Last year, when I was the best physically prepared, the race was the toughest…my legs started cramping and there was quite a few kilometres to go…but then you think about the children who you are running for and, somehow, I managed.

‘Through will and determination, I completed that race, Alhamdulillah.’

As an Islamic Relief ambassador, Abrahams approached the NGO with the idea of undertaking five gruelling events in 2015, to mark the five-year anniversary of the Million Rand Challenge.

‘This year, I have pledged to run the Boston and New York marathons in the US and the Comrades Ultra Marathon.

I have already completed the Cape Town Cycle Tour and, most recently, the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon.’

Reflecting on his journey thus far, an emotional Abrahams paid homage to his parents, wife and children who have squarely stood behind him, supporting him in his ventures.

‘This has been one of the most exciting and exhilarating experiences of my life.

‘My late father, Mohammed Saiet, and mother, Fatiema, taught me that it is possible to overcome any difficulty.

‘The best part of this project is that I am no professional runner…I’m just trying my luck, doing something extraordinary.’

Having participated in the New York City, Chicago, Amsterdam and London Marathons as part of his campaign to raise funds for education, Irafaan Abrahams has taken on five gruelling challenges this year – including the Boston Marathon – to mark the five-year anniversary of the Million Rand Challenge.

Photo ZAHEER BANDERKER

Abrahams said the five-year journey has been humbling.

‘Being in the spotlight teaches you that you need to be an example. I would like to think that, through my travels, I could share some insight about my deen and this form of dawah left a lasting positive impression about Islam with the many people I met along the way.

‘Every day I put my head on the musallah and say shukr to Allah for affording me the strength to do this.

‘I never dreamed that a boy from the Cape Flats who loved

sports, would be running in some of the most prestigious running events in the world…and doing so for a cause that I love – teaching young minds that anything is possible.’

To contribute towards the Million Rand Challenge 2015, contact Islamic Relief South Africa, toll free, on 0800 111 898.

Meanwhile, Abrahams departs on Friday, April 17, for the Boston Marathon. The race will be broadcast live on April 20, on Supersport. Alternatively, visit his Facebook page for regular updates.