Muslim Views, July 2015

SHAWWAAL 1436 l JULY 2015

Vol. 29 No. 7

Celebrating with a conscience FTER fasting for thirty days, a period that is utilised for intense and sincere devotion to Allah, we celebrate the joy of anticipated spiritual rewards.

This joy is traditionally expressed by way of congregational prayer, the donning of our best clothes and the gathering of families for socialising and feasts.

In a normal society, where all things are equal and where the playing fields are level, this kind of celebration is appropriate.

However, we do not live in a normal society. All things are not equal. We are surrounded by poverty, hunger and inequality.

We should, therefore, experience some ambivalence in our celebration of Eid. Our joy should be felt along with a troubled conscience that hunger and poverty are routine for many.

Our conscience should impress upon us that while our abstinence from food for the sake of Allah in Ramadaan culminates in festivities, for many, hunger remains the norm.

This reality can be ignored only through deliberate indifference. And that is patently inconsistent with the spirit of the fast and of Eid. The joy of Eid is a joy of compassion and the basis for social action. Zakatul-fitr is the compulsory act of charity that authenticates our fast in Ramadaan. However, we need to sustain our social action in diverse ways in order to render our fasting and our celebration truly meaningful.

Eid mubarak!

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THE annual gathering of Muslims with the Crescent Observers Society, at Three Anchor Bay, in Cape Town, is an opportunity to collectively anticipate Eid through the sighting of the new moon. This tradition is as much a formal occasion to determine the day of Eid as well as a social one where we celebrate our devotion to Allah.

Photo ISGAAK EBRAHIM

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EID-UL-FITR 1436 AH: INSIDE THIS SPECIAL EDITION OF MUSLIM VIEWS

Thoughts around Ramadaan in a time of load-shedding Page Eid-ul-Fitr/Labarang celebrations of the Cape Muslims Page The fruits of Ramadaan Page Hajj operator refunds discontented pilgrim Page Open Shuhada Street in process of revival Page Second edition of Freedom Charter book launched Page Education summit to be held in Cape Town in August Page Youth: flowers of the future and the reasons for our struggle Page Gaza flotilla: ordinary civilians taking extraordinary actions Page Haven of peace in popular coastal town Page HIV Outreach Programme and Education offers hope Page

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Nepal earthquake: an emergency doctor’s perspective Hajj Stories: ‘When time waits...’

MSA Union’s first national Quran conference 102 not out!

Hints for a healthy pregnancy Muslim refugees escape to Europe Expanding the frontiers of our ibadah Grandparenting: Part 1 Breaking through the cocoon of Ramadaan Intensifying the essence of art Who will stand up for Jamshed?

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MUSLIM VIEWS WISHES ITS READERS, ADVERTISERS AND SUPPORTERS AN EID MUBARAK!

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Muslim Views . July 2015

Muslim Views . July 2015

low, mainly because of diminishing financial returns.

This concern clearly overshadowed the impact of poor economic conditions on the masses of workers at the bottom end of the food chain.

It also superceded the recognition that events such as the massacre at Marikana are essentially precipitated by discontent over living wages and the dignity of workers.

Another case in point is the matter of a charge of manipulating the truth in order to dismiss a multibillion-rand suit to pay out tens of thousands of mineworkers suffering from illnesses due to exposure to silica-related diseases such as silicosis and tuberculosis.

Human rights lawyers have been working for the past ten years to secure compensation for former gold mine workers or their families affected HE mining industry in by death, disability or disease. post-apartheid South Africa The recent Aurora scandal highlights emerged as among the most one of the abiding issues in the lucrative black empowerment struggle for true liberation, particularly opportunities.

Over 120 years ago, the exploitation of as it affects the workers’ movement in South Africa. the riches of the earth in this part of While the advent of democracy may Southern Africa was the sole preserve of powerful colonialists, capitalists and have removed apartheid from the statutes and the political system, it has racists.

Just over twenty years ago, the advent certainly not addressed the injustices of a democratic South Africa came with and inequalities sustained by the capitalist system. promises of revolutionary change, a The class struggle in the present vision of a shared national wealth and democracy is iconically exemplified by hopes of transfer of ownership of this the Aurora scandal. wealth to the people.

More specifically, the Mining Charter of Capitalism in the mining sector, South Africa calls for transformation of sustained by black hegemony, perverts the ideal of black economic the industry in key respects such as empowerment and transfer of ownership, procurement, employment ownership. equity and mine community The case of Aurora is emblematic of development. the political and economic ills of our It is, therefore, an outrage that the country.

Minister of Mineral Resources, last The court victory finding the mine’s month, reported that more than 300 directors personally liable to the notices have been sent to mining amount of R2 billion is a hollow and companies, citing their non-compliance with stipulations in the industry charter. largely symbolic one.

It is hollow and largely symbolic Despite all the progressive because it fails to restore the dignity of policy-making, democracy in South the workers, nor does it promise Africa has not economically immediate compensation for their loss empowered the historically and suffering. disadvantaged masses. In particular, Any credible resolution of this scandal the workers in this industry remain must necessarily address the current among the most exploited and ownership and beneficiation model that marginalised in the national labour offers extraordinary benefits to the few market. at the expense of masses of workers.

At the mining indaba, earlier this year, The reformist approach has not the mood of the leadership of the industry was sombre because business delivered results.

It is time for radical change. confidence in the sector is currently

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The mining industry needs radical change

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

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Eid-ul-Fitr: an introspective celebration

SHAIKH SA’DULLAH KHAN E are bidding al-widaa (farewell) to the blessed month of Ramadaan, the month of the Quran, the month of siyaam (fasting), the month of qiyaam (night prayers), the month of ghufraan (forgiveness), the month of ihsaan (goodness) and the month of karam (generosity).

We bid farewell to the month that hosts Layla-tul-Qadr (Night of Power)and a month that harbours Youm-al Furqaan (The Day of Criterion occasioned by the Battle of Badr). We bid sentimental farewell to a shahrun mubaarak, a hallowed month, indeed. In bidding farewell to Ramadaan, we are faced with three questions: Are we also bidding farewell to all the good deeds we did in Ramadaan? Will we maintain the key practices of patience, humility, compassion, solidarity and generosity throughout the year? As Ramadaan departs, will we let the spirit of Ramadaan leave us as well?

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Reflection of a spiritual wayfarer Let each one of us open a page from the book of our individual muhaasabah (self-examination) and reflect on what was achieved in this month. What benefits were derived, which behaviours were adjusted, what good practices have been adopted, which bad habits have been relinquished.

How did the prayers and fasting of Ramadaan influence our attitudes and perspectives; how have they improved our relationships with Allah, families, friends and neighbours? How did they affect our bodies, our hearts, minds and souls?

We have been spiritual wayfarers (as-saaihun) on the transcendent journey towards the attainment of piety. Where did that journey take us? Have we become better human beings, more considerate, more caring, more compassionate? Have we journeyed from self-centredness to social consciousness, from self-righteousness to righteousness? Where did we start and how far have we journeyed, if at

all? We have fasted in pursuance of taqwa, which is the continuous process of character development coupled with Allah-consciousness. It entails purification of the self from the evils of bad intention, deceit, hypocrisy, egoism, cowardice, conceit and prejudice.

It is manifested in a positive attitude, good behaviour and a lovable character. This leads to a degree of moral, ethical and spiritual elevation towards piety.

The one who has truly benefitted from Ramadaan is the one whose condition after Ramadaan becomes better than it was before Ramadaan.

Renewed commitment We should emerge from Ramadaan with, hopefully, a better personality and a stronger character, confident of our ability to subordinate our desires to our will, our emotions to our intellect, our lower self to the higher self. Ramadaan has filled our lives with blessings, awakened our slumbering conscience and, hopefully, purified our souls.

We have abstained from the three fundamentals of life: food, drink (necessary for daily survival) and intimacy (which facilitates the perpetuation of the human race). We have done this unquestioningly, from dawn to dusk, for a whole month.

Now, the auspicious day of Eid-ul-Fitr approaches; every conscientious soul should be ready to face the year ahead with renewed zeal, unwavering will, devoted fervour, enthusiastic dedication, higher vision, and accompanied by an enhanced spirit of universal goodwill. Be ever cognizant of the fact that next Ramadaan may or may not come; even if it does, we may or may not be around.

Mindful celebration Islam teaches us how to celebrate through Eid; a celebration incorporating worship that brings Muslims together in harmony, remembering Allah’s bounties and celebrating His glory and magnificence.

Eid is an opportunity to multiply good deeds, bringing delight and pleasure to the hearts of families and friends, without forgetting the less privileged. We do not start our Eid festivity until sadaqatul fitr (charity of Eid) has been paid, thus remembering the poor and downtrodden even before we start our celebration.

Let the day of Eid-ul-Fitr be an opportunity to purge ourselves of grudges and suspicion, an occasion for eliminating rancour and hatred, a time of renewed kindness to dear ones, a time for fostering love among Muslims, and compassion for humanity. Eid mubarak!

Shaikh Sa’dullah Khan is CEO of Islamia College, Cape Town.

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Discovering the purpose of Ramadaan in the time of load shedding As we come to the end of Ramadaan, Professor ASLAM FATAAR helps us view the concept of time through the Quranic state of ‘husr’, or, time as a state of loss or flight.

He looks at the time we are living in as one that is out of joint, and urges a new look at the lived realities of the marginalised. Further, he makes a call on the various levels of leadership to re-connect their work with the precarious social realities of the times we live in.

IME is a powerful conceptual organiser in Islamic discourse. The Quran commands believers to establish concrete, righteous practices to give time a productive quality.

I suggest, in this article, that the time we are currently living in is largely out of joint. In other words, we are living in a time of disorientation, which the Quran refers to as a state of husr (a state of loss or flight – Quran 94:1).

Load shedding as time out of joint This time out of joint is characterised by people struggling to survive amid precarious economic infrastructures, collapsed labour markets and leaking social welfare systems.

Life for the majority of our country’s poor is lived on the hop.

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We see people, more and more, making livelihoods via the financial circuitry in the informal, illicit and service sectors.

Few people have decent jobs with decent wages, medical aid and pension benefits. Lifestyles are thus ephemeral and unstable.

This situation manifests itself in increases in disease, ill health and early mortality. Single parent families and rates of divorce are skyrocketing. An increase in children growing up in broken homes is one tragic outcome of this situation.

It is clear that load shedding has exacerbated this situation. It has, for example, impacted quite dramatically on the sensate experiences of fasting Muslims. Load shedding has changed how and when we prepare our food and organise our daily ritual practice

schedules.

Our bodily experience of this year’s fast has been affected, for the worse, forcing us to make adaptations to the way we experience our days of ibadah. In other words, figuratively speaking, as a result of the impact of load shedding, fasting has come to ‘taste’ differently.

My aunt in Mitchells Plain spoke of having to get used to the taste of cold soup and daltjies but quickly adds that ‘it’s Allah’s will and we learn to sabr’. Her son is less sanguine, murmuring about the horror of a ‘pwaasa sonder ligte’ (fast without electricity).

On the other hand, the imam in Parkwood speaks about the beauty of sharing a flask of boiling water with his Muslim neighbour for his tea at iftaar. And, we are encouraged by the musallee who cautions us to appreciate what we have compared to those less fortunate.

Clearly, people are not paralysed by their poverty or hardships. They draw on the best of their cultural and religious traditions, community value systems and human connectedness to invent new modes of support, survival and getting by.

‘Proper recognition’ as a basis for non-judgemental moral engagement Times like these require us to step back and allow the ‘grounds’ of people’s harsh lives and experiences to speak for themselves.

Political brokers, religious leaders and advice givers would be forced to listen to the pain and suffering of lives lived largely out of sight of formal religious and social institutions.

And, if these leaders become properly attuned to the acuteness of people’s struggles and pain, they would be able to place themselves in a position to respond with ethical clarity and wise counsel. However, hearing people’s pain is only a necessary first step.

They would hear the stories of people all over Cape Town relating their struggles for subsistence and making productive lives.

They would understand how bare survival is now wired into people’s material and mental makeup as they struggle to make ends meet.

These brokers will get to understand how hunger and desperation are forcing people to clutch at whatever they can to keep body and soul together.

They will understand why people become involved in the illicit economy, via the sale of illegal goods, drug running and the use of their bodies to make money.

Proper recognition of one’s role in mitigating these circumstances requires abandoning the reflex to moralise about such choices or judge people who are desperate. Instead, a reflex of non-judgmentalism would offer political and religious brokers some legitimacy to offer counsel

and support.

The question arises as to the meaning of the core lesson of fasting, that is, how we come to understand our connections and commitments to the confounding poverty that characterises our lives and those of the majority in the city.

We would try to understand the small (and large) precarious adaptations that Muslims and other people are now making in light of having to live in thoroughly neo-liberalised conditions of poverty and collapsing social structures.

What I believe ought to emerge is a political and religious ethics that could speak with clarity into our human drama. My deeper issue is with our political and religious discourses’ inability to understand and properly connect with this situation, in effect, offering very little by way of direction for ethical living in complex times.

The reorganising impact of load shedding on our sensate experiences, how people experience their daily struggles on their body and soul, should cause us to pause. The struggles of ordinary folk to survive poor schooling, food insecurity and the rise in unemployment and crime should force us to establish practices that ameliorate the plight of struggling folk.

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Muslim Views . July 2015

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Muslim Views . July 2015

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 - ‘Discovering the purpose of Ramadaan in the time of load-shedding’

The systemic provenance of social suffering These personal experiences, however, have a broader, more systemic, provenance which we ignore at our peril. Load shedding, for example, represents larger fault lines in our body politik. It is clear that our political system is a deeply neo-liberalised one. The current government, at all levels, has been shown to favour a politics of withdrawal from its commitments to the social welfare and development needs of the citizenry.

The nightmare of Marikana, the corruption of Nkandla and juridical flouting of the Al-Bashir ‘escape’ are clear signs of our politicians’ unwillingness to legitimise their politics via socially just responses to the plight of the poor. They are also incontrovertible proof of the current government’s lack of commitment to securing a political platform to help poor people mitigate their poverty, let alone providing a platform for social cohesion and stability.

Our neo-liberal politics does not just shape public policy. It literally changes us and the world around us in a very physical way.

The narratives inherent in this doctrine shape the way we move and care and look and feel.

The consequences of neo-liberalism are now being written on the bodies of us ordinary people.

Depression, anxiety, eating disorders and social isolation are all symptoms of a society crippled from the inside out by decreasing standards of living.

These, I believe, are the terms and terrain on which religious, civic and other institutions now

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have to engage their flock. Struggling people do not require dollops of posturing. They require full recognition of their worthwhile lives as they figure out ways of adapting, surviving and even flourishing.

Shared localised social practices to ameliorate livelihoods ‘in-joint’ Muslims who come to full recognition, via their reflective practices in Ramadaan, will commit themselves to activities in their own communities via co-living, sharing and struggle. Their life’s activities will be time/ space bound and ‘in joint’, in other words, always productive and shared. One such example could be a targeted campaign to arrest the early dropout of young children from school, a trend that is increasing at an alarming rate in townships.

As my involvement in one local school community in the northern suburbs shows, mitigating school dropout involves mobilising various community structures including mosques, churches, the local counsellor, police services and social welfare officers to provide safe educational space for children. Helping, for example, with the children’s homework, organising sport and having them eat something nourishing would persuade children to invest in their learning. It also means engaging families to support their children’s education. And, crucially, local activism should be brought to bear on the school and governmental structures. This is based on a politics of making the government responsive to people’s needs. Where Muslims participate in targeted civic activity,

together with others, they will be able to help leverage a more productive governmental response.

This example of creative local co-producing activities could also apply to efforts to obtain a better health and welfare dispensation or more responsive policing in neighbourhoods.

Conclusion The time of load shedding is a time out of joint. It signifies the gap between people’s everyday struggles to survive in poor contexts and their collapsing social infrastructures. The survivalist responses of ordinary folk have stepped into the breach, mitigating the worst consequences of impoverished livelihoods.

Ramadaan places an obligation on Muslims to develop a full connectedness to the quality and nature of our lives in our communities. We will have to recognise the vitality and depth of people’s survivalist practices and the morality of people who struggle to make ends meet.

Recognition and connectedness, however, require a further step; we have to involve ourselves in local practices to secure better living arrangements, via productive practices (‘amal-al-salihat), in community and via co-creation.

These would stand a chance of fashioning opportunities for healthy living conditions in our neighbourhoods.

As the Quran instructs, productive emergence of viable times in joint now depends on ordinary people’s local practices aimed at securing sustainable livelihoods.

Aslam Fataar is Professor and Vice Dean – Research, in the Faculty of Education at Stellenbosch University.

Eid-ul-Fitr/Labarang celebrations of the Cape Muslims DR MOGAMAT HOOSAIN EBRAHIM

THERE are two Eids during the Islamic year, Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha.

Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated immediately after the month of Ramadaan while Eid-ul-Adha is celebrated just over two months later.

Both these festivals are associated with the performance of some duty – in the first instance, the duty of fasting and, in the second, the duty of sacrifice.

These celebrations were introduced by the pioneers who came from the Malaysian Archipelago and settled at the Cape.

The traditions that they brought as well as the traditions they developed at the Cape, enormously enriched the manner in which they practised Islam.

Many of these traditions are connected to the month of Ramadaan and Eid-ul-Fitr, which was and still is an auspicious occasion for Cape Muslims. In this article, we will focus on Eidul-Fitr or Labarang, as it is known in the Cape.

Though Labarang officially commences on the first day of the Islamic month of Shawwaal, in reality, the Cape Muslims start preparing a few days before Labarang.

This is when the kitchen becomes a hive of activity with the baking of cakes and the preparation of the food.

Everything becomes rushed as soon as the moon is sighted.

Everyone is excited and looking forward to celebrating Labarang.

The sighting of the moon, though a religious activity, has

been part of Cape Muslim culture since the arrival of the exiles from the east.

The early maankykers (crescent observers) formed an informal grouping and assumed their duties at various observation vantage points.

After the inauguration of the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC), in 1945, it became essential to incorporate the moon-sighting activity. Since the Islamic scholars had very little time at their disposal for this activity, the Crescent Observers Society was established at Rahmaniyyah Institute, in 1951. Their primary objective was the sighting of the new crescent moon on the completion of every 29th day of the lunar month.

The vantage points for these observations are on the beachfront at Three Anchor Bay and on Signal Hill. Initially, candle lamps were flashed, indicating successful sighting of the moon. This was replaced by flashlights when these became more commonly available. However, because of the many traffic lights, their use resulted in miscommunication and confusion.

Subsequently, firework rockets were shot into the sky. When the local government banned the discharging of fireworks, two-way radios were utilised. Currently, cellular phones are used.

Today, the sighting of the moon has become a social gathering. The attendance at moonsighting spots is increasing every year.

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Muslim Views . July 2015 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

On that evening, thousands of Muslims gather and break their fast at these vantage points, assembling in a united spirit of brotherhood. Maghrib Salaah, the sunset prayer, is performed in congregation. When the moon is sighted, the appointed hakim (authority) is informed of the observation. He announces that the new Islamic month has commenced. If, however, the moon is not sighted at these vantage points, he will confer with other crescent committees in South Africa and, subsequently, issue his announcement.

It is the practice of the Cape Muslims to recite the takbir (Allah is the greatest) after the moon has been sighted. This recital is repeated when the congregations return to their respective mosques.

During Ramadaan, the Islamic scholars announce the amount of the zakatul-fitr which is payable to needy Muslims. This has to be paid before the imam starts with his sermon on Labarang day.

It is recorded that Abdullah ibn Abbas (RA) said: ‘The Prophet (SAW) has made zakatulfitr incumbent on those who have fasted so that it may cleanse the person of any unbecoming behaviour and utterances committed during the month of Ramadaan, and also as a provision for the poor. Whoever discharges this zakaah before the salaah of Eid, it will be accepted by Allah. And whoever discharges this zakaah after the salaah of Eid, such payment will be regarded as an ordinary sadaqah.’

A number of organisations in the Western Cape are active in distributing fitrah. Two examples are the South African Zakaah Fund (Sanzaf) and Nakhlistan.

Sanzaf distributes zakatul-fitr

in the form of food parcels to Muslims on the day of Labarang.

The pioneers of Sanzaf in the Cape were Shaikh Faaiq Gamieldien and Abdurazak Razak who, in 1974, collected money and food items to make up a few parcels for distribution. This campaign has shown significant growth and, currently, R5 million in nutritional food, fresh produce and canned goods are distributed a few days before Labarang, ensuring that approximately 23 000 families across South Africa will enjoy the day.

In 1984, the late Dawood Parker, Shukoor Mowzer and Shaikh Sadullah Khan established Nakhlistan. Collecting the ingredients and meat from Dawood’s Butchery, the pioneers cooked two pots of food, which they distributed in Philippi and Langa.

This year (2015), they are cooking 165 pots, which will fill the stomachs of approximately 80 000 people.

Picking the fruits of Ramadaan SHAFIQ MORTON

THE Quran is many things to many people. It is a tapestry of injunctions, prophetic history and natural wonder; it invokes Heaven and conjures up Hell; it indulges in masterful transitions – not of literature, not of poetry and not of prose.

The Quran is matchless. It leads us on a journey from Suratul-Fatihah, its opening chapter, to the final whisperings in Suratun-Nas after over 6 000 verses.

Unchanged since its first uttering over 1 400 years ago, the Quran is the most unique text on earth.

Sublime does not begin to explain it. The Quran can depict a

galaxy in a single letter or take a whole chapter for a universe.

Every Ramadaan, as I dive into the Quran’s infinite depths, I never cease to be amazed. It is, as a famous Sufi once observed, a ‘Mercy Ocean’.

Also, I think the Quran talks to us. It talks to our eyes when we scan its letters; it talks to our ears when we recite – and when we recite, the sounds resonate within each cell of our body. The Quran is, indubitably, a dialogue of the heart. My interest in the Quran, as a media practitioner, is how, exactly, it talks to us. The message and the medium is my daily bread, and the Quran is a premium message bearer or the ultimate ‘Criterion’,

as Allah the Highest reminds us.

Each Ramadaan, the Quran lays at our table its sweet fruits, its tastes, its textures and its tangible truths. This year, my journey took me to place I’ve never been before: the villains of Revelation. This was when I noticed how few historically bad personalities have been explicitly mentioned in its verses. For this reason, the list of villains is not long, each representing an archetype: Iblis (who refused to prostrate to Adam), Samiri (of the golden calf) and Qarun (the wealthy Israelite swallowed by the earth). Then we have Haman (the pharaoh’s lieutenant), Azar the idol maker, Abu Lahab and Jalut (slain by Nabi Dawud).

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On Labarang morning everyone goes to the mosque but they no longer wear a suit and a fez, like in the past. What we see now are people wearing casual wear or eastern garb, especially those who have performed Hajj. The takbir is again recited at the mosques.

Before the salaah, the imam will deliver his pre-Arabic sermon in English or Afrikaans. Though there is no standardised sermon, the basic theme is praising the Almighty for granting everyone to fast, and gaining spiritual benefits. A supplication is also made to accept all virtuous deeds.

In addition, many imams address the adverse political situation of Muslims abroad. After the Arabic sermon, the imams make a supplication and wish the congregation a prosperous Eid. After the sermon, everyone goes home to say ‘slamat’ (greet) to family members, neighbours and friends. The traditional breakfast is ‘soutvleis en gebakte

brood’ (corned beef and homemade bread) with coffee or tea.

Lunch is a sumptuous affair of chicken curry with roti or rice, roast chicken, prawns, breyani, leg of lamb with vegetables.

Those who are home at teatime enjoy jam and coconut tarts, a variety of cakes, biscuits, chocolates, sweets, juices and soft drinks. It was, and still is, a colourful scene when adults and children walk from one house to another embracing neighbours and family members demonstrating peace, love and unity. The ladies wear colourful eastern garb with bags and shoes to match. As for the children, when they receive cash from people, the money is checked all the time while on the way to neighbours, relatives or friends’ homes.

Dr Ebrahim is a lecturer in Religion Studies, History, Ulum al-Quran and Ilm al-Kalam at International Peace College South Africa (IPSA).

But the most powerful figure of all, one that towers in the text is Firaun, the pharaoh of Musa (AS).

An epitome of oppressive and arrogant rule, I found his wrathful personality jumping off the page.

He was so pompous that he deigned himself divine, and indulged in unspeakable cruelty such as chopping off the hand and foot of anyone who got in his way.

The infanticide of Israelite boys is, of course, his signature atrocity.

The firaun was the kind of man whose stare could chill you to the bone. That is why, in Surah TaHa, Musa (AS), usually plucky by nature, tells Allah, when sent with Harun (AS) to deliver a message to the firaun, that he fears his transgressions. It is one of the Quran’s most poignant moments. Allah, the Highest, calmly instructs Musa and Harun (AS) to approach the

pharaoh – a man to all intents and purposes beyond redemption – with ‘gentle’ speech in the hope that he might succumb to His Mercy. ‘I am with you both,’ promises Allah.

The pharaoh’s ultimate fate – to be ‘mummified’ in abject humiliation as an unbeliever after he cynically recited that God was One to save himself from drowning – is a timeless metaphor.

This Ramadaan, my fruit from the orchard of the Quran is the fact that evil oppressors will be held accountable, whether they are Isis emirs or whether they are lording it in Palestine, Syria, Myanmar or Saudi Arabia.

The scales of justice will weigh against them in exactly the same way they did against the pharaoh, a man who dared to think he was god.

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Hajj operator refunds discontented pilgrim MAHMOOD SANGLAY

A HAJJ operator is accused of fraud, deception and malpractice by an aggrieved client accredited by the South African Hajj and Umrah Council (Sahuc) to undertake the Hajj this year.

Farouk Karbelkar listed these charges in a complaint he filed against Travel Unlimited with the National Consumer Commission.

He intends to file another for misleading advertising with the Advertising Standards Authority.

The allegations follow a transaction for a Hajj package that had gone sour and in which Karbelkar had demanded his money back.

Although Karbelkar received a full refund after the intervention of Sahuc, he remains aggrieved due to what he calls the ‘disgusting’ treatment he received from the Hajj operator.

Karbelkar’s complaint is, essentially, that a six-week Hajj package costing R24 990 was changed by Travel Unlimited to one of five-weeks, without notice or consent.

Moreover, there was no difference in the price. He argued that Travel Unlimited had refused to proportionately discount the price of an advertised six-week package departing on August 17 to that of a five-week package departing on August 24.

Apart from his complaint about the price, Karbelkar also objected to the loss of a week which he would have dedicated to devotions, presumably by frequenting the haram in Makkah by means of a shuttle from Azizia, a suburb in Makkah.

The allegations follow a transaction for a Hajj package that had gone sour and in which Karbelkar had demanded his money back.

Although Karbelkar received a full refund after the intervention of Sahuc, he remains aggrieved due to what he calls the ‘disgusting’ treatment he received from the Hajj operator.

All the features of both the five-week and the six-week packages, including the price, are identical. An independent inquiry by Muslim Views revealed that the one-week difference in the two packages does not alter the prices as the cost of accommodation in Azizia for one night or for seven nights is the same. Hence Karbelkar’s demand for a proportional discount is not warranted.

Travel Unlimited, nevertheless, offered Karbelkar a discount of R600. According to Faizel Sungay, owner of Travel Unlimited, Karbelkar agreed to accept this offer only to renege on it later.

Karbelkar disputes this and says he never accepted the discounted offer because he never agreed to the date change.

However, it appears that Karbelkar does have a legitimate expectation of a six-week stay in Saudi Arabia in order to benefit from an extended period of devotions in Makkah. This was denied him when the advertised six-week package was withdrawn.

The original Travel Unlimited

advertisement of a six-week package was removed and replaced with the five-week one soon after Karbelkar’s objection.

According to Sungay, the reason for the change in departure date to one week later is that the Saudi Ministry of Hajj issues Hajj visas too close to August 17, corresponding to Dhil Qaida 1. Visas are expected to be issued by the Saudi embassy in South Africa from July 19 to 31, corresponding to the first two weeks of Shawwaal.

Sungay argues that pilgrims due to depart on August 17 thus risk not having their visas in hand, hence the need to reduce the risk by means of a later departure date. Despite this, Karbelkar subsequently signed a contract with a different Hajj operator for a six-week package departing on August 17 and landing in Madinah.

Karbelkar further alleges that the Travel Unlimited consultant contacted him on a daily basis in order to secure the sale of the Hajj package but as soon as this

was accomplished there was no communication from them. He is particularly aggrieved that the departure date and the port of entry had been changed without his knowledge and consent.

The original port of entry was Madinah as per Karbelkar’s request but was changed to Jeddah. According to Sungay, the Saudi flights departing from Johannesburg on August 24 land in Jeddah only. However, another independent inquiry by Muslim Views shows that flights from Johannesburg to Madinah on August 24 do land in Madinah.

Another complaint relates to the original refund offered by Travel Unlimited following the dispute mediated at the offices of Sahuc, in Cape Town, on June 11.

Within a few minutes of the mediation, Sungay agreed to a full refund of all monies paid by Karbelkar.

However, twenty minutes later, Sungay called the Sahuc office and reneged on the agreement. He said he had discovered only after the mediation meeting that the

flight ticket is non-refundable and will likely be forfeited.

In an attempt to salvage the loss, Sungay offered to alter the travel itinerary in respect of Karbelkar’s ticket to suit the latter’s requirements, and to pay the costs of any changes to the ticket.

Karbelkar rejected this as well.

He argues that he cannot, in principle, do any business with Travel Unlimited due to his disappointment with the company. In addition, he says, the consultant had quoted him a price of R12 500 but he was subsequently expected to pay R12 980.

Sungay told Muslim Views that there is far too much emphasis on the grievances of pilgrims disappointed by Hajj operators as opposed to operators who deal with difficult clients and who take significant risks in order to trade in the industry.

The National Consumer Commission closed its file on the complaint once Karbelkar was refunded. However, the findings of Sahuc and the ASA in this respect are pending.

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Pro-Palestine organisation Open Shuhada Street starts organising SHAHISTA ROHAN-TOEFY

OPEN Shuhada Street (OSS) is in the process of being revived and the first step towards their return has seen them hiring Bruce Baigrie.

Baigrie, the OSS’s newly appointed coordinator says he has been involved with the OSS for a while. ‘I was more of a friend but now I’m a paid member.’

In 2010, he joined the University of Cape Town Palestine Solidarity Forum and was chairperson for 2011 and 2012.

The OSS is a registered nonprofit organisation that utilises the tools of advocacy, lobbying, public education and mobilisation to engage in solidarity work with Palestinians.

With their campaigns, they highlight the wrongs and injustices done against the Palestinian people, particularly in the occupied West Bank.

After their visit to the West Bank, Doron Isaacs, Nathan Geffen and Zackie Achmat, who were deeply affected by what they saw, established OSS on January 28, 2009.

On their visit to Hebron, they saw many disturbing things, one of them being the closure of Shuhada Street to Palestinians while remaining open to the few Israeli settlers who are illegally living in the area under the protection of the Israeli Defence Force.

Shuhada Street was the main street in the old city of Hebron.

The closure of this street meant that hundreds of Palestinian businesses are being forced to close, and there is also a lack of access of thousands of residents to their

Muslim Views

The OSS protesting against Ahava, which produces its products by using stolen precious natural resources from Palestinian territory, and is based in an illegal Israeli settlement Photo SUPPLIED in the West Bank.

homes and schools. Children have to take a much longer route to school and face abuse from the settlers.

Open Shuhada Street is best known for its victory in getting the South African Department of Trade and Industry to issue a notice which banned false labelling of goods from the illegal Israeli settlements. This campaign began in 2010, when OSS launched its first boycott campaign targeting Ahava cosmetics, an Israeli company.

Ahava, which is based in an illegal Israeli settlement in the

West Bank, produces its products by using stolen precious natural resources, including water taken from Palestinian territory.

Since this victory, protests in South Africa continue against Israeli settlement goods. As a result, the European Union is pushing for stricter application of its own labelling policies regarding Israel’s settlements and is now considering sanctions.

The OSS has a big legal case on its hands. The suit is against Cape Gate, a steel and wire manufacturing company, registered and based in South Africa. This com-

pany has a subsidiary company in Israel called Yehuda Welded Mesh Ltd. Through Yehuda Welded Mesh Ltd, Cape Gate has been actively involved in the construction of the West Bank separation barrier and setting up fencing in the illegal settlements. By doing this, they are supporting and profiting from the illegal occupation.

Their activities in the occupied territories are in violation of international and South African law. Baigrie says that this lawsuit is still with their lawyers who are discussing a plan of action.

He adds that they hope to reestablish their Khayelitsha branch.

It is at this branch that they will once again run educational workshops about the Palestine/ Israeli conflict.

At these workshops they will look at more than just the current conflict and will focus on the political Zionist, and approach this conflict as a holistic narrative.

They also plan on having a public lecture series, one of which will feature Associate Professor Ran Greenstein, from Wits University, delivering a talk about race, ethnicity and class in Israel, and how the different classes shape the political language in Israel.

The OSS hopes to do more to contribute to the fight against the occupation of Palestine and could do a lot more with more financial assistance.

‘Any bit of donation goes a long way with us because we really know how to stretch money for this cause,’ says Baigrie.

To find out more about Open Shuhada Street or to donate, call 021 423 3089, e-mail; openshuhadastreetsa@gmail.com, their website; openshuhadastreet.com, facebook; Open Shuhada Street South Africa.

Alternatively, people can donate to the OSS through Ndifuna Ukwazi with whom they are partners.

Banking details are obtainable from the organisation.

Muslim Views . July 2015

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Excellence in education must be supported and rewarded SHAHISTA ROHAN-TOEFY

MORE than 45 worthy students can breathe easy knowing that their study fees will be covered after Oasis Crescent Fund added 19 more students to the Oasis Bursary Programme, which was launched in 2014.

The announcement of the increase in the number of beneficiaries was made on February 7, 2015.

This means that the Oasis Bursary Fund was increased from R4,2 million to a staggering R7 million.

The students are from various communities across South Africa.

Oasis expects their bursary contribution to reach R23 million over the next three years, which will change many students’ lives.

The students are from institutions such as University of Cape Town, University of Stellenbosch, University of the Western Cape, University of KwaZulu-Natal, North West University and Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Most of these students are reading towards degrees in Commerce, Engineering, Law, Health Sciences, Social Sciences and Management Studies.

After a year, the popularity of this bursary is evident as the 2015 programme received over 450 applications from top-scoring 2014 matriculants with distinctions in four or more subjects.

Apart from the bursary programme, Oasis’s involvement in educational programmes stretches from early childhood development and extends through to tertiary level, where financial contributions to various educational institutions and projects were made.

S

Oasis bursary recipients together with members of the Oasis executive, Ebrahim family and academic community. Front row (L-R): Doctor Waheeb Gasant, Shaikh Ebrahim Gabriels, Professor Eric Atmore, Nazeem Ebrahim, Tay-yibah Ebrahim, Professor Brian Figaji, Abduraghman Mayman, Mohamed Shaheen Ebrahim, Mariam Ebrahim, Adam Ebrahim, Jeannie D, Professor Anwar Mall, Doctor Max Price and Adnaan Ebrahim.

Ebrahim family standing on the left (L-R): Reyhana Ebrahim, Halima Shala Ebrahim, Raabi’ah Ebrahim, Salman Ebrahim, Jehan Ebrahim and Badr Ebrahim.

Photo SUPPLIED Ebrahim family standing on the right (L-R): Bint Nur Ebrahim and Zahrah Ebrahim.

The investments made in these programmes are in excess of R13 million. The Early Childhood Development Centre and the Equal Opportunity Foundation were among the beneficiaries of the Oasis Crescent Fund.

This financial injection has facilitated the implementation of a number of projects that provide services at various communitymanaged centres across South Africa, encouraging holistic child development, centre upgrades, provision of educational equipment, teacher training and assistance with obtaining provincial subsidies.

‘The investment in education made by the Oasis Crescent Fund Trust and administered by Oasis Group Holdings is important in building capacity and enabling the learning process,’ says the Chairman of the Oasis Group and the Oasis Crescent Fund Trust,

Shaheen Ebrahim.

‘We welcome the new intake of bursars and wish them well with their academic careers but, most of all, we encourage them to work hard, to dedicate themselves to their studies and to commit to giving back to society when they achieve academic success.’

On expanding Oasis’s commitment to its investment in education, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Oasis Group, Adam Ebrahim says, ‘Education is a high priority for our country and we believe that the impact of proper education in the formative years will play a vital role in unlocking South Africa’s potential, serving as a catalyst for longterm prosperity as a more productive population will become a driver of economic growth.’

One of the recipients of this bursary is at Queens Park High School, in Woodstock. Principal

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Andre van der Merwe says that the bursary covers the fees and tuition of the student but will fall away if the student doesn’t continue performing well and delivering high results.

He says that many of his learners can barely afford school fees and their transport to school so this bursary helps a lot. ‘If you work hard then you deserve getting a bursary. Excellence must be rewarded.’

Twenty-five-year-old Wendy Swartz, from North West University, is one of the recipients of the Oasis Bursary Programme. The law student said she was selected as a Golden Key member because of her good results and they forwarded her information on bursaries that different companies offer.

Golden Key International Honour Society is the world’s biggest honour society and they

connect high achieving individuals locally, regionally and globally with lifetime opportunities.

Swartz says that she was relieved to have received this bursary because she was struggling to make ends meet. She is from the Northern Cape and has a bursary that covers her stay at North West University but if she had not received this bursary she would have had to stop her studies because she could not afford it any longer.

‘It was all becoming too much for me because I am so far away from my family and was also struggling financially. This bursary covers my tuition and text books in full and this takes a massive load off my shoulders.’ She continues, ‘I’m so glad I worked hard at getting good results.

‘I appreciate the reward for that hard work now and I’m so grateful.’

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Muslim Views . July 2015

Second edition of historical account launched AAISHA DADI-PATEL

ON June 26, the 60th anniversary of the Freedom Charter was commemorated in Kliptown, Soweto, where it was drawn up in 1955. A day later, Gauteng MEC of Roads and Transport, Dr Ismail Vadi, officially launched the second edition of his book The Congress of the People and Freedom Charter: A People’s History.

Vadi, himself born in Kliptown, in 1960, and an active African National Congress (ANC) member and a former member of parliament, documents in his book the formation of the Congress of the People, and how they contributed to drawing up the Freedom Charter – a list of broad values synthesised into a list of ten demands, gathered by simply asking people, ‘What does freedom mean to you?’

‘In 1949, there had been a move towards mass mobilisation and more armed struggle, and through the adoption of the Freedom Charter there came an ideological shift in the politics of the ANC. People were able to clarify, from a grassroots level, a vision of what a new society should look like,’ said Vadi at his book launch in Sandton.

Walter Sisulu wrote in the foreword of the first edition of the publication, in 1995: ‘Ismail Vadi’s very exhaustive study of the Congress of the People…is a tribute to the major role-players of the time and to all those who have made the necessary sacrifices in the cause of freedom.’

Speaking to Muslim Views, Vadi said that his involvement with the ANC began at Wits Uni-

Ismail Vadi (kneeling, centre) with Ahmed Kathrada (back, centre), friends and activists.

Photo ZAAKIRAH VADI

versity, in 1977, with the Black Consciousness Movement.

‘We had huge debates about the Black Consciousness Movement and the Freedom Charter and we realised over time that there were significant limitations in the way that the Black Consciousness Movement was organising things, so we opted to support those who were historically aligned to the Freedom Charter.’

The Freedom Charter had become a metaphor for the ANC, which was banned at the time so could not be openly spoken of.

‘My interest in the Freedom Charter really began there and, subsequent to that, I did my Master’s thesis on the campaign for the Congress of the People in the Freedom Charter, and the book is the product of the histories of that time,’ says Vadi.

When asked if there were individuals who have stood out for him in terms of his political influence, Vadi has two, in particular, whom he holds in high regard.

‘The first is the veteran Ahmed Kathrada, who remains a stalwart of the ANC, and with whom I have worked closely since his release from prison in 1989. We served in Parliament together and used to travel together. He has

had a huge impact on my political outlook and on my thinking, and because he was an active participant in the Congress of the People in the whole Freedom Charter movement, I think we’ve learnt a great deal from him.

‘The other person who has had a huge impact on me is Walter Sisulu. I didn’t have too much of personal interaction with him but, subsequent to his release, I met him on a few occasions and I interviewed him quite extensively on the Freedom Charter.

‘He gave rare insight into what the Charter stood for, what the meaning of it was, and what historical significance the fact that the ANC adopted the Freedom Charter in the 1950s held. He was the secretary general of the ANC at the time, and it signalled a shift in the thinking of the ANC. ‘Just the clause ‘South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white’ indicated that the ANC – once adopting it – embraced a broader, South Africanism, a broader, non-racial perspective of what a democratic South Africa should look like.

‘Its membership remained closed to Africans only in the 1950s; this only changed in the 80s but the vision had emerged, and I think Walter Sisulu brought that out very strongly.’

CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

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SURROUNDED by proud recipients of the 2014 ‘Fasting for the Love of Allah’ certificates are (from right to left) Imam Achmad Cassiem, Islamic Unity Convention (IUC) chairperson, Rashieda Surve, IUC exco member, and a guest, Omar Slamdien. IUC’s next, 17th, annual ‘Fasting for the Love of Allah’ certificate ceremony will take place on July 26, 2015, at the Athlone Pre-Primary School hall. The award ceremony will commence at 10am and run till noon. Each participant will receive a medal, a certificate and a goody bag filled with sweets and, if their budget allows, a Quran. If your child has fasted the full month of Ramadaan, kindly contact Rashieda Surve on 021 696 9838 or 0786 208 526; Nazlea Ameerudien 021 705 1260 or 082 491 7994; Moghammad de Vries 021 705 8242 or 084 585 8242.

Photo ABDURAHMAN KHAN

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16

Vadi does not encounter any difficulties in reconciling his political career with being a Muslim, and says that it all boils down to accepting various facets of an identity and harmonising them.

‘I don’t think that any human being has only one identity.

‘I am Indian, I’m Muslim, I’m a male, I’m part of the broader black community (based on our historical oppression), I’m a Member of Parliament so I’m a community representative.

‘We are products of different identities and, at times, certain elements of identity may be more pronounced than others. It’s all a question of harmonising our different identities.

‘In joining the ANC, a political party, you will subscribe to the values of the party which are consistent with Islamic principles.

And there will be issues where, as a Muslim, you will feel uncomfortable – for example, when I was in Parliament, there was the issue of the termination of pregnancy act but you enter into a dialogue with the party and find a way in which they can accommodate your specific interests.

‘In this case, the ANC was gracious enough to allow those of us who had religious conflicts with this issue to not participate in this debate and abstain from voting but this was really the sensitivity of the ANC to accommodate the religious and cultural diversity which we have in this country.

‘And it all boils down to being able to engage in dialogue.

‘I chose to dress in Islamic wear from my first day in Parliament, and not once did the ANC ever ask me why I was dressed like that.’

When pressed on the question of corruption, as a representative of the ANC, Vadi cautions that

society should be careful to generalise it as something only the ANC is responsible for.

‘Corruption is an issue in our society, and we cannot turn a blind eye to that but that doesn’t mean the ANC itself is solely the root of corruption.

From its historical values, from the ideals of the Freedom Charter, it can never say that the ANC is pro-corruption. There is also corruption in the private sector – it is a broader issue which goes beyond just the ANC. It raises the question of the morality of a nation at large.’

Coming back to the Freedom Charter, Vadi remains adamant that it remains relevant, even though, at times, it remains criticised for having ideals which are too romanticised to be implementable.

Vadi said at the launch of his book: ‘The Freedom Charter has forced itself on the consciousness of our people for decades now. In

the 1960s, it was a metaphor for the Congress Alliance, when we had a Black Consciousness Movement ideological split.

‘In the ’80s, the Charter resurrected itself. It was referred back to in 1996 when the RDP was developed, and used as a reference point in 1995/ 1996 for the Constitution, which has a resonance of it in the preamble.’

Ahmed Kathrada writes in his foreword of Vadi’s book: ‘Our democratic and far-sighted Constitution in large measure embodies the essential vision of the Freedom Charter.’

Looking to the Freedom Charter as a document for the future, Vadi says: ‘Society evolves and isn’t static. We have consummated many of the clauses in the Charter but we do still have our work cut out for us. We must engage and keep questioning the relevance of the Freedom Charter. Each generation must reinterpret it for its own time.’

Education summit to be held in August THE Movement Against Illegitimate Leaders (Mail) will be hosting an education summit on August 10, 2015, at the Rylands Hall (next to Masjidul Quds), Balu Parker Boulevard, Gatesville, starting at 11am.

The guest speaker will be Professor Salim Vally of University of Johannesburg (UJ).

The Concerned Education Forum (CEF), the Progressive Principals’ Association and school governing bodies will be attending. NGOs have been invited to deliver papers on education.

The theme of the summit is: ‘Free education now, not tomorrow’ and is open to all role-players in the education sector. Entry is free but it is imperative to RSVP due to limited space. Contact the General Secretary of Mail, Faranaaz Simons on 079 079 4727.

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The youth are the flowers of the future and the reason for our struggle MP KHWEZI ka CEZA

I CANNOT recall the number of times I read the dictum above (captured in the headline) as I voraciously went through tons of literature that the Left produced in volumes in the eighties.

It clearly articulates the idea that young people would not only be the beneficiaries of the fruits of the struggle but that they would also be responsible for preserving the legacy of the struggle.

That history tasks young people with the duty of protecting, maximising and advancing the gains, reversing the concessions, minimising the losses, and correcting the mistakes, tackling new issues, confronting new challenges and seizing opportunities, and exploring new terrains; therefore, searching for alternatives, opening new avenues and taking up new forms of struggles.

Therefore, the youth must not shy away from robust intellectual debate on current, pertinent issues. Moral indifference should not be allowed to now replace social responsibility just as civic literacy is now replaced by the idiocy of celebrity culture, the anti-intellectualism embraced by a commodity-based culture, and the current, utterly instrumental and repressive view of education.

With June 16, Youth Day, having been observed in diverse ways, there was, once more, the usual stampede over which political party was responsible for the

Muslim Views

Our democracy can only survive with a formative culture that offers the youth the opportunity to broaden their knowledge, skills and values in ways that enhance and expand their capacities to think critically, imagine otherwise, create the conditions for shared responsibilities and hold power accountable June 16 uprising, despite the availability of abundant historical evidence.

The forces with resources at their disposal will support their claim by letting their resources speak for them. That is not the way to go. You cannot build national consciousness through desperate manipulation and marginalisation of others.

Days of national commemoration should be identified and be observed by the nation where all the people and their institutions are given a role to play. This is a radical departure from the situation where one organisation muscles out deserving others and commemorates the day as its own, to the exclusion of others.

This usually happens, even if these functions are done by the state with taxpayers’ money. This defeats the purpose because all it does is cause alienation of the

nation and resentment.

There should be a national protocol that regulates how the nation and its institutions commemorate national days. And such commemorations must be used to extract relevant values about which to inform and educate all generations of the nation.

They should not be reduced to indoctrination about the greatness of a single political party over the others. It is for the same reason that the concept of a National Heroes’ Acre has also been proposed – to ensure all our heroes and heroines are buried with dignity at the same place.

A national protocol could also give guidelines to ensure that cadres from various political parties and other institutions are not arbitrarily denied such national honour. This should contribute a great deal to the building of national consciousness.

Our democracy can only survive with a formative culture that offers the youth the opportunity to broaden their knowledge, skills and values in ways that enhance and expand their capacities to think critically, imagine otherwise, create the conditions for shared responsibilities and hold power accountable.

A vibrant formative culture expands the critical educative nature of all cultural apparatuses – from schools to the old and new media – as part of a wider project of enabling the youth to be able to assume the role of critical agents, thinking subjects and critically engaged citizens willing to learn how to govern rather than merely govern, and be able to care for the other.

Education becomes central to any viable notion of politics because it provides the tools to enable people, as C Wright Mills

reminded us, to translate private troubles into public concerns.

This ideal of education providing the conditions to produce an informed citizenry is now under siege at every level of society in which knowledge is produced and circulated.

This simply means the youth cannot and should not be content with being merely flowers, beautiful, valuable assets to be taken care of by others.

For the sake of the future and continuity – if not the realisation of the ideal of an egalitarian society – young people cannot afford to be passive beneficiaries of the struggles waged by others.

Nor should they become mere recipients of literature, information and knowledge.

Young people should be at the centre of theorising about the world in which they live.

They should be at the forefront of looking for ways and means by which the world can be reordered in a way that ensures the equality, humanity and dignity of everybody.

One of the most vital ways in which young people can do so is to be at the centre of writing and rewriting history, telling and retelling everyday-life stories in order to reclaim history and make it cease to be his story and to become ourstory.

MP Khwezi ka Ceza is a Durban-based freelance journalist and an independent political commentator.

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Muslim Views . July 2015

‘Ordinary civilians taking extraordinary actions’ ISMAIL MOOLA, a member of the Palestine Solidarity Alliance (PSA) has been part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition for four years. Here, he describes the highs and lows of trying to break the siege on Gaza.

YEARS of planning, face-to-face meetings in Istanbul, Tunisia and Athens, and many hours online via Skype had culminated on June 20 at OR Tambo International Airport.

University of KwaZulu-Natal academic, Clint le Bruyns, and I were to represent South Africa as part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC). Due to security concerns, we were advised to check in separately.

My journey was almost over before it had even begun, when I dropped my passport in the bus to the plane. Alhamdulillah, it was found, and I finally made it to Athens, a laid-back city and capital of Greece.

FFC is a grassroots, people-topeople, solidarity movement composed of campaigns and initiatives from all over the world, working together to end the siege of Gaza.

FFC was formed after the first Freedom Flotilla mission in 2010, in order to co-ordinate action between numerous local campaigns that joined the efforts against the blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The Palestine Solidarity Alliance (PSA), of which I am a member, became involved with the FFC after the Mavi Marmara

The international community was asked to purchase handicrafts and dried agricultural products from Gaza to be placed on the vessel for transport out of Gaza.

However, in June 2014, Operation Protective Edge was launched. Two days into this brutal attack on Gaza, Israeli missiles completely destroyed Gaza’s Ark. was attacked by Israeli forces, resulting in the death of ten activists.

The PSA instituted legal action on behalf of Gadija Davids, a South African journalist who was on board the ship and was injured and illegally detained by the Israelis. Since then, the relationship between PSA and FFC has grown.

In 2011, we tried to break the siege of Gaza again. Greek port authorities denied permission for the Freedom Flotilla to sail. But we were determined.

Crew on board decided to send two activists to pretend to be tourists and paddle near the Coast Guard boat to cause a distraction.

Once they were in position, our boat made a dash for the open seas. After frantically getting the ‘tourists’ out of their way, they apprehended the boat and we had to return to port. This incident is remembered fondly by

all involved! We tried again in 2012 with The Estelle – but were stopped.

The FFC then decided to change tactics and launch Gaza’s Ark. The idea of Gaza’s Ark was to sail from Gaza’s port, breaking the blockade from the inside.

‘Trade not aid’ was the thinking behind Gaza’s Ark, and the Ark was going to be stocked with products and goods from Gaza.

This initiative had many positive aspects: money was brought into the Gazan economy, skills were transferred and jobs created.

The international community was asked to purchase handicrafts and dried agricultural products from Gaza to be placed on the vessel for transport out of Gaza. However, in June 2014, Operation Protective Edge was launched. Two days into this brutal attack on Gaza, Israeli missiles completely destroyed Gaza’s Ark. It was back to the drawing board. The third Freedom Flotilla

was born. Some of those sailing with us included the former president of Tunisia, Moncef Marzuki, and Member of the Knesset, Basel Ghattas.

Ghattas’s presence created huge public interest across the world – even more so in Israel.

We were confident that because of all the bad publicity Israel had been receiving recently, it could not afford another negative international incident. Surely, they would relent and finally allow our boats safe passage into Gaza?

Freedom Flotilla III consisted of four boats. The main vessel was a converted fishing trawler called The Marianne. The supporting sailing vessels were Rachel, Vittorio and Juliano II. Together they carried 47 people from 17 countries. They set sail from different ports in Greece on Friday, June 26.

At 2am, on Monday, June 29, Israel committed state piracy and boarded The Marianne while the

vessel was 100 nautical miles from Gaza and still in international waters. Hours before the attack, all communication with The Marianne had been blocked as the Israeli authorities jammed the signals.

The boat was taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod. Ghattas and Marzuki were released, along with European Parliament member, Ana Miranda, and Israeli Channel 2 journalist Ohad Hemo. Everyone else was moved to Givon Prison.

We were disappointed but had expected this outcome. Twentytwo countries participated in the third Freedom Flotilla. From all across the world, we went to Greece to try and end the Israeli siege.

Although The Marianne was prevented from reaching Gaza, we still achieved our goal. Coming together again to bring international attention to the Israeli siege of Gaza was our main goal, and we have achieved that. We will continue these actions until the Israeli government ends the blockade of Gaza.

Twenty-one-year-old Palestinian, Mohammed Al-Hammami, a member of a group in Gaza called We Are Not Numbers, wrote: ‘It is when ordinary people, leading ordinary lives, join together to make a statement that change happens. Netanyahu should know; after all, that many Jewish lives were saved in the Holocaust because of ordinary civilians taking extraordinary actions.’

To the people of Gaza, the flotilla (even if it was not allowed to reach the shores of Gaza) is a visible sign that the world has not forgotten them.

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Muslim Views . July 2015

(Above) Shaikh Ebrahim Gabriels officiates the opening ceremony as the Islamic centre plaque is unveiled.

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(Above) The iconic minaret carrying the Kalimah Tayyibah, towers at approximately 15 metres.

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SHAHISTA ROHAN-TOEFY

EFINING Islam and spreading its message of peace is the main goal of the Ismail and Miriam Ebrahim Islamic Centre (IMEIC).

The centre, which was established in 2011, has been operational on a small scale but since its official opening in May 2015, this centre with a mosque at its core also serves as a madrassah for the young and more mature.

It is the biggest mosque in Hermanus and can accommodate approximately 320 people.

The imam of the mosque (Masjid an-Nur), Shaikh Aslam Tambara, says that the presence of this centre has been a turning point for the people in Hermanus because it has become like an information centre.

He says Hemanus’s majority population is non-Muslim and the perception of Islam was very negative.

Some people told him that they felt uncomfortable with this mosque in their very popular Main Road.

D

...the presence of this centre has been a turning point for the people in Hermanus because it has become like an information centre...

Shaikh Tambara engaged in conversation with these people and put their minds at ease by explaining to them what Islam really is about, and that it is a peaceful religion.

He says some of the non-Muslim elderly of Hermanus regularly sit in the mosque because they say they feel peaceful in the mosque, ‘I encourage this and have already told a few people that they are

A haven of peace in popular coastal town

welcome to come sit here because it is a good place to revisit your soul and communicate with yourself or your creator.’

Shaikh Tambara explained that their aim is not to convert people but to convey the message of Allah.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 23

The newly refurbished masjid has capacity for approximately 250 males and can accommodate 70 ladies in a dedicated, special area upstairs.

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A haven of peace in popular coastal town Muslim Views . July 2015

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22

They have had two people embrace Islam and, because of this, have started a madrassah for adults and the feedback they have received has been phenomenal.

Tambara says it is their hope to have more workshops explaining what Islam is and what the most important aspects of being a Muslim are. ‘This centre has made a positive impact on all the people of Hermanus.’

The Ebrahim family’s vision and determination has led to the establishment of this centre. They are humbled at this opportunity to establish an Islamic centre in Hermanus, which is appropriately positioned to become the nucleus of the growing Muslim community in this coastal town.

Mohamed Shaheen Ebrahim, Chairman of Cape Town-based Oasis says, ‘This centre is named after our parents, our dear mother Miriam Ebrahim and our father Al-Marhum Ismail Adam Ebrahim, in appreciation for instilling in us a deep love for our Creator, deen and for the value placed on family and community.’

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...(they) have started a madrassah for adults and the feedback they have received has been phenomenal...

(Below) Adam Ebrahim, Mohamed Shaheen Ebrahim and Nazeem Ebrahim with the imam of the masjid, Shaikh Aslam Tambara.

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(Above) Mrs Mariam Ebrahim at the opening of the Ismail and Mariam Ebrahim Islamic Centre. She is joined by her children, the presiding imam at the centre and key leaders in Hermanus. (L-R) Mohamed Shaheen Ebrahim, Counsellor Kari Brice, Mayor of Hermanus, Alderlady Nicolette Botha-Guthrie, Adnan Ebrahim, Shaikh Aslam Tambara, Nazeem Ebrahim, Deputy Mayor, Counsellor Rudolph Smith, Adam Ebrahim and Roshin-Ara Ebrahim.

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(Above) The opening ceremony commenced with the traditional Capetonian Dhikr led by Adnan Ebrahim (far right) with (L to R) Shaikh Faizel Gool, Shaikh Aslam Tambara, Moulana Ebrahim Karriem, Shaikh Igsaan Taliep, Shaikh Imraan Taliep, Shaikh Ebrahim Gabriels and Shaikh Abduraghmaan Salie.

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‘This centre is named after our parents, our dear mother Miriam Ebrahim and our father Al-Marhum Ismail Adam Ebrahim, in appreciation for instilling in us a deep love for our Creator, deen and for the value placed on family and community.’

(Below) Dhuhr prayers being performed by the guests at the opening of the Ismail and Mariam Ebrahim Islamic Centre.

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(Above) The Ismail and Mariam Ebrahim Islamic Centre stands majestic as a symbol of the growing Muslim community in the coastal town of Hermanus.

Photo SUPPLIED Muslim Views

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Muslim Views . July 2015

‘Hope’ offers new lifeline for children with HIV/AIDS SHAHISTA ROHAN-TOEFY

COMMUNITIES dealing with the scourge of HIV/ Aids have a new lifeline.

Hope – HIV Outreach Programme and Education – is a non-profit organisation providing outreach, education and counselling on HIV/ Aids and tuberculosis (TB) on a community level.

In 1999, doctors from Tygerberg Academic Health Complex approached community worker, Reverend Stefan Hippler, to work towards a supportive solution for the care and treatment for children living with HIV. After extensive consultations together with Dr Monika Esser, head of Immunology at Tygerberg Hospital, the first dedicated ward for the tertiary care of HIV-positive children, the G7 Ithemba (Hope) Ward for Infectious Diseases, was established.

In October 2001, Hope Cape Town was officially launched and the Ithemba ward was officially opened. Reverend Hippler is still involved in management projects and fundraising, and is the chairperson of the Hope Trust.

When the organisation was started, there was a shortage of antiretroviral (ARV) medication and Hope used to supply the ARV’s for free, says Hope Cape Town’s Head of Communications and Fundraising, Fahim Docrat.

Once government started supplying ARVs, in 2006, their focus shifted to community workers.

Their community workers assist nurses, and offer support to victims and their families. These community workers have both University of South Africa (UNISA) and University of Cape Town (UCT) certificates. Their

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Blikkiesdorp residents line up outside the Hope centre in their area.

studies were subsidised by Hope.

Hope also provides food, toys, books, toiletries and clothes donated by people and companies, and assists with minor renovations and special events and parties for children.

Tygerberg Hospital’s children’s playroom that offers stimulation and fun, was opened by Hope in 2011 and is currently being upgraded by them. They provide funding for paediatric ARV-resistance testing and provide sponsorship for ARV drugs not available in the public sector.

Docrat says that their latest initiative is the ‘Hope to Home’ programme where patients receiving ARVs are monitored and given follow-up treatment.

In this programme, patients are tracked and Hope community

workers and doctors ensure that the patients are taking their medication regularly. They also test patients to see that the ARV is compatible with the patient and that the patient’s body is not rejecting the medication.

Their community health workers help diagnose the problems that patients are experiencing.

They assist with screening and make sure that HIV and TB do not get misdiagnosed. Docrat says, ‘After being diagnosed, they facilitate getting patients on medication and in the system.’

Their focus is not on HIV and TB alone, they also assist communities where they see a need. An area in which they have done a lot of work is Blikkiesdorp, a temporary relocation area in Delft.

There they run a soup kitchen

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once a week, offer computer classes and beading classes, and have created a vegetable garden.

They also offer the community of Blikkiesdorp the services of a dietician, social worker and occupational therapist. They also provide daily breakfasts for about 30 children from the community’s crèche and madrassah.

Communities like these are in dire straits and could do with more assistance. ‘These children are so appreciative of the breakfast they receive but they could do with lunch as well, and the families could do with some hampers,’ says Docrat.

The doctors in their employ do research and training and treat children and adults at a clinic in Delft. Docrat says that 95 per cent of their support comes from

the German Aids Foundation, Ein Herz fur Kinder, as well as many individuals and corporates in Germany.

A third of their budget comes from Hope’s event in Germany, HOPE Gala Dresden.

The support in South Africa really needs to be expanded. ‘We look at the socio-economic circumstances of kids as a whole and try to assist. Sometimes, it’s with school uniforms, hampers, food or just taking care of their general well-being.’

At the moment, they have 300 000 contacts who receive direct counselling, some for TB, some for HIV and some need broader support and nutrition.

‘Whoever we interact with, we try and support as much as possible,’ says Docrat.

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Act FAST when dealing with stroke DR OZAYR SALEH AMEEN

STROKE is a significant and leading cause of disability and death worldwide. In some countries it represents the second leading cause of death.

The name ‘stroke’ arose from 17th century England when people were noted to be normal one minute, and were said to have suffered ‘a stroke of misfortune’ the next.

The sudden and instantaneous nature of the illness meant that lives would suddenly be devastated and altered in an almost irrevocable way, leading to the term ‘stroke of misfortune’. The misfortune bit has left the label but is felt by patients and their families to this day.

A better way of understanding stroke would be to call it a ‘brain attack’.

The underlying problem in stroke is that blood supply to the brain is disrupted. This either occurs as a result of blockage of one of the major arteries to the brain, which occurs in about 80 per cent of people, or a rupture of one of the arteries to the brain, which occurs in about 20 per cent of people.

The latter is known as a brain haemorrhage, while the former is known as an ischaemic stroke.

Signs and symptoms of a stroke – remember FAST Any brain function that is potentially altered may be due to a stroke.

Common symptoms of a stroke include, but is not limited to, loss of vision in an eye, which may be transient and may return, alteration of language and speech, weakness, sensory loss, imbalance, double vision, slurred speech, difficulties with swallowing or feeling dizzy and off balance.

People should get to recognise a stroke by remembering the ‘FAST’ system.

The ‘F’ stands for face.

If you think someone has had a stroke, ask them to smile and see if the smile is the same on both sides.

If it is not i.e. if one side does not smile like the other, it is possible that the patient has suffered a stroke.

The ‘A’ stands for arm.

Ask the person to lift an arm and keep it up.

If there is weakness in an arm or leg, that person may have suffered a stroke.

The ‘S’ stands for speech.

Is the person able to produce or understand language?

Is the way the person is speaking confused or does it sound slurred? These are possible signs of a stroke.

The ‘T’ stands for time.

Time is critical in patients who have suffered an acute stroke.

If patients come to us quickly and provided they meet certain strict criteria for treatment, we may be able to give them such treatment to possibly reverse some of the effects of stroke.

The treatment, however, is not guaranteed to work in everyone, and does have some significant side effects.

The risk factors for stroke It goes without saying that being an older person means that you are predisposed to getting a stroke. However, in practice it is not uncommon for us to see patients in their 30s and 40s who present to us with stroke.

The six big risk factors for stroke include diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, smoking, being overweight, and stress. Other common causes of stroke include a rhythm disturbance of the heart, called atrial fibrillation, which results in clots forming in the heart that break off and which may then shift to the brain and block an artery. Other causes include certain infections such as tuberculous meningitis and HIV. Other rare causes include illnesses in which there is a predisposition for the blood to clot.

Young people, especially those below the age of 45, need a complete and thorough investigation to determine the causes of stroke.

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How to prevent stroke The following steps should be taken by patients to try and reduce the chances of developing a stroke: l Quit smoking. Smoking results in narrowing of the arteries, increasing the chances of a blood clot forming and also

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increasing the chances of developing hypertension.

Hypertension is the single biggest risk factor for stroke.

Check your blood pressure.

Hypertension is a silent disease. It is hardly ever symptomatic unless the blood pressure is exceedingly high. Therefore it becomes very important to regularly check your blood pressure.

Exercise. It goes without saying that exercise is one of the cornerstones to stroke prevention, helping to lower blood pressure, and aiding weight loss. We recommend that our patients exercise for 30 minutes five times a week. Find an exercise that you enjoy doing and continue doing it on a regular basis. I recommend to my patients that they should walk for at least 30 minutes at whatever pace they can for at least five days a week. Gradually, the pace of the walking will increase, and the distance walked will increase, and the benefits to the person will be substantial.

Stock up on herbs and spices and make your own bread.

Reduce your salt intake and lower your blood pressure. Get used to seasoning your food with herbs, spices and black pepper instead of salt. Be aware that bread is one of the biggest sources of salt in our diet.

Eat off smaller plates and don’t skip breakfast. Being over-

weight increases the chances of having a stroke-related blood clot by more than 60 per cent.

Cutting down on high fat foods, eating more fibre and getting your five fruit and vegetables a day can all help reduce stroke. l Avoid substances such as alcohol, as well as drugs. These increase the risk of stroke, with consequences, devastating especially in young people. l Do not be scared to seek help for stress and depression.

Although the cause and effect relationship between stress and depression and stroke isn’t absolutely clear, remember that people with depression are about twice as likely to have a stroke compared to those who are not depressed.

In conclusion Remember that prevention is better than cure, and implementing some of the guidelines noted above may help significantly reduce the chances of developing a stroke. If a person is suspected to have suffered a stroke, which will be determined using the FAST system, remember that the quicker the stroke is diagnosed and treated, the better a patient’s recovery will be. Remember that there is hope for stroke sufferers, and that many people do return to an active life after a stroke.

Dr Ozayr Ameen is a neurologist servicing Melomed Gatesville and Melomed Bellville hospitals.

Telephone 021 633 8869.

Eid Mubarak A full comprehensive stroke service is offered within the Melomed Group of Private Hospitals.

For emergency medical assistance contact any of our hospitals.

www.melomed.co.za info@melomed.co.za Melomed Gatesville: 021 637 8100 Melomed Bellville: 021 948 8131 Melomed Mitchells Plain: 021 392 3126 Melomed Tokai: Opening Soon!

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Nepal earthquake – an emergency doctor’s perspective DR SHIRAAZ SHAIKJEE

ON Saturday, April 25, shortly before midday, an earthquake measuring 7,8 in magnitude struck the Nepalese region, including areas of China and Bangladesh.

In the week preceding this natural disaster, Cape Town was host to the 19th World Congress on Disaster and Emergency Care held at the CTICC, where leaders in the field of disaster relief and Emergency Medicine gathered to discuss preparedness and management of various disasters.

As a doctor trained in Emergency Medicine, and with a keen interest in providing medical assistance to communities in need, I have affiliated myself with the organisation Gift of the Givers, who provide medical and relief work humanitarian throughout the world, especially in disaster and conflict-stricken areas.

I received a call from Dr Imtiaz Sooliman on the evening of the 25th, informing me that a team was being assembled to provide search and rescue as well as medical treatment to the earthquakestricken Nepalese people.

The decision to go was an easy one. I know that with any natural disaster, especially one of this magnitude, the need for medical assistance is always going to be high, and the large number of casualties would place a huge burden on existing infrastructure, personnel and services.

The first team, consisting mainly of search-and-rescue personnel and a small medical contingent, departed South Africa on Tuesday, April 28, and arrived in Nepal on Wednesday while the

A woman carries a bucket of bricks as the reconstruction process begins.

Her house was destroyed in the devastating earthquake that rocked Nepal on April 25, 2015. The earthquake claimed the lives of more than 9 000 people and left 19 000 injured. A magnitude 7,3 earthquake struck Nepal on May 12 again. It was the worst natural disaster to strike Nepal since the 1934 Nepal-Bihar earthPhoto SHIRAAZ MOHAMED quake.

second team arrived on Friday, May 1.

In total, 80 medical and search-and-rescue personnel were deployed, the largest contingent that Gift of the Givers has ever sent on a mission.

The assistance from the Nepalese government must be commended as, upon arrival, a dedicated Nepalese official was nominated to look after the entire South Africa team. We were escorted from the airport, and accommodation was provided at a school that had been vacated.

The search-and-rescue personnel who arrived first did a phenomenal job in ensuring that the complex was suitable for safe living. They sourced food supplies, arranged for cooked meals and

ensured adequate sleep and bathing facilities; all of this, in an area afflicted by a devastating earthquake, is testimony to the will and dedication of these individuals.

By the time the second team arrived, relationships with important role players had been established by the team leaders from Gift of the Givers. We slotted into teams based on the various skill sets available, and these teams were instrumental in performing some much needed surgeries for the victims of the earthquake.

The hospital I was stationed at was Janamaitre Hospital, which, despite being a private hospital, was providing medical care to earthquake victims with assistance from the Nepalese govern-

ment.

The Gift of the Givers team at Janamaitre Hospital performed approximately 40 surgical procedures, mainly orthopaedic in nature, many of them being limbsaving procedures.

It was rather surprising when looking at the numbers related to fatalities and injuries as the expectation was that we would see emergency departments being overwhelmed and bursting at the seams. However, that was not the case.

In part, that was probably due to the fact that the worst-hit areas were more rural, and access to these locations was dangerous and, at times, near impossible. As such, many people who may have sustained minor injuries – where

early treatment would have yielded good outcomes – were left stranded without access to medical care and, consequently, would die from those minor injuries.

We did not see any patients with significant head, chest or abdominal injuries, which was also surprising; the only rational explanation is that those people did not survive the initial quake or could not gain immediate access to medical treatment.

The overall experience was inspirational and overwhelming.

We helped in a very small way.

However, I can tell you that every person present on this mission came back a different person. We each had an inner sense of purpose that had been re-ignited.

The Nepalese people, despite the tragedy they had sustained, still managed to go through each day with smiles on their faces. It was awe-inspiring to work alongside them, and lasting friendships have been established.

Will I do this again? Without a doubt, in a heartbeat. As doctors and caregivers, our purpose in life is to provide care to those in need.

Truth be told, we gain more from what we do than from what we give.

Dr Shiraaz Shaikjee is Head of the emergency unit at Rondebosch Medical Centre.

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When time waits ERFORMING tawaaf a few days before Hajj was not easy. Major construction was taking place in and around the Holy Mosque in Makkah, with only the ground floor area and two small, temporary structures available on which to circumambulate the Kaabah.

The congestion was intense with the crowds, at times, uncontrollable and, at times, frightening. The high Arabian, summerlike, temperature and humidity added significant discomfort factors of their own.

I was drenched in probably litres of sweat and had a few reminders of a few knees and elbows imprinted on my skin after one bruising completion of the seven rounds of tawaaf.

It was late in the evening, and I was definitely not at my normal ‘peace and ease’. But we were in

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They were at the centre of the universe and everything spiralling around them was utterly irrelevant, writes Doctor SALIM PARKER. Makkah and there was at least the immense satisfaction of having performed a fundamental ritual that is unique to the centre of the Islamic universe.

I went back to the hotel, showered and had my evening meal.

There is a truth about being in Makkah or having performed Umrah or Hajj – the thought is immediately about when the next visit will be.

So what if I have a few minor scrapes, I did not feel any discomfort at all. So what if I sweated a bit, I had replenished it with probably twice the amount of

Zam-zam. Where else can you perform a tawaaf? When will the opportunity avail itself again? I had time, energy and the opportunity.

I checked with the group leaders and they assured me that they were not aware of any severely sick pilgrims in our group.

I was again at peace and at ease. ‘If it was very congested I would probably just sit in a position where I could see the Kaabah and recite a bit,’ I told one of my friends.

He laughed. ‘I cannot see you sit still when you have the opportunity to perform a tawaaf,’ he said.

I walked to the Holy Mosque and the path from our hotel was absolutely congested. Pilgrims were streaming in and out of the mosque. Some were in groups, garb colour co-ordinated for easy identification. Others were family members, emotionally and slowly approaching the Haram; others were like fearless warriors singlemindedly rushing towards victory.

It was slightly cooler now but I was sweating lightly by the time I reached the mosque. A virtual platoon of guards tried to regulate the flow of pilgrims but it was soon evident that they were merely gesturing. The chaos somehow has a way of organising itself, and, soon, it became clear that there was a streamlined way of entering and exiting.

First timers often assume that they’ll sight the Kaabah as soon as they enter the doors of the Holy Mosque but this not so as there is a considerable distance to cover before it is even sighted, let alone reached.

As I was about to enter the mosque, I saw the old, blind man.

He was fragile, small and thin, and walked with careful, shuffling steps. Assisting him were two even older guardian angels, so thin that I am sure that a slight breeze would probably have caused them to stumble.

One of them walked in front with the blind man holding on to his left sleeve with his left hand.

The other even older-looking man had both his hands on the waist of the blind man, and seemed to be using him as a balancing, human, walking stick.

I watched in amazement as this trickle of humanity was about to be confronted with the tsunami of man’s impatience and intolerance.

They were Pakistanis and their national flag was embossed on their tops. A group of over a hundred stout Turks walked past them. The trio simply stopped and waited for them to pass. The blind man did not ask any questions and was engaged in constant dhikr and simply obeyed whatever the leader’s body movements instructed him to do.

They had eternal patience and were unfazed by the maddening rush around them. It was evident that they were going to accomplish their mission even if it was going to take them a few hours.

The leader spotted some of the large containers. ‘Zam-zam,’ he gleamed and headed towards it – or so I assumed.

It ended up that the blessed and nourishing water gravitated towards them. It appears that I was not the only one watching them. A group of young men literally sprinted towards the containers and rushed back towards

the trio with cups full of Zamzam. The elderly men had to, at one stage, in Urdu, shyly indicate to their Arabic benefactors that they could not consume anymore, with the blind man gesticulating something about a weak bladder.

They stood awhile and then started moving towards the starting point of the tawaaf.

The seers explained to their blind compatriot how beautiful everything was; or I think that’s what their marvelled expressions wanted to convey.

It seemed that time stood still.

They were at the centre of the universe and everything spiralling around them was utterly irrelevant.

But they were not irrelevant to the rest of the universe. A large group of Pakistanis were about to start their group tawaaf when they spotted the trio.

They invited them to join them and clearly felt that their large group would be able to assist and protect the three elderly.

The trio profusely apologised and, from what I gathered, tried to convince the group that they would be a burden to their large number of countrymen.

The large group seemed in a hurry and I supposed that they were going to use their numerical strength to literally bulldoze through their way seven times around the Kaabah.

I stepped back and watched the scene. There were many around who were observing the trio and I firmly believe that a number of people were going to ensure that no physical harm came their way. I was going to be one of them for what could be more rewarding than performing a tawaaf and assisting an elderly, frail pilgrim?

But our help was not needed at all as the large Pakistani group immersed the trio into their ranks without them noticing it, initially.

They were walking very slowly, and the group slowed its pace.

There are times for haste, however, now was a time for deliberate slowing down – more time for dhikr, more time for reflection and more time to have more time.

The frenetic, anxious pace around them somehow dissipated as their collective strength and resolve ensured a tranquil mood.

Here was a case of the majority blending in with the pace of the minute minority, and all immensely benefitting.

I had inititially planned a brisk tawaaf. Now I just watched the group for a while and marvelled at our beautiful deen. Slowly, I gravitated towards the group.

Slowly, without realising it, I was at one with them.

It was so different from my normal sprint on the roof! There, I normally am constrained to periods between prayers and duties.

Now, I could call this one ‘the timeless tawaaf’ as I was not conscious of its inevitable passage at all. The group marched on but time stood still. How I wished it could, always!

Comments to: salimparker@yahoo.com There are times when, even in the midst of the frenetic activity sometimes associated with the tawaaf, one can be so engrossed with one’s ibadah that it appears that you become one with the universe and time stands still.

Photo SALIM PARKER

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Muslim Views . July 2015

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MSA Union’s National Qur’an Conference NABIL YASIEN MOHAMED

THE Union of Muslim Students’ Association (MSA Union) convened their first National Qur’an Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, at University of Witwatersrand, from April 30 to May 3, 2015.

The vision for such a conference was articulated by the former president of MSA Union, the late Yusuf Talia.

Credit for the realisation of this vision was due to the hard work of the project team of MSA Union and the sponsorships from AWQAF SA and many others.

The main objective of the conference was to bring the meaning of the Quran to the centre of our everyday lives. It was open to scholars, students and the general public.

Various topics were covered from a Quranic perspective, including Environment, Youth, Science, Gender, Interfaith, Economics and Politics. The conference stimulated questions and discussions on Islamic law, Islamic theology and current affairs.

The main guest speaker was Shaikh SM Hasan al-Banna, from the UK, founding director of the Islamic Institute for Development and Research (IIDR) and an advisory member of the Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics (CILE).

In his speech on the importance of civic engagement and spirituality, he proposed a middle path between Sufi extremism and Islamism.

He emphasised the importance of infusing Islamic spirituality in our everyday lives be it the workplace, the marketplace or the political arena.

This reminded me of the Romans, who described the Muslims as ‘knights during the day and monks at night’.

I was fortunate to interact on a personal level with scholars such as Shaikh Hasan Al-Banna. It gave me a better appreciation of his sincere devotion to the study of the Quran and his approach to Islamic scholarship.

The conference created a setting where attendees could discuss and connect with the scholars – a meeting of not just minds but hearts.

Our Prophet (SAW) said: ‘Souls are like troops which gather together. The ones who have met before get on well; those whom they recognise, they get along with, and those whom they do not recognise, they will not get along with.’

This refers to a time before we met in this world, in the realm of forms, when Allah said: ‘Am I not your Lord?’ to which we said: ‘Yea! We do testify!’ This collective covenant, recognising our Lord, is what binds us as one brotherhood.

I felt this brotherhood/ sisterhood (ukhuwwah) at the conference. In spite of our different ethnic backgrounds or theological orientations, be it Deobandi, Sufi, Salafi or modernist, we unconsciously tried to uphold this preexistential covenant, and responded from the depths of our souls, from our fitrah or innate nature.

It is at such open-spirited conferences that we learn the possibility of co-existence and cooperation of Muslims from diverse ideological and theological backgrounds. We learn that unity does not imply conformity but respect

for diversity.

There was an eager thirst from the attendees to drink from the fountains of knowledge; everyone was there to learn from, and engage with, the scholars.

Most were serious, ferociously taking notes and inquisitively asking questions.

There was a significant Cape representation at the conference.

Some of the speakers from Cape Town were Moulana Taha Karaan, son of the late Yusuf Karaan (may Allah have mercy on his soul) and founder of Dar al-Ulum Arabiyyah al-Islamiya (Strand), who spoke on the Quran and Economics as well as Quran and Aqeedah.

Shaikh Riyadh Walls (Al Jamia Masjid, Claremont) spoke on the Quran and Science.

Among the presenters were young students of traditional Islamic studies, namely, Zakariyya Harnekar (Dar alUlum Arabiyyah al-Islamiya), Abass Darab (Zaytuna College, USA) and Anwar Jhetam (MSA Union).

In the light of prevailing sectarian violence and polarising worldviews, conferences of this kind will bridge the divide.

One of the key concepts that featured frequently was wasatiyah (moderation). Through wasatiyah dichotomies are transcended, and tolerance can be achieved.

Unfortunately, the conference did not attract half the crowd that was expected.

I do not know if it was due to poor publicity or a lack of interest on the part of the community.

Nevertheless, those who were present must have been enriched, as I have been.

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Strand Muslim Council celebrates fifty years of the religious and social aspects THE Strand Muslim community of the Muslim communal life is arguably one of the oldest through the mosques, madaris, Muslim communities in the Muslim schools (high, primary Western Cape.

Theirs is a proud history dat- and nurseries), social, educational ing back to the time of Shaikh and community upliftment programmes. The SMC ensures the Yusuf of Makassar.

The shaikh was banished to smooth running of the various Cape Town from Java by the community programmes and that Dutch colonial regime, where he services are delivered to the comwas incarcerated and subsequent- munity. This is no easy task but ly banished to the sandy dunes of the SMC has managed to accomplish it with Kramat/ Sandaplomb since vlei.

The SMC assumed the inception.

It was around responsibility of ensuring The SMC will this time that his celebrate its 50th followers the organisation of the anniversary in trekked to the religious and social 2016 with a host nearby surof events rounds of False aspects of the Muslim throughout 2015 Bay to be close communal life... and 2016, culmito him, and setnating in an offitled at the Strand. The growing Muslim cial event on May 1, 2016.

Some of the activities that will community of Strand, like many who are resident in outlying mark the celebrations will be towns, were organised along fam- Gatamal Quran, a group ily lines: each one had its own Moulood, market day/s, sporting structure, spiritual leader and events, including rugby and cricket (6’s, 7’s, mini, junior, senior social compact.

As time passed and the families etc), mini fete, surfwalk, fun runs grew, they built their own and a golf day.

The SMC will relay more mosque. It is significant that the oldest place of worship in Strand information and details of the is a mosque. This form of organ- various events through the media ising along family lines eventually and its website. We trust that we became obsolete and, with a can rely on the support of all growing Muslim community, new communities. The ever changing forms of ensuring cohesiveness environment brings new chalamongst the Muslims became a lenges and the organisation is not immune to it but, with the grace new challenge.

This challenge was addressed of the Almighty and help and by the formation of the Strand support from the community, the Muslim Council (SMC), in 1966. SMC can only go from strength The SMC assumed the responsi- to strength in order to effectively bility of ensuring the organisation deal with these challenges.

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Muslim Views . July 2015

Closing Date: 31 July 2015 Entry forms are available on investing.mg.co.za Or http://driversofchange.southernafricatrust.org/

For more information please contact Tamarin Marshman Mail & Guardian T: 011 250 7300 E: tamarinm@mg.co.za Katiana Ramsamy Southern Africa Trust T: 011 318 1012 E: kramsamy@southernafricatrust.org

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Muslim Views . July 2015

35

Moulana Yusuf Karaan, a man of great vision FUAD BEHARDIEN

I WAS one of the lucky ones. As a seven-year-old, I started madrassah, after school, at Strand Moslem Primary School.

Just a year earlier, the Strand Moslem Council had come into being. This was a labour of love for a man who would become not only the imam of our small community in the Strand but would grow into a scholar of world repute.

He would become one of the driving forces behind the growth of the Muslim Judicial Council, would gain the respect of ulama around the world and would teach thousands with his translations of Arabic and Urdu tomes on Islam. Even though he reached these heights, I will always remember him as our imam, Moulana Yusuf Karaan van die Strand.

He was born and raised in our town and he witnessed the fractured nature of our town. Our community was very clannish and, although prior to 1966 there was only one Jumuah held in the Strand, there were four mosques each having their own Eid, Moulood, Laylatul Miraaj and Laylatul Baraa celebrations.

To attend celebrations at one of the mosques other than the one supported by your family was considered an affront to your mosque’s imam or khatib.

In addition to these separate mosques, this small community also had the Strand Moslem Society and School Board, the Khalifa Board, the Koebr Board and the Hottentots Holland Islamic Circle. All of these committees and boards served a community who

Besides teaching them Fiqh and to read Quran, he taught them to make ghadat.

They were the ones he took to make ghadat and tilawatil Quran when there were janaazahs (funerals). And he taught them his one great love, how to perform Moulood, how to recite the Ashrakal and ‘jikr’. lived in four streets: Fagan, Theroeven, Market and Wesley Streets.

This was the situation that faced Moulana Yusuf Karaan when he returned to the Strand in 1962, having left in October 1957 to study in Deoband, India, on a bursary from Jamiatul Ulema Natal. He completed his sevenyear course in just five years.

Spearheading a group of young people who organised themselves under the banner of the Progressive Society, in the 50s, Moulana set about changing things in the Strand.

In May 1966, the Strand Moslem Council was formed, unifying under its banner all the disparate bodies.

He being a personal friend of my father’s, I can reveal that Moulana had to make a lot of personal sacrifices in order to achieve this.

With the forced removals from the mosque surrounds in the Strand, the first order of business was the construction of a mosque in the new area. This was done under his stewardship and, in 1972, Jaamia Masjied, in Nolte Street, was completed. The Strand now had a new spiritual home.

Moulana Karaan emphasised education and he assumed the position of principal of the Strand Moslem Council Madrasah and unified all the house madrassahs under its banner.

If you think I was lucky, imagine the luck of those young men aged between 14 and 18 whom he took under his wing!

Besides teaching them Fiqh and to read Quran, he taught them to make ghadat. They were the ones he took to make ghadat and tilawatil Quran when there were janaazahs (funerals).

And he taught them his one great love, how to perform Moulood, how to recite the Ashrakal and ‘jikr’.

From the ranks of these youth came our current imam, Ml Ghosain Rhoda, Ml Maliek Fanie, Ml Faadiel Abdul Latief and Ml Yunus Rhoda (Al Marghoom).

He also assisted countless others to become alims.

These lucky young men were trained to lead salaah and, much to the ire of the older generation, were taught how to conduct Jumuah.

This brave man showed our townsfolk what was possible with proper education. I still recall the furore the first time he let these young men conduct the Jumuah.

He faced the music calmly; the pride displayed by the participants and their families, I think, was his reward.

These same young men would later become the stalwarts that would drive the Strand Moslem Council forward. They were part of the vision this great man had for our town.

Because Moulana Karaan put a premium on education, he would, time and again, from the mimbar, urge our children to excel on every level of human activity. ‘Strand se kind moet kan saam praat op alle vlakke, of dit nou oor Islam, politiek of enige ander vlak is, Strand se kind moet daar sy merk maak.’ (The Strand child must be able to interact on all levels, be it on Islam, politics or any other level, the Strand child must make his mark.)

These were not empty words.

His own children set the example.

The late Munadia Karaan was a celebrated journalist, his eldest son, Professor Abdussalaam excelled academically and was acting Vice-Chancellor of University of Stellenbosch, and Ml Taha is the principal of Dar al-Ulum Arabiyyah al-Islamiyah, the leading Shafi’i school on our continent, and a world renowned Islamic scholar.

This legacy will, Insha Allah, be carried forward by his grandchildren with one already a hafidh of the Quran, one on the verge of completing her studies in Medicine and two more studying at university.

With the establishment of the Strand Moslem Council, part of the vision was to provide a sound Islamic and secular education for our town’s children. Strand Moslem Primary School had already been established and

Moulana was the school manager for a few years and taught History to the Standard Threes (Grade Five) for a while.

A crèche and pre-school was started under his wife, Zuleigha.

The picture was complete with the establishment of Madrasatur Rajaa, our local high school.

I witnessed the pride on his face every year when he came to enquire about the matric results.

More often than not, his grandchildren excelled.

I have known Moulana Karaan all my life; first as a family friend then as ustaadh then as mentor during the turbulent 80s, and have served with him on the Strand Moslem Council as an executive member.

Moulana was a man of great vision yet humble, and remained loyal to the people of our town. A man of simple means and never extravagant, he was strong-willed and uncompromising in his vision.

He was a strict yet loving teacher. He was a family man who gave so much of his time to fight the cause of the Muslim ummah.

I still recall the words of my grandfather: ‘Die mense van die Strand weet nie watter groot man hulle in die dorp het nie.’ (The people of the Strand do not realise what a great man they have in this town).

In order to honour his memory, we should continue to expand on his vision.

We thank Allah, the Almighty, for placing this extraordinary man among us and we make duah that Allah grants Moulana Yusuf Karaan and all other deceased a high place in Jannah, Insha Allah.

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Muslim Views . July 2015

MOGAMAT ZAIN VAN DER SPECK (JANUARY 14, 1939 - APRIL 6, 2015)

A man of humility, peace and patience RASHEEDA BENJAMIN

MOGAMAT Zain Van Der Speck (76), a wonderful husband, father and grandfather, from Crawford, Cape Town, passed away in the early hours of April 6, 2015, after bravely battling cancer.

He was born on January 14, 1939, in Cape Town, and grew up in Alicedale, Athlone.

After marrying my mom, Mariam Amardien, they lived in Bonteheuwel and moved to Crawford, in 1974, where he lived till his passing.

I thought I knew my dad well but that, I learnt later, was just the tip of the iceberg. It was only after his passing that I got to know what a wonderful person he really was. Only then did I hear about the many things that he had done for others. For example, he was a regular donor to the League of the Friends of the Blind (LOFOB) but none of us knew about it.

My dad’s first job was as a conductor and then a bus driver for Golden Arrow, where he was fondly known as ‘Spekkie’. After leaving the bus company, he worked at an engineering company for 35 years, until his retirement.

My father was one of twelve children – seven sisters and five brothers. Their father died at an early age so, together with his siblings and mother, they had to cope without their dad.

I believe that this was the start of his humility and fatherly role that he took so seriously all his life.

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Pa Van Der Speck with his grandson, Fakri Benjamin, in March 1996, at Claremont Gardens. Fakri, the pageboy, was relaxing on his Pa’s lap while the rest of the wedding photos Photo SUPPLIED were being taken.

All his siblings speak fondly of him, and losing him has impacted on all their lives.

It was difficult for me to let people know of his passing; he

was well-liked wherever he went, from the family, neighbours, dirt collectors and shopkeepers – he was a friend to all.

My dad was a member of

Athlone Hospice for a while, and even though it was for a short period, he made such an impact on them that they invited me to meet with them as they wanted to pay tribute to him.

The reception I got was so moving that I could not but shed a few tears.

My dad loved the music from his youth and, in the months preceding his death, I often sat with him listening to his favourite singers – Nat King Cole, Percy Sledge, Jim Reeves and, of course, Elvis Presley. These precious moments I will always treasure.

He also liked to walk and he liked the beach. He enjoyed walking from Muizenberg to Kalk Bay, reminiscing about the old days and thinking how he had met my mom, which was, ironically, at the beach.

My father embraced Islam before he married my mom, in 1960. He was hardworking and always considered his wife and family first. He cared for my mom who was bedridden for a few years until her passing on April 23, 2014. What an exemplary man, a man to look up to and be proud of!

Two months after my mom’s passing, my dad was diagnosed with cancer. As a family, we were not ready for this; not so soon after my mom. My dad was the brave one, always telling us that it would be okay.

Being the humble soul that he was, my dad accepted his illness and was brave until the very end.

Even in his passing, he wore that same smile he presented to those around him every day – a reflection of the way he lived his life.

He was a humble and compassionate man who loved to smile.

Soft-hearted, happy, kind and selfless, always caring about everyone else, he was fondly known as ‘Pa’ to everyone.

‘Pa’ has left behind so many good memories and he is sorely missed by everyone but I am sure he would not want any of us to be sad.

Mogamat Zain van der Speck is survived by his three daughters, sons-in-law, six grandchildren, five sisters and one brother.

I would like to thank all family, friends, neighbours, Athlone Hospice, the doctors at Groote Schuur Hospital and Dr OH Royker for being there for my dad and for us before, during and after his illness. It made everything easier to handle.

I, especially, wish to thank my husband, Karriem, for being there for my dad and always being supportive; my son, Fakri, for keeping us sane in the worst of times and my daughter, Kauthar, for always lending a helping hand.

I have to say that I am proud to be his daughter. He is my hero and it feels good knowing that all the good I have in me, comes from my dad. I hope that I will continue displaying the good qualities I got from him.

I conclude with the words that he always used to say, ‘Don’t worry, everything will be okay.

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Muslim Views . July 2015

Mama Zainab, 102 Not Out JASMINE KHAN

‘MY favourite memory of my grandmother is when I pushed her to the front of the Kaabah while on Umrah.’

Is this just another incident in the life of a grandchild? Not really, for Faghri Salie it was momentous because his grandmother was in front of the Kaabah at the age of 99, Alhamdulillah.

Mama Zainab was born in May, 1913, to parents who were both teachers, in Beaufort West. ‘I was already a big girl when my father died, and my mother, Elsie Paulse, moved us to Cape Town.’

They lived in Van der Leur Street, in District 6, and she attended school at St Mary’s. In those days there was no further education. ‘In fact,’ says Mama, ‘if you could write your name you were regarded as educated.’ Even the ‘khalifahs’ who taught the children to ‘batcha’ (read Quran) were, often, unable to read and write.

Mama’s exposure to Islam can be directly attributed to a khalifah called Boeta Dullah, who lived in Stuckeris Street. He was looking for someone to write kitaabs in Afrikaans/ Arabic for his pupils. As Allah would have it, his attention was drawn to this young girl. She started writing out the Arabic in Afrikaans script and was thus drawn to the beauty of the deen. At age 15, she reverted to Islam.

She started work as a cleaner at St Cyprians, a boarding school for girls, and then entered Eskay Shirt factory where she worked herself up to the position of

At 102, Mama Zainab is still able to hold a conversation. At a recent Gems function, she quipped with The Voice of the Cape’s Yusuf Fisher.

Photo SUPPLIED

supervisor.

When Mama met her future husband, Noor Salie, it was ‘love at first sight’. They married when she was 25 and started their life together in Stuckeris Street. Her three sons, Ebrahim, Sedick and Ismail, are still alive.

Noor Salie was a painter and could ‘batcha’ beautifully. He belonged to what was called a ‘batcha team’ – a group of men who met every Friday night at various homes to make ghadat.

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Her great granddaughter, Nurhaan, says that she would lie with Mama Zainab every Friday night, watching television and waiting for her great-grandfather to come back from the ghadat.

He would always bring goodies.

Nurhaan is the granddaughter of Ebrahim, the eldest son, who is 75-years-old. Her family lived with Mama until she was 18.

Mama was totally involved in their lives because Nurhaan’s mother, Rashida, worked.

Mama took them to school and always had a hot meal waiting on their return. They learnt the deen at Mama’s knee, for which Nurhaan will always be grateful.

Mama now lives with her youngest son, Ismail, who is 69years-old, and is cared for by his wife, Badruneesa, who says that not only is Mama not a burden but she loves taking care of her.

Mama can still walk short distances, can eat by herself and can

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hold a conversation. At the recent ‘Gems’ function she even joked with VOC’s Yusuf Fisher.

Badruneesa’s son Faghri remembers Mama from the time he was six and started school. ‘We had to get up at 5am and were taken to Mama for breakfast. At 7am she would chase us to school, even though the school was a mere two minutes away.

‘However, Mama made up for it when we came from school by making our favourite food. I especially remember her tomato bredie. Growing up, I was never aware of how old she is, she is just Mama, and growing up there meant there was no chance of going astray because of the love in that house. Also, the Quran was constantly recited by my great-grandpa and this is what I cherish.’

Mama and Faghri share a love of sport, particularly tennis, and this has strengthened the bond between them.

Mama was honoured by Gems, at their ninth birthday event. What a privilege to chat to a sparkling and witty lady, who has lived for so many years and is still full of the joy of life!

Badroneesa says that Mama still fasts, and, last year, only skipped two days.

We pray that Allah continues to bless Mama with peace and acceptance, and that she may have a Ramadaan kareem.

Ameen.

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Muslim Views . July 2015

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Parent-Child Relations – A Guide to Raising Children Authors: Dr Hisham Yahya Altalib, Abdulhamid Abu Sulayman, Omar Altalib.

Reprinted in South Africa by Afrika Impressions Media with permission from International Institute of Islamic Thought.

THIS is a 465-page, easy-toread, comprehensive guide which contains what you need to know on how to parent with confidence.

Packed with advice and powerful tips, using the latest research on child development and parenting techniques, it offers a mine of information on how to let children flourish, take the frustration out of parenting and develop happy family relations.

The authors provide guidance on developing character, knowledge, values and skills, as well as a faith-based outlook in children, benefitting parents with kids of all ages.

The many strategies and techniques offered include: teaching children how to problem-solve, make decisions and develop selfesteem. Raising God-conscious, moral, successful children, with a sense of civic responsibility in today’s world is not easy. It is also not impossible. Effective parenting is the key.

Since new parents generally have little experience of parenting, they need to learn how to deal with children. Parents usually acquire knowledge by trial and error and may become more effective with their later children than with their firstborn, having learned from their initial experience. However, the problem is that by the time these priceless lessons are learned, it will often be too late.

Good parenting really matters and cannot be left to sort itself out. An overview of the task ahead, therefore, has to be appreciated and an honest commitment given to ourselves, spouses and our families.

Although parenting is an enormous responsibility, it should not be given up in despair.

It should never be too late to overcome challenges, and we can still improve relationships if we avoid blaming ourselves for past blunders.

Many parents today (ourselves included) wish they had known the art and science of good parenting before having children.

Had they done so, there may have

been a drastic improvement in the raising of their children.

The authors’ approach in this work is to give guidance by focusing on prevention, not treatment.

They do not assert that they can treat problems like drug addiction, alcoholism, depression, crime and sexually transmitted diseases.

However, they can provide a ‘preventative’ measure, a family guide to minimise the chances of experiencing these pitfalls through awareness.

Proper parenting requires skills and preparation so that children can be successful and make their parents proud of them.

Fortunately, much more information and techniques are available about parenting than before.

Raising a child to be a happy and well-balanced adult is the hope of all parents. This book will multiply your chances of accomplishing this and realising your dream of a successful, wholesome relationship with your children.

The authors have included statistical data from many sources to give the reader a sense of direction and hope. Statistics change frequently; they are only meant to be taken as a guide and not a fixed reality.

This work is the culmination of the authors’ experience in the Muslim world and West.

It attempts to synthesise and capture the wisdom of divine revelation, prophetic guidance and human achievement from both Muslim heritage and Western culture.

It is an effort to show how these great wisdoms complement each other when properly

analysed and evaluated. Thus, it offers a unique and humble contribution to the realm of parentchild relationships.

Parents with children from the age of infancy to early adulthood will find wise and helpful advice in this easy-to-read, comprehensive series.

This extensive guide to the fundamentals of parenting and child development is highly informative and easy to use from year to year.

It offers things to watch for, dos and don’ts, parenting challenges; stories, examples and perspectives that can help parents raise their children in the best way possible.

This do-it-yourself guide contains what you need to know to parent with confidence.

With practical details and examples, the series addresses crucial parenting topics and questions, and provides a user-friendly table of contents with specific headings for easy use and reference.

The guide is packed with advice and powerful tips. Parents may select from a number of activities, and use specific, customised content for raising their children. The series format is user-friendly and suitable for parents who read it start to finish or reference it according to topic or the stage of their children’s development.

(Text reproduced with permission from the publishers) To place your order visit the Baitul Hikmah online bookstore on www.hikmah.co.za or contact them via email: info@hikmah.co.za, telephone 031 811 3599. The books are also available at Voice of the Cape.

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Muslim Views . July 2015

- ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE -

Lifestyle programme opens Cape Town offices SHAHISTA ROHAN-TOEFY

‘UNITY through community’ – this is the motto of the lifestyle programme called Crescent Lifestyle.

Crescent Lifestyle is a social media programme that connects Muslims and makes life convenient. The programme sends its members salaah times, funeral notifications, weekly spiritual teachings, financial indicators and inspirational teachings.

It was founded in 2008 and, since then, have accumulated 25 000 members. Up-front discounts on daily purchases allow members to save R100 with exclusive offers at more than 100 alliance partners nationwide. The alliance partners are from the

fashion, entertainment, household and automotive industries so members can get discounts in all those areas.

An additional perk of being a member of Crescent Lifestyle is that a part of the monthly subscription is donated to a mosque, school or charity of your choice.

They also have a monthly draw where one member is selected to receive R10 000 for an Umrah.

Nearly 100 members have already received this Umrah prize.

At the launch of their Cape Town offices, on May 29, 2015, Moulana Abdul Khaliq Allie from the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) said, ‘The plight of the Muslim ummah needs to be focused on and we [MJC] will

provide support where we can.’

Al-Firnas Patel, Crescent Lifestyle founder said, ‘We provide service unlike any other organisation and we have a strong social commitment where we uplift the community.’

He says they are very happy to have offices in Cape Town. ‘With the people’s assistance in Cape Town we’ll grow to further strengths, Insha Allah.’ He explained that other social media tend to take people away from their deen but Crescent Lifestyle is a social media tool that aims to bring people closer to their deen.

The monthly subscription is R69 per month. To find out more about Crescent Lifestyle, visit their website www.crescentlifestyle.com

(From left) Moulana Taha Karaan, Moulana Abdul Khaliq Allie and Al-Firnas Patel in discussion after the official opening of Crescent Lifestyle Cape Town.

Photo SHAHISTA ROHAN-TOEFY

Eid Mubarak from the Muslim Hands team THE celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr concludes a month of fasting wherein the faithful spent their time praying and beseeching Almighty Allah SWT for forgiveness and mercy.

For many, the most glorious month of Ramadaan was not simply abstaining from food and drink. Rather, it was an exercise in patience and discipline, a month of sharing and caring.

Eid is a time when the entire Muslim community comes together to share in each other’s joys and blessings, and also to lessen the burden of those who are suffering.

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) enjoined zakaat al-fitr as a purification for the fasting person from idle speech and obscene talk, and to feed the poor.

In the hadith, reported in Sunan Abi Dawood, the Prophet (SAW) highlights the importance of zakaat al-fitr and feeding the poor since these actions are closely linked with Ramadaan.

However, after this auspicious month has passed, the needs of the poor remain a concern. With the soaring food prices and with the general economic strife that we’re experiencing, there are more people who fall below the breadline.

As Muslims, we cannot sit back and watch our fellow Muslims, nay, our fellow human beings, suffer.

While we enjoy hot, cooked meals three times a day, there are people who don’t even have a slice of bread.

While we soak ourselves in long, hot baths, there are those who would appreciate even a glass of water.

Our bodies are warmly covered in clothes or blankets and our fellow brothers wish they had something to protect them from the cold, too!

So, while we enjoy our Eid day and even after that, when we’re sitting in the comfort of our homes on soft couches, covered with warm blankets and sipping hot chocolate, let us spare a thought for those less fortunate than ourselves.

Remember, what is ours today, belonged to someone else yesterday and will belong to someone else tomorrow.

It is in this light that we at Muslim Hands say SHUKRAN to our valued donors for their continuous support throughout the year, and especially during this auspicious month of Ramadaan, and providing relief to the suffering masses. Jazak Allah khair.

We wish all Muslims in South Africa and the world at large a very pleasant and spiritually enriching day of Eid-ul-Fitr.

For further information on our work, projects or donation enquiries, feel free to contact Muslim Hands on 021 633 6413 or visit muslimhands.org.za.

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Simply Chicken’s Vienna and polony range is simply delicious hot or cold. Made of chicken meat only and 100% Halaal certified, it’s the perfect snack to break the fast. www.simplychicken.co.za

Muslim Views . July 2015

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Muslim Views . July 2015

- ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE -

SANZAF hosted a series of Zakaah Seminars during the month of Ramadaan across the Western Cape and in Gauteng. Seen here is Yusuf Bharoochi (left), Chairperson of the Islamic Coordinating Council (ICC), speaking to Showkat Mukadam (right), National Deputy Chairperson of SANZAF, and Sharief Hassan (centre), Chairperson of the Jamia Ahmedi Masjid Committee, in Grassy Park.

SANZAF partners with the ICC to distribute some 3 100 Fitrah hampers to deserving communities in Lavender Hill, Steenberg, Ocean View and neighbouring areas. Mukadam was one of the Zakaah Seminar presenters.

Sharief Hassan chaired the official proceedings. Photos SANZAF MARKETING

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Nazreen Mohammad (left), First Wetton Scout, assists Mansoor Roomaney (right) and Dr Omar Brey (centre) as they register to attend the SANZAF Zakah Seminar, which focuses on the virtues and the holistic understanding of zakaah.

During Ramadaan, many volunteers dedicated their time and effort to support various programmes conducted by SANZAF.

(Right) SANZAF hosted the 5 Pillars Plus Quiz during Ramadaan, which was flighted daily on ITV. High schools across the country battled it out for the semi-finals round from each zone. The top prize is a double set of Umrah tickets for two quiz contestants. The final leg of the quiz will be held after Ramadaan and will be live at ITV studios in Gauteng.

(Left) Moulana Hassim Cassiem (far left), SANZAF Western Cape Chairperson, shares an iftaar meal with congregants of Siddique Masjid, in Elsies River. Through the SANZAF Iftaar Programme, up to 20 000 nutritious meals were provided per week during the month of Ramadaan in the Western Cape, and some 60 000 meals over weekends.

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Muslim Views . July 2015

Health File

Hints for a healthy pregnancy DR AMEERA ADAM

E is the one who shapes you in the wombs as He wills. There is none worthy of worship besides Him, the Exalted in Might, the All-Wise.’ (Quran 3:6) Learn about the changes you and your baby will experience together over the next nine months and prepare yourself physically, emotionally and spiritually for motherhood.

The following is a guide to assist you.

‘H

Book a prenatal appointment with an obstetrician and gynaecologist Your first appointment is recommended when you are approximately eight weeks pregnant.

An ultrasound will assist to investigate your pregnancy and confirm your due date.

It’s natural to feel a little anxious about having your first ultrasound.

Talk to your gynaecologist beforehand, and take someone with you for extra support.

Consider having a physical check-up Speak to your doctor about any prescription and non-prescription medication you are currently taking that may affect your pregnancy and development of your baby.

Get advice on supplements.

Omega, iron and folic acid are particularly important.

It is important to have your husband attend the antenatal classes with you so that he understands what is happening during labour and will be able to assist you during the birth...

Smoking Smoking considerably increases the risk of miscarriage, premature birth and stillbirth.

Both active and passive smoking should be avoided at all costs during pregnancy as each cigarette increases the negative effects on the unborn child.

Physical symptoms

l Your weight gain should be approximately 1,4kg to 1,8kg for every month of pregnancy. l Your skin may be more sensitive to the sun. Use sunscreen to prevent hyper-pigmentation. l Prevent stretch marks with daily use of moisturiser or stretch-mark cream to keep your skin supple. l Alleviate cramps by increasing your fluid intake, taking magnesium supplements and eating a banana a day. l Recite and listen to Quran whenever you can as the baby can hear in utero. Quran

increases the brain activity of your baby.

Sign up for antenatal and pregnancy-friendly exercise classes Regular six-week antenatal courses are recommended from around 26 weeks.

It is important to have your husband attend the antenatal classes with you so that he understands what is happening during labour and will be able to assist you during the birth.

Low weight-bearing exercise is the best form of exercise during pregnancy, in particular aqua-aerobics or swimming.

The benefits of exercise include: l controlled weight gain, l increased endurance during labour, l decreased incidence of postnatal depression and l decreased need for pain relief during labour.

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

stream at your feet. Shake the trunk of the palm towards you and fresh, ripe dates will drop down onto you. Eat and drink and be comforted…” (Quran 19:23-26) Light meals and clear drinks during labour are strongly encouraged, and assist the mother to optimise her energy levels.

Dates and honey are extremely beneficial at this point. ‘Make constant use of two cures: honey and the Quran.’ (hadith) The following recipe is a labour aid drink.

Choose your birthing unit

Labour aid recipe

Make sure you have chosen a safe birthing unit with the necessary facilities and equipment needed for the safe arrival of your baby. This includes a neonatal intensive care unit, paediatricians, onsite theatres and anaesthetists who can help with pain management and emergency caesarean sections when needed. Plan a visit to the labour ward and tours of the overnight rooms.

1/3 cup lemon juice 1/3 cup honey 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda 1 to 2 calcium tablets, crushed.

Add enough water to make one litre.

The big day Finally, the birthday of your baby has arrived. Walking, hot showers, baths and reciting Quran through the contractions ease the pain.

‘The pains of labour drove her to the trunk of a date-palm. She [Mary] said, “O, if only I had died before this time and was something discarded and forgotten!” A voice called out to her from under her, “Do not grieve!

Your Lord has placed a small

The benefits of dates

l Dates act as a natural laxative as they are rich in fibre. l Dates are rich in glucose, which is easily absorbed and assimilated, thus providing energy. l Dates are rich in minerals, particularly magnesium. l Dates are specifically good for women in labour as they contain natural oxytocin.

Being pregnant is a gift from the Almighty. He has specially selected you to undergo this journey of witnessing this great miracle of life.

Dr Ameera Adam is an obstetrician and gynaecologist.

Focus on Finance

Muslim Views . July 2015

45

Impact of donations on your tax return E have now come to the end of Ramadaan.

Many of us took out our zakaah, lillah, and fitrah during this month or will do so after the month of Ramadaan.

Read on to find out how your charitable obligations can qualify as a tax deduction.

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Did you know donations are tax deductable?

Generally, donations made to organisations established to carry out public benefit activities will qualify as a tax deduction.

The donor can actually deduct these donations from the donor’s taxable income.

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, advise how, with some planning, your donations can benefit not only welfare organisations but also qualify you for a tax deduction.

l l l

To whom can you donate?

Qualifying organisations You will only qualify for a tax deduction if your donation was made to an approved Public Benefit Organisation (PBO) and certain qualifying institutions (‘approved organisations’).

There are numerous regulations that determine whether an organisation qualifies as an approved organisation.

If you wish to qualify for a tax deduction, you need to establish if the beneficiary of your donation can issue a receipt as intended under section 18A of the Income Tax Act, No. 58 of 1962 (‘the Act’).

Remember to collect a receipt, and follow these five rules l To qualify for a deduction of the donation, the Public Bene-

l

fit Organisation must issue a receipt for such donation.

The receipt must contain the words ‘issued in terms of Section 18A of the Income Tax Act’.

You must retain a duplicate of each receipt.

The receipt must clearly indicate the date on which you made the donation. If the donor made a series of donations to one Public Benefit Organisation during the year then that PBO may issue a single receipt covering all the donations. In this case, the receipt must indicate the tax year during which the donations were received or be dated the last day of February.

The receipt must be issued in the name of the taxpayer.

SARS won’t accept blank receipts.

How much can you claim as a tax deduction?

Taxpayers – natural persons, trusts, companies or close corporations – can deduct from their taxable income, the amounts they donated to approved organisations, up to the value of ten per cent of their taxable income.

For natural persons, the term ‘taxable income’ refers to the taxpayer’s taxable income, whether derived from trade or from a nontrading source, and after allowing all permitted deductions but before this donations deduction.

Taxable income excludes any retirement lump sum benefit, retirement lump sum withdrawal benefit and severance benefit.

However, it includes taxable capital gains.

The donation must be paid or transferred during the year of assessment in order to qualify for a tax deduction in such tax year.

Need an incentive to give more now?

Roll-over treatment of excess As from March 1, 2014, any donations in excess of the ten per cent limit will be rolled over and carried forward to the succeeding year of assessment. It will thus be deemed a donation actually paid or transferred during the succeeding year.

This roll-over treatment will continue to apply in respect of any future excesses.

What else should you know?

If you donate to any organisa-

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

tion that does not qualify as an approved organisation, you (the donor) are liable to pay donations’ tax at a rate of 20 per cent on the value of such donation.

However, there are various exemptions to this, including, inter alia: l Donations by natural persons: up to R100 000 per year l Donations by all other persons: up to R10 000 per year l Donation between spouses Donations to foreign organisations will not qualify as a tax deduction in determining your normal tax in South Africa.

Non-profit organisations and welfare organisations usually have to rely on public donations to pay their bills. Now, with the economic crisis and its impact, donors’ pockets are even emptier.

These tax incentives provide more

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

opportunities for taxpayers to have control over the good their money can do in the broader society. With some planning and goodwill, it can truly result in a win-win outcome for all.

If you would like a specific topic featured in 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. If you are in doubt about any information in this article or require any advice on the topical matter, please do not hesitate to contact any Nexia SAB&T office nationally.

Muslim Views

46

Muslim Views . July 2015

AWQAF - promoting self-reliance and sustainability

Women were leaders in establishing waqf DR QANITA SEDICK

AQF studies have shown that women in the population of endowers are undeniable proof of the ownership of property by women through the ages.

These studies revealed not only that women possessed property but also that ownership of property by women was not an exceptional phenomenon limited to a small number of elite women.

Studies from various regions and periods throughout Islamic rule found that women constituted between 20 to 50 per cent of the endower population.

Women endowers came from all walks of life. They endowed their property and also, frequently, administered it.

Thus, women were actively engaged in economic and financial matters.

As beneficiaries, waqf benefited women such as freed slaves, children, orphans, young unmarried girls, widows and poor women. As founders, women examined economic gains of leasing and renting waqf properties as well as founding family awqaf.

Researcher Dr Al Humaidan writes in his research paper on philanthropy that Muslim women have always had an elevated status in the Muslim world.

‘Reflecting on the history of ancient and modern civilisations, we see that few are the countries that gave women that esteemed status conferred upon them by the Islamic civilisation.

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Muslim Views

This unique status reflected itself remarkably in their generous giving which culminated in being involved in waqf. They assisted in bridging the many gaps in their societies…’

Allah reminds mankind to spend of their wealth: ‘And spend something (in charity) out of the substance which We have bestowed on you, before Death should come to any of you and he should say, “O my Lord! Why did you not give me respite for a little while? I should then have given (largely) in charity…”’ (Surah 63:10) For women, the establishment of philanthropic endowments (awqaf) was a means by which, like other forms of charity, the founder brought herself closer to Allah. She longed for a greater reward in the hereafter through acts of generosity, ensuring that her time in this world was spent wisely.

Wealth accumulated during marriage, through inheritance, business enterprises and other means, was used for purposes greater than mere materialism.

These women saw the gifts the Almighty had bestowed as loans for which they would be answerable. Therefore, they sought to spend in the path of Allah to gain His blessings.

The very first woman to create a waqf was the wife of the Prophet (SAW) and daughter of Umar bin al-Khataab (RA), Hafsah (RA). She used to rent her jewellery and give the rental income to her relatives thus

appointing herself the trustee of her jewellery.

During her research on the concept of Islamic philanthropy, Charity in Islamic Societies, Amy Singer writes that Zubayda, the wife of Abbasid ruler Harun Rashid, constructed a water supply system providing pilgrims with drinking water all along the route from Baghdad to Makkah.

This extensive aqueduct, along with a water well in Makkah known as Ayn Zubayda (the eye of Zubayda), was financed by her.

According to the Book of World Records, the oldest surviving university in the world is located in Africa, in the walled city of Fes-el-Bali, in Morocco.

Established through the charitable endowment of Algerian-born Fatima Al Fihri, in 859 CE, using her entire inheritance gifted to her by her entrepreneur father, the masjid complex housing Al Qarawiyyin University (also spelt as Al Karaouine) offers courses in Islamic and legal sciences, classical Arabic linguistics, mathematics, the sciences and French.

Through the establishment of the university-mosque complex, millions of students found their educational needs met over hundreds of years, thereby ensuring its donor, Fatima, infinite reward with her Creator.

Generosity of spirit did not end with Fatima; her sister, Mariam, established Al Andalus Masjid, in Fes, a landmark religious centre that stands to this day.

Although the establishment of hospitals as endowments were

thought to be limited to waqifs or male donors (including sultans, caliphs and rulers), history has shown that females too were responsible for the endowments of health care facilities.

In 10th century Persia, for instance, the caliph’s mother, alSayyida Shaghab, donated a substantial share of her wealth to establish a centre for medical care (then referred to as a Bimaristan, Persian for place of the sick), one of many such waqf institutions on which the modern-day hospital is based.

Gabriel Baer, in his paper, Women and Waqf: An analysis of the Istanbul Tahrir of 1546, has shown that 60 per cent of smaller awqaf in Istanbul were donated by women during the time of the Ottoman Empire and, as research has shown, these small waqf have been able to stand the test of time, even withstanding the destruction by colonial rule. This is important to note as women at the time, specifically from other religions and cultures, were unable to own property, notes Baer further.

In 1974, the Sabanci Foundation was established by Sadika Sabanci, wife of Haci Omer Sabanci, who donated her entire personal wealth to the endowment. Later on, she convinced her six sons to also contribute to this waqf.

In the 1970s, the total shares of the Sabanci family members, the owner of the Sabanci Holding and the Sabanci Group of companies, was more than 4 million US dollars.

This amount increased to 11,2 million US dollars in 2005 and 15,2 million US dollars in 2006.

In 2010, it reached more than 1,3 billion US dollars.

Closer to home, it has been shown that Sarah van der Kaap donated a stretch of land in order to construct the first mosque in South Africa, known as the Awwal Mosque, in Bokaap, Cape Town.

After buying the property from her mother, Trijn van de Kaap, who inherited it from her husband, Coridon from Ceylon, Sarah decided that the best usage for the land would be to donate it for the construction of the mosque in 1794.

Established during an era of slavery and racial prejudice, the mosque soon became a centre for prayer, dawah (religious propagation) and social discourse.

From the aforementioned examples it is evident that the change brought about by women endowments (no matter the size of the waqf), is felt at community level. Whether it was providing water wells or the establishment of centres of prayer and wellness, these remarkable women’s contributions to Islamic civilisation highlight the importance of waqf as a tool for empowerment of women.

Dr Sedick is a consultant haematopathologist in the Department of Molecular Medicine and Haematology at the National Health Laboratory Service. E-mail: docqanita@gmail.com

DISCUSSIONS WITH DANGOR

Muslim refugees escape to Europe N the past few months, we have seen how thousands of would-be immigrants lost their lives attempting to cross from Libya to Europe by boat.

The immigrants were either escaping from poverty or violence in their countries of origin. Many paid hundreds of dollars – some paying their entire fortune – to make the journey.

Among these refugees were many Muslims from North Africa and the Middle East, in particular, Syria.

The UN refugee agency reported on World Refugee Day, in July 2014, that the number of refugees, asylum-seekers and internally displaced people worldwide has, for the first time in the post-World War II era, exceeded 50 million people.

Syria has 7 600 000 internally displaced persons, Iraq has a total of 3 276 000, Sudan 3 100 000, Pakistan has a figure of some 1 800 000, Somalia 1 107 000, Afghanistan 964 200 and Libya 400 000.

In 1950, Muslim refugees represented only 12 per cent of the world’s refugee population. In 1970, they made up 50 per cent.

In 1990, the figure rose to 75 per cent.

Given the local and regional instability in the Middle East and North Africa, the total number of Muslim refugees worldwide is bound to be higher. Palestinians alone account for 5 million refugees.

I

Many Muslims left and are leaving for Europe for better economic opportunities, writes Emeritus Professor SULEMAN DANGOR. The main source of refugees is Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia.

Many Muslims left and are leaving for Europe for better economic opportunities.

Most Muslim regimes in the Middle East and North Africa have failed to meet the demands for improved socio-economic conditions thus leaving the vast majority of Muslims struggling for survival.

This has compelled hundreds of thousands of Muslims to seek a better life elsewhere. These economic migrants are concentrated in the United Kingdom, France and Germany.

Some Muslims left for Europe for political reasons. Most Muslim regimes exclude their populations from participation in decision-making and deny them their fundamental human rights and freedoms.

Those critical of their regimes and who demand an end to

oppression and injustice are incarcerated, tortured and, in some cases, executed. They are thus driven to seek refuge in European countries.

England probably has the majority of Muslim political asylum seekers.

The third class of refugees is those escaping violence in their localities.

While the majority of these displaced persons end up as refugees in their own or neighbouring countries (in the last twenty years developing countries have been hosting most of the world’s refugees), some have opted to migrate to Europe.

Because of the conflicts in Africa and the Middle East, these regions are likely to continue to host most of the world’s refugees though an increasing number are desperate to leave for safer havens.

Are these refugees welcome in Europe?

Some politicians are sensitive to the plight of refugees fleeing repression and violence, and are happy to allow a limited number of refugees to be admitted to their countries on humanitarian grounds.

The EU policy is to grant asylum to refugees who would not be safe in their country of citizenship or residence for fear of persecution due to their race, religion, nationality, political stances or other reasons.

However, they are concerned

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Muslim Views . July 2015

about the challenges of integrating the refugees, particularly Muslims.

On the other hand, the head of France’s far-right National Front Party, Marine Le Pen, made it clear that they are unwelcome.

There is currently a strong antiimmigrant wave spreading all over Europe.

While Germany spends a great deal on programmmes to help immigrants to integrate into society, far-right parties in France, the Netherlands and Sweden have been complaining that Muslim immigrants are an economic drain and that they don’t fit in, culturally, in the West.

Many Europeans also are concerned, given budgetary constraints, about whether they can afford to let in more immigrants.

Once immigrants arrive, they are often entitled to extensive social benefits. This is one of the reasons for the rise in xenophobia and Islamophobia in Europe.

More recently, German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, and British Prime Minister, David Cameron, declared that multiculturalism and integration of immigrants have failed in their countries. This could mean that there will be tighter control over the influx of immigrants in future.

Recently, Italy refused a ferry carrying 1 800 passengers, mainly from Morocco, who had fled Libya, entry into its waters.

In addition, would-be immigrants might be ‘tested’ to determine their ‘suitability’ as citizens.

Nations such as Germany and the Netherlands ask questions in their citizenship tests to determine whether immigrants accept homosexuality and gender equality.

The refugee situation raises questions about Muslim countries:

What are Muslim countries, particularly those that are blessed with wealth, doing about the plight of refugees?

Why have Muslim countries not absorbed recent refugees from war?

Why are the doors of most Muslim countries closed to Muslim refugees?

Why are these refugees allowed to live in abject conditions, often without food and water?

Why should it be necessary for non-Muslim NGOs to cater for these refugees when some Muslim countries are blessed with enormous wealth (Muslim NGOs must be applauded for their commitment to assist refugees)?

Why do the deaths of thousands of Muslim refugees or asylum seekers between Libya and Italy not prick the conscience of Muslim leaders?

It is interesting that many refugees choose not to seek refuge in Muslim countries though they might feel more at home both culturally and in terms of religious beliefs.

The refugees are aware of how harshly these governments treat their own population when they dare to speak out about human rights violations.

Furthermore, being considered inferior in oil-rich countries can be very unpleasant for refugees.

Finally, the practice of enslaving migrant workers by royal families, shaikhs and wealthy elite is hardly likely to entice refugees who have escaped living under harsh conditions in their own countries.

Whatever criticism we might have of Europe, at least Europeans have a policy on immigration, and have recently admitted thousands of refugees and asylum seekers.

Wishing all Muslims a blessed Eid Mubarak!

Specializing In: • Commercial & Domestic • Alterations • Plans Drawn & Submitted to Council • Additions • New Dwellings Tel 021 633-8943 Fax 086 212 9270 Email prestigeconstruction@telkomsa.net

www.prestigeconstruction.co.za Muslim Views

48

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Muslim Views . July 2015

Ahmadi research project

DEAR Muslim Views readers I am writing to request assistance from all relevant parties who were/ are involved in and/ or affected by the Ahmadi issue to kindly make contact with me.

I am currently conducting a research project on the Ahmadi issue in South Africa, particularly in Cape Town, as part of my doctoral degree.

The project addresses the lack of scholarly works concerning the history of the Ahmadi community located in Cape Town, and the politics of engagement between the Ahmadi community and the wider Muslim community, including the social impact and the legal dimension of these interactions.

An important part of the project is to provide a personal and historical narrative of events including personal stories of people who were involved in and/ or affected by the events and politics regarding the Ahmadi issue.

The project is scholarly in nature and, in accordance with generally accepted ethical protocol, the anonymity of participants will be protected.

Relevant parties from both the Ahmadi community and the wider Muslim community are kindly requested to contact me at the soonest convenience by email at ahmadiresearch1@gmail.com.

I will be present in Cape Town from August 17 to 31, 2015, and, if possible, will arrange to meet personally with any relevant people.

Nadeem Mahomed Johannesburg

DA must take ‘anti-Apartheid Israel stance’ DUE to our own painful apartheid past, Israel’s current military occupation of the

Muslim Views

Palestinian people, and Israel’s racist policies and laws which contradict the DA’s own liberal, secular and progressive manifesto, it is time now for Mmusi Maimane and the rest of the DA leadership to place the DA on a firmly pro-Palestine and anti-Apartheid Israel stance.

Otherwise, the DA’s anti-racist stance is hypocritical, and whites in leadership positions in the DA will seem to be using coloureds and blacks as voting fodder to further their own narrow interests and privileged positions.

Palestinians are suffering an apartheid which is vastly worse than what black, coloured and Indian South Africans went through. It is an apartheid backed by a vicious military-police state, where people are regularly bombed from the air, where people have no human rights and where people are treated worse than animals.

The time has run out for obfuscation, self-delusion and the luxury of pandering to a few spoilt and moneyed DA intelligentsia.

Naushad Omar East London

Why the silence about Egypt?

GENERAL Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is murdering people, Hitler style, and the world remains silent. Is it because some super power is backing ‘Sissy’ all the way?

Does the United Nations have any conscience? The butcher of Egypt has staged a coup, seized power, jailed the members of a legitimately elected party, and now he wants to hang them all.

The African Union jumped quickly at the Burundi coup but looked the other way when it came to Egypt.

Is the world waiting to shed crocodile tears after the butcher slaughters millions in Egypt?

Ismail Lorgat Johannesburg

Prof Esack baffles

THE interview with Professor Farid Esack relating to BDS campaign (MV, June 2015).

Prof Esack makes some baffling statements in the interview with regard to the BDS campaign.

Most of the arguments for selecting Woolworths as a boycott target, I am sure, would be too complicated for BDS supporters to follow, and exposes conscientious individuals to ridicule for ‘sheep mentality’.

He quotes parallel cases involving boycott action against Apartheid South Africa in the 1970s and 80s, ignoring the crucial fact that South Africa hardly had a friend in the world, whereas Israel has plenty.

Prof Esack asserts that if the campaign against Woolies is successful then they will go after the long list of others. Don’t hold your breath for that to happen.

Meanwhile, Bill Gates, for example, increases investment in the Israeli Tech industry, saying: ‘While startups in Israel are similar to those in Silicon Valley, there are specialists in Israel in fields like information security who get much of their experience from their service in the army. The science and technology curriculum in Israeli universities is also of a very high standard.’

Sulaiman Martheze Mitchells Plain

Outsourcing duas LARGE corporations outsource some of their functions so that they can concentrate on the core function, which is the business of making money.

This outsourcing phenomenon has also affected the Muslim community.

Parents are too busy to attend to their children and spouses as they are occupied from dawn to

A book by Sa’diyya Shaikh (left), Sufi Narratives of Intimacy: Ibn ‘Arabi, Gender, and Sexuality was the subject of discussion at Claremont Main Road Mosque on June 21, 2015. Renowned poet, Shabbir Banoobhai (centre), was in conversation with the author in the presence of an audience of over 40 people. The discussion was chaired by Dr Rashied Omar (right), Imam of Claremont Main Road Mosque. Shaikh is Associate Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at University of Cape Town. Although the book was first published in 2012, it recently won the 2015 UCT Book Award for her pioneering research. The award recognises the publication of outstanding books written by members of staff. Previous recipients of this award include Mahmood Mamdani, Bill Nassan, David Chidester and JM Coetzee. The discussion between Shaikh and Banoobhai explored the reasons the author is attracted to study the work of Ibn Arabi, the implications and impact of the award she had won, the confluence of Ibn Arabi’s thought and her activism as a feminist, the possible value of Shaikh’s work in parenting and child-rearing and the contemporary relevance of Ibn Arabi. Banoobhai also probed the more typical questions of the relationship between the human and the divine, the nature of creation and the relationship between philosophical and mystical ways of knowing the Divine.

Shaikh’s study has earned international acclaim for its depth and scholarly merit, particularly for its engagement with Ibn Arabi from a feminist perspective. The book is available for purchase at Timbuktu Books and online at Juta Press.

Photo ASHRAF KAGEE dusk in the business of making money which, sadly, is also their core function.

Things go wrong at home when the family is neglected and they are so busy making money that they do not have time to lift their hands and make duah for themselves and their families.

They approach imams to do this for them. In other words, they have outsourced the function of duahs to imams.

Yunus Patel North West Province

Write to:

editor@mviews.co.za Fax: 086 516 4772

Please keep your letters as brief as possible.

Kindly include full name and address details.

Muslim Views . July 2015

49

Travel medicine conference scheduled for PE in 2016 THE International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM) held its 14th conference in the Canadian city of Quebec, in May, this year.

The President of the South African Society of Travel Medicine (SASTM), Dr Salim Parker, was awarded the Susan L Stokes Travel Award to attend the conference and present the collaborative work (with Professor Lucille Blumberg, Dr Azwi Manaka and Sister Pinky Kumalo) titled: ‘Respiratory Pathogens Surveillance in Returning South African pilgrims after the 2013 Hajj: Johannesburg OR Tambo International Airport.’

Dr Parker is a long-standing Muslim Views columnist, penning the popular ‘Hajj Stories’.

The study looked at what viruses and bacteria pilgrims picked up in Saudi Arabia, and specifically looked at Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). No MERSCoV was detected.

He also presented a talk on

malaria in Africa on behalf of a colleague.

It is the second successive conference for which Dr Parker has received the award, the previous one having been for research done on in-flight emergencies, and which was presented in Maastricht, in the Netherlands.

SASTM is actively involved in current travel medicine-related research, with Dr Parker currently serving on the South African Meningitis Expert Advisory Committee as well as on a Mass Gatherings Advisory Forum, the latter specifically looking at Hajj and Umrah related issues.

SASTM members enthusiastically promoted their organisation at their very well attended stand at the conference.

The regional conference of the ISTM takes place at the end of September, 2016, in the friendly South African city of Port Elizabeth, and it was left to the president of the SASTM, Dr Salim Parker, to promote the event via a

OPEN Shuhada Street, an advocacy group engaging in solidarity work with Palestinians, has organised two talks, focusing on human rights violations perpetrated by Israel, and the class, ethnic and nationalist divide in Israel/ Palestine.

The first talk is by Dr Louis Reynolds, who returned recently from a visit to Gaza.

He will present his and his colleagues’ findings, particularly regarding violations by Israeli armed forces.

The talk will be held on Thursday, July 23, at University of Cape Town (UCT) at 6.30pm. At the time of going to press the specific venue on the UCT campus was not confirmed.

Dr Salim Parker, president of the SASTM, with some of the South African delegates at the Quebec conference.

Photo SUPPLIED

video and slideshow presentation at the end of the ISTM conference, in Quebec.

SASTM hopes to attract at

least 400 international delegates to the event as well as at least 200 local participants.

Travel related articles penned

Open Shuhada Street to host talk on Israeli violations in Gaza Dr Reynolds is a retired paediatric pulmonologist with considerable work experience in the public health sector. He is a member of the social justice organisation, People’s Health Movement of South Africa.

Professor Ran Greenstein, an associate professor of sociology at University of the Witwatersrand, will deliver the second talk entitled ‘Change from within? Class, eth-

nicity and nationalism in Israel/ Palestine’.

This talk will take place at Community House, in Salt River, on Friday, August 7, starting at 6.30pm.

Professor Greenstein, born in Haifa, is the author of Zionism and its Discontents: A Century of Radical Dissent in Israel/ Palestine (Pluto, 2014).

His previous books include Genealogies

by Dr Parker and published in the magazine Diversions may be accessed on his website: www.hajjdoctor.co.za

of Conflict: Class, Identity and State in Palestine/ Israel and South Africa (Wesleyan, 1995), and Comparative Perspectives on South Africa (Macmillan, 1998).

Currently, he is working on a manuscript comparing indigenous resistance movements and Communist parties in South Africa and Israel/ Palestine.

For more details about the talks and other programmes of Open Shuhada Street, contact the Coordinator, Bruce Baigrie, via email: bruce.baigrie@gmail.com or telephone 021 423 3089. Its Facebook page, Open Shuhada Street South Africa, also has updated entries of all the OSS events.

Wishing all a joyous

Eid Mubarak

Muslim Views

50

A tribute to Hazrat Khwaja Sayed Mehboob Ali Shah Chisti Nizami Habibi Faqiri (Rahmatullah Alaih) Muslim Views . July 2015

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EARLY ten years ago, on October 24, 2005/ Ramadaan 21, 1426, one of the sons of the Chistiyah spiritual order, Hazrat Sayed Mehboob Ali Shah Chisti Nizami Habibi Faqiri (RA), embarked on a journey to meet the Ultimate.

This sun might have set on our physical eyes but his teachings, his beautiful life and the beautiful example he set will remain with us and are important for us, for the sake of future generations; to rekindle the lives of such personalities is the means to guidance, bringing us closer to the Almighty, and the spiritual upliftment of our souls.

Back then, almost ten years ago, many articles appeared in local and international media, one announcing ‘Indian Sufi mystic laid to rest in city’ (Cape Argus, Friday, October 28, 2005, page 11; Al Kausar, Johannesburg, and Dainik Jaagran, India).

In their brief paragraphs, the articles could not ever do justice, except to briefly mention Hazrat Sayed Mehboob Ali Shah’s (RA) affiliation to the ‘Chishtiyah Sufi order’ and its creed ‘based on the mystical and esoteric teachings of Islam’.

The personality mentioned, Hazrat Sayed Mehboob Ali Shah Chishti Nizami Habibi Faqiri

Outside view of the shrine of Hazrat Sayed Mehboob Ali Shah (RA) at the Maitland Cemetery in Cape Town.

Hazrat Sayed Mehboob Ali Shah Chisti Nizami Habibi Faqiri (RA)

All material and photographs supplied by Bazme Chirag-e-Faqiri International

(RA), a Muslim saint of the 20th century, needed no introduction to many South Africans.

He was affectionately known as Huzoor Abba, Sarkar or Hazrat Sahib in different parts of

THE SPIRITUAL LINEAGE – SHIJRA – OF THE CHISHTI NIZAMI MEHBOOBI SPIRITUAL ORDER

the world, and still remains in the minds and souls of people as a unique personality who graced their hearts with spiritual guidance and contentment.

As a shaikh (murshid or spiritual guide), he followed a tradition of esoteric teachings that traces its origins to the fourth caliph of Islam, Sayyidina Ali ibn Talib (RA), leading to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

He was born on June 7, 1925, in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India, a few hours drive south of Poona.

Hazrat Sayed Mehboob Ali (RA) was raised under the spiritual umbrella and company of those who dedicated their lives to serving Islam, and the family traces its direct lineage to Imam Jafar as Sadiq (RA).

His father, Sayed Yasin Ali Shah (RA) was a learned hakim (doctor in natural medicine) who, in turn, received spiritual instruction from his father, Sayed Faqir Muhammed Shah (RA).

Hazrat Sayed Mehboob Ali Shah (RA) thus mastered the art of physical ailments from Hazrat Sayed Yasin Ali Shah (RA) while he was immersed in the world of tassawwuf by his peer-o-murshad, Hazrat Sayed Faqir Muhammed Shah (RA).

These gems of knowledge emerged as a light of hope for the thousands, if not millions, to

quench the thirst for enlightenment and a means of spiritual prosperity in this world and the hereafter.

Hazrat was the first spiritual successor of Silsila-e-Habibia Faqiria and was the first Sajjadah Nashin of his murshad, Hazrat Sayed Faqir Muhammed Shah (RA).

Every person has a different illness in his heart and soul so everybody has a different property, a different tendency.

Rasulullah (SAW) not only communicated the diseases of the heart and its treatment but has also given hundreds of thousands of different kinds of information regarding individuals, families, societies, wars and problems of inheritance, that is, all kinds of affairs pertaining to this and the next world.

It is next to impossible for us, ignorant people, who do not know our own disease or its medicine, to pick out the one hadith (saying of Holy Prophet SAW) that is suitable for us.

Murshad-e-kamil (spiritual guides), being specialists of the heart and the soul, have picked out the hadiths, the medicine of the soul, that are suitable for the nature of each individual.

A Muslim saint is he whose intuitive faculty is so highly developed that he is able to see everything in its proper perspective. He establishes contact with the very source and fountainhead of knowledge, Allah Almighty.

Hazrat Khwaja Sayed Mehboob Ali (RA) loved the unique quality of the Holy Prophet (SAW), the simplicity and humility that he adopted in his lifestyle in the service of the community and, in so doing, captured the hearts of those who attended his gatherings, and reminded them about the teachings of

Islam, which express love, irrespective of status, position in life or whether rich or poor.

This was unique, and a diverse group of people often attended his gatherings. There are hundreds of people who had the privilege to be in the company of Hazrat Sayed Mehboob Ali (RA), and who, likely, continue to bear witness to his humble nature and the love he shared. He dispensed counsel and advised on spiritual matters that changed the lives of many persons who had found themselves in a state of hardship.

Hazrat Sayed Mehboob Ali (RA) always advised his disciples to remain within the confines of the practices of Islam (shariah), and his favourite advice he dispensed to his mureeds (followers) were to stay in a state of ritual purity (wudhu) and to keep up the Durood (prayer of peace and blessings) on the Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

Hazrat Sayed Mehboob Ali (RA) is survived by three sons and two daughters. The khilafat and sajjadah nashin (successor) was bestowed on his eldest son, Hazrat Sayed Mohsin Ali Shah Chisti Nizami Faqiri Mehboobi, in Madinah Munawwara, in the masjid of the Holy Prophet (SAW).

Hazrat also granted khilafat to a few of his followers, including his sons, Sahebzadah Sayed Hafiz Ali Shah Mehboobi, Sahebzadah Sayed Asif Ali Shah Mehboobi, and his grandson, Sahebzadah Sayed Moin Ali Shah Mehboobi.

Hazrat Sayed Mehboob Ali Shah (RA) assured his close followers, almost 25 years ago, that his final resting place would be in Cape Town, South Africa and, after a short illness in Mumbai, India, his wasiyyah (wish) was fulfilled and he lies interred in Maitland Cemetery (Gate 4A).

Founding of Bazme Chirag-e-Faqir Chishti International (BCFI) IS Eminence, Hazrat Sayed Mehboob Ali Shah (RA), established the Bazme Chirag-e-Faqir Chishti International (BCFI), now a world renowned, non-profit organisation which established a pre-primary school (Kidz Inc.) in Cravenby Estate, Cape Town, and a madrassah teaching underprivileged children in Clairwood, Durban (BCFI Ahle Sunnah Madrassa), which, to date, is serving in excess of 180 children.

BCFI runs outreach programmes such as a soup kitchen, blanket and tracksuit drives during winter and the publication of a quarterly magazine, Shoa-e-

H

Muslim Views

Tasawwuf (the rays of spirituality), which is distributed locally and internationally.

Other publications include Awraad-o-Wazaif, Sama in Islam and Murid Nama (Etiquette of the Disciple). Loosely translated, Bazme Chirag-e-Faqir means ‘the group or congregation that is the torchbearers of the faqir (literally, total submission for the benefit of the needy)’.

The BCFI represents the Chishti Nizami Mehboobi Sufi order, of which many followers are still active in South Africa, India, Australia, Kuwait, Zimbabwe, Botswana, England and Canada. Hazrat Sayed Mohsin Ali Shah is the successor under

whose current leadership the Chishti Nizami Mehboobi teachings and BCFI continue to shine and spread its wings in many countries.

Various BCFI activities are conducted on a regular basis. The 21st night of each lunar month sees devotees perform the Khatme Khwajagaan. This series of adhkaar (prescribed litanies) has been passed on from generation to generation of the shaikhs of the Chishti order. The annual commemorations of the passing on of past shaikhs of the spiritual orders are also celebrated.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 51

A tribute to Hazrat Khwaja Sayed Mehboob Ali Shah Chisti Nizami Habibi Faqiri (Rahmatullah Alaih) Muslim Views . July 2015

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 50

The place of Sufism in Islam DR AUWAIS RAFUDEEN

BCFI’s services and activities Feeding scheme India A great spiritual master once said: ‘Live your life like a candle, whereby you are living and getting closer to your death every second that passes but enlighten and benefit others as you live on.’

Bazme Chirag-e-Faqir Chishti International (BCFI) is living up to its name by reaching out to the poor and needy, not only in South Africa but in other parts of the world as well, by providing them with the most basic needs.

The BCFI organised a mass feeding programme in the month of Ramadaan in the city of Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India.

BCFI soup drive, Cape Town Alhumdulillah, Bazme Chirage-Faqir Chishti International (BCFI) organised a winterwarmth initiative where, every Sunday during the holy month of Ramadaan, pots of soup were prepared and then distributed with loaves of bread among the less fortunate citizens of the Cape Flats and townships.

The pots of soup were distributed to mosques in Belhar, Bishop Lavis, Delft, Happy Valley, Valhalla Park and Bonteheuwel areas as well as two pots to mosques in Mfuleni.

The soup kitchen forms part of the BCFI winter initiative.

T

UFISM (known as Tasawwuf in Arabic) is the spiritual heart of Islam. It is the branch of the religion that focuses on the purification of the self in order to draw closer to Allah SWT. The foundation of Sufism can be found in the famous hadith (saying) of the Prophet (SAW) known as the Jibril (Gabriel) Hadith. In a part of the hadith, Angel Gabriel asks the Holy Prophet: ‘What is ihsaan (goodness, beauty and excellence)?’

The Prophet (SAW) replied: ‘It is to worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you cannot see Him, know that He sees you.’ Sufism is ihsaan. It is journeying on a path that creates a deeper consciousness of Allah in our everyday life.

But to worship Allah in this way means that, in reality, we are only seeing Him, or being aware only of Him seeing us. Nothing else matters. And so, Sufism is also absolute sincerity in relation to Allah, or ‘ikhlaas’ in Arabic.

But the journey is not easy. As human beings, we are prone to temptation, prone to following the desires of our lower self, prone to worship without sincerity. We are constituted in such a way as to become easily absorbed by fleeting pleasures, easily distracted from our real goal. And so, often, we find that we need a guide on this journey.

The Sufi shaikh, or spiritual mentor, is that guide. His purpose is to guide the aspirant to Allah SWT. He does this by firstly making his disciple aware of the need to adhere to the shariah (the required Islamic beliefs, practices and conduct), under all circumstances. And, if the disciple falls short in this regard, the shaikh coaxes him or her back to repentance and to adherence.

The means of such coaxing is the example of the shaikh himself.

The shaikh is someone who has successfully completed this journey to Allah, who knows the pitfalls along the way, who has successfully fought the lower desires, who has emerged from this fight, with a sterling character, and who is now formally authorised to guide others along the way. The disciple is drawn to this character, drawn by its beauty, drawn by the natural, fatherly love that the shaikh has for him or her. The journey becomes easier, the distractions of the world less absorbing, the pull of the lower self, less daunting; all this because of the love, care and shade of the shaikh. But the shaikh’s most important teaching is to make the disciple aware that, in reality, it is Allah who provides this love, shade and care; that it is truly Allah that guides him or her on this journey. The shaikh is a means used by Allah, the Bestower of every blessing.

It is not impossible to complete the journey without a shaikh.

After all, Allah is the true guide.

But, just as food is the means by which we assuage our hunger (in reality, it is Allah that assuages this hunger), the members of this ummah have, historically, taken shaikhs as the means by which to undertake their own journeys to Allah.

This goes back to the period of the Prophet (SAW). Allah SWT tells us in the Quran: ‘It is He who has sent among the unlettered a

S

The Bazme Chirag-e-Faqir International is continuing the feeding scheme initiated by its founder, Hazrat Sayed Mehboob Ali Shah (RA), seen here assisting his mureeds preparing food for the poor.

Also part of the BCFI winter initiative is the Blanket Drive.

BCFI has also partnered with Madrassa Tun-Nuhaa to host a mass iftaar and cooked food to feed approximately 800 orphaned children and under-privileged people. This function took place at Athlone Civic Centre, in Cape Town, on June 27, 2015.

The organisation also distributes blankets to the needy community in honour of the work and teachings of its founder, Hazrat Khwaja Sayed Mehboob Ali Shah Chishti (RA).

Bazme Chirag E Faqir Chishti International (BCFI) Madressah-Durban, RSA Alhumdulliah, Bazme Chirag e Faqir Chishti International (BCFI), under the guidance of his

eminence, Hazrat Sayed Mohsin Ali Shah, is indeed spreading its wings and living up to its name of being a truly international organisation, working tirelessly in spreading the light of knowledge and uplifting communities.

The latest effort of BCFI has been the establishment of Islamic Madressah on the South Coast in Durban, South Africa, where, in its first year under the banner of BCFI, it is able to spread the light of Quran and Hadith to well over 180 pupils, free of charge, with more than nine well trained and experienced staff ensuring that the establishment serves its purpose.

More information may be obtained from the organisation’s website: http://www.chishtifaqiri.org/

The role of mysticism in the Indian subcontinent and South Africa, in particular, the Chishti Nizami Mehboobi order he social integration we find in India today is owed to the efforts of our Sufi shaikhs and saints, who belonged to different tariqahs (orders). The most prominent Sufi order of India is the Chishti order.

Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti (RA), of Ajmer, played an important role in the unification of people of diverse cultures and religions in India. He was born in Sijistan (Sistan) and raised in Khurasan. He left home and began to seek knowledge from place to place. By the time he reached Delhi, he was a wellknown spiritual master.

He looked after the poor and needy as if they were his own.

However, he never attempted to convert them to Islam; instead, it was the Islamic concept of the equality of all human beings that played the greatest role in bringing people into the fold of Islam.

His love and generosity for the poor and destitute can be gauged by the fact that he is known as Khwaja Garib Nawaz (benefactor of the needy). He settled in Ajmer around 1206.

Hazrat Nizamuddin Awliya (RA) was a prominent and most popular successor of the Chishti order. He believed that one could only be a good Muslim or a good Hindu if one were a good human being. He would often recount this hadith to his disciples: ‘Whatever you would not like to be done to yourself, do not wish it to happen to others. Wish for others what you wish for yourself.’

To him, all were Almighty’s creatures, equally worthy of respect and deserving help. He was the epitome of tolerance and broadmindedness and showed a

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total lack of bias.

He taught his disciples to keep the peace at all times and to develop good relations with everyone as Islam did not teach violence against or discrimination between human beings. Only taqwa (piety) could raise one’s status in the eyes of the Almighty.

He thus devoted his entire life to bringing people close to the true spirit of religion. Islam, to him, was not a set of hollow rites and rituals. It was a superior ethical code.

The link of this great spiritual order from India to South Africa The Chishti Nizami Silsilah, the Sufi order that is synonymous with the great saints of India, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti (RA) of Ajmer and Khwaja Nizamuddin Awliya (RA) of Delhi, gained prominence in South Africa through propagation of its teachings in the 1900s by the prominent luminary, Hazrat Sufi Sahib (RA) whose final resting place is Riverside, Durban.

Both Hazrat Sayed Faqir Muhammed Shah (RA) and Hazrat Sufi Sahib (RA) were students of Khwaja Sayed Habib Ali Shah (RA), of Hyderabad, India.

Moulana Abdul Latif Shah (RA), who shares the same Chishti Nizami Habibi spiritual lineage, established the now famous Habibia Soofie Masjid in Rylands, Cape Town.

Hazrat Sayed Mehboob Ali’s (RA) grandfather, Hazrat Faqir Muhammed Shah (RA), was a regular visitor to districts and villages in Maharashtra, known as Konkan (pronounced Kokan), where he dispensed spiritual instruction to his many disciples.

He passed on in 1940 and, for a brief period, his son, Hazrat Sayed Yasin Ali (RA), assumed custody of the silsilah (spiritual order) until he passed on, in 1942.

Hazrat Sayed Mehboob Ali (RA), at the tender age of 17, assumed the title of Sajjada Nashin (successor) of the Chishti Nizami Faqiri spiritual order.

As many Konkan families continued their emigration to South Africa in the 1930s and 1940s, shaikhs of various spiritual orders visited South Africa. Amongst the shaikhs who visited in the mid1960s was Hazrat Sayed Sharif Ahmed Shah (RA), affectionately known to many as Puna Waley Shah Saheb, also of the Chishti Nizami spiritual order.

South Africa was blessed and honoured when Shaikh Sayed Mehboob Ali (RA) arrived here, in 1968, following the command of his peer-o-murshad for the propagation of Islam and the spiritual upliftment of the people.

His Eminence dedicated most of his life to spreading the true message of Islam to the remotest corners of this land.

It was an ardent student in the Qadiri and Ba-Alawi spiritual order, Shaikh Ahmed Suleiman Jaffer, and his close friends, who invited and hosted Hazrat Sayed Mehboob Ali (RA) on his first visit. At the time, many of the customs, cultural and spiritual practices which were dedicatedly followed in their home towns were already established in South Africa. The spiritual guides who visited South Africa thus had the opportunity to induct new followers into the same spiritual orders which were common amongst their parents.

Messenger from themselves reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom – although they were before in clear error.’ (Surah Jumuah, verses 2-3) It is, Allah SWT, in reality, who purified the Companions (RA) so as to draw them closer to Him but, as the verse indicates, it is the Holy Prophet (SAW) who was the means by which this was undertaken. In reality, the Holy Prophet is still the ultimate means by which this purification is undertaken for all true shaikhs are linked to Allah’s Beloved in a continuous, chain of transmission (isnad), and so derive their authority from him.

The isnad is the foundation of authentic Islamic knowledge. Our knowledge of basic fiqh (basic Islamic rules), for instance, comes from teachers, be they parents or madrassah teachers or, more formally, ulama (Islamic scholars) who have absorbed it from their teachers and so on, in chains that extend to the Holy Prophet (SAW). This knowledge is so common that we do not even think of it in terms of chains any more.

And so with Sufism, up until the modern period. For much of Islamic civilisation, attachment to a Sufi shaikh was seen as a commonplace occurrence. Sufism was viewed as natural knowledge from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.

The Sufi shaikhs were there, just as the fuqaha (jurists) were.

And they had their own designated functions in society. In fact, the founders of the four madhahib (schools of Islamic law) all had their specific connections to Sufism and to Sufi shaikhs.

And, as Sufism evolved, it became responsible for the widespread dissemination of Islam into Turkey, Central Asia, India, China, West Africa, East Africa, Indonesia and Malaysia. To reject Sufism means to reject the Islam of many of our forefathers.

For these forefathers, Sufism was no less than Islam itself. It was built into the very fabric of their existence. It was through Sufism that they understood the religion, developed an incredible love for it, and were willing to protect it at all costs.

In South Africa, figures such as Tuan Yusuf, Tuan Guru, Soofie Saheb, (may Almighty have mercy on all) and many more such personalities were outstanding examples of such dedication, and the Muslims of this country will forever be indebted to them.

With the modern period, particularly after the devastation of colonialism, the Islamic world experienced a profound crisis of self-confidence. A more sceptical attitude towards Sufism developed and it was relegated, in many instances, to the fringes of Islam or society.

But such an attitude reflected the effects of modernity rather than any problem with Sufism itself. And such an attitude could never be sustained.

Sufism is the spiritual core of Islam, and human beings are, essentially, spiritual beings. Muslims are inevitably bound to return to Sufism in some way or the other. Indeed, if anything, Sufism today is undergoing a worldwide revival.

Dr Rafudeen is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Religious Studies and Arabic at UNISA. Muslim Views

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Muslim Views . July 2015

Light from the Qur’an

Expanding the frontiers of our ibadah IBRAHIM OKSAS and NAZEEMA AHMED E are emerging from a month during which our attention to our ibadah has been renewed and invigorated. In the course of spiritual evolution, it seems prudent to not only maintain the advances made but to commit to expanding the frontiers of our ibadah.

In his inimitable contemporary Quranic tafsir, Risale-i Nur, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi reminds us about the value of ibadah.

He invites us to consider just one of the thousands of merits of ibadah when he cites the following: Nabi Muhammad (SAW) unites the hearts of those who affirm touheed in the salaahs of the two Eids, of Jumuah and salaah performed in jamaah. And he brings together their tongues in a single phrase – ‘La illaha ilallahu’.

Bediuzzaman says that in such unified uttering, they strengthen each other, assist each other and, in uniting those voices, duahs and invocations, they display an ibadah before Allah Almighty that is so expansive that it is as if the globe of the earth is reciting the invocations, offering the duahs and performing the salaah with its regions, and conform to the command of the ayah in Surah Al-Baqara, ‘And be steadfast in salaah,’ which was

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Muslim Views

‘O Allah! Grant blessings and peace to the one whom You sent as a teacher to Your servants to instruct them in knowledge of You and ibadah of You, and to make known the treasures of Your names, and to all his family and Companions, and have mercy on us and on all believing men and women, ameen.

Through Your Mercy, O Most Merciful of the Merciful.’ revealed with glory and tremendousness from beyond the heavens.

He says that through this mystery of unity, man, although a powerless creature in the universe, in respect of the vastness of his ibadah, becomes a beloved servant of the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, His vicegerent on earth, the earth’s ruler and chief of the animals, and the result and aim of the universe’s creation.

Bediuzzaman shares with us that if the voices of hundreds of millions of people proclaiming ‘Allahu Akbar’ after the five daily salaah – and particularly in the Eid salaah – unite and come together in this world as they do in the world of the unseen, the globe of the earth, in its entirety, becomes like a huge human being.

Furthermore, he says that when the people of imaan proclaim ‘Allahu Akbar’ at the same instant, in unison, it becomes like a mighty utterance by the earth. It is as though the earth is shaken with a great tremor through the invocations and glorifications of

the world of Islam at the Eid salaah.

And so, we praise, glorify and exalt to the number of the particles of the earth, the All-Glorious One Who made the earth thus prostrate to Him in ibadah, glorifying and exalting Him, and made it a masjid for His servants and cradle for His creatures.

And we offer praise to Him to the number of beings that He made the ummah of the noble Nabi Muhammad (SAW), who taught us ibadah of this kind.

Bediuzzaman then offers the following salawaat: ‘O Allah!

Grant blessings and peace to the one whom You sent as a teacher to Your servants to instruct them in knowledge of You and ibadah of You, and to make known the treasures of Your names, and to all his family and Companions, and have mercy on us and on all believing men and women, ameen. Through Your Mercy, O Most Merciful of the Merciful.’

Bediuzzaman then asks us to ponder on the following question: is it at all possible that man should have the most important

duty in all of creation and be endowed with the most important capacities; that man’s Sustainer should make Himself known to him with all His well-ordered works, and man should then fail to recognise Him, in return, by way of ibadah or that Allah Almighty should make Himself beloved of men through the numerous adorned fruits of His mercy, and man should then fail to make himself beloved of Allah through ibadah?

Bediuzzaman says that there may be the understanding that there is an apparent burden in ibadah yet there is an ease and lightness in its meaning that defies description for, in the salaah, the worshipper declares, ‘La illaha ilallahu.’ (I bear witness that there is no god but Allah.)

That is to say, the worshipper finds the door of a treasury of mercy in everything because he has imaan, and thus he says, ‘There is no creator and provider other than Him. Harm and benefit are in His hand. He is AllWise; He does nothing in vain, and He is All-Compassionate; His

bounty and mercy are abundant.’

And man knocks on the door with his duah.

Moreover, he sees that everything is subjugated to the command of his own Sustainer so he takes refuge in Him. He places his trust in Him and relies on Him, and is fortified against every disaster; his imaan gives him complete confidence.

Bediuzzaman reminds us that, as with every true virtue, the source of courage is belief in Allah, and ibadah.

He continues by saying that anyone who is not totally blind can then see and understand what a great profit, happiness and bounty for the human ruh, which is impotent and weak, needy and wanting, are ibadah, affirmation of touheed, reliance on Allah and submission to Him. Bediuzzaman expresses the view that for a worshipper with a truly illuminated heart, it is possible that even if the globe of the earth became a bomb and exploded, it would not frighten him. He would watch it with pleasurable wonder as a marvel of Allah Almighty’s power.

In short: like that of the hereafter, happiness in this world lies in ibadah and being a soldier for Almighty Allah; in which case, we should constantly say ‘Alhamdulillah’ for obedience to Him and for our success, and we should thank Him that we are Muslims.

Positive and Effective Parenting

PART ONE

Muslim Views . July 2015

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Grandparenting: exploring the multiple roles, joys and responsibilities FOUZIA RYKLIEF

RETIRED from my job at the end of May, this year, which means that I will be paying more attention to my grandparenting role. While I am one of the fortunate ones who have the responsibility of raising my grandchildren, there are thousands of others who are also doing that.

Before I share my thoughts, indulge me in sharing a smile and a nod upon reading the quotes below.

It’s such a grand thing to be a mother of a mother – that’s why the world calls her grandmother. ~ Unknown A grandmother is a little bit parent, a little bit teacher and a little bit best friend. ~ Unknown My grandfather was a wonderful role model. Through him I got to know the gentle side of men. ~ Sarah Long Grandfathers are for loving and fixing things. ~ Unknown Grandchildren are the dots that connect the lines from generation to generation. ~ Lois Wyse The last quote is my favourite.

Children, these days, are expected to interview older relatives when they have to do a project on their family for school. When giving them the information, you are ‘connecting the dots’.

Grandparents have the important role of family historian, telling stories about their childhood as well as ones about raising the grandchildren’s parents. It

l For grandparents, it might be difficult to take a step back, to not ‘interfere’ in the way their children raise their own children; to realise that different parenting styles are not ‘wrong’ – to let go, and let their children take ultimate responsibility for the little ones. l For parents, living with their own parents while raising their children can feel daunting.

They may feel like they are being watched or judged for not doing things the way their parents did. l The children learn to get along with all ages of people, to be considerate of every family member’s differing needs, and that they are always safe and loved by so many.

Communication between grandparent and parent Spoiling grandchildren has almost become part of the definition of being a grandparent. Being a little spoilt by grandparents is one of the great joys of childhood. But, like everything else, the key is moderation. Too much spoiling can lead to bickering between parents and grandparents, which is probably more harmful to the child than the spoiling itself.

Different viewpoints about child-rearing can result in conflict. It’s not easy for grandparents to hold back their opinions about how their grandchildren should be raised.

Parents can feel they’re being criticised.

When grandparents want to share their concerns and ideas with parents, don’t start with: ‘When I was raising you…’ This can be met with rejection by the parent who might say, ‘That was then, things are different now.’

Parents may feel that they are still being controlled by their parents.

Instead, grandparents should use the ‘I feel’ sentence, for example, ‘I feel hurt when I am not given a chance to talk about my experience today and how difficult it is when the two young ones won’t stop arguing.’

When parents are criticised for ‘being soft’ because they don’t believe in giving hidings as a means of punishment, instead of judging the grandparent and accusing him/ her of ‘interfering’, use sentences starting with ‘I’, for example, ‘I understand that you feel a smack on the bottom is harmless but I learnt different ways of disciplining children that I would like to try.’

Parents and grandparents need to share information about their concerns and ideas in a calm and polite manner – the way you would give information to any other adult.

Hear each other out. Parents need to acknowledge that older people do have lots of knowledge and experience. Though you may not agree with them, at least hear them out. If you don’t, you might miss out on some valuable information that they have.

Problem-solve and find solutions together. Say things like, ‘We are both concerned about the children and want them to be happy and healthy.

Let us put our heads together and see what ideas we can come up with.’

Despite all the challenges, extended family is important and living together can certainly be managed successfully to the benefit of all.

Benefits of having grandparents in children’s lives Grandparents can provide: l safe places for toddlers to practise being away from their parents; l a sense of identity and family history; l a feeling of stability that comes from the child being accepted as he is; l time to play and share activities with children in a way that parents sometimes can’t; l assistance with child care; l advice and support for parents.

Having the voice of experience close by when parents are feeling overwhelmed can be invaluable.

There is security in knowing that there is an extra pair of eyes and hands around when parents can’t be there.

The relationship between grandparents and grandchildren brings great benefits for both parties. A grandparent’s unconditional love has a profound role in helping a child develop trust.

Eid Mubarak We take this opportunity to say “Jazaka’Allah khair” to all who have contributed their Waqf Funds to Awqaf SA. This means a contribution towards the revival of one of the most enduring and sustainable forms of voluntary Islamic Charity. may your Waqf be your fountain of everlasting reward and may its fruits help so that communities may flourish inshallah.

Continue supporting Awqaf SA. Our Islamic Community Fund…

AWQA F S A

Head Office: Johannesburg Tel: +27 (0) 11 837 8669 Email: info@awqafsa.org.za Cape Town Office Tel: +27 (0) 21 697 3556

ANNIVER S A R

Y

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helps provide continuity between the past, present and the future.

My husband and I have three grandsons: Ilyaas 5½-years, Ismaeel 4-years and Idrees 1-year-old.

My grandchildren call me ‘granny’ because I said I am a grandmother, with the emphasis on the word ‘grand’. I am not a ‘ma’, which means I am not their mother.

We take care of them during the day while their parents work.

They go home at about 4 pm and we have the rest of the day and weekends to ourselves – most of the time!

I parent them when I set limits for them and when I feed them while their parents work. Teaching them involves answering their questions and living the values they need to learn.

Being their best friend means listening to them when they share something exciting or sad, and playing with them.

Their grandfather does the same and much more. In fact, he has been Ilyaas’s main care-giver for five years while I was still working – changing nappies, feeding, burping him and taking both him and Isma-eel to school and fetching them. I will be more involved in this from now on.

The boys are learning the ‘gentle side of men’ from their grandfather.

A situation that many grandparents and parents find challenging is when they all live in the same house. Here are some of my thoughts and some tips.

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Muslim Views

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Muslim Views . July 2015

From Consciousness to Contentment

Breaking through the cocoon of Ramadaan JASMINE KHAN

WHEN the moon is sighted for the day of Eid-ul-Fitr, there is great joy and excitement for those who fasted all the days of Ramadaan. Indeed, it is a cause for celebration because we have obeyed Allah’s command in the Holy Quran: ‘O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, even as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become pious.’ (2:183) The last part of the above verse has many translations; among them ‘that you may ward off evil’, and ‘that you may learn selfrestraint’.

Allah is very explicit in his instruction. It is easy to focus on the first part of the verse, to fast, and completely miss the point of the last part.

Yet, we will be missing a vital part of Allah’s command if we do not ponder on the last part. Why do we fast?

The easy part is so that we can identify with those who struggle throughout the year without adequate sustenance. The more difficult part is to realise that the month of Ramadaan is given to us so that we may undergo a transformation of character.

To do this we have to, firstly, improve our relationship with Allah, and, secondly, work on how we relate to the rest of creation.

As we approach the end of a month of fasting, it may be a good idea to do some reflecting, to ask whether we have properly

The majority of us reach the day of Eid having polished our hearts, which is why we look forward to the celebration of Eid with such pleasure. We must remember that Eid is not just a day when food during the day once again becomes permissible; it is the day when we feel grateful that our inner being has been cleansed utilised this gift that our merciful Creator has given us. It is a time to take stock of how much our Allah-consciousness has grown, and how permanent it will be.

Human nature being what it is, we too often allow the busy-ness of life to take over and, soon, Ramadaan and the day of Eid recedes until the next year.

What about how we treat our fellow creatures?

During Ramadaan, there is increased working to alleviate the plight of those in need but how many of these programmes make it through the rest of the year?

Family matters are also given precedence, and cyberspace is very busy with requests for forgiveness; relatives who are ignored during the rest of the year are eagerly greeted on the day of Eid. It is during this period that we strive to do what is good and avoid – as much as possible – the

temptation of falling into haraam.

However, Allah gave us this period to work on our nafs, to try to do better, with the purpose that it must be permanent.

We need to regard Ramadaan as a cocoon (term borrowed from a talk ‘The inner dimensions of fasting’ by Moulana Riad Saloojee), a protective shell designed and intended to protect us from harm, and from doing harm to others.

This is the time to work on transformation, to perfect our character and to cleanse the heart of all that prevents it from being pure and sparkling.

The majority of us reach the day of Eid having polished our hearts, which is why we look forward to the celebration of Eid with such pleasure.

We must remember that Eid is not just a day when food during the day once again becomes permissible; it is the day when we

feel grateful that our inner being has been cleansed.

We have gained beneficial knowledge, we are suffused with a sense of gratitude to be alive, and we have gained sabr by practising mercy and compassion to our families.

Our hearts have learnt gentleness in dealing with others, fully realising that showing anger is not acceptable.

During this period, we realised the virtue of modesty. As we went about our lives encased in this spiritual cocoon, we found that we were more forgiving towards others as we lived our own inherent truths.

What is more powerful is that during Ramadaan we lose our attachment to worldly things; we realise the ephemeral nature of everything related to creation, and we are far more aware of the day we will leave this dunya and return to Allah.

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Allah SWT wants us to attain taqwa, to be more aware of Him, to realise that everything comes from Allah, and will return to Allah. Allah loves His creation and has, therefore, made it so easy for us to attain transformation during the month of fasting.

One of the many benefits is that the reward for acts of ibadah, and for good deeds, are multiplied manifold, Alhamdulillah. The incentives are there, all we need do is make use of the opportunity.

We have access to so many treasures that it is possible for us to fulfil Allah’s wish for each of us to undergo a transformation.

When we spend the night before the day of Eid in duah, let us reflect on how effectively we have used the great gift of Ramadaan, how very merciful Allah is towards us, and how much have we appreciated the love our Creator has for us.

As we hear the news that the crescent has been sighted, may Allah enable us to break through the spiritual cocoon of Ramadaan, with a heart that is cleansed of all that can hold us back from true Allah-consciousness, a heart that is now closer to Allah, a heart that will show kindness and mercy, forgiveness and love to family, friends and the rest of Allah’s creation.

May Allah grant us transformations that will last beyond the six days of Shawwaal, Ameen Ya Rabbul Al-Ameen.

Eid mubarak to you and your family!

FOR ALL

Muslim Views . July 2015

55

Intensifying the essence of art The doyen of local calligraphy artists, Achmat Soni, has had numerous invitations to address audiences at international conferences, writes Doctor M C D’ARCY.

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HE essential essence of apples in Angel fruit-salad is ambrosial, divine. Apple trees can grow from seeds but take many years to bear.

Some apple varieties are selffertile but bear well only when pollinated by other selected varieties. To facilitate this, apple stem-buds and branches are grafted onto hardy rootstock resistant to diseases and endowed with vigour.

In fact, two or three different varieties of apples can be grafted onto one rootstock, solving the problems of cross-pollination and vitality. Art is soul food, no different to apples.

Art’s infinite varieties can please and cajole, titillate and provoke, and, most of all, please the eye and feed the soul. But, like apples, it needs to have sound rootstocks to grow, express its myriad colours and display its boundless range of execution.

Art is not created in a vacuum.

The complete artist has to be passionate about his field of specialisation. Hard work and training by competent teachers are essential. These teachers should be well grounded in a particular genre, and competent.

Once the artist has years of experience, only then can he or she reach out to the world to learn different variations of the art. Only when he is knowledgeable can he exchange new ideas, advance techniques and benefit fully from the interactive lessons.

Innovation is the next fundamental step. This can only be achieved after long hours of grind. It needs an open, inquisitive mind and dedication to travel beyond the mundane and ordinary. It is a challenge few can conquer decisively.

Where and how can one achieve the fortitude and ability to stand firmly on two feet and interact with other artists at international forums?

This reward comes via invitations to address fellow artists at conventions, workshops and conferences.

These avenues do not come cheaply; the honour of convention invitations is prized; workshops can be soul-fulfilling.

The doyen of local calligraphy artists, Achmat Soni, is an artist who has had numerous invitations to address audiences at international conferences.

He has interacted with many artists in workshops from countries such as Turkey (Istanbul), Pakistan, Dubai, Tunisia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and at various venues in his home-base, Cape Town, and the rest of South Africa.

These invitations did not fall from the sky; talent and many years of tough work gained him entry to these prestigious venues.

Successes and adversity dotted these years but he has always been able to go forward even when the galleries he had in Claremont and Crawford did not achieve success.

To date, he has decorated more than 60 mosques all over South Africa and Botswana. This feat is probably unmatched by any other artist in recent history.

Achmat also diversified. He not only decorates mosques with paint and brush but has also produced a limited amount of handpainted tiles (in collaboration with ceramicist Amina Rawoot) for two huge displays that decorate Quds mosque, in Gatesville.

Throughout his career, he has also taught numerous students from all walks of life, has delivered many lectures and has displayed his work at numerous exhibitions at schools and libraries.

Currently, Achmat and his son, Shaheen, are running a successful calligraphy school at their spacious gallery, in Soni Avenue, Crawford.

What is important to note is that both he and his son are innovators in combining traditional calligraphy styles synergistically with African motifs and colours, particularly the bright Ndebele

geometrics with their eye-catching hues.

They, and other artists in this field, cannot practise in isolation.

For 300 years, the disadvantaged population groups in South Africa have been unable to mix and collaborate with artists in the rest of the world.

Such a situation is prone to the induction of stagnation, and the churning out of reproductions of old themes and art patterns.

As in the case of the apple tree, evolution of new tastes and fresh innovations make cross-pollination vital.

Some years ago, Achmat Soni and Shaheen, together with a small group of fellow artists, formed the South African Foundation of Islamic Art to foster creative arts in Southern Africa.

To stimulate interest, Achmat and Shaheen run art classes for adults at their studio, Soni Gallery, on Tuesday mornings.

Shaheen teaches youngsters from 7 to 14 on Saturday mornings.

These classes are part of a concerted effort to make art, particularly painting, accessible to all, at a reasonable cost. They have also given exhibitions and talks at many schools, fairs and libraries.

These forays into art education stood them in good stead to reach out to world conferences and workshops for new ideas and the exchange of information regarding new techniques and materials.

Shaheen and his wife recently participated in a workshop and demonstration of their work in Istanbul.

Achmat Soni recently received an invitation from The International Research Centre for Islamic Art and Culture (IRCICA), based in Istanbul, and a travel sponsorship by the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) to demonstrate his work and exhibit picture samples of his extensive repertoire at an International Festival of Islamic Art and Culture in the famous city of Tabriz, in Iran.

Short notice invitations are always a schlep. Conference papers have to be generated, copies of creative work have to be made and properly annotated, and, worst of all, air-travel can be frustrating in that it includes visas, passports, packing suitcases and the curse of waiting at airports.

Achmat Soni (left) greeting well-wishers after delivering a paper at the Islamic Photo SUPPLIED art festival in Tabriz, Iran, recently.

A veteran traveller, Achmat sailed through these and, on the first leg of his journey, spent a day sightseeing in Istanbul. This city, despite being in a secular state, is still one of the main sites of Islamic art and culture.

He savoured the architecture and art of the Hagia Sofia, once the main church of the Byzantine Empire (circa 360 CE). It has one of the biggest freestanding domes in the world.

Under the Ottoman Empire, it was converted into a mosque. It is now a museum and its stunning mosaics have been uncovered for all to gaze at with awe and wonder.

The nearby Sultan Ahmed Mosque (the Blue Mosque) was erected by a pupil of the great architect, Sinan. The Blue Mosque’s huge pillars are adorned with stunning blue tiles, as if it had descended from art heaven.

Sinan’s own crowning glory, the Süleymanye Mosque, grace the skyline of Istanbul like a colossus. The large dome, ringed by half domes, shelter thick walls punctured by many large, exquisite, stained-glass windows.

‘Tabriz is a beautiful, clean city with a three-storied market displaying thousands of gorgeous carpets with an infinite variety of patterns and textures. They are usually made from wool, silk and cotton.

‘Tabriz has been famous as a centre of carpet weaving since time immemorial,’ said Achmat Soni. ‘It also has its own, old “Blue Mosque” which is now being restored. It has a dome built of bricks. The acoustics of this mosque is something special, wonderful.’

The festival was held on the campus of University of Tabriz.

‘The standard of the artwork, particularly wood inlay and miniature art stood out for me,’ said Achmat. ‘Calligraphy and motif work were excellent but tended to be confined to traditional patterns, whereas, in mine, I tried to innovate and combine traditional painting with something new and exciting from Africa.

‘I delivered my paper as well as Shaheen’s. They dealt mainly on personal experiences and the situation of Islamic art in South Africa. Sadly, for our community, the great woodcarvers, such as Salie Ali (Salie Jack), are gone.

Few work with wood today.

‘Basketry is almost a lost art.

There is only a move towards canvas and paint, no metalwork or brass, as in the Middle East souks where you can still see young men incising brass plates with great artistic detail… The papers had a good reception,’ said Achmat.

‘What was important for us was that in our discussions we enquired whether it would be possible for us to run an Islamic art and culture festival, like the one being held in Tabriz, in the future.

‘I was pleasantly surprised when the IRICA officials agreed that it was a good suggestion.

They even mooted that it be held in 2016, before Ramadaan, in Cape Town.

‘Such a prestigious event would be a great inspiration for our children and young artists. It would offer a venue where our established artists can show the world that we have the talent and the will to use it in the creative processes.

‘But such an event can only be entertained given support and sponsorships, perhaps by business and private donations as well as contributions from the Organisation of Islamic Countries. The National Department of Art and Culture of South Africa could also be approached.’

Reaching out to other countries where Islamic art is actively encouraged and supported is like reaching out for a fertile vigorous rootstock on which to graft our nascent talents and creative activities.

With growth and cross-pollination between world artists and our artistic gene pool, it will be like the apple that flourishes and bears well when it has inputs from other plants. When such an envisaged art situation fruits, the taste will be just as ambrosial as the essence of the apple.

Muslim Views

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Muslim Views . July 2015

Who will stand up for Jamshed?

Professor FARID ESACK

HE kafir/murtad/ blasphemy-producing machinery is working overtime these days. While, locally, it is relatively low-key, it is nonetheless alive and, sadly, well.

Occasionally, it gets a shot in the arm when a seemingly scholarly character with a, supposedly, deep knowledge of the ‘enemy’ lands from abroad and is escorted from one mosque to the other to warn the locals against this or that fitnah – ostensibly equipping them to deal with it.

Recently, I attended one such ‘seminar’ where a UK moulana (referred to by his followers as ‘allamah’ – highly learned) performed his tricks, invoking the most vile hate speech – illegal and unconstitutional in South Africa – against a certain minority Muslim group.

Happy to invoke the Constitution to defend our rights as Muslims, we are even happier when we can get away by throwing it out of the window when it comes to the rights, freedom and dignity of those who disagree with us.

When others take this demonising production too far by gruesome public beheadings, ala Isis, because the victims do not want to ‘return’ to Islam or refuse to pay jizya, we start squirming and,

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in public at least, proclaim, ‘This is not Islam!’

How many times have I not walked out of a TV studio having proclaimed just this and, at the back of my head, thinking, ‘But this is exactly where the logic of most Muslims is taking us.’

We listen to hate speech against our internal minorities (even as we desperately seek alliances in inter-religious dialogue groups). We consume the venom of hate-mongers, cheer on the peddlers of sectarianism and then are surprised at what emerges when we go to the toilet and witness the fairly obvious consequences of our doings.

We then exclaim, ‘These Isis people are not us! This is not Islam!’

A current case in Pakistan really demonstrates the kind of mess that the tafkir/ blasphemy business can get us into.

Between 1980 and 1986, General Zia-ul-Haq reworked a number of laws, introduced by the British, that made it a crime to disturb a religious assembly, insult religious beliefs and intentionally destroy or defile a place or an object of worship, with the maximum sentence being ten years in jail.

During the 1980s, the blasphemy laws were expanded in several instalments. In 1980, making derogatory remarks against

Islamic personages was an offence, carrying a maximum punishment of three years in jail.

By 1986, insulting the names of the Prophet’s Companions (peace be upon them) and desecration of the Quran were added, and the life imprisonment or the death penalty prescribed for violating these laws. These laws are supported by most Pakistanis.

Two groups have been the most vociferous in demanding their retention: a) the Deobandis, the theological and scholarly brothers of the Tablighi Jamaat, its activist/ dawa movement and, b) the Barelwis, the group more closely associated with mouloods, visiting shrines and a tendency which sociologists often refer to as ‘folk Islam’.

The vast majority of blasphemy cases were lodged for the alleged desecration of the Quran – far fewer for blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) by non-Muslims.

Recently, however, there was a rather different case which landed a leading Tablighi in a pickle, and in far off England.

Junaid Jamshed is Pakistan’s Cat Stevens. A very popular pop star, he ‘reverted’ to ‘proper’ Islam and joined the Tablighi Jamaat, soon rising in its ranks and becoming a very popular preacher. And so, Jamshed became a star of a different type –

not a DJ but a TJ on TV, with enviable audience ratings.

And then he blundered. In one TV appearance he appeared to make negative remarks about the Prophet’s youngest wife, Ayesha (RA). He described how she demanded attention from the Prophet (SAW) and how, one day, she supposedly faked illness.

For a long time united in the heresy production machine, the Barelwis saw their chance to get at their even longer standing other enemy – the Deobandis – and let the mobs, both among their clerics and their rank and file, loose.

‘Disco Mulla Jawed is a murtad’; ‘Disco Mullah is a kafir who must be brought to the court and be hanged’; ‘His blood is halal; if the courts do not do the ‘right thing’, we will.’

And the ‘right thing’, for these types, is always ‘death’ – quite literally ‘death’ if it is in an ‘Islamic State’, and metaphorically if we are living in a kafir state and are unable to do the real killing.

Jamshed has begged for forgiveness for his indiscretion but the takfir/ murtad/ heresy mongers are rarely interested in compassion or justice; the complete triumph of their own and the utter destruction of the other are all that matter.

I am chosen, you are frozen.

God has chosen me and He has

disowned you. We – and only we – understand God’s will for humankind. He is the giver and taker of life and we are his chosen agents. So, what is wrong with us taking life? Besides, damuhu (his blood) is halaal.’

If I may paraphrase Pastor Niemoller, in relation to the Jews in Nazi Germany: Yesterday (and today) it was the Christians that were/ are hunted down in Pakistan and we kept silent because we are not Christians and, besides, they are daaleen (lost).

Then they came for the Shia and we kept quiet because we are not Shia and, besides, they believe in another Quran (at least, so we are told).

Then they came for us – the Deobandis/ Tablighis – and there was no one left to defend us.

Okay, in this case, Jamshed is on the run from murderous mobs.

Unlike the vast majority of Christians charged for blasphemy who are murdered by mobs before their trials ever start, he is unlikely to be killed before his trial commences.

He has made a good deal of money and that should save him.

It always does, in most societies – even Muslim ones.

In fact, at the time of writing, he, like countless others who stepped over the line as far as the peddlers of sectarian poison are concerned, is safely ensconced in the hated ‘West’ – this time in the United Kingdom.

If, today, they come for wealthy Deobandis, tomorrow, they will come for poorer ones.

Many of us, some more than others, have fought long and hard for a South Africa where there is freedom and justice for all, where we respect the right of people to their own beliefs.

Can a few more Muslims rise to defend that vital Quranic principle ‘la ikraha fi al-din’ (there is no compulsion in religion)?

Farid Esack is Professor in the Study of Islam and Head of the Department of Religion Studies at University of Johannesburg (UJ).

The muadhin recites the adhaan (call to prayer) for Maghrib Salaah at Three Anchor Bay, one of the moonsighting vantage points in Cape Town. Over the years, more and more people have gathered there on the evening of the birth of the new moons of Ramadaan and Shawwaal, heralding the start of the Month of Mercy and Eid-ul-Fitr, respectively. This display of unity and brotherhood, which is played out throughout Ramadaan and the day of Eid should be perpetuated throughout the year, and must resist the feeble attempts of those who are intent on fragmenting what Allah SWT describes as a justly balanced nation (ummatul wassatah).

Photo ISGAAK EBRAHIM

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