Vol. 34 No. 12
JAMAD-UL-AWWAL 1442 l DECEMBER 2020
Worcester: a community rises from colonial and slave legacy W
ORCESTER is known to many Muslim holidaymakers from Cape Town as the nearest town to go to for jumuah while at Goudini Spa but how many are aware that this town, about 110 kilometres outside Cape Town, along the N1, has been home to Islam for more than 200 years? As far back as 1818, there were already Muslim slaves living in the area but it is believed that they could have been living there since before then. A census taken in 1841 showed that by then, there were already 300 Muslims residing in Worcester. As the Muslim community grew, so did the need for a madrasah where children could receive religious instruction. It is interesting to note that the first Muslim school was already in operation during the 1840s, long before the first masjid. The children were taught touheed, fiqh, the Arabic script, to read the Quran and adherence to the basic rituals of Islam. Worcester Primary School was opened almost 100 years later, in 1928. An empty house in Durban Street was acquired and converted into a school to serve mainly Muslim children in Worcester. The school was then called the Moslem Mission School with 28 registered learners. This photograph, from the archives of the Worcester Muslim community, shows the facade of the first masjid in the town, located in Durban Street. The masjid dates back almost 200 years and, as the community grew, the masjid underwent a number of renovations. The original masjid was already in use by 1878 but was destroyed by British soldiers during the Anglo-Boer war. Before the masjid was built, the Muslims, under the leadership of Imam Sadan, performed Jumuah in a room in Rainier Street. Although, the first masjid was officially opened in 1881, oral history has it that the masjid was already in use by 1878. Imam Sadan Sulaiman led the congregation until 1880. Currently, Moulana Mohammad Towpha Antar leads the jamaah, with Moulana Muneeb Shahaboedien as his assistant. The second masjid, the Worcester Islamic Society, was built in 2003, in Hex Park, led by Moulana Mogamad Stephanus. For a more detailed account of the history of the Muslims in Worcester, please see pages 16 and 17. If your community has compiled a history of your area, Muslim Views would like to hear from you. For further details, please contact the editor, Farid Sayed, at farid@mviews.co.za
THANK YOU iving Hope. For G