Muslim Views, February 2016

Vol. 30 No. 2

JAMAD-UL-AWWAL 1437 l FEBRUARY 2016

Local imams do not earn a living wage MAHMOOD SANGLAY

EOPLE generally work in order to earn a living. As a rule, a living wage is what one would expect from one’s work. However, it appears this does not apply to imams appointed to lead congregations in mosques.

Employees doing God’s work – when human beings are technically the employers – are confronted with a peculiar set of challenges.

It is a safe generalisation to make that members of the clergy in many parts of the world are not protected by conventional labour law, unless employment contracts are in place. They are, effectively, at the mercy of their congregations or bodies, such as committees, responsible for the management of these religious institutions.

The problem is somewhat nuanced, though, if one considers the different religious denominations. According to an online article published by Slate in 2012, rabbis are the best paid clergy in the US, followed by Christian denominations. Muslims are typically at the bottom of the pyramid.

American Muslims are among the wealthiest citizens in the US. South African Muslims, as a religious group, do not broadly share the economic prosperity as their American counterparts. The working and living conditions of imams in South Africa are, generally, to say the least, quite deplorable.

A cursory enquiry into working and living conditions of imams in the Western Cape revealed that there are approximately 235 imams (including assistant imams) employed at about 180 mosques and jamaat khanas in the province.

In the absence of reliable data, a crude estimate for an average imam’s salary is between R5 000 and R7 000, excluding benefits.

However, it is not uncommon for imams working in poor communities to earn between R2 000 to R3 000 per month.

According to Shaikh Muhammad West of the Western Cape chapter of the Imam Development Project (IDP), the lowest paid imams receive salaries of less than R1 000 per month.

He adds that imams who supplement their regular income with that from other work, such as

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teaching, are able to collectively earn R7 000 per month. He cautions that although this may be a reasonable generalisation there are also notable exceptions.

Generally, the disparity between earnings of imams in more affluent areas on the Cape Flats and that of the poorer areas is vast.

One mosque in an affluent area collectively pays R25 000 to the imam and his assistant. However, direct comparisons in earnings between areas and mosques are potentially misleading.

The reason is that the remuneration offered by each mosque is a function of four key variables.

The first is the imam’s job description and the second is the qualification, skills level, competency and experience of the imam.

The third is whether he is the sole appointment at the mosque, and the fourth is his other possible sources of income.

Ideally, a balanced analysis of these combined factors should enable one to draw credible conclusions about the standard of living of our imams.

While data from research in this area is currently unavailable, there is broad consensus that the earnings of imams are generally very poor.

This is evident from anecdotal evidence, findings and observations of initiatives such as the IDP. For example, it is rare that a single imam servicing a mosque congregation of 600 to 800 members, even if he is paid at the higher end of the scale, copes with the typical responsibilities of an imam.

A full-time imam of a 600-800 member congregation mosque leading the five daily prayers, delivering the weekly sermon and teaching madrasah and a number of other classes per week is usually expected to be on standby for duties at weddings and name-giv-

ings, for counselling and funerals, typically at any time of day or night.

Shaikh West says a qualified graduate from a renowned darul uloom or similar institution abroad, holding the equivalent of a four-year degree and with ten years experience is comparable to a senior high school teacher.

In exceptional cases, he may be comparable to a high school principal. Hence, says Shaikh West, for fulfilling the above responsibilities, such an imam should be paid at least R15 000.

Unfortunately, this is not the practice, nor do any objective standards for the remuneration of imams exist.

An imam typically does not have the benefit of a medical aid and life insurance, and no imam belongs to a trade union.

Few imams own modes of transport and fewer still own homes.

Auwal Mosque, in Dorp Street, Bo-Kaap, the oldest mosque in South Africa has been in existence for 222 years, since 1794. One of the events held to commemorate this milestone was a khatm of the Quran, held on January 31.

The first imam of the mosque, Imam Abdullah ibn Qadi Abdus Salaam – also known as Tuan Guru – is said to have handwritten a few copies of the Quran from memory while being imprisoned on Robben Island. One of these is on display in the mosque, the interior of which has been substantially revamped. An article on the mosque, titled ‘A short history of Auwal Mosque’, appears on page 13.

Photo TOYER NAKIDIEN

Employment contracts for imams are, however, more commonplace.

In the absence of empirical data, the anecdotal evidence shared by IDP with Muslim Views is particularly poignant.

Shaikh West related the story of an imam in Mitchells Plain responsible for distributing fitrah hampers ahead of Eid ul Fitr.

The imam’s standard of living was lower than that of many of the recipients of the fitrah hampers. He was in greater need of assistance but the risk of indignity precluded him from disclosing this.

Generally, imams are unable to send their children to ‘acceptable’ schools due to their financial limitations.

Few of them possess their own vehicles. Yet, they are expected to be on standby at all hours for funerals, weddings and counselling, and be present with the aid of either public transport or by travelling on foot. Little regard is given to the personal and family time of the imam.

Shaikh West says imams are, in some cases, required to provide cleaning services at mosques or serve as receptionists at the businesses of committee members.

There are instances where they are expected to wash the vehicles of committee members.

The IDP is a national initiative but, in the Western Cape, the project has, over the past year and a half, directly assisted twenty imams and two muallimas (women madrasah teachers) who are currently part of its programme.

The project essentially involves a ‘top-up package’ (in addition to their income at the mosque) of R2 000 per month as well as access to some basic health services, vocational training and tools, such as a laptop, cellphone and technical support with the use of these devices.

In addition, imams who are part of the project are incentivised with rewards for exceptional performance, including a fully sponsored Hajj.

The programme has distributed over R1,2 million in support to imams since its inception, in 2014.

The IDP is funded almost exclusively by donations from individuals and businesses. It receives no support from local or international funding bodies.

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Muslim Views

Muslim Views . February 2016

Muslim Views . February 2016

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Our leaders are dangerous

UCH of President Zuma’s State of the Nation address (Sona) focused on the economy. It is the economic crisis that is forced upon us so it makes sense that the president speaks to this crisis. In the course of his address he accomplished a worn political stratagem.

This stratagem is that he is actually speaking about the economy. After all, it is our economy and, as citizens, we have a legitimate expectation of the president to address what chiefly ails this country. But we also have a responsibility to see through his stock rhetoric.

The president uses some choice camouflaging devices in his address. For one, he speaks of measures to cut back on state expenditure, namely, eliminating the duplication and cost of servicing both a legislative and an administrative capital. This intervention has been debated even before the advent of democratic rule in 1994. Had he been serious, he would have presented the recommendations of a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis of the move.

Experts, even in a cursory analysis, are of the view that such an intervention will be, at best, ineffectual or, at worst, disastrous. Instead, it appears a cosmetic and ill-considered ploy to deflect attention away from the real economic crisis we’re in. The real crisis is that South Africa is a hair’s breadth away from junk status on the global agency ratings. This, together with the spectacular fall of the rand following the dismissal of Finance Minister Nene, unemployment at almost 26 per cent, extreme poverty affecting over 12 million people and inflation heading for 5,7 percent, more substantively describe the

true state of our economy. The president chooses to ignore these key indicators in his address. Poverty in South Africa is aggravated because it remains racially defined in character. And economists agree that poverty should be confronted by government with a three-pronged regimen of education, service delivery and grants. So, service delivery to the poor and education for the poor should be prioritised and integrated with the R155,3 billion spent on 16,4 million recipients in 2015. This is not happening.

Our educational system is failing our people and our service delivery is characterised by gross mismanagement and corruption at municipal level. (It is worth noting that the word ‘corruption’ does not occur in the president’s address.) Another measure economists agree on is that the bloated cabinet should be radically trimmed to effect significant reduction, in the billions, in government expenditure. There was no hint of this type of intervention.

The president is also of the view that the sale of state-owned enterprises will alleviate the strain on the fiscus. Even moderately liberal economists say the relief thus delivered will be short-lived.

Moreover, the privatisation of these enterprises, especially those that deliver essential services, like Eskom, is a threat to the vast majority of our people.

Openly neoliberal politicians like the Democratic Alliance call for the kind of privatisation that has a greater potential of enriching corporations and further impoverishing the poor. And some within the ruling party concur. This crudely pro-capitalist agenda is clearly consistent with the unabashed neoliberal tone of the president’s address. This is evident in his mention that he had ‘heard the suggestions from the business community’ and that, after a meeting with the banking sector, he triumphantly declares ‘Together we move South Africa forward!’ echoing the tagline of a leading commercial bank. The distaste is felt most by the poor who are witness to a giggling statesman and his comrades whose popularity is in decline even among their own voters. Yet, he holds sway over those whom he has appointed in key positions. And they remain loyal to his mission of protecting their spoils, even to the Constitutional Court. They demonstrate a greater interest in protecting what they have to lose than in exercising responsible stewardship of a nation.

Richard Nixon famously said, ‘When the president does it, that means that it is not illegal.’ Such perversion of leadership is dangerous.

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

Publishers: BRISKTRADE 175 (Pty) Ltd P O Box 442 Athlone 7760 South Africa Tel: 021 696 5404 • Fax Admin: 021 696 9301 Advertising adverts@mviews.co.za Admin info@mviews.co.za Editor Farid Sayed E-mail editor@mviews.co.za Fax Editor 086 516 4772 DISTRIBUTION Your Advertiser 021 638 7491 Views and opinions expressed by contributors and advertisers in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial team or the publishers.

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Corruption: a network of profiteers: Part 2 HENNIE VAN VUUREN

struction companies, which colluded to fix the price of building the 2010 World Cup stadiums.

Now the government proposes to spend over R1 trillion on building nuclear power stations.

Red flags are already flying, warning of massive corruption.

HE consequences of corruption in public procurement for communities are disastrous.

They result in sub-standard housing, a lack of basic medicine in public sector Private sector hospitals, schools textbooks the biggest culprit that ‘disappear’ and so-called ‘service providers’ who abuse Much has been said about the rights of social grant corrupt public sector officials. beneficiaries.

But the private sector should The government has finally equally be held to account for its started to respond to this prob- contribution to corruption. lem. In 2013, a chief procure- According to the 2014 Pricewament officer was established terhouseCoopers’ Global Ecowithin the National Treasury. A nomic Crime Survey, 69 per cent central supplier database and e- of South African business tender portal were created. They respondents indicated that they require all levels of government had experienced economic to share information. crime. This is nine percentage Other recent reforms include points higher than in 2011. the Public Administration Act, The report also shows that introduced in 2014 after many senior management is now the years of foot-dragging. This pro- main perpetrator of economic vides stiff penalties for state offi- crimes committed by insiders. cials doing business with the Much of this practice has been state through a private entity. well documented by the CompeAt one stage, there were tens tition Commission in its investiof thousands gation into of these indiprice-fixing viduals. The Much has been said in sectors auditor-gensuch as eral said they bread and about corrupt public were ‘moonconstruclighting’. In tion. sector officials. But s o m e No sininstances gle activity the private sector they were shows betinvolved in ter how awarding corruption should equally be tenders to has been companies in ‘ n o r held to account for which they malised’ o w n e d within the its contribution shares or private secheld director than the torships. issue of to corruption.

However, illicit finanthe act also cial flows. has significant shortcomings. In According to the Global Finanparticular, it does not provide cial Integrity, over R300 billion for a cooling-off period for pub- left South Africa illegally in lic officials who leave state 2014 – that is over 1 000 employment to join the private Nkandla security upgrades. sector. This does little to address A network of corporate entithe practice of ‘javelin-throw- ties moves money, shields it in ing’, where public officials tax havens and invests and award tenders to corporations spends it across the globe. and are then rewarded with This activity relies on high well-paid jobs in corporations levels of corporate secrecy and when they leave government. fraud. This is matched by a pubWhile most public sector pro- lic sector that cannot properly curement is vulnerable to cor- police these activities because of ruption, none is more so than infighting within anti-corruplarge strategic procurement. It is tion agencies or political interprotected by a veil of secrecy ference. that uses the language of ‘the None of this should absolve national interest’. venal leaders who abuse office Remember the R70 billion for private gain. But it does arms deal? require a far more nuanced These deals are notoriously understanding of the highly difficult to investigate because secretive networks that shape the trail of corruption leads to our economy and subvert the high public office and a network public interest in favour of crimof local and international corpo- inal profit. rations and middlemen with Courtesy: ‘Amandla!’ political connections. The fail- Hennie van Vuuren is a ure of the Seriti Commission of research associate at the Inquiry to investigate corruption Institute for Justice and in the Arms Deal is proof of this. Reconciliation, currently Another example is the car- focusing on transitional justice tel-like behaviour of large South and economic crime, and active African and international con- in the Right2Know Campaign.

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It was narrated from ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: The curse of Allah is upon the one who offers a bribe and the one who takes it. (Ibn-Majah and Al-Tirmidhi)

This newspaper carries Allah’s names, the names of the Prophets and sacred verses of the Holy Qur’an.

Please treat it with the respect it deserves.

Either keep, circulate or recycle.

Please do not discard.

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Muslim Views . February 2016

Racism and the art of being anti-racist in the Muslim community SHAFIQ MORTON

RACISM, a discriminatory and distasteful fact of human life, lingers unpleasantly in post-apartheid South Africa.

Twenty-two years down the line, the social cancer has not been completely excised. While its symptoms can be traced back to an underlying pathology of slavery, colonialism and apartheid, racism is still utterly repugnant – despite its psychopathic remnants.

To regard oneself superior to another person on the basis of a particular identity is an arrogant failure of the human spirit. So, to argue, as some boorish politicians currently do, that the historically disadvantaged cannot ever be racist against whites, is equally repugnant.

While some people (such as Penny Sparrow) may not be conciliatory citizens in our social tree, their crass ungraciousness can’t ever be an excuse for a generalised prejudice that all whites must be racist. This is ‘reverse’ racism, a hate speech that has manifested itself in the worst forms of Zionism, where those who should be more mindful of the Holocaust, have inflicted terrible atrocities against Palestinians in order to ‘not forget’.

In our Muslim community, particularly in the Western Cape, racism is a rattling skeleton. Even our politics represents this. The Democratic Alliance – despite its Mid-East policies being abhorrent to most Muslims – still gets the Muslim vote because the African National Congress has come to represent, in many minds, black privilege and coloured disempowerment.

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Many would agree with the metaphor of Iblis, Satan, being the first racist when he refused to prostrate to the figure of Adam (AS), his body symbolically imbued with the variegated soils of the earth. The cursed jinn, made of smokeless fire, thought in his heart that his fiery nature was superior to the divine DNA...

This sense of disempowerment – which results in what I call ‘status xenophobia’ – originates from disgruntlement on affirmative action and perceived threats of losing privilege. It has to be acknowledged that our forefathers, such as the Khoi-San, were the original inhabitants of the Western Cape, not the Nguni.

Then there has been divideand-rule, where, during apartheid, one clung desperately to one’s second-class citizenship and its paltry privileges over the third-class.

Again, all of the above – while still very much with us psychologically – should never be a vindication for the racially derogatory platitudes that pervade our suburbs and mosques. The point is: how many black imams do we have? Can one marry out of one’s clan? And, how do we treat our Muslim refugees, despite some of our slave roots being in East Africa?

Space prevents further discussion of what we’ve discussed so far but I’m sure the message is clear that our own backyard needs as much clearing as anyone else’s – which leads to the next

point, the little understood Prophetic paradigm with regards to the burning question of racism.

Many would agree with the metaphor of Iblis, Satan, being the first racist when he refused to prostrate to the figure of Adam (AS), his body symbolically imbued with the variegated soils of the earth.

The cursed jinn, made of smokeless fire, thought in his heart that his fiery nature was superior to the divine DNA. However, most of us – when besieged by malicious argument and phobic invective on issues of race in Islam – would most likely resort to the Madinah model, the first Islamic society nurtured and educated by the Prophet (SAW) via Quran and Sunnah, his personal example.

Many like to regard Madinah as some kind of Utopia, a perfect world. I don’t because, if one looks closely at the Madinah years, one soon realises that the perfection was in the Prophet, not in Madinah.

Compared to us, yes, the people of the city were more elevated in character and they did develop towering personalities and reach

stupendous heights of spirituality but they were still human.

This is not said with any disrespect but these noble and pious forbears still had to confront their inherent humanity, their demons, their own weaknesses; they had differences of opinion, they experienced marital discord and they suffered from poverty, bereavement, illness and hunger just like everybody else.

The point is how they were taught to deal with these things by the Prophet (SAW). That is the big question – the ‘imperfections’ of those in Madinah and how they dealt with them provide us with the lessons of today, first by the Righteous Caliphs, then Imam Malik and the other imams of knowledge.

One person who admittedly had few faults was Bilal – a former black Abyssinian slave freed

by Sayyidina Abu Bakr. Bilal’s loud and melodious voice would call the Muslims to prayer. We all know the instance when Bilal, a thin man with bushy hair, was referred to as a ‘black crow’ by three Quraish tribesmen who’d just entered Islam after the conquest of Makkah.

Through divine means, the Prophet (SAW) got to hear of this dialogue and the famous verses from Suratul Hujjarat – ‘We have created you into nations and tribes to know each other not to despise each other’ – were revealed to him by Jibril, the Archangel.

Interestingly, the Prophetic model of anti-racism (we’ll define it later) was not the stereotypical black-white scenario of today.

While Bilal is a shining example of how a black person can achieve true human greatness, Madinah was also a multi-racial, multi-cultural locus of being.

Suhaib ibn Sinan, the Roman, and Salman, the Persian, who’d joined the community, were Companions, too.

Not only did east meet west as prophesied at the noble Messenger’s birth but, in modern terms, in the enlightened city of Madinah, Arabs, Africans, Europeans and Iranians met each other as well.

The Prophet’s (SAW) farewell sermon which he delivered during his only Hajj tied all of this together when he proclaimed on the Mount of Mercy that there was ‘no superiority of Arab over non-Arab, nor black over white’.

However, what we often forget is that the Prophet (SAW) was not preaching ‘non-racism’ (where race is not officially acknowledged in the political and social sense). He was, in fact, being antiracist (where race is officially acknowledged but on firm and equal ground).

This, after all, is the profound subtlety of Suratul-Hujjarat – by the grace of God, we are who we are, and our challenge is to learn how to live together.

Muslim Views . February 2016

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Muslim Views . February 2016

ABDUS-SHAKOOR HURZOOK (1928 – 2016)

We have lost an heir of an era MAHMOOD SANGLAY

ABDUS-shakoor Hurzook, better known as Mr A Kays, was the only surviving founder member of Muslim News, the precursor to Muslim Views. Kays passed away on February 2, at the age of 88.

He, together with Gulzar Khan, Sayed Zubair Osmani, Imam Abdullah Haron, Baboo Mukadam, Kader Paleker and Abdul Aziz (Amla) Gool were the founders of Muslim News which commenced publication in 1960.

Kays was born on November 15, 1928, in Kokand, Mumbai.

His primary phase schooling was in an Urdu village school till age twelve. Thereafter, he accompanied his mother to District 6, Cape Town, where his father managed a small grocery shop.

His primary schooling was at the Muir Street Muslim school and St Joseph’s English church school.

After his father’s demise, when Kays was 15-years-old, he returned to India where he developed a love for Urdu poetry. In an interview with Muslim Views, in 2006, Kays said, ‘Iqbal was my foundation,’ referring to Allama Muhammad Iqbal.

Those years, although marked by the absence of formal schooling, were remarkably productive.

He continued his primary schooling on returning to South Africa and proceeded to do correspondence studies through Union College.

He returned to Bombay where he studied Journalism at Horni-

Mr Abdus-shakoor Hurzook, better known as Mr A Kays, during a visit to the offices of Muslim Views in January, 2007.

Photo SULAIMAN JACOBS

man College of Journalism while working as a cub reporter for the now defunct Bharat Times. Even at this time, his interests beyond journalism extended to Urdu poetry.

After completing his degree in journalism, Mr Kays returned to South Africa again and joined the Golden City Post, which was a sister publication of Drum magazine.

However, in those days, despite their very liberal outlook, these publications practised racial discrimination.

As one of the founders of Muslim News, Kays also worked as editor and was paid R45 per month. The paper supported the ANC underground liberation struggle.

In the early sixties, he undertook a mission for the ANC and left for India. This is where, with Dr Abdul Karim Naik, he met with Prime Minister Nehru to address the ANC’s need for armaments in order to continue the struggle against the apartheid state.

The Indian government was reluctant, saying they were a nonviolent people but Kays countered this argument by pointing out the armed response of the Indians to the Portuguese colonialists in Goa, in 1961. He also reminded the Indian government of ‘a Ghandiji trained in South Africa’, indicating that India is under obligation to support the South African struggle for liberation.

On his return to South Africa,

Kays was interrogated by the security police who suspected him but had no evidence of any subversive activity on his part. However, Muslim News became the target of an apartheid intelligence operation. This eventually led to the arrest of Imam Haron and a five-year banning order was served on Kays.

However, it was when Rashid Sayed left as editor and Abdul Qayum Sayed, together with an editorial board, took over his position that Muslim News reestablished its revolutionary role as activist media. ‘The paper took a bold stand for which he paid a heavy price,’ Kays told Muslim Views in 2006.

In his tribute to Kays, Sayed told Muslim Views that he was courageous in his work as journalist for Muslim News. Sayed added that Kays placed a high value on human dignity, that he loved Urdu and was a close friend of poet James Matthews and Imam Abdullah Haron. And he was like a son to Sayed Zubair Osmany.

On a lighter note, says Sayed, Kays worked best while smoking his favourite Mills cigarettes.

Dr Ali Mahate, a close friend of Kays, told Muslim Views that he was a talented and selfless man who dedicated himself to work for the greater good of others. A case in point, according to Mahate, was the lead Kays took

in establishing the Muslim Prison Board. His talent, says Mahate, shone in the work he did with Shaikh Abubakr Najaar in editing the I Am A Muslim series.

He engaged Shaikh Najaar in deep discussions in the writing of the text, said Mahate.

Sataar Parker, another close friend of Kays, recalls the key role he played in the establishment of the Rylands Cultural Association, in 1971, Bazme Adab soon thereafter and the writing and production of the play Reshmi Kafan.

Parker said that what distinguishes Kays from many other heroic figures in our community is the diversity of his contribution, ranging through culture, literature, journalism and politics.

Current editor of Muslim Views, Farid Sayed, says Kays was the last surviving founder member of Muslim News. Sayed worked with Kays, first as a newsroom runner at the age of eight, in 1962, and, later, as a trainee proof reader.

However, it was in 1976 when Sayed joined Muslim News as journalist that Kays exercised a greater influence on him. Much of Sayed’s training under Kays’ watch involved the old technical aspects of newspaper production.

Sayed particularly recalls two projects on which he worked with Kays. The first was the second edition of I Am A Muslim and the second was the annual Ramadaan Report of Hospital Welfare and Muslim Educational Movement in Muslim News.

‘He was meticulous, a stickler for perfection,’ Sayed said.

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Muslim Views . February 2016

What Islamic finance is not Although this article discusses investment in financial markets, it serves as a primer to the introduction of Islamic finance. This series will touch on key aspects of Islamic finance as well as discuss contemporary issues facing the industry.

During the latter stages, the column will attempt to debunk some common myths around Islamic finance, as well as compare Islamic finance with its conventional counterpart.

The sanction against the use of interest is common to Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism. The moral and ethical values promoted by IF may be valued by anyone, regardless of faith.

It is NOT exclusively for Muslims

BASHEER MOOSAGIE

WITH the fast evolving and growing impact that Islamic finance has seen, it is necessary to debunk myths that may be the source of misunderstandings about the industry. This is to ensure that Islamic finance is presented in a fair manner as a bona fide ethical institution intended to serve the market.

As a concept, Islamic finance (IF) is a relatively new entrant, as it is only in the last four decades that efforts were made to develop this concept.

Does NOT finance terrorism The biggest misconception about Islamic Finance is that it is a front for bankrolling terrorism.

Islamic Finance is a legitimate entity which offers shariah-compliant financial products as an alternative to conventional finan-

Muslim Views

Bashier Moosagie.

Photo SUPPLIED

cial products.

In most jurisdictions, the financial industry is regulated over and above other industries because finance can display failures that may have devastating effects on the economy.

So, like any other financial entity, Islamic Finance is bound by the same laws, including those pertaining to terrorism and money laundering.

The shariah condemns the illegal use of violence, especially against innocent victims.

As a matter of principle, Islamic Finance (IF) prohibits investment in any entity that transacts in the weapons and defence industries.

Conventional banking groups like ABSA, First National Bank and Standard Bank are among the larger providers of IF services.

Also, large prominent multinationals such as Nestle and Shell MDS have raised capital through IF offerings. That said, there is absolutely no prohibition against non-Muslims either consuming IF services or owning institutions that offer IF services. The sanction against the use of interest is common to Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism. The moral and ethical values promoted by IF may be valued by anyone, regardless of faith. Non-Muslim investors may also partake in the ethical restrictions that forbid Islamic involvement in sectors such as alcohol, pornography and gambling.

It is NOT just rebranded conventional finance It is not difficult to assume that IF is a replica of conventional finance, especially in terms of economic objectives for its con-

sumers. Because the distinction between IF and conventional finance is not obvious, critics disregard the differences. Nevertheless, IF is governed by fundamental principles that are starkly different from its counterpart. Interest, gambling and excessive risk/ ambiguity are some of the elements which are removed from IF products, making IF unique in its offering.

Though not completely unscathed, the resilience of Islamic finance in surviving the recent financial turmoil has attracted interest in its fundamental principles.

Islamic finance is NOT governed solely by the shariah When it comes to resolving disputes arising from IF contracts, shariah rules do not always apply.

Often, the issues in dispute are not relevant to shariah precepts; they concern civil and commercial rights and obligations as contracted by the parties. The interface between the shariah and civil or common law systems is bound to occur, especially in the global market context.

The oil boom did NOT give rise to IF While the rise in oil prices has been a catalyst for growth, the IF industry has delivered a steady 15-20 per cent growth since its start in the 1970s, even before global oil prices increased. Factors playing a role in IF growth, include: increasing awareness among the Muslim population; development of innovative shariah-compliant instruments adding an alternative to the market; diversification that caters to different market segments. A myth worth mentioning is that IF is the beginning of an era to replace the current financial system and, ultimately, bring about world dominance by Islam. The direct opposite is quite true; that, in fact, it goes against the teachings of Islam to be associated with such a material concept as world domination. Islam imparts that this world is a mere temporary abode and that the hereafter is actually permanent.

A simple comparison is the Halaal certification that has been around for aeons. Today, Halaal certification has permeated the world. Until now, no one has claimed that Halaal certification’s objective will see the departure of non-halaal food and lay the foundation for Islam’s world domination.

Basheer Moosagie is a business development analyst and volunteers as a consultant at Grow Movement, a UK-based NGO that helps to unlock the potential of entrepreneurship in Africa.

Muslim Views . February 2016

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Electric powered vehicles: energy of the future ASHREF ISMAIL

WITH the way technology keeps charging ahead, it will be a sad day when the conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) is replaced by battery electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) or conventional hybrids. But that’s the way the world is moving.

Advanced technology means ease of use, reduced costs and environmental friendliness. Also, no one can deny that, in the future, the availability of fossil fuel may be limited so electric power could be our only feasible, sustainable answer – if we can keep load-shedding down, that is.

About a decade ago, the only real mainstream hybrid effort from the major manufacturers was the bold Toyota Prius. While experiments with various electric motors and alternative fuels commenced almost from the advent of the motor car, oil companies were probably relieved that no real, viable solution was considered, until recently, that is.

I’m quite sure that they must be very concerned that, in the next decade or sooner, the population of electric or hybrid electric vehicles would have grown significantly and that the prospect of mothballing oil fields and refineries, resulting in the laying off of thousands of workers, will no longer be a faint, distant possibility.

Ashref Ismail, who shares monthly motoring news with Muslim Views’ Photo SUPPLIED readers.

Yes, folks, to a lesser or greater degree of success, besides diesel, we’ve had vehicles running on various alternative fuels such as liquid petroleum gas, methanol, ethanol, hydrogen and even paraffin!

The thing is that all these fuels powered the internal combustion engine and the reasons why they were not viable included the availability of the fuel concerned, the prohibitive costs, the cleanliness, the reliability and the overall performance efficacy.

Needless to say, it’s not like the oil cartels were going to just sit back and allow a multi-trillion

dollar industry to just be sidelined by some clever fuel alternative!

With the advent of the information age, the idea of an electric or hybrid electric vehicle started gaining momentum and, as mentioned earlier, Toyota showed everyone the way when, around ten years ago, they launched the Toyota Prius on a lease basis because the cost was just too high to see a return on your initial investment.

What ‘hybrid electric’ essentially means is that there is a combination of a petrol and an electric motor but it is important to note that these vehicles cannot be charged by a plug-in socket.

Instead, they are charged through regenerative braking that converts kinetic energy that is normally wasted or lost in conventional vehicles, into electricity, making them efficient by significantly reducing fuel consumption.

One of the highlights of this approach is that at town speeds of less than 50 km/h, the car will travel on electric power, emitting an eerie silence that often takes many pedestrians by surprise. Go faster than 50 km/h, out of town, for instance, and the conventional engine kicks in.

The downside of these electric/ hybrid engines is the increased weight and complexity of having two motors in a car, not to mention the additional costs of maintenance and overall wear and tear.

The initial purchase price is

Electric vehicles. The way the world is moving as seen through the development of the BMW i3 and i8.

Photo GOOGLE

also quite prohibitive to benefit from any reduced consumption.

The danger to pedestrians who might not hear the vehicle silently approaching can also not be ruled out, although no figures exist yet of the number of people injured or killed by electric cars.

The upside of this type of motors is the lowered fuel consumption, especially when covering the urban cycle, reduced exhaust emissions and a quieter ride at electric speeds.

Of course, everything depends on economies of scale – the more of anything that is produced, the less the purchase price. So, are people going to take to these types of vehicles and, if not, why not?

Since the Prius, almost every mainstream manufacturer boasts a hybrid or hybrid/ electric vehicle in their product line-up or has one currently under development.

What was most revealing was when BMW recently announced that, in a few years’ time, their 3 Series will consist entirely of hybrid motors!

Now that’s serious stuff: small capacity, high performance and lowered fuel consumption.

Who can resist, especially, since the 3 Series is sold in bucket loads globally and which should mean a realistically affordable vehicle.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

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Muslim Views . February 2016

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

BMW also launched two avant-garde models, the i3 city car and the futuristic i8 in South Africa to demonstrate just what is possible by thinking out of the fuel tank!

Early electric designs looked dreary, sad and lacking character.

Performance, too, was so-so and only Green Peace supporters and self-confessed Hollywood tree huggers were prepared to shell out exorbitant amounts for a ‘green’ vehicle.

The Tesla sports car has shown the motoring world that you can

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In the not too distant future, diehard motoring enthusiasts will probably only be able to view big capacity engines in motoring museums... be environmentally friendly, have a great sporty design and boast unbelievable performance figures and still not use a drop of petrol.

The Chevrolet Volt, sadly not available here, is another example of a stunning electric/ hybrid sedan covered in a gorgeous sedan body.

Nissan launched the Leaf which, like BMW’s i3 and i8, is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) meaning they have both, an electric and hybrid motor,

except that the PHEV can be charged by plugging into an outlet.

The main advantage is that PHEVs can substitute electricity for fuel which again will mean that apart from the relatively high initial purchase price and insurance costs, the only cost of running such a car will be the cost of charging its batteries.

For now, the biggest drawbacks of the battery electric vehicle (BEV) apart from those men-

tioned above are the limited range of the battery power and the lack of ‘charging stations’ (places where these vehicles can be charged). Of course, as time goes on, the infrastructure will improve and expand, making the electric option much more acceptable because, by then, the cost benefit advantages will become obvious as well.

In the not too distant future, diehard motoring enthusiasts will probably only be able to view big

capacity engines in motoring museums, and some of us are really going to miss the sound and performance of the turbo V8s of the AMGs, RS4s and M3s.

I know a guy who’s so into engine sounds that he records the high revving sounds of various motors under acceleration on his iPad. Maybe it’s time to release a special disc entitled: ‘The Forgotten Sounds of Motoring Nirvana’!

Muslim Views . February 2016

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My memories of the good old days in our VW Kombi

SAADIA KAMISH IN the 1960s, we decided to take our kids to Durban for the holidays. When we got there, it was unbearably hot. We drove to Isipingo where the bugs got hold of us.

This was too much and, the following day, we got into our Kombi and drove straight back to Cape Town.

On the way back, we had two

Saadia Kamish’s husband, Salie, washing the VW Kombi with which the family took a trip to Durban. They did not stay for long as the heat and bugs were too much for them. The trip home was not without incident as they experienced two blow-outs on their way back. Salie had to hitch a lift in the dark, leaving his wife and children behind while he went to look for a place to get the two tyres fixed.

Subsequently, the Kombi became Mom’s taxi, ferrying the Kamish children to school and back.

Photo SUPPLIED

blow-outs. First, it was the right front tyre. Because it happened at night, we decided to drive with the flat tyre, looking for a garage but then the left front tyre also blew. The only thing to do now was to get a lift.

My husband got a lift two hours later, and I waited in the Kombi with the kids in the dark.

He returned with two brand new tyres and we arrived home safely. What an experience!

The Kombi bus became ‘mom’s

Saadia Kamish’s late friend, Janap, and Saadia’s daughter, Sedicka, outside the Kamish home, in Mountview Estate, Cape Town. In the background, is the Kombi bakkie Salie, the writer’s husband, later bought to use for work. But, over weekends, the family enjoyed the comfort that the bakkie provided as they would use it as both a lounge and a kitchen whenever they decided to go on a long trip.

Photo SUPPLIED

taxi’, taking the kids to school.

We enjoyed every day with our Kombi.

Later, my husband got a Kombi bakkie to use for work.

We had great fun because the Kombi became our lounge, kitchen and miles and miles of happy driving.

The new Kombi is wonderful.

One of the things on my wish list

for 2016 is to get one from the J6 range.

Well done to the VW company – the best means of travel, comfort and driving (because I learnt to drive on ours). Well done to VW Kombi. My memories are in my old photo album 1960 to 1973.

Thanks and shukran to all those driving Kombis.

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Muslim Views . February 2016

Prof Esack heads world Quranic studies body PROFESSOR Farid Esack, the Head of the Department of Religion Studies at University of Johannesburg (UJ), was recently elected President of the International Qur’anic Studies Association. Muslim Views speaks to him about this honour and his internationally acclaimed scholarship on the Quran.

Can you tell us a bit more about the International Quranic Studies Association (IQSA)?

IQSA is a three-year-old organisation founded by a number of Quran scholars – most of them based in the global north.

Our headquarters is in Atlanta, in the USA. Other than our Journal of Quranic Studies and the Review of Qur’anic Studies, our major activities are firstly, our Annual Meeting which draws some of the biggest names in Quranic studies.

This meeting coincides with the Annual Meeting of the Society for Biblical Literature, and takes place in the United States. Secondly, every two years, we host an international meeting in a predominantly Muslim country. Last year we met in Indonesia.

What makes IQSA so unique, if it is that at all?

Well, it is very unique. Until the emergence of IQSA, there was no significant international platform where the two major streams of Quranic scholarship met. The one stream moves from the generally Muslim faith

Muslim Views

Professor Farid Esack, the Head of the Department of Religion Studies at University of Johannesburg, was recently elected President of the International Qur’anic Studies Association.

Photo CHARLENE LOUW

assumption that the Quran was shaped and completed over a period of roughly 23 years, and the other stream looks at the text from a far more critical and historical perspective.

The difference may be as huge as the difference between the idea of creation, on the one hand, and evolution on the other. In IQSA, we have the widest spectrum of scholarship on the Quran.

So how did you end up becoming the President of IQSA? Well, the question is best posed to the nominations committee which presents the name of the candidate to the Annual Meeting.

For the last year, I served as president-elect.

It is, of course, a singular honour, both to me personally but also as a South African. South Africans are doing pretty well internationally, in the field of Islamic Studies.

I have published extensively on the Quran and my work has been translated into a number of foreign languages.

One of the great things about scholarship is the more you learn, the more you become aware of the vastness of the ocean of knowledge and, thus, of your own ignorance. I would be the last one to claim that my work on the Quran is consequential. Many of my peers seem to think so.

In looking at IQSA, which, you say, comprises scholars who do not work from the belief assumptions of Muslims, how do you, as a Muslim, juggle these different balls?

Well, the academy is a strange place. It is a place of constant tension.

It does not claim to affirm faith nor does it seek to destroy faith. It is a place of critical thinking and the pursuit of knowledge and this is what connects all of us in IQSA. I think that we have gone beyond the stage where we believe that anyone who shows an interest in Islam and the Quran can only have one of two motives; either they want to become a

Muslim or they want to learn our secrets in order to destroy. There are numerous scholars who genuinely love the Quran and studies related to it, without feeling the need to become Muslim. As a Muslim, I may feel sad about this; as a scholar though, I get excited about all learning.

What has been the focus of your work on the Quran?

My most popular work is probably my Introduction to the Qur’an, which has been republished virtually every year since it first came out about 14 years ago and which I am currently revising.

My Qur’an, Liberation and Pluralism, is considered the seminal and, to date, the most pertinent work on how to read the Quran through the lenses of the marginalised.

It is arguably still the ‘go to’ text for Islamic Liberation Theology. In the last few years, I have continued to work and deliver lectures across the globe on the Quran and socio-economic justice. This year, I hope to have my next book coming out on this subject.

For many of us you are better known as an activist. Abroad you seem to be more known for your scholarship and academic work.

What are you really?

I am not sure, and I am comfortable with this uncertainty.

Sometimes I feel that I am an academic masquerading as an activist and, at other times, I feel that I am an activist masquerading as an academic. I am a lover of the Quran and I am a lover of social and economic justice. How genuine a lover am I? I leave that answer to Allah.

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Muslim Views . February 2016

A short history of the 222-year old Auwal Mosque Dr ESHAAM PALMER

WITH a sense of history and achievement, Auwal Mosque, in Dorp Street, Cape Town, celebrates its 222 years of existence.

It has the honour of being the first mosque established in the southern hemisphere.

Auwal Mosque has a rich spiritual and cultural background and was a pioneer in keeping Islam vibrant and growing in the Cape Town area. It is the forerunner of the ten mosques in the BoKaap, a predominantly Muslim dormitory town.

Tuan Guru Imam Abdullah ibn Qadi Abdus Salaam, Tuan Guru (mister teacher), was a prince from Tidore, an island which is part of the Indonesian archipelago. He is a descendant of the sultan of Morocco who, in turn, is a descendant of the Prophet (SAW).

In 1780, the Dutch authorities banished him to Robben Island for 12 years, accusing him of conspiring to resist the Dutch occupation of Indonesia. While on Robben Island, he wrote, by hand, a few full versions of the Quran, one of which is housed in Auwal Mosque. Tuan Guru married Khadija van de Kaap and had two sons, Abdul Rakiep and Abdul Rauf, both of whom became important religious leaders in the Muslim community.

He also wrote a book on Islamic jurisprudence titled Ma’rifah al-Islam wa al-Iman, which was the main source of reference for doctrines like taqdir (predetermination), iradah (the Will of Allah), taqwah (piety), all linked to qada (judgment of Allah) and

The interior of Auwal Mosque, the oldest mosque in South Africa, situated in Dorp Street, Bo-Kaap, has been substantially revamped and one of the Qurans handwritten, from memory, by Imam Abdullah ibn Qadi Abdus Salaam – also known as Tuan Guru – is on display in a casing built into the wall, on the left in the photograph.

Photo TOYER NAKIDIEN

qadar (Decree of Allah). In terms of this doctrine, even a slave could become an imam as differences between people were not on the basis of social standing but on degrees of piety.

First madrasah in South Africa On his settlement in Dorp Street, in 1793, Tuan Guru established the first madrasah in the southern hemisphere, in a warehouse. His request for permission to establish a mosque was refused but, undaunted, he held an openair jumuah in a disused quarry in Chiappini Street. His madrasah developed into a key institution for the dissemination of Islamic religious studies and culture for slaves and free blacks living in Cape Town. The madrasah was open to all, irrespective of race or social standing and the imams conducted lessons in Afrikaans.

Starting with a few students, the number grew rapidly and, soon, a mosque was needed to serve the growing Muslim community.

The teaching method at the madrasah was the rote method, learning by heart, and using a koples boek (book of lessons to be memorised) in which lessons were recorded for rote learning at home. The student would receive a new lesson once the last lesson in the koples boek was memorised. By 1825, the student population had increased to 491 due to its influence on slaves and the free black community. Tuan Guru’s book, especially the part dealing with the sunusiyyah (20 sifaat) was the main source of education at the madrasah.

Auwal Mosque Construction on Auwal Mosque commenced in 1794 on land donated by Saartjie van den Kaap, who had inherited the property from her mother. Coridon van Ceylon had purchased two properties in Dorp Street and was the first Muslim to own properties in Cape Town. After his death, his wife, Trijn van de

The mosque name, Auwal Masjid, and date it was established appears above the entrance to the mosque, in Dorp Street, Bo-Kaap.

Photo TOYER NAKIDIEN

Kaap, inherited the properties as stated in his will. She eventually sold the properties to her daughter, Saartjie van den Kaap.

Saartjie van den Kaap donated the land for the building of the mosque, which increased in size in 1807. The building of a mihrab altered the old warehouse into a mosque.

After the demise of the first imam of the mosque, Tuan Guru, in 1807, Saartjie van den Kaap’s husband, Achmad van Bengal, assumed the position of imam.

The position of imam was held by a descendent of Tuan Guru until 1980, when Gasan Achmat, the last descendent imam passed away.

During 1807, there was a dispute amongst the mureeds (congregants) as to who would become the next imam, which was eventually resolved by a group of the mureeds establishing Palm Tree Mosque, in Long Street, from what was originally a dwelling. Soebhanallah, Allah (SWT) used a negative situation to result in the founding of a second mosque in Cape Town.

Many imams, including Abdol Bassier, Abdol Barrie and Shaikh Salie Abadi have since held the position of imam at the mosque, which became a symbol of the struggle of Muslim slaves and free blacks to practice Islam in an environment which was conducive to its growth and development. By 1842, Islam was the religion of about a third of the inhabitants of Cape Town. Auwal Mosque was the leading light in the propagation of Islam for many years after its establishment. It was founded by a great leader and educator, Tuan Guru, and for many years kept alive the remembrance of Allah, the teachings of the Quran and the Prophet (SAW) and the many cultural practices prevalent in Cape Town, like rampies sny, doopmal (babynaming ceremony) and kersopstiek (lighting of candles on the night of Nishfi Shabaan).

Under the current imamate of Shaikh Ismail Londt and Moulana Mohammad Carr, Auwal Mosque is once again one of the leading lights of Islam in Cape Town, keeping alive the Quran and Sunnah, with regular dhikr evenings and madrasah classes, carrying on the tradition of Auwal Mosque, which began 222 years ago.

Muslim Views

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Muslim Views . February 2016

Flat earth, paper religion and the Quranic concept of halaal KHADIJA SHARIFE WE laugh at it now but once, the overwhelming majority believed the earth was flat. Perhaps there were exceptions; people who thought there must be something beyond what the eye can see. But the masses were taught and lived as if the edge of the ocean slipped into the end of all things.

Not the Quran. The earth, while ‘spread out’, is ‘rolling’ in motion and form. The Arabic for ‘rolling’ is ‘yakkawir’, derived from ‘kurah’ (ball), denoting a rounded shape. But the word for ball is never used.

Why not?

According to NASA, the near perfection of the earth’s sphere is marred slightly by its spinning motion, creating a slight bulging at the equator and polar flattening.

The scientific meaning denoted an order or ‘inner truth’ – a message aimed at every mind, and, in particular, the scholar, the maritime explorer, the oceanographer, past and present – those who sought to learn, to discover, to create; and, in that process, ibada (worship) is born in its purest sense.

Far from being the end of the earth, the call to knowledge and reason is not only what separates the substance of Islamic faith

But ‘tayyib’ is not limited to what we consume: just as the Quran must be read in context and with reflection so must ‘halaal’ and ‘tayyib’ – rarely mentioned in a verse in separation. It is the process from which a thing is produced, created, developed and, in the case of animals, raised. Thus, over and over again, the Quran tells us that the definition of lawful is ‘pure’: ‘Today, all the good things of life have been made lawful to you.’ from any other but was a driving force behind the advancement of civilisation for the benefit of all mankind.

But the light has dimmed.

These days, the world is us and them.

They are ‘bad’ because they don’t pray and they eat pork. We are ‘good’ because we don’t eat pork and we pray. Reason is absent, mocked, oppressed and diminished, replaced by rituals and fear.

Islam is a closed box, frozen in time.

Others have led in knowledge and risk and reason, for better or worse – better because they are without the ignorance that characterises the Muslims of today; and worse because the brilliance of the ‘other’ is without reverence of the cosmos, God’s created ayah.

The community that stands before God, prostrating, are but mindless – and yes, dummies of the message that we no longer bother to heed, let alone read.

The Quran’s ayah, or written verses, cannot be understood

without the natural world – a journey, whether physical or intellectual, marked by reverence.

Indeed, the other meaning of ‘ayah’ is signs and symbols. The created cosmos is the landscape in which the signs of Allah are manifested as recorded in the Book.

Much of the problem rests with those defining what is defined as lawful and unlawful.

We’re commanded to follow Halaal, in particular through the ‘Halaal stamp’ and yet, from a Quranic perspective, much of what is labelled ‘halaal’ is actual-

ly haraam, specifically the animal flesh that has been produced in cruel and toxic environments to their bodies and souls, and our own.

Living in their waste, unable to move, pumped with hormones and carcinogens, these animals are considered ‘halaal’ provided someone with a beard has slashed their necks, using the name of God. What has not been properly investigated or unpacked is the Quranic concept of ‘halaal’. The Quran tells us, ‘They will ask you as to what is lawful (halaal) to them. Say: “Lawful to you are all the good (tayyib) things of life.”’

Essentially, what is lawful or halaal is the equivalent of ‘tayyib’ or good and pure.

But ‘tayyib’ is not limited to what we consume: just as the Quran must be read in context and with reflection so must ‘halaal’ and ‘tayyib’ – rarely mentioned in a verse in separation. It is the process from which a thing is produced, created, developed and, in the case of animals, raised. Thus, over and over again, the Quran tells us that the definition of lawful is ‘pure’: ‘Today, all the good things of life have been made lawful to you.’

CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

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Muslim Views . February 2016 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14

Also made clear is that, ‘the food of those who have been vouchsafed before revelation is lawful to you,’ provided it is good and pure, and not specifically forbidden (carrion, pork and intoxicants). Where we have not directly killed the food that is good and pure (tayyib) and therefore lawful (halaal), we are commanded, ‘but mention God’s name over it and remain conscious of God.’ We are directly warned never to create artificial divisions ascribed to God: ‘Have you ever considered all the means of sustenance which God has bestowed upon you from on high, and which you thereupon divide into ‘things forbidden’ and ‘things lawful’? Say: “Has God given you leave [to do this] or do you, perchance, attribute your own guesswork to God?”’ It is, in fact, zabiha that refers to the mentioning of God’s name over the animal during the process of killing, not halaal which speaks to the broader systemic way of living.

We learn, through various exhortations, of God’s mercy, justice and power, that we are not allowed to betray or transgress the trust or ‘waqf’ of Allah or his creation – the living ayah. ‘This she-camel belonging to God shall be a token for you: so leave her alone to pasture on God’s earth, and do her no harm, lest grievous chastisement befalls you,’ – thus the tribe of Thamud and the powerful trading city of Petra, fell. The she-camel, of course, is a metaphor, as is the fall, symbolising the arrogance and indifference of mankind to the vulnerable, visible only as commodities.

It is no less than a destruction of God’s sacred ayah when we consume what is neither good nor

These days, we have left reflection and knowledge behind for a piece of chicken produced from profit-mongering companies, approved by a bearded man or two who says it is okay. pure; when we exploit and brutalise for our own sustenance – even though consumption of carcinogen-high flesh increases our own risk to cancer; when we deny God’s waqf the right to pasture on God’s earth in the ways that He intended before we consume.

If, as Muslims, our reverence is more than ritual, it is our responsibility to consume that which is closest to tayyib – free-range animal flesh, where we have means, and, where we do not, to abstain entirely to ensure that the system’s standard is the absolute highest in mercy and justice; and to drastically decrease our consumption of the same, that we may ‘tread lightly on the earth’.

If we have businesses invested in the production or sale of food that is impure and against the mercy of God, we must leave that business behind or transform it and the culture around us. We know this is the command because God tells us in no uncertain terms that to ‘be just – that is closest to being God-conscious’.

But, if we fail to do so and continue along the unconscious path we are going, we are deniers of God’s truth – the essence of the word ‘kufr’, often wrongly interpreted as ‘unbeliever’.

These days, we have left reflection and knowledge behind for a piece of chicken produced from profit-mongering companies, approved by a bearded man or two who says it is okay.

And once again, the earth is flat.

This is not Islam – far from it.

Khadija Sharife is a researcher

and writer based in South Africa.

Her most recent article investigated $11,5 billion in tax avoidance

on the part of Coca-Cola through intangible capital. She has contributed to Forbes, Economist,

London Review of Books, Africa Confidential and other publications.

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Muslim Views . February 2016

The nuanced narratives in the legacy of Shaikh Yusuf The mention of the inspiration Nelson Mandela drew from Shaikh Yusuf was almost a refrain at every meeting. Indonesian politicians, academics and business leaders alike joined the names of the two icons in building rapport with the South Africans. In this second part of the series on the Back to Your Roots tour to Indonesia, from December 16, 2015 to January 1, 2016, MAHMOOD SANGLAY explores some aspects of the narratives of Shaikh Yusuf’s legacy.

IN November 1997, President Nelson Mandela walked alongside General Suharto, of Indonesia, one of the past century’s most brutal dictators, and ascended the stony steps leading to the shrine of Shaikh Yusuf of Macassar, outside Cape Town. The two leaders paid homage to a shared national hero.

Just over two months later, in January 1998 – and four months before Suharto’s dictatorship ended in a bloody revolt – Mandela addressed a gathering at Eidul-Fitr, in Johannesburg. In this speech, he recognised Shaikh Yusuf as a ‘freedom fighter and leader from the Indonesian island’.

Mandela’s direct acknowledgement of anyone as his source of inspiration was in his reference to another figure, Shaikh Matura, whose shrine was a revered presence for the political prisoners on Robben Island.

Shaikh Matura, who died in 1740, resisted the enslavement and colonisation of his people.

Beginning in the late 1600s, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) used Robben Island for the incarceration of those opposing colonial rule.

Shaikh Yusuf, who died in 1699, also resisted the Dutch colonisers. The two 17th-century spiritual leaders share a common political struggle.

And Mandela had already claimed Shaikh Yusuf as a forefather of the liberation struggle in South Africa.

This portrait of Shaikh Yusuf, photographed in the Balla Lompoa Museum, in Makassar, depicts one of few such images, representing an artist’s impression of the shaikh. The name of the artist and date of the portrait are unknown.

Photo MAHMOOD SANGLAY

This image of the grave of Shaikh Yusuf in Makassar, South Sulawesi, was erected after his remains were said to have been repatriated from the Cape to Makassar in 1705. Standing next to it is Hajji Mansyur Daeng Liong, the custodian of the shrine.

Photo MAHMOOD SANGLAY

Similarly, Suharto had also already declared Shaikh Yusuf Tajul Khalwati, a national hero of Indonesia.

In addition, eight years after Mandela hosted Suharto, President Thabo Mbeki, in a visit to Indonesia in 2005, declared that the site occupied by Shaikh Yusuf’s shrine was being designated a national monument.

Over a decade later, the site is still not a national monument.

Indonesian media, in September 2014, reported that the Ambassador to Indonesia, Pakamisa Augustine Sifuba, announced the erection of the statues of Mandela and Shaikh Yusuf in Makassar, Indonesia, and in South Africa.

This was to commemorate twenty years of diplomatic relations between the two nations. Nothing has materialised from this announcement either.

The Back to Your Roots tour took us to Makassar on December 26 where we met Makassar’s mayor, Moh. Ramdhan Pomanto.

Without making any reference to the announcement of the South African ambassador in 2014, Mayor Pomanto proceeded to announce his intention to undertake a similar project, with quite a notable difference. He wants to add a third historical figure, that of Mohandas Gandhi. His vision was of a triumvirate of human rights heroes, Shaikh Yusuf flanked by Mandela and Gandhi.

(Below) We were introduced to several descendants of Shaikh Yusuf, in Banten and Makassar. Saarah Jappie, left, a Ph.D candidate at Princeton University researching the ‘history-making’ of Shaikh Yusuf, is seated next to Djamaluddin Aziz Paramma Daeng Djaga, a descendant of Shaikh Yusuf from his wife in Jeddah, Andi Kumala Idjo (recognised as King of Gowa), and Sahib Sultan Daeng Nompo, a ninth-generation descendant of Shaikh Yusuf from his wife in Ceylon.

Photo MAHMOOD SANGLAY

Muslim Views

The mayor seemed quite chuffed with the idea, and added that Gandhi was also inspired by Shaikh Yusuf. But when asked for the source of this information he could not support the claim. And he appeared more reticent about Gandhi when I intimated that Gandhi’s reputation as human rights activist is a contested one, both in India and in South Africa.

In India, Gandhi’s efforts to undermine the Dalit’s liberation struggle against the caste system, a struggle championed by his contemporary B R Ambedkar, are brought to light in the writings of Indian writer and activist Arundhati Roy. In South Africa, Gandhi’s reputation as an anti-apartheid activist are debunked by the scholars Ashwin Desai and Goolam Vahed, who uncover a decidedly racist figure, dedicated to parochial Indian interests as opposed to a broader human rights agenda.

Roy, Desai and Vahed are presumably well aware of the need for deconstructing the myth of Gandhi in understanding psychological, cultural or societal truths.

In the case of Shaikh Yusuf, there is no such interrogation of his stature and reputation.

But the narrative of Shaikh Yusuf as a historical figure is key in the construction of national, cultural and religious identities in Indonesia and South Africa.

Not many South Africans know there is a shrine of Shaikh Yusuf in Makassar, Indonesia.

It houses an actual grave, and raises the question: If Shaikh Yusuf died and lies buried in Faure, near Cape Town, South Africa, why is there another tomb in Indonesia?

Valuable assistance in answering such questions was offered by Saarah Jappie, a South Africanborn Ph.D candidate at Princeton University researching the ‘history-making’ of Shaikh Yusuf. Jappie was also a fellow traveller on the Back to Your Roots tour.

The answer is that, according to Azyumardi Azra in The Origins of Islamic Reformism in Southeast Asia, published in 2004, 17th century VOC sources state that the remains of Shaikh Yusuf were repatriated and arrived in Gowa in 1705, along with that of his followers.

According to a mythical account, only Shaikh Yusuf’s finger was repatriated and that, during the journey by sea, the finger grew until the complete body of the shaikh was regenerated.

Another, less popular, fabulous account is that Shaikh Yusuf’s father was the Prophet Khidr.

Scholars disagree on whether Shaikh Yusuf returned to Gowa, South Sulawesi or whether he settled in Banten.

Azra concurs with South African scholar Suleman Dangor (author of Shaykh Yusuf, in 1982) who says it is more plausible he returned to Banten.

Other scholars disagree.

We met several descendants of Shaikh Yusuf in Banten and in Makassar. Jappie confirms that a silsilah (genealogical record) is held by various families but says these are not independently verified.

There are, however, no reports of conflicting or contested claims to the lineage of Shaikh Yusuf.

The essentials about Shaikh Yusuf’s legacy as seeker of knowledge and as resistance fighter against Dutch colonialism remain uncontested.

His scholarly pursuits extend from Gowa to India, Yemen, Makkah, Madinah, Damascus and Istanbul for over two decades, from circa 1644 to 1664.

During this period, he acquired learning in the religious sciences as well as spiritual disciplines from several great teachers across these regions.

Although he actively led 4 000 guerilla fighters in resistance against the Dutch for less than a year till December 1683, his struggle took on the form of establishing a vibrant Muslim community as an exile, first in Ceylon, for almost a decade.

His influence there also frustrated the Dutch who then banished him to the Cape in 1693.

He arrived at the Cape on April 2, 1694, at the age of 68.

After only five years, he again established a vibrant community of Muslims in Zandvliet, now known as Macassar, till his death in 1699.

Muslim Views was sponsored as media on the Back to Your Roots tour to Indonesia. The reports in this series are, however, written independently.

(Below) This shrine of Shaikh Yusuf is located in Katangka Village, bordering on the Gowa regency. It is reputedly the most popular tomb visited in Gowa. Apart from his legacy as an opponent of Dutch rule, Shaikh Yusuf is also celebrated as a religious reformer in Gowa.

Photo MAHMOOD SANGLAY

Muslim Views . February 2016

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Sanzaf appointed to international zakaah body MAHMOOD SANGLAY

TWO members of the South African National Zakah Fund (Sanzaf) attended an international one-day zakaah seminar at University of Sudan, in Khartoum, on January 25.

The seminar was attended by representatives from 17 countries.

Moulana Hassiem Cassiem and Moulana Irshad Amod are represented on a new organisation called the International Zakah Union. Moulana Cassiem was appointed Executive on the Board of Trustees and Moulana Amod is a member of the Board of Operations.

The purpose of the new body is to create uniform international standards for the calculation, management and distribution of zakaah, and to ensure that relevant scholarly opinion is posited

Moulana Hassiem Cassiem, pictured left, together with Moulana Irshad Amod, represented Sanzaf at the International Zakah Union, in Khartoum, Sudan. The two ulama were respectively appointed to the union’s Board of Trustees and Board of Operations.

Photo SAKEENA BOCK

in instances where there is no precedent.

Moulana Cassiem told Muslim Views that there is international

interest in Sanzaf’s model of zakaah collection and distribution and its unique programmes.

In particular, he referred to the Sanzaf Education Empowerment and Development (SEED) programme.

This programme succeeds in transforming people who are aiddependent into self-sufficient and independent professionals or entrepreneurs with the means to pay zakaah.

Sudan expressed an interest in adopting the SEED programme model.

Delegates at the seminar also viewed Sanzaf’s governance structure as a model that may inform governance of zakaah organisa-

tions in other countries.

They were particularly interested in Sanzaf’s success of building, over decades, a culture of voluntary zakaah payment in a Muslim-minority environment.

In some Muslim countries, the payment of zakaah is compelled by law and is enforced.

However, Sanzaf appears to be unique in its successful management of a voluntary zakaah payment system.

Moulana Cassiem said Sanzaf’s programme of zakaah education through workshops and seminars had created a culture of voluntary zakaah payment. In 2015, Sanzaf had collected R100 million in zakaah.

THE Consul-General (CG) of Indonesia, Abdul Rachman Dudung, met with members of the Tana Baru Trust on January 30, 2016, at the Hilton Hotel, in Bo-Kaap. According to Abdul Muhaimin Bassier, secretary of the Tana Baru Trust, the CG expressed an interest in the accurate recording of the history relating to the pioneers of Islam at the Cape, particularly that of Tuan Guru, Shaikh Yusuf and Tuan Nuruman, also known as Paay Schaapie. The office of the CG told Muslim Views that the CG called the meeting to discuss the proposed development of the burial site as a memorial to Tuan Guru and the other early pioneers, with the support of the Indonesian government. The CG undertook to convey the idea of such a development project to the Indonesian Foreign Ministry and the North Maluku local government, the Indonesian province of which Tuan Guru is a descendant. In addition, the CG’s office said it awaits a formal proposal for the development project from the Tana Baru Trust in order to facilitate such a project before his term of office ends in March this year. Pictured, from left, are the delegates who were present at the meeting: Fatima Behardien (trustee), Dr Mohamed Aadil Bassier (chairperson), Moegamat Hartley, Abdul Muhaimin Bassier (secretary), His Excellency Abdul Rachman Dudung (CG of Indonesia), Akbar Khalfe (treasurer) and Sadiq Photo SUPPLIED Toffa (trustee).

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Muslim Views . February 2016

Muslim Views . February 2016

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The meaning of ‘economy’ or ‘economics’: Part Two ADI SETIA

IN the wake of the 2007-2009 financial and economic meltdown, a lot of intellectual and practical work is being done in the area of monetary and economic reform. In this regard, the work of the UK-based New Economics Foundation, for instance, is exemplary and rigorous, and warrants critical attention by all concerned; and we may also cite the work of the global Islamic Gift Economy (IGE) network.

To set such constructive reform work in a larger conceptual context or discursive framework, we briefly revisit the meaning of the term ‘economy’ or ‘economics’, which, I think, has been much abused and corrupted in the modern, secular and reductionist, and largely moribund academic discipline of economics and finance.

In part one, we looked at economy as household management, economy and ecology as stewardship of the extended household, and economy as the seeking of what is judicious.

We continue the discussion by looking at the transcendent purpose of economy, and conclude by redefining economy.

Economy and transcendent purpose Another meaning of the term ‘qasd’ is ‘goal, aim, objective and purpose’, and, morphologically, the term ‘iqtisad’, which is

derived from ‘qasd’, has the meaning of ‘seeking out the purpose of something’.

For believers, the idea here is that there is a transcendent ethico-moral purpose (grounded in divine revelation) in anything that we do or seek in this temporal life. By ‘transcendent’ is meant that a worldly, material or physical thing is not sought for its own sake but in virtue of an ethicomoral and, ultimately, eschatological objective that transcends its immediate temporality and materiality.

Therefore, a worldly thing of facility is sought only insofar and to the extent it serves and facilitates some deeper, transworldly purpose, and such a positively purposive seeking is prudent and judicious since it pre-empts excess, waste and injustice (to oneself or others).

Because the aim, objective,

purpose and end of any economic activity is well-defined in the light of the guidance of both sound reason and true revelation, anything that belies or defeats that purpose will be considered wasteful and meaningless, even sinful, and thereby, ethically and morally proscribed.

Hence, consumption, for instance, cannot be for its own sake but for provisioning one’s family and dependents, and, by extension, the wider community through the recirculation of surplus for the common good so as to create that socio-cultural environment promotive of personal and communal devotion to God. Thus, al-Ghazali (d. 1111 CE) says, ‘This worldly life is the seedbed of the afterlife,’ for every worldly deed has everlasting eschatological significance and hence, consequences. We may also cite al-Muhasibi (d. 243/857) to further illustrate this clear sense of ethico-moral direction – in which temporal objectives are and intimately inseparably embedded into everlasting purpose – underlying and guiding the economic domain of life: ‘Therefore, when you wish to go to your market or do something for your livelihood or take up a craft or become an agent or engage in some other vocations in order to seek the licit and to imitate the practice of Allah’s Messenger – Allah bless him and grant him peace – and to seek recompense for yourself and your

dependents, to earn provision for them, and in order to be independent of people while showing compassion to brethren and neighbours, and to pay the obligatory alms and discharge every obligatory right then hold out hope through these efforts that you shall meet Allah – glorified and exalted be He – while your countenance is as the moon on the night when it is full. (Kitab alMakasib wa al-War = Book of Livelihoods and Scrupulousness)

Re-defining the economy We have defined this ‘purposive economy’ (which we call the Islamic Gift Economy) as ‘the provisioning and sharing – by mutual giving and receiving through fair social and commercial exchange – of natural and cultural abundance for realising material and spiritual wellbeing’.

This definition takes into consideration that the world and humankind are not only material or physical in nature but, more fundamentally, they are also spiritual and have a higher, metaphysical significance.

They serve a cognitive and moral purpose that transcends their immediate physicality, sensuality and temporality, namely, a purpose which is indicative of a higher, more encompassing reality from which they have originated, on which they are dependent, in which they are embedded, and to which they are responsive and ultimately accountable.

We have here both an economy of the world and an economy of the soul, an economy of the worldly life and an economy of the afterlife – an economy of the material in the service of the economy of the spiritual.

Conclusion The term ‘islah’ in the title of the classical text Islah al-Mal (Restoration of Wealth) by Ibn Abi al-Dunya means ‘rectification and restoration’, which is to put right what is wrong and to make whole, productive and purposive again what has been fragmented, corrupted and rendered meaningless.

So, the purpose of the book and its author – as is so obvious from its title – is to restore or reinstate the original holistic, integrative and purposive understanding of wealth and its economic (i.e. qasdi = judicious) management and stewardship.

This understanding goes a long way towards redefining and redirecting the modern science of economics away from its current obsession with meaningless, purposeless growth and contrived, artificial scarcity towards again showing true concern for the judicious acquisition and disposition of wealth for material and spiritual wellbeing.

Adi Setia is Associate Professor at CASIS-UTM, and General Coordinator at Islamic Gift Economy Academy & Advisory (IGE-AA)

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Muslim Views . February 2016

State of the Nation 2016: An orphan’s perspective Alinah Mabaso is an orphan, living in a rural community in the south of Johannesburg. She is one of millions of ordinary South Africans who listened to President Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation address. This is her response.

I LISTENED intently to President Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation address, on Thursday, February 11, 2016. His speech – themed ‘Following up on our commitments to the people’ – was a look back on government’s achievements over the past year.

I sat listening to his address, huddled near a radio in a shack that I share with my six brothers and sisters. President Zuma reaffirmed government’s commitment of investing in our country so that it becomes a better place for all.

As an orphan living in South Africa, that ideal has not yet been realised and, as such, I would like to bring a few pertinent issues to your attention.

South Africa has one of the highest orphan rates in the world.

According to Unicef, there are an estimated 3,7 million orphans in South Africa – close to half of them have lost their parents to Aids-related diseases, and there are many more children living with sick and bedridden caregivers.

About 150 000 children are believed to be living in childheaded households. I am one of these children.

Both my mother and grandmother died due to HIV/Aidsrelated illnesses, leaving me to

In her response to President Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation address, Alinah Mabaso decries the fact that he did not mention the plight of orphans in South Africa who, according to Unicef estimates, number 3,7 million. Photo SUPPLIED

care for my four siblings and my sister’s children.

In our squatter camp, we are fortunate to have access to clean

water. There is a communal tap, shared amongst no less than ten other households. We often have to queue for hours to get a chance

(Top): Guest speaker Shaikh Fakhruddin Owaisi, pictured here with Moulana Ismail Hoosain Mahatey and the principal of CTIEC, Moulana Sayed Imraan Shah Ziyaee, addressed more than a thousand people who attended the Grand Moulood at Masjidul Kareem Centre, in Eagle Park, on Sunday, January 31. Organised by the Cape Town Islamic Educational Centre (CTIEC), the event started with a march (bottom photo) through Eagle Park, in honour of Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

Photo CTIEC Muslim Views

to fill up our buckets and water bottles because of the volume of people in need of this basic necessity.

Food is a problem for our family. There were many days and nights when we forced ourselves to go to bed on an empty stomach because we did not have any money to buy bread. Although our neighbours and some elders in the community tried to help us, I often felt very guilty accepting their kind gestures because I knew they too were struggling.

The loss of my parents and grandmother has been traumatic.

I had to grow up very fast because we lost our caregivers, our protectors. My siblings had to walk very far to school on their own and I feared that they would be abused and exploited.

I could go on for days describing the conditions we are living in; but I always believed that God had a greater plan for us all.

Today, I am working as a lifestyle advisor at the Osizweni Centre, in Ennerdale, teaching vulnerable people how to live healthier lives.

It was through the support of organisations such as Islamic Relief South Africa (IRSA) that I was able to lift my family out of poverty. With the guidance and support of their trained community care workers, I found the strength to complete my education while caring for my siblings.

Our household is also fortunate because the younger children are rights holders (beneficiaries) of Islamic Relief’s 1-2-1 Orphan

Sponsorship programme.

Through this programme, our household receives a monthly food hamper with the basic essentials we need to survive, and the children’s school fees are subsidised.

President Zuma did not mention what government is doing to alleviate the plight of orphaned and vulnerable children in South Africa.

While I understand that we are a ‘minority’, I often hear our country’s leadership talk about us – the youth – as the future leaders of this country.

My concern is that if we are not on the government’s development agenda then who is truly championing our cause?

The media keeps telling us that racism and inequality are the root causes of South Africa’s social problems, which we will ‘never’ overcome; but I disagree.

My family and I have lived through some of the worst experiences.

We survived thanks to the help of organisations like Islamic Relief and their donors who work in communities to bring relief to those most in need.

I have learnt that we need to work together to achieve ‘true democracy and freedom’, ideals which Madiba so strongly advocated. Thanks to Islamic Relief and its donors, I have my dignity and I pledge to continue working with my neighbours so that they, too, can overcome this vicious cycle of poverty.

God bless you!

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

‘This was a man’

WE are grateful to Toyer Nakidien for his article on the late Hajji Isgaak Agherdien (MV, January 2016) where he gave us a few glimpses into his early life. Rightfully so, the opening paragraph describes him as one of Cape Town’s revered elders.

He was probably a little more than that.

I first met him in about 1995 when, while I was on the organising committee of Radio 786, he was introduced to us by none other than Imam Achmad Cassiem who recommended him as someone who had done some broadcasting in Zambia.

He was put in charge of would-be presenters to tutor them in microphone technique, voice training and proper pronunciation. This included members of this committee. It soon dawned on everybody that, coming from a Shakespearian background, he was a strict tutor if not a martinet.

He also auditioned new applicants but instead of rolling his eyes as recounted by Nakidien, he had, by now, developed a withering stare if the hapless hopeful spoke in a Capey accent instead of the Queen’s English.

I remonstrated to him on one occasion that we were developing a community radio station not training for the Old Vic (the Shakespearian theatre in London).

After this, he mellowed somewhat and his classes became very popular and sought after, and he was soon recognised as a master in his field of speech and drama. Even today, the standard which he inculcated in the radio is still upheld.

He is also credited with producing a few radio plays, which were largely his effort.

He was an erudite and cultured man and appreciated good music as well.

He was a man who did not brook mediocrity. But beneath the serious and sometimes witty exterior, he was a yoga teacher as well which he taught us also. These lessons were also eagerly sought after. And all this made us better and tension-free individuals.

But I would like to come to what, to me, was his most outstanding trait.

Here was a man who was at peace with himself and his Maker. Mention was made of his Hajj. He also made Umrah on more than one occasion.

When one spoke to Hajji Isgaak, one became aware of a deep spirituality and of a heart which overflowed with ‘human kindness’.

This was not made more obvious than when I met him in Mecca on one such occasion. The humility and joy on his face was evident. Imagine my pleasant surprise when that Sunday morning he came over to our hotel with a dish in his hands. What was in it? Hot sugared koesisters, of course.

May Allah grant him Jannah for that and may Allah comfort his Hajja Fatima in the knowledge that ‘this was a man’.

Dr Fahmi Williams Cape Town

‘Condolences to the Soofie family’

IT was with a great sense of shock and sadness that I, and members of Muslim Vision 2020, learnt on January 18, 2016, of the passing away in Makkah of Hadhrat Saied Bhai Soofie.

We join the Muslim community of South Africa in expressing our condolences to the Soofie family. However, after the initial shock, we sought solace in the fact that Saied Bhai was especially blessed to breathe his last and find his resting place among the pious in the holy city of Makkah.

Over several generations, the descendants of Hadhrat Soofie Sahib have with singular commitment, carried out his mission. This mission is defined by service to humanity irrespective of race, colour or creed, in a humane, passionate, non-judgmental, tolerant manner.

Saied Bhai exemplified these characteristics par excellence. His brand of quiet, smiling, leadership and serene demeanour will be sorely missed not only by the Muslim community but all who had the good fortune to come into contact with him.

We know that those to whom the responsibility has now fallen will be inspired by his example to continue the Soofie tradition and legacy in the same manner.

May Allah grant him Jannatul Firdous and the Soofie family sabr-ejameel.

Inna Lillahi wa inna Ilaihi raajioon.

Ebrahim Osman Muslim Vision 2020 Chairperson Sherwood, Durban

We need to fight racism SOUTH Africa is a blessed and beautiful country. I feel privileged to be a citizen of this country.

I was too young to witness and understand the struggles our country faced during apartheid but I remember very well the massive celebration after the first general elections in 1994. People were full of joy and hope.

Yes, we can’t ignore the fact that our country has achieved a lot since 1994. In 2009, I visited Freedom Park for the first time. It’s in Pretoria, my hometown. The park aims to give visitors a broad perspective of the history of Mzansi while acknowledging all the people who struggled and died for humanity, equality and freedom.

South Africa has 21 years since freedom dawned in our country. We still have challenges and difficulties just like any other country. However, what greatly disturbs my peace is the division between black and white South Africans. Racism does exist in our country, and I don’t say this provoked by what some South Africans recently wrote on social networks.

I say racism exists in our country because I have experienced it several times. And there are many other South Africans who also deal with it on a daily basis, especially at work.

But they don’t know what to do because there are no serious repercussions for being racist.

And the government fails to protect us when he says there’s no racism in South Africa; that it’s only practised by a few individuals. The statement really insults our common sense.

And it also exposes how the government always chooses to use simple words instead of innovating a system that will bring serious repercussions on perpetrators; it’s like we forgot how many lives were lost in this country due to racism.

I deeply believe that South Africa hasn’t completely healed from the apartheid era. We are like a wound that looks healed from the outside but is not healed within. When that wound is harshly touched, it bleeds though it seemed healed.

It’s a disgrace when we keep on reading and hearing white South Africans saying it’s been over twenty years but black South Africans still speak and blame apartheid for their misfortune.

I don’t blame white South Africans who have this mentality because they didn’t lose their loved ones, they were not imprisoned, they were not stripped of their dignity, and they were not economically deprived any privileges.

There are still many black South African families who haven’t got answers about the whereabouts of their loved ones.

White South Africans who are racist, to be specific, should change and stop playing with fire. I don’t necessarily mean the fire of facing the law, I mean the fire of having to deal with the anger of unhealed South Africans who carry aching marks of the past.

Most white South Africans have misunderstood and misinterpreted our kindness and forgiveness; they saw it as weakness instead of humanity. That’s the reason why they are never grateful for what black South Africans have done for them and the country they live comfortably in.

Up to this day, we call South Africa home because it’s our motherland but most of us don’t even know how its harvest tastes. For peace and reputation’s sake we are quiet and hope tomorrow will be better, while those we elected to represent us forgot us and they now represent their own best interests. They now treat leadership as a career instead of seeing it as a calling, for a calling comes with great responsibilities.

I know that there are black South Africans who are also racist. But, truly speaking, it’s just a drop in the ocean. If it wasn’t so, South Africa couldn’t have been such a peaceful country that white South Africans continue to enjoy since 1994.

Political parties in this country should stop wasting time on meaningless things, such as their political par-

Muslim Views . February 2016 ties’ agendas and policies, and start promoting and representing the best interests of all South Africans by agreeing on ideas that will make our country better, irrespective which party brought it forth.

South Africa has serious issues to be redressed. Racism can be a stranger in our country once we speak the same language – the language of unity, peace, love and economic liberation. If all South Africans can have the same mind then nothing will be impossible.

I learnt a valuable lesson while I was hiking on Table Mountain. All of us who were hiking, spoke the same ‘language’. We encouraged one another to push ahead despite how difficult it was. Everyone, regardless of skin colour and nationality, was friendly, helpful and sharing for the goal was common to us all – to reach the top.

If all South Africans can have the best interests of this beautiful country at heart then we will be a truly reconciled rainbow nation.

Eric Shikobela Pretoria

Logic and longterm thinking is required WHILE we may all want to believe that we are equal, local poverty compared to luxury refutes the notion. Globally and locally, we are not equal in the eyes of the law. If we were equal, why is it that the person with the costly lawyer typically gets a lighter sentence compared to the free legal aid lawyer?

If global justice existed then the people of Palestine, Syria, Ukraine and all the other hotspots would not be dying wholesale while politicians negotiate for years in air-conditioned, luxury hotels in Europe.

Abrahamic epistemology advises that equality is the chance to redeem ourselves in the sight of God. For example, when a poor man gives 10% of his pay to charity it is held more worthy when compared to a rich man who gives 10% although the second 10% is 100 times more than the 10% of the poor man.

The Torah, Bible and Quran are filled with issues of intention and sincerity. Thus, those who opt for leadership, especially politics, must be sincere of intent. This requires relentless self-analysis as the levels of corruption, wastage and stupidity is growing within our socio-political context.

When dishonest people are elected to office, deceit will rise. Those linked to criminality, the ignorant and those seeking riches must not be supported.

To attain equality and justice, we must start at the beginning.

Voters must elect ethical people.

Do not vote for parties or persons engaged in corruption or wastage.

Those who receive campaign money from uncertain sources must also be avoided.

As society suffers with crime, solutions are required. Sadly, liability stops with national government who manages the police and judicial system. With rising crime, the belief is that the state is soft on crime. Ending

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the death penalty, release of criminals and the inability to prosecute are examples of unwise actions.

Recently, three men stole R17 million from a South African secret service agency. A national manhunt was initiated and when the men were caught they were released on bail of R5 000.

To blame everyday crime on apartheid is unhelpful as the blame game cannot solve problems that require wise, direct action. National government has ample billions in taxpayers’ funds to stop crime.

Ironically, we know our leaders disregard victims of crime. Why else do we tolerate 16 000 annual murders in South Africa? Voters must reject politicians who cannot create positive change. Only when voters elect leaders with skills, ability and sincerity will our nation improve.

This is evident when measured against the municipalities, departments and parastatals that cannot achieve clean audits.

When leaders do not listen to the people, they undermine social cohesion. For example, the local ANC insists on insulting the middle and upper class and helping the DA by stating that they will build RDP houses in Constantia and so on. They enjoy attacking those who are better off, even when the people worked hard for their belongings.

They are unable to accept that it is the upper and middle class that subsidise the poor by paying more rates and taxes. Should RDP homes be built in Constantia, will the poor pay equitable rates as their neighbours? If so, can they be measured poor, if not, are they not doing the bulk of poor a disservice?

Media reports state that ‘Tenants of the city council’s almost 40 000 houses and flats, owe the municipality R596 million. Only 17 000 people, who rent property from the council, paid their rent in December.’

In Khayelitsha and Nyanga, the collection rate is less than 10%. Using these figures, should RDP houses be built in Constantia and they then pay at the rate of 10%, less revenue will be collected, thus there will be less money for housing for other poor people.

Political leaders without education and skills will doom us all.

Cllr Yagyah Adams Cape Muslim Congress

Write to:

editor@mviews.co.za Fax: 086 516 4772 Kindly include full name and address.

Letters must not exceed 500 words. The editor has the right to shorten letters.

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Muslim Views . February 2016

Health File

An overview of hip and knee arthritis and its management Dr HAROUN AHMED

ARTHRITIS is a common condition that affects most people, especially in their old age. The most common form of arthritis is called osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is caused by the wearing down of the joint cartilage with narrowing of the joint spaces and new bone (osteophyte) formation.

Osteoarthritis usually affects the weight-bearing joints such as the hips and knees but may also be seen in the spine, hands and other joints. Both males and females are affected but older females tend to be affected more, especially in their postmenopausal (over 50) years.

Other forms of arthritis that are less commonly seen are posttraumatic osteoarthritis (after an injury to a joint), inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis and avascular necrosis of the hips with secondary osteoarthritis.

The symptoms of arthritis are pain, joint stiffness, swelling, deformities, joint instability and loss of function. The most common way of detecting arthritis is by means of a radiograph or Xray of the affected joint.

An X-ray may reveal a narrowing of the joint space, cysts in the bone, spurs on the edge of the bone, areas of bony thickening – called sclerosis – and deformity or incorrect alignment of bones.

Non-operative (without surgery) treatment of osteoarthritis focuses on three aspects: l The first aspect is the most cru-

Muslim Views

The most common way of detecting arthritis is by means of a radiograph An illustration of an artifical hip in Image SUPPLIED place.

An X-ray image of a normal knee Image SUPPLIED

An X-ray image of an arthritic knee Image SUPPLIED

cial, namely pain relief. Pain relief is usually achieved in the form of pain medication and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAID’s). In certain cases, corticosteroid injections may be administered to the affected joints. l Joint fluid replacement in the form of hyaluronic acid injections, which is a newer form of treatment, may be beneficial; however, this is only currently available for the knee. Using supplements such as chondroitin and glucosamine sulfate may also be beneficial in the early stages of arthritis. l The second aspect of nonoperative treatment focuses on

increasing joint movement and preventing muscle wasting and deformity/ contracture. This is achieved through physiotherapy or a non-weight bearing exercise programme to improve muscle strength, such as cycling and swimming. l The third aspect is to reduce the load on the affected joint.

This is achieved by weight loss if the patient is obese, using a walking stick to distribute the load, and avoiding unnecessary stress, for example, by staying away from activities such as jogging and climbing stairs.

If medical or non-operative treatment fails then surgery may be necessary.

There are many forms of surgery that may be beneficial.

These include: l Arthroscopic debridement and cleaning of the joint cavity, and injecting synthetic synovial fluid, which is commonly called a knee scope. l Osteotomies, where the limb is realigned to alter mechanical axis (the way the limb moves). l Arthrodesis/ fusing the joint.

This option is taken if stiffness is acceptable and neighbouring joints are not likely to be affected negatively. This is usually done on the smaller joints or when patients are young. l Arthroplasty, also known as joint replacement surgery, is usually done in older patients.

Severe hip and knee arthritis with significant loss of joint space and destruction of the cartilage is best treated surgically by joint replacement – total hip or knee replacement.

This operation entails the complete removal of the affected joint

or X-ray of the affected joint. and replacing the hip or knee with an artificial metal joint.

Total hip replacement surgery is one of the most commonly performed and successful operations in orthopaedics. The main aim is to restore joint mobility and function. Current technology has improved dramatically thus the artificial joints last much longer.

The materials from which the artificial joints are now made are far superior to what was available 20 years ago. With respect to hip replacements, the bearing surfaces have improved as well and many more options are available.

The conventional metal on polyethelene (plastic) bearings can be substituted with ceramic on ceramic bearings that last much longer.

Dr Haroun Ahmed is a specialist orthopaedic surgeon (FC (Orth) SA) with rooms at Melomed Gatesville and Mitchells Plain.

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Birthing options: normal versus caesarean section. Which is better?

Dr NASEERA ALLIE

PRIOR to the 1960s, most women in South Africa had little choice about their pregnancy and labour. Most deliveries were conducted in homes and those with complications were referred to a hospital.

This practice has changed to hospital or clinical deliveries as it is safer for the mother and the baby.

The process of birth is a beautiful and natural occurrence, and there are options for the birthing process.

As such, mothers are often faced with a dilemma of normal birth vs caesarean section. A woman can discuss her options with her doctor or medical provider. It is important to understand the pros and cons before making a decision.

Birth is a different experience for every woman. Normal (vaginal) delivery offers a woman a more natural process.

The advantages include: l faster recovery time; l reduced risk of infections; l shorter hospital stay.

The disadvantages of normal birth include: l trauma to mother (this includes perineal tears and incontinence); l hypoxia to baby while in labour and delivery (baby does not have enough oxygen when the mother has a contraction

or during the delivery) – resulting in hypoxic brain damage; l trauma to baby at delivery; l cannot schedule delivery; l more stress and anxiety while in labour; l complications of prolonged labour e.g. infections.

A caesarean section occurs when the baby is delivered via an abdominal incision. This is a surgical procedure and is performed in theatre after the mother has received an anaesthetic.

The main advantages of caesarean section: l avoidance of the complications of labour and delivery – birth injury to mother and baby; l scheduled delivery; l less likely to suffer from incontinence.

The disadvantages include a higher rate of maternal morbidity and mortality. This includes: l higher rate of infections in the mother (wound and kidney); l anaesthetic complications;

l surgical complications: bleeding, adhesion formation (may affect future abdominal surgery); l possibility of delivery before the baby is ready; l increased pain compared to normal delivery; l longer hospital stay.

Knowing the above, it is important to discuss your options with your caregiver as there are certain indications for caesarean section where a normal birth

would be dangerous to the mother or baby.

A caesarean section should be performed when the continuation of the pregnancy or labour will be harmful for the mother or baby, and normal birth is not considered safe for one or both of mother or baby.

This includes: l bleeding before labour or during labour; l high blood pressure and other medical conditions in the mother; l suspected foetal distress (tired baby); l abnormal presentation – breech, cord, brow; l multiple pregnancy; l big baby; l failure to progress in labour; l failed induction of labour; l failed forceps or vacuum delivery.

It is important for a mother to be involved in the decision to perform a caesarean section or a normal birth, as well as to be debriefed afterwards.

What is the right choice?

The birthing process is a personal experience that varies among individuals.

You need to choose the best option that suits you.

Dr. Naseera. Allie, MBChB (UCT), FCOG (SA), MMed (O&G), is a gynaecologist and obstetrician at Melomed Gatesville. Tel: 021 637 4323.

Email: naseera@mail.com

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Muslim Views

BOOK-REVIEW

24

Muslim Views . February 2016

Public speaking has a moral imperative The Dynamics of Public Speaking from an Islamic Perspective by Edris Khamissa and Adv Mahomed Abdullah Vahed, Khamissa Vahed Public Speaking Academy, Durban, 2015, pp. 202.

THE book is a comprehensive guide on public speaking in Islam, particularly for the beginner. It focuses on the Prophetic model as the ideal and it draws from various standard sources on public speaking which may be used by anyone, irrespective of faith.

The unique feature of this publication is therefore its basis of the Islamic faith and its rich reliance on the Quran and Hadith for building the model of public speaking. The standard conventions of preparations and presentation of a speech are detailed along with relevant supporting verses from the Quran and the Hadith.

As such, the text is not only a tutorial and guide to public speaking but also a source of moral advice advocating the merits of following the admonishments from the Quran and the Hadith. A committed Muslim interested in using the text should feel bound by the precepts and injunctions from these two sources.

Aspects of preparation such as structure and subject matter, and aspects of presentation such as posture, eye contact and tone are explored with typical reference to that of the speeches of the Prophet (SAW). The authors have recorded this down to details such as the pauses, hand gestures and the smile of the Prophet (SAW).

References to models outside of the Islamic tradition are very sparse. Examples are the dedicated preparation of Winston Churchill, the power of narrative in the story of the brand of Ouma

‘If a person receives an invitation to address a meeting or give a Jumu’ah Khutbah and knows that he will not have the time to make proper preparation for the occasion, he should decline the invitation’ Rusks and the remarkable general knowledge, recalled by the authors, of Moulana Omarjee, who read and could quote sources such as Farmer’s Weekly, Reader’s Digest and The Daily News.

In addition to the basics of good public speaking, the book is also filled with tips and advice for maintaining audience attention, overcoming fear of public speaking and what to avoid when speaking in public.

An entire chapter is dedicated to the Jumuah khutbah. Interestingly, some of the content in this chapter is directed at the management of the Jumuah platform who are often the hosts of the speaker. An innovative exercise is the introduction of a survey form in which speakers for Jumuah are evaluated by members of the congregation!

In this respect, the accompanying 48-page handbook is excellent for undertaking a self-check for the preparation and presentation of a speech.

The most instructive lines about the Jumuah khutbah in the book are the following: ‘If a person receives an invitation to address a meeting or give a

Jumu’ah Khutbah and knows that he will not have the time to make proper preparation for the occasion, he should decline the invitation. To accept it would be unfair to the congregation and harmful to himself and the institution he represents.’

While the book endorses the use of rhetorical devices in the way that the Prophet (SAW) had exemplified, it does not adequately clarify the dangers of rhetoric in public speaking. Noam Chomsky, the renowned activist, proscribes the use of rhetoric. In his view, this device detracts from the substance of a speech and locates significance in the form and presentation as opposed to the content.

Politicians get away with deceiving the masses by abusing rhetoric to achieve political objectives. Few are those who undress the rhetoric of politicians’ speeches to see the substance for what it is. Fewer still are those who appreciate speeches for their substance as opposed to their rhetoric.

The purveyors of the Friday sermons may not be people of integrity who have no hidden

agendas and who use devices such as figurative language, humour, similitude consistent with that in the Sunnah.

In this respect, the book does not adequately address the possible abuse of these devices.

Another aspect of the Jumuah khutbah that is ever-relevant globally but which is not dealt with in the book, is addressing hard-core political issues in this sacred hour.

Did the Prophet address the political issues of his day or did he restrict his topics to the exhortation of good conduct of and spiritual benefit for his congregation?

One would expect the establishment in dictatorships such as the Saudi regime to proscribe ser-

mons that criticise the government. Does the Prophetic model provide any guidance in this respect? If content from the pulpit calling for resistance of the unjust Saudi regime is banned in the Saudi kingdom, what about such content in democracies like South Africa?

I wonder if the authors considered this at all or if it seemed somewhat peripheral to the core objective of offering a guide for public speaking.

Finally, the authors could have invested a little more in professional typesetting, design and proofreading of the book. The value of its content certainly justifies it.

Review by MAHMOOD SANGLAY

A new thinking for economic emancipation EBRAHIM BARDIEN

THERE are vast numbers of our fellow countrymen who languish in abject poverty and live in ‘wretched’ settlements across our country.

Foodbank SA reports that 12 million people go to bed without food. That number cannot be far off the mark as the Department of Basic Education provides in excess of nine million meals per day to learners at school.

What do those learners eat when they are not at school?

What do the non-school going persons from those homes live from?

The education of the past was designed to be a source of cheap labour. The issues of poverty and education (and training) are inextricably linked. Having said this, the poor and marginalised will not forever remain quiet and submissive. Their children are being educated and we are beginning to witness an outright expression of substantial rejection of the status quo over a broad spectrum of issues, from service delivery to outsourcing to #FeesMustFall.

And correctly so!

The decrepit and often subhuman living conditions wreak havoc on the health of our fellow South Africans.

Muslim Views

The health system will remain stretched and so will social services. The prevailing conditions in the densely populated townships are an ideal (sic) breeding environment for diseases like TB, HIV Aids etc. Poverty is not only a scourge but a serious health hazard and impacts very materially on the economy as a whole and the well-being of the functioning of our society.

Much has been done to address the education of our children but there is much more scope to prepare a better future for all.

However, we will remain heavily constrained by a capitalist economic system that has played havoc with the future of the poverty stricken and will continue doing so unless we come up with A New Thinking for Economic Emancipation – a long overdue economic Codesa.

What we have inherited is unnatural and the consequences of inhumane thinking and practices. As human beings, it is within us to address it and devise programmes and rolling plans to turn the economy of our country on its head for the betterment of all.

Capitalism as it has unfolded in South Africa is a complete misfit in our mission to obtain economic justice and equity in our

country. When interrogating our colonial and apartheid past, one cannot and should not ignore the institutionalised economic exclusion and marginalisation of those not classified white by intent and, later, through legislation.

Surely the social mission of our emancipation must be an aspiration to an egalitarian and classless society. However, the gap between rich and poor has widened exponentially with the devastation of living conditions of the poor over the last 21 years.

What South Africa sorely needs is not the concentration of wealth but the circulation thereof.

A critical dimension related to this shameful concentration of wealth that has not been addressed and assessed at all is the impact of control of workers’ retirement funds and other forms of life savings.

Those funds in varying forms found their way into financial institutions that, in turn, invested it in a variety of forms (loans, debentures, preference shares, ordinary shares etc) into listed and unlisted companies. The very companies that exploited labour and denied workers advancement had the effective use of workers’ capital and enriched themselves very substantially. All legal! But was it moral?

In the bad old days, pre-1994, the very institutions that oversee and manage retirement and life savings today, were very comfortable with prescribed investments into the apartheid government and its institutions like Sasol, Iscor, Land Bank, IDC etc. Why would there be a reluctance today to re-enact such investment options?

Why has government been so generous in permitting substantial offshore investments while our country is badly in need of capital to improve and expand our infrastructure?

Why should our utilities borrow offshore and be exposed to currency weaknesses over which we have no control?

If the private sector is reluctant to invest in our local economy, why should workers be constrained to invest their retirement savings only in such ‘anti-job creation companies’?

Poor quality education militated against advancement in the workplace, which in turn led to subsequent generations being illinformed of opportunities and totally unaware of life imperatives such as quality education, healthy lifestyles, proper healthcare and economic opportunities.

A conscious effort has to be made to educate such citizens of

the opportunities, especially those who are now parents. If not, their cycles of poverty will be a permanent feature of our society.

Furthermore, quality education should never be sacrificed.

The wealthy have long recognised this and have hugely financed their alma maters.

We have world-class financial and economic legislation and systems but are they conducive to human development and economic progress amongst the poor?

It is our responsibility to put pressure on our policy makers to address the economic challenges faced by the large numbers of the poverty stricken.

Such policies should endeavour to emancipate the poor from the terrible scourge of economic exclusion and the debilitating social and medical diseases that are the natural consequences of systemic deprivation over long periods of time.

Common sense dictates that we cannot go to bed with more than abundance in our stomachs while millions of our fellow human beings go hungry.

Ebrahim Bardien, an accountant, has an interest in socio-economic development. He is a founder member of the Cape Town branch of the Muslim Youth Movement of South Africa.

Muslim Views . February 2016

25

Muslim Views

Focus on Finance

26

Muslim Views . February 2016

Tax for micro-businesses The Sixth Schedule of the Income Tax Act No. 58 of 1962 provides a simplified tax system that is available for businesses that meet certain criteria (micro-businesses). Instead of paying normal tax, capital gains tax and dividends tax, a single tax is provided for (turnover tax).

With a challenging economic climate, micro-businesses are fully focused on growth. So, a simplified tax system comes as a boon. 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, explain the tax system for qualifying micro-businesses.

Who qualifies?

There are two broad categories of persons that qualify as a micro business, namely a natural person or a company as defined. A business with a qualifying turnover not exceeding R1million in any year of assessment can elect to register as a micro business.

Who does not qualify?

l Any person who held any shares or had any interest in the equity of a company at any time during the year of assessment. (There are certain permissible interests that the person may hold); l Any person who is a partner in a partnership, is a partner in any other partnership at any time during the year of assessment; l Where the aggregate income derived by the company from ‘investment income’ and ‘professional services’ as defined exceeds 20% of the total receipts of the business; l Where the proceeds from the sale of capital assets used

l l l

l

mainly for business purposes exceed an amount of R1,5million over a period of three years. The term ‘mainly for business purposes’ means assets used more than 50% of the time for business purposes, with the exception of immovable property, where more than 50% of its floor area is used for business purposes; Only companies with a February year end qualify; Where any of the business’s partners, members or shareholders are not natural persons during the year of assessment; All personal service providers as defined, and labour brokers as defined who have not been issued a SARS tax exemption certificate; Public benefit organisations, recreational clubs, associations and small business funding entities approved by SARS.

What is qualifying turnover?

Qualifying turnover is defined as the total receipts derived by the person from carrying on any business activities, excluding any amounts of a capital nature

received from conducting business, for example, the sale of a building that was used in the business; and government grants which are exempt from income tax. Under normal tax rules, receipts are taxed if they form part of gross income and are taxable. Under the turnover tax rules however, it is total receipts that are taken into account in determining the person’s qualifying turnover, and whether a receipt is taxable or not is irrelevant.

Included in total receipts will also be the VAT charged on the supply of goods or services. Although the qualifying turnover of a micro business may be below the R1 million qualifying turnover threshold at the beginning of a year of assessment, it is advisable for a micro business to calculate its qualifying turnover on a regular basis so as to ensure that it is within the required threshold at all times. Penalties and interest may be levied against taxpayers that account for tax on the turnover tax basis but do not qualify as such. The R1million threshold applies to a year of assessment running from March 1

Hassen Kajie

to February 28/29. If a person carries on a business for less than 12 months, the turnover threshold is pro-rated based on the remaining number of months until the end of that year of assessment.

Anti avoidance rules There are anti-avoidance rules in place within the Sixth Schedule which guards against circumstances in which the total receipts is split between connected parties.

The total amount received by a connected party from carrying on business activities must be added to the qualifying turnover of the party seeking to be registered as a micro business, where the two business activities of the two parties form part of each other.

Aysha Osman

The tax rates

There are specific inclusions and exclusions in taxable turnover but, generally, taxable turnover is the amount, not of a capital nature that is received by a micro business during the year of assessment from carrying on business activities.

If you would like a specific topic featured in the upcoming issues, kindly send your suggestions to technical@nexia-sabt.co.za. This article is intended for information purposes only and should not be considered as a legal document. Please note that while every effort is made to ensure accuracy, Nexia SAB&T does not accept responsibility for any inaccuracies or errors contained herein.

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DISCUSSIONS WITH DANGOR

Muslim Views . February 2016

wrong conclusions being drawn about the incident or event.

There is a chat group dedicated to politics. Global events as well as local events are mentioned and there are brief discussions on some local, national and international issues. Palestine always receives a great deal of coverage and evokes strong emotions coupled with the condemnation of Israel and the United States.

The corruption and dependence of particularly the wealthy Arab states are roundly condemned. Iran has its supporters as well as its detractors. Political developments in South Africa are discussed regularly and crime and corruption are always highlighted.

The state of the economy is sometimes discussed on a political chat group, including the performance of global and local markets, exchange rate, GDP and labour laws. But there is a dedicated group to discuss economic issues, with which I am not familiar.

A forum was set up recently to encourage Muslims to register as voters in the forthcoming municipal elections. Organisations that endorse the campaign are listed.

From time to time, supporters or opponents of the ruling party tend to voice their opinions though campaigning for political parties is strictly off limits. They usually get a telling off. The forum will, I presume, be open for people to express their support for specific parties once the registration is over.

While the voter registration campaign has been conducted in a spirit of patriotism, it will be interesting to see how campaigning for parties will pan out.

There are two forums for general discussion, where all types of topics are discussed. On the one,

What’s up in the WhatsApp groups?

WhatsApp is a very useful forum for information and quick communication and, occasionally, for entertainment, writes Emeritus Professor SULEMAN DANGOR. N this column, I want to reflect on the posts that I read on several WhatsApp groups to which I belong. It must be said that it is a very useful forum for information and quick communication and, occasionally, for entertainment.

From time to time, links are also provided which allow us to read detailed discussions if we are interested in knowing more about the subject.

We receive important information about various issues. This includes the latest news about events in the Muslim world, such as the conflict in some countries and bombings in others. And we get statistics about the number of people killed and injured or made refugees by the conflicts.

There is great sympathy for the plight of refugees but also anger that Muslim states (except for Turkey and Jordan) have not admitted them into their countries. This despite the enormous wealth that some of these states enjoy.

Racist posts are immediately condemned. The tweet by Penny Sparrow was an ‘opportunity’ to demonstrate our horror that racism still exists in this day and age. I am not sure if some of those

I

who criticised her were not secretly in agreement with her, judging from comments I hear at social events. But that’s pure speculation.

On the bright side, there are constant reminders that Islam does not condone racism and pleas that ethnic divides in the Muslim community must be bridged. Though, in my view, most young people no longer identify with the country or village that their ancestors hailed from, and marriage across the ‘divide’ is common, it appears that there are ‘pockets of resistance’. On some forums there is visible anger and frustration expressed by ‘Black’ Muslims against ‘Indian’ (and sometimes ‘Malay’) Muslims for their racism, exploiting workers, imposing their culture (e.g. dressing), creating a culture of dependency in the townships, monopolising institutions, sending humanitarian aid to other countries, lack of consultation etc.

Most of these allegations are true, to be honest, though, unfortunately, in some cases, comments against ‘Indian’ Muslims take a

Global events as well as local events are mentioned and there are brief discussions on some local, national and international issues.

Palestine always receives a great deal of coverage and evokes strong emotions coupled with the condemnation of Israel and the United States distinct racist undertone.

However, there are now attempts to address these issues.

Several projects have been initiated essentially to empower Muslims in the townships. A special forum to discuss these matters has been established.

News is sometimes disseminated without verification, which later turns out to be absolutely false. Meanwhile, people may have forwarded the information to their contacts and are then put in an embarrassing position to retract the misinformation.

Occasionally, we are fed with news about an event in a manner that implies that it occurred recently only to discover that it occurred many months ago so all the responses to the news become redundant. Then we have reporters who do not provide full information, which results in

27

even Sunni-Shia differences are discussed. The exchanges are usually cordial though some participants do get a little ‘overheated’ at times.

Attempts to introduce this topic on other forums have been rejected. It is clear that many want to stay clear of this controversy – which they believe will not resolve anything – and focus on issues of immediate concern to the community. The other forum generally steers clear of this topic.

Some posts on dedicated forums are totally irrelevant. On one forum that deals with economics, we read about chocolate recipes and remedies for various illnesses. On another dealing with politics, we read about sectarian differences.

Then there are those who advertise an event on every chat group, assuming that it is relevant to at least some persons belonging to the group, which is plausible.

Usually, only a few group members are active. The rest read only those posts which interest them and simply ignore the rest.

There is often a healthy exchange of ideas. But then there are those who cannot tolerate anyone challenging their opinion, providing an alternative view or correcting them. They go into a tizz and their reaction is characterised by allegations, assumptions and insults.

Then there are the amusing posts, some of which are absolutely hilarious. Mocking No 1 is currently very popular though it does get up the noses of those who support him.

The post of Obama praying in the mosque left some people baffled and they decided to verify the claim before realising it was a hoax.

They sounded a bit sheepish to have believed it in the first place.

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Muslim Views

28

Muslim Views . February 2016

Light from the Qur’an

The All-Wise Quran: showing the extraordinary within the ordinary IBRAHIM OKSAS and NAZEEMA AHMED HE All-Wise Quran deals with innumerable matters, some of which are complex, while others may appear to be ordinary and commonplace.

In his contemporary Quranic tafsir, Risale-i Nur, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi discusses the wisdom inherent in Allah Almighty mentioning what may appear to be ordinary, for example, an ayah on the natural state of rocks, in Surah Al-Baqarah.

Bediuzzaman expresses that ‘conciseness’ is one foundation of the Quran’s miraculousness.

Through conciseness, Allah Almighty shows universal truths, and profound and general principles in familiar and simple form to ordinary people, who form the majority of those whom the Quran addresses.

Bediuzzaman cites in Words, one of the books in the Risale-i Nur Collection, the ayah from Surah Al-Baqarah: ‘And yet, after all this, your hearts hardened and became like rocks or even harder: for, behold, there are rocks from which streams gush forth; and, behold, there are some from which, when they are cleft, water issues; and there are some that fall down for awe of Allah. And Allah is not unmindful of what you do.’

Bediuzzaman states that the All-Wise Quran expresses the following in the above ayah: O Chil-

T

Muslim Views

dren of Israel and Sons of Adam!

What has happened to you that your hearts have become harder and more lifeless than stone? Do you not see that those extremely hard, lifeless, huge rocks formed in vast strata under the earth are so obedient before Allah Almighty’s commands and so soft and tractable under the dominical works?

And like the way the branches of trees and plants spread in the air with ease, encountering no obstacles, the delicate veins of roots spread with the same ease in the rocks under the earth.

The Quran indicates this and teaches us an extensive truth with the ayah, and thus, by allusion, says the following to the hardhearted: O Children of Israel and Sons of Adam! What sort of heart do you bear within your weakness and impotence that, with its hardness, it resists the command of Allah Almighty? Whereas, how perfectly and obediently the huge strata of hard rocks carry out their delicate duties in the darkness before His commands?

They display no disobedience.

Indeed, those rocks act as treasurers for the water of life and other means of life of all the living creatures above the earth. They act with such wisdom and justice that they are soft like wax or air in the hand of power of the All-Wise One of Glory; offering no resistance, they prostrate before Allah Almighty’s mighty power.

And, through ‘And, behold, there are some that fall down for

Through conciseness, Allah Almighty shows universal truths, and profound and general principles in familiar and simple form to ordinary people, who form the majority of those whom the Quran addresses. awe of Allah’, the Quran shows the following truth: like in the event of ‘Nabi Musa (AS) asking for the vision of Allah’ and the famous mountain crumbling at the divine manifestation, and the rocks being scattered; through the manifestations of divine glory in the form of earthquakes and the mountains shaking, most of which are like great structures formed of solidified liquid, and certain other geological occurrences – through such awesome manifestations of glory, the rocks fall from the high summits of the mountains and are broken up.

Some of these crumble and, being transformed into earth, become the source of plants.

Others remain as rocks, and, rolling down to the valleys and plains, they are scattered. They serve many purposes in the works of the earth’s inhabitants – by being utilised in their houses, for example.

Bediuzzaman states that we can see how valuable these three parts of the ayah are from the point of view of wisdom. For example, in the second part of the ayah: ‘And, behold, there are some from which, when they are cleft, water issues,’ teaches this meaning: O people of Musa (AS), how is it that you do not fear Allah when the mountains, which are composed of rocks, are crushed and scattered out of awe of Him? Although you know that Nabi Musa (AS) climbed Mount Sinai above you in order to receive the Covenant, and that on his seeking the vision of Allah, the mountain crumbled, and you saw it, how is it that you are so bold you do not tremble out of fear of Allah, and you make your hearts hard and unfeeling?

With reference to the first part of the ayah, ‘For, behold, there are rocks from which streams gush forth’: Through recalling with this part rivers like the blessed Nile, the Tigris and Euphrates, which gush up out of mountains, the Quran makes understood the miraculous fashion in which rocks receive the creational commands and are subjugated to them.

It infers the following meaning to vigilant hearts: it is certainly not possible that the mountains could be the actual source of such mighty rivers. This means that the springs of these rivers are not something ordinary and natural arising from chance but that the

All-Glorious Creator makes them flow forth from an unseen treasury in truly marvellous fashion.

Thus, alluding to this mystery and stating this meaning, it is narrated in a hadith: ‘Each of those three rivers is a drop from Jannah which continuously issues forth from Jannah, as a result of which they are sources of abundance.’

And, in another, it is said: ‘The source of these three rivers is from Jannah.’ The truth of these narrations is this: since physical causes are not capable of producing their abundant flow, their sources must be in an unseen world, and must arise from a treasury of mercy; the equilibrium between their incomings and outgoings is maintained in this way.

Bediuzzaman concludes that through inferring this meaning, the All-Wise Quran gives the following instruction: O Children of Israel and Sons of Adam! With your hardness of heart, unfeelingness and heedlessness, you disobey and close your eyes to the commands and light of knowledge of Allah Almighty, Who makes flow forth from the mouths of common, lifeless rocks mighty rivers like the blessed Nile, which transforms Egypt into a paradise.

How is it that while some unfeeling, lifeless rocks manifest the miracles of His power in such wondrous fashion, you are blind before the light of His knowledge, and do not see it?

Insha Allah, may Allah Almighty soften our hearts.

Muslim Views . February 2016

From Consciousness to Contentment

29

Human rights: children have rights, too JASMINE KHAN

As Muslims, we know that when we see something wrong we have to change it, if we cannot do so physically, we have to speak out against it.

We may not be able to do anything about the global scale of abuse but there is one type of abuse that we can definitely address. Before we look outward, let us put our own homes in order.

My late mother (may Allah grant her Jannah, ameen) believed that we should first clean our own doorstep before criticising our neighbours.

She took this dictum literally as well; every morning, she would sweep her stoep, the path leading to the gate, and then she swept the pavement in front of her home.

One of the issues that really should be addressed is the way we treat our children, the way we shout at them and criticise them, sometimes even in public.

Children come from Allah as a trust; every parent has the responsibility to ensure that the child will grow to be an asset to society, and a responsible follower of our beloved Rasul (SAW).

It is our responsibility to teach them good manners and guide them toward the recognition and obedience of Allah.

To do this, we have to instil Allah-consciousness in the child, from birth.

When we cuddle this precious baby and call her ‘Mommy’s little angel’ or ‘Daddy’s darling’, it is a

E know that, in Islam, the parents’ status is very high. The Holy Quran has numerous verses in this regard, for example, ‘Your God has decreed that you will worship only Him and adopt good behaviour with (your) parents.’ (Quran 17:23) However, do we ever consider why this exalted position has been bestowed on parents?

With every right comes a responsibility.

What are the parents’ responsibilities? Do parents only have rights over their offspring, and children not have any rights over their parents?

Rasulullah (SAW) said: ‘As your father has a right over you, so does your progeny have a similar right.’ (Muslim) He also said: ‘As are the children disinherited for their disobedience so, also, it is possible that the parents may be disowned by the children for not fulfilling their bonding duties.’ (Muslim) We are approaching Human Rights Day, when most of the country will be speaking out at the atrocities currently prevalent, and the human rights of people are being abused.

This is good because the guilty ones should be aware that their actions are not going unnoticed.

However, this is also a time to do some reflecting about what is happening closer to home, and, indeed, in our homes.

W

good idea to add, ‘who came from Allah’. In doing so, awareness of Allah is inculcated in the child.

When we teach children about Allah, it is imperative to emphasise that Allah loves them, and that we as their parents love them because they are gifts from Allah.

It then becomes easier to instil good behaviour and worthy values.

Children need to be constantly reminded of how much they are loved and respected; this will instil self-worth and build selfesteem, which in turn will lead to emotional intelligence.

Children growing up in a loving environment where love between parents is visible, feel loved themselves.

Knowing they come from these parents, they learn to obey. When it is made clear to them that they came from Allah, and that Mom and Dad were chosen to bring them into the world, obedience to Allah becomes an intrinsic part of their lives.

Although parents teach their children about Allah from an early age, very often, Allah’s love for them and the necessity for them to love Allah, is postponed until they are older.

Children come into the world as a blank sheet, and whether they turn to life of virtue or vice depends on the parents. This is the reality: children learn from what they see and hear, and not necessarily from what they are told.

We all know the old saying: ‘Do as I say, don’t do as I do.’

Parents have the divine responsibility of guiding and steering their children by example so that they can be assets to society, and that they may find reward in the hereafter. These are the parents who deserve the exalted status of parenthood, not those who consider raising children as a duty or a burden.

The best thing a father can do for his children is to be a role model, with good manners, kindness in his relationship with his wife and ethical training.

Mothers play a key role in the lives of their children.

The child’s first madrasah is the lap of the mother.

In view of the high status accorded to women in Islam, Rasulullah (SAW) said: ‘Heaven (i.e. Jannah) is under the feet of one’s mother.’ (Bukhari) With this elevated status, it must be obvious that we have to work to earn this privilege.

Mothers can make or break a child. In fact, our beloved Rasul (SAW) said: ‘Lucky is the one whose foundation of his virtue has been made in the womb of the mother, and unlucky is the one whose wickedness had its rudiments in the mother’s womb as well.’ (Tirmidhi) Apart from attending to the education and training of the children, the parents must recognise that their children are people, albeit ‘little people’.

As human beings and creations

of Allah, they have certain rights over their parents.

Parents are also answerable to society; our children are the citizens of tomorrow.

The lessons they learn today will be put into practice tomorrow, thereby benefitting their families and society.

Today’s children are tomorrow’s parents and may be tomorrow’s reformers.

By recognising their obligations towards their children, parents can render invaluable service to humanity. They can be the instruments of the reform of society.

The home is the training ground for the citizens of the future.

If we want our children to respect the rights of others, we need to start by acknowledging their rights.

Raising a child is the single most vital and challenging job, yet no one needs a licence to do it.

As Muslims, we have the prescription of how to do it, all we need to do is go to the pharmacy.

When we nurture truthful, pious children with due cognisance of their humanity, we not only serve society, we are also banking for our own old age.

Having been respected and honoured as children, they will respect and honour us in our frailty.

Rasulullah (SAW) said: ‘May Allah bless the parents who trained their children to behave justly with them.’ (Muslim)

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Muslim Views . February 2016

Positive and Effective Parenting

Notes from ‘Parent-child relations: a guide to raising children’ FOUZIA RYKLIEF

sive to their expectations, and parents are responsive to their demands. Rules and expectations and reasons for these are clearly articulated.

WILL not be covering all the chapters in the book but deal with a few that I covered during a series on The Voice of the Cape. There is too much to go into and I encourage readers to buy the book.

I will deal with some points from Chapter 1 and Chapter 3.

I

Chapter 3: setting the right goals: the first step in implementing good parenting

Chapter 1: good parenting: what is it and how do we begin?

Two of the essential ingredients for good parenting recommended by the authors in Chapter 1 are: 1. Knowledge and understanding of the stages of development: Parents need to understand that child development is a long and sophisticated process and that the parents’ role changes with each stage as the children’s needs change.

2. A balanced parenting style – the authors identify four broad parenting styles. The last one is the preferred one. a) Authoritarian (also Aggressive): This is a style that says ‘do as I say’ – giving orders and demanding blind obedience without explaining why.

It is focused on punishment rather than discipline – which is about teaching. This approach raises children who obey out of fear.

‘This domineering practice does not help to raise children who are emotionally, psychologically and mentally sound. To raise strong children, parents need to engage children in participative consultation.’

The authors state further: ‘When children are raised in a state of fear and oppression, they become afraid to take risks and afraid to make decisions.

Muslim Views

Eventually, they end up lacking a sense of responsibility and unable to make decisions.’ b) Permissive (Passive): this style allows children to do as they please.

There are no limits, no guidance and parents give in to children’s demands.

This kind of parenting often results in children who have no

self-discipline.

Children learn that no matter what they do, right or wrong, they will not be punished.

This can lead to a lifelong rebellion against any type of rule or structure. c) Democratic: parents consult with children on all matters. d) Authoritative/Assertive: parents expect children to be respon-

The authors refer to intelligent parenting and conscious parenting, and stress the following points: a) For a society to be strong and healthy, individuals have to be strong and healthy. ‘The interests of the individuals have to encompass this life and the hereafter, the temporal as well as the spiritual, and the personal as well as the societal. This should be the overriding theme and worldview of parents in raising children.’

The above is a theme that permeates the book. b) Parents must have a goal in mind when raising children. We plan for weddings, careers and holidays, why not plan how we are going to raise our children?

A tool that parents can consider using is the ‘good parenting goal chart’, which covers goals parents have for their children, values and the means towards the achievement of the goals.

The goals in the chart have been taken from the aspirations of parents summed up in verse 25:74 of the Quran: ‘And those who say: Our Lord, grant us from our spouses and our offspring joy and comfort, and make us leaders of the pious.’

The goals also derive from a hadith of Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

The authors maintain that the goal chart is the pathway to the end product – a righteous child.

They emphasise that to achieve the goals for our children, we need to look at our own charac-

ters and behaviour. Parents need to: l practise what we preach as much as possible; l make our worldview a holistic concept in life; l admit our mistakes and apologise for them without making excuses; l apply an appropriate balance of discipline, encouragement and empowerment; and l complement the above with faith and prayer.

I conclude with a question posed by the authors: ‘Should parenting be taught in high schools?’

Their answer is: In earlier generations, grandparents, uncles, aunts and neighbours lived close by.

Family life has changed and become more challenging, with marital conflict followed by divorce and single parenting.

They say that the ‘natural art of transmitting good parenting has fragmented’.

I agree with the authors when they say that family life is not a science – it is about feelings and relationships, and that learning about parenting in school is not the solution.

They continue and stress that parenting is a lifelong process and parents must not abdicate their responsibilities (i.e. leave it to schools to teach children how to parent). Children must learn about parenting from their parents.

‘Parent-child relations: a guide to raising children’ is authored by Dr Hisham Yahya Altalib, Dr AbdulHamid Ahmad AbuSulayman and Dr Omar Hisham Altalib.

Fouzia Ryklief is a social worker registered with the South African Council for Social Service Professions (SACSSP)

FOR ALL

Muslim Views . February 2016

31

Magnificent Turkish mosques and their makers - Offering 1 Suleiman was renowned as a lawmaker of note, severe against corruption and an advocate of equality before the law, writes DR M C D’ARCY. Tomb of Roxelana, wife of Suleiman the Magnificent, and mother of Sultan Selim II (Selim the Sot). Did she cause all the trouble that sent the Ottoman Empire spiralling down?

Photo: M. C. D’ARCY

Ornate minaret of the Suleymanye Mosque. Such minarets, usually four, were reserved for mosques specifically built by sultans.

Photo: M C D’ARCY

ULEIMAN the Magnificent, born 1494 CE, looked into the mirror.

One side of his face was soft, gentle as the lyrical odes he wrote to his beloved Ukrainian-born wife, the beautiful Roxelana (Christian-born, Aleksandra Lisowska, converted to Islam): ‘My sheer delight, my revelry, my feast, my torch, my sunshine, my sun in heaven… the flaming candle that lights up my pavilion.’

More seriously, Suleiman’s famous verse: ‘The people think of wealth and power as the greatest fate,/ but in this world a spell of health is the best state./ What men call sovereignty is a worldly strife and constant war;/ Worship God is the highest throne, the happiest of all estates.’

(Wikipedia) The literary historian E J W Gibb observed that ‘at no time, even in Turkey, was greater encouragement given to poetry than during the reign of this sultan’. (Wikipedia) He was also a goldsmith, and patron of the arts and architecture.

Suleiman was renowned as a lawmaker of note, severe against corruption and an advocate of equality before the law.

He instituted good governance for the benefit of all his subjects and prohibited xenophobia against Christians, Jews and other minorities.

His bold reforms were lauded even by opposing Western leaders.

S

The striking marble mimbar in the Suleymanye Mosque. Note the stained-glass windows.

Photo: M C D’ARCY

Suleiman’s murky side was that of a fearless warrior, a conqueror, disciplined, cruel and dark as the devil’s tail. Capriciously, to the horror of his staff, he sometimes casually ordered the execution of prisoners of war without reason or remorse. Two famous incidents blot his reign.

The first incident was personal. Pargali Ibrahim Pasha was a Christian youth from Parga, forcibly inducted into the Ottoman army to be trained for the elite Janissaries Army Corps that protected the sultan. He was converted to Islam and became a firm friend of the young Suleiman.

When Suleiman became sultan, Ibrahim was elevated to higher and higher state positions until he was appointed Grand Vizier.

Ibrahim became rich and influen-

tial. Suleiman promoted him further to head the armies and oversee the extensive Ottoman power bases in Europe.

But, Ibrahim, fearing for his life, begged Suleiman not to give him such powers. Suleiman assured him that no matter what, his life would be safe. A major dispute between Ibrahim and the finance secretary, Iskender Celebi, ended with the latter being sentenced to death. In his dying breath, Iskender accused Ibrahim of trying to overthrow Suleiman.

On March 14, 1536, Ibrahim had dinner with Suleiman, his old friend and confidant. The following day, Ibrahim was executed.

The second incident was more Machiavellian (sinister).

Suleiman’s eldest son, Mustafa, by his first wife, Mahidevran, was an astute prince, well loved by the

people he served in Manisa Province. But Mustafa did not get on with his father, who supported his sons Mehmet and Selim by Hurrem Sultan (Roxelana’s married name).

Through court intrigue, Roxelana, pressurised Suleiman that her sons, Selim and Bayezid, be the heirs apparent instead of the rightful heir, first-born, Mustafa.

The grand vizier, Rustum Pasha, son-in-law of Roxelana, spread rumours that Mustafa was planning to depose Suleiman.

Suleiman summoned Mustafa to his tent, assuring that he would be safe from retribution. Instead, the infuriated Suleiman had his very own son, Mustafa, strangled with a bowstring, right in front of his eyes.

Suleiman the Magnificent was an avid builder of infrastructure and mosques. His architect parexcellence, Mimar Sinan, erected the grand Suleymanye Mosque edifice that dominates the skyline of Istanbul.

Construction started in 1550 CE and the mosque opened in 1558 CE. It is the biggest mosque in Istanbul; a striking skyline beacon on a hill of the Golden Horn Peninsula, overlooking the narrow Bosphorus straits.

It consisted of the mosque for prayers, four Quran madrasahs, a library (still in use) a hospital, a caravanserai-resting place for travellers from afar, several hamams (Turkish baths) and a public kitchen where everyone could get food, irrespective of religion. The mosque has four ornate minarets that signifies that it was built by a sultan.

The Suleymanye Mosque is regarded as one of Mimar Sinan’s masterpieces even though he said that the Edirne Mosque, 200 kilometres away, was his favourite.

The Suleymanye Mosque has the largest dome in Istanbul, barring the Hagia Sofia built during Byzantine rule, in the fourth century CE. The Suleymanye Mosque has many half domes surrounding the main dome. The interior is quietly understated, with discrete use of decorated Iznik tiles. Beautiful stained glass windows paint the walls with coloured light, imbuing a soft glow to the interior.

An air of tranquillity pervades this mosque, an adjuvant to inner reflection and warm spirituality.

In this, it scores when compared with the flashier Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Mosque), often despoiled by rowdy crowds that flock to devour the more flam-

boyant beauty of its décor.

Behind the Suleymanye Mosque is the Turbe (Tomb) of Suleiman who died in Hungary, aged 71, during a military expedition. His innards were removed and buried in Hungary. His death was kept secret so that his son, Selim, could accede to the throne before others could usurp the caliphate.

His embalmed body was buried 48 days after his death.

His wife, Roxelana, is also buried in this tomb complex.

As I was writing this, I read that the lost tomb over his internal organs, buried in Hungary, was recently rediscovered and verified at the precise spot on the battlefield that he died.

Interestingly, Suleiman’s father, Selim I, was called Selim the Grim. His son, Selim II was called Selim the Sot (Drunk).

Selim I was fiery, stern but hardworking. He had dethroned his father, Bayezid and executed his brothers Ahmet and Korkut as well as a couple of his nephews to prevent discord in the Ottoman caliphate. Many of his viziers met a similar fate, giving rise to the Ottoman curse, ‘May you be the vizier of Selim.’

Selim II, son of Roxelana and Suleiman, was pale and blond.

Under his indolent, lascivious rule of alcohol and orgies, the Ottoman power spiralled downwards with a vengeance. His wife, Cecelia Venier Baffo (Nurbanu Sultan), became a virtual coregent.

His sister, Mihrimah Sultan, the most powerful woman in the Ottoman Empire, had to lend him large amounts of gold to pay his troops. His son, Murad III, started off his reign by having his four younger brothers strangled.

Mimar Sinan was buried in a humble tomb (no access to visitors) adjacent to the Suleymanye Mosque; that is what he wanted.

But we shall sing his praises later.

Mosques are edifices of stone, sanctuaries of worship, havens of personal introspection and a birthplace of reconciliation with communities at large. They have their stories but they also come with the baggage of their makers, good or bad.

It is for us to reflect upon the walls and the soaring minarets and ask: how can we fulfil dreams of peace, tolerance and universal harmony within the hearts of the divine spaces enclosed by wonderfully decorated walls?

If we don’t, our future could be as black as the devil’s tail.

Muslim Views

32

Muslim Views . February 2016

Climate change and NGOs in South Africa Dr MAHMOUD YOUSSEF BAKER

UMANKIND is not only its own worst enemy but is also the worst enemy of nature and environment.

Throughout the history of Earth, no creature has caused more destruction and damage to almost everything around him as man. From outer space, the ozone layer, air, deep seas, oceans, rivers, forests, natural life and the animal kingdom, humankind did not exclude anything.

Growth as an ultimate objective of any economic policy must be reconsidered and its cost on environment and the quality of life of people must be taken into account and disclosed to the public. Economic growth without human development is not the right development model for developing countries.

I wrote the following in an article published by the Natal Mercury during the COP 17 conference held in South Africa, five years ago: ‘China achieves the highest growth rate in the world but in the meanwhile its cities suffer from the highest pollution rate and it is also the biggest polluter in the world. China should not be considered as the right economic model and an example to follow by other developing countries as it is not a sustainable model.

‘Any successful and sustainable economic model must keep the right balance between economic development and protecting the environment, the health and welfare of the people… sustainability is the art of survival with quality.’

Now look at what is happening in the Chinese economy and its stock market, let alone the disastrous level of pollution its people are suffering.

Scientists say that the gas emissions from human activities are causing the climate to change too fast and that the temperature of earth will increase by an estimated two degrees by the end of this century. They also say that many animals and plants will not be able to adapt to this fast change and may become extinct.

The temperature increase has also led to the melting of many icebergs in Antarctica. If the melting is allowed to continue, scientists expect the sea levels to rise by about one metre by the end of this century, which will result in the disappearance of many small islands and cause damage to many coastal cities and the people who live there.

Last November 2015, representatives from about 180 coun-

sumption for one century.

It is estimated that almost 90 per cent of South Africa’s electricity comes from coal, with the rest coming from nuclear energy (5 per cent) and hydro-power (5 per cent). If we compare this to a country like Denmark with 25 per cent of its electricity coming from wind power, we will realise that South Africa is not doing enough in the domain of renewable energy.

2017 is the date scientists have identified for when global emissions must start to decline to limit the worst of global warming, so the world needs to act fast as it would be impossible to reverse the negative impacts of global warming after that.

To win elections and stay in power, governments and politicians usually focus on achieving high economic growth rate, reducing unemployment and budget deficit, curbing the inflation rate etc, which is good but combating pollution and protecting the environment has never been a priority. Therefore, governments are unlikely to commit to ambitious emission reduction targets unless their citizens push them to do so.

H

Muslim Views

What can we do to limit climate change?

Dr Mahmoud Youssef Baker, Chairman of Iqraa Trust and a director of Albaraka Bank.

Photo SUPPLIED

tries had a meeting in Paris – COPE 21 – in a final attempt towards a global arrangement to get commitments from all countries to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide before greenhouse gas concentrations reach the point after which nothing can be done to control the destruction of the ecosystems of our planet caused by climate change.

The main outcome of the meeting was a very good framework to limit the global temperature increase to below 2 degrees Celsius but, unfortunately, the agreement is not legally binding on any country. Some scientists believe that this will lead us to an increase of 2,7 to 3 degree of warming.

Accordingly, most of the environmental activists believe that the Paris conference was a failure.

South Africa and climate change South Africa’s continued reliance on coal-fired power stations at the expense of other

renewable energy sources is a very expensive and destructive policy to the environment.

According to many experts, the R200+ billion allocated by Eskom to its two new coal-powered stations could have been used to develop clean renewable energy from the sun, wind, water in both rivers and seas and biological fuels from wastes of animals, human sewage and household scrap.

Energy from these natural resources can be produced forever and they produce zero or a very small level of carbon emission, therefore, there would be less pollution from these sources compared to coal smoke and acid water from coal mines.

South Africa should also consider allocating funds to explore for natural gas, which is a cleaner alternative to coal and fossil fuels.

Just a few months ago, I read in the Financial Times that Israel has discovered natural gas reserves in its land and regional water, sufficient for its local con-

The first step to resolving any problem is to realise that there is a problem. Unfortunately, many people are not convinced that climate change is a serious problem and an imminent threat to us and, more seriously, to future generations.

Going green and acting to protect the environment require a big culture shift in the way we see the world and the purpose of our lives.

The person with good qualities is the one who cares and acts mercifully towards everything around him whether it is humankind, nature or the environment. We must realise that our planet is fragile and that our activities are having a devastating impact on all aspects of life on earth.

We must rally against climate change and do our best to save our planet.

As I indicated above, governments and politicians are expected to keep avoiding committing themselves in a meaningful way to emission reduction that may affect their plans to grow their economies, irrespective of the impact on the environment. They will only act and reach a legally binding agreement to cut industrial emission and set specific targets when their citizens apply pressure and drive them to do so.

As individuals, everyone has an earthly duty; having God all around us means that we take good care of what He has blessed us with, not only for us but also for future generations.

A simple way to assist in reducing climate change and be climate friendly is to practice the three Rs rule: reduce, reuse and recycle as much as we can at home and at work, and urge others to do the same.

Needless to say, all of us can do a lot to save electricity by just turning off lights and various appliances at home and at work when we don’t need them. We can save many trees when we print on both sides of paper, and print only when necessary.

We can also do a lot more at home and workplaces to save water. We need always to remember that water means life.

If we are to care only about our well-being, then we are valueless to life and we are not needed in this world.

The role that NGOs can play The majority of NGOs in South Africa are doing a good job and they focus on important issues, such as poverty alleviation, unemployment, HIV/ AIDS prevention, education, skills development, childcare, healthcare, disaster relief etc. but we must admit that the issue of climate change has never been a priority on our agendas.

I hope that all NGOs in South Africa will add the challenge of climate change to their agendas and mission statements.

NGOs and all civil society organisations must start to educate the public about the increasing risks and threats of climate change and how to respond to this huge and complicated challenge.

NGOs can also raise funds for research that aims at mitigating the risks of climate change and promote renewable energy in partnerships with universities.

NGOs must lead the way to lobby governments and lawmakers to adopt and implement programmes, initiatives and public policies to reduce industrial emissions and encourage investing in renewable energy.

We, at various NGOs, need to coordinate our efforts to make our voices heard and lead the way to save our beautiful planet from greedy and irresponsible capitalists.

Earth has enough resources to meet our needs but not our greed.

Dr Mahmoud Youssef Baker is Chairman of Iqraa Trust and a director of Albaraka Bank.