Vol. 29 No. 3 JAMAD-UL-AKHIR 1436 l MARCH 2015

MAHMOOOD SANGLAY

ONE day, we will need tomemorialise a sustainedhistory of protest, from

the apartheid era throughdecades into post-apartheidSouth Africa.

The anti-pass laws protestmarch from Langa to CaledonSquare, led by Pan AfricanistPhilip Kgosana on March 30,1960, and supported by over 50000 people, is today memori-alised in Langa.

In July 2014, twenty peoplewere arrested in Langa during aservice delivery protest. The resi-dents of the township demandedbasic amenities and services likewater, sanitation and disasterrelief for flooding.

Over 20 years ago, bannersbearing the slogan ‘Prepare togovern’ were displayed at majortransport intersections, not farfrom Langa.

Today, the government of twodecades has not yet delivered ontheir promise of decent housing.

The residents of Langa are stillcompelled to resist evictions andthey still feel the need to resort toburning tyres on public roads andthrowing stones, bringing trafficto a standstill.

A resident of Langa confirmedthat some people have been livingin backyards for 35 years.

It is 55 years since Kgosana ledthe great march to fight for thedignity of our people.

That fight for dignity has notyet ended. Time has passed, lawshave changed and a democraticpolitical dispensation is in placebut the living conditions of thepeople of Langa remain essential-ly unchanged.

The memorial of Kgosana ismore than just a reminder of theiconic struggle.

It is a blot on our collectiveconscience.

ANC General Secretary GwedeMantashe told media ahead of theparty’s 103 anniversary celebra-tions in January: ‘We will bereminding people of their history.They don’t know the journey and

the complexity of the journey.Freedom is not a destination. It isa journey.’

This astonishingly arrogantand patronising utterance is per-haps an indication of howdetached the ruling party is fromthe true concerns and aspirationsof ordinary South Africans.

The struggle for liberation inSouth Africa was not exclusivelyan ANC struggle.

The Pan Africanist Congress isbut one important liberationmovement, independent of theANC, that contributed signifi-

cantly to the struggle. Hence, ourfreedom today is not the exclusivepreserve of the ruling politicalparty.

We are entering the twenty-first year of our post-apartheiddemocracy, yet much of the jour-ney for many has been unsatisfac-tory. Social and economic justiceis ultimately what restores thedignity of a marginalised people.However, the key indicators inthese respects show a grim reality.

Sources such as StatsSA, thePresidency’s 2014 ‘Twenty YearReview’ and others show that

extreme poverty (households offive living on less than R11 a day)now affects 20 per cent of thepopulation.

Only 36 per cent of all blackpeople who are of working-ageare employed, compared to 63,8per cent of whites. Over two-thirds (67 per cent) of youth –classified as between 18-24 yearsof age – have been unemployedfor a year or longer.

The poorest workers in SouthAfrica earn around R2 700 permonth while the top CEOs walkhome with a whopping R760 000

per month.The average income of white

South Africans is around 800 percent higher than the averageincome of blacks while the great-est increases in income disparitysince 1994 have come from with-in the black population.

Given these few statistics, it isno wonder that the dignity of ourpeople remains under assault.

We cannot memorialise ourpast without dignity in the pre-sent. It undermines the memoryof the sacrifices of our struggleheroes.

Memorials should be morethan reminders of injustice

ACG Architects, as part of the Langa Memorial Collective, won a competition in 2009 for a public art installation to commemorate the events that took place on thissite in March 1960, which was part of the Pan Africanist Congress’s anti-pass campaign that resulted in police killings at Langa and the Sharpeville Massacre ofMarch 21, 1960. The memorial design was the outcome of a workshop and participation of local residents, including participants in the events of 1960. The memorialwas funded by the City of Cape Town. Photo MALCOLM CAMPBELL

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Muslim Views

Cease thedistortion ofour historySHARPEVILLE Day resonates

with many who are, in anyway, connected to the struggle

for liberation in South Africa. However, not everyone who is connected to the struggle share thesame sentiments in respect of therecord, the memory and the renaming, in 1995, of SharpevilleDay to Human Rights Day.March 21, 1960, in South Africa, istoday first and foremost a celebrationof human rights. It is celebratedthrough an association of our Constitution and the Bill of Rights withinternational human rights ideals.The government, in almost an afterthought, only then links the day tothe events in Sharpeville in 1960. Andthis link is produced by the routineregurgitation of vital statistics: 69 deadand 180 wounded in peaceful protestsagainst pass laws.The above is a heinous distortion ofour history because it is a de-contextualised, de-historicised andsanitised version of the true events ofa day worthy of full commemoration.The first iniquity is the act of renamingthe day into an abstraction meant tosoften the blow. It does so because thegeopolitical significance of Sharpevilleis immediately lost in the abstraction.South Africans can no longer experience the occasion in a way that

authentically and directly relates toevents in a given place and time in ourhistory.The second iniquity is the expungement of the role of the PanAfricanist Congress (PAC) and itsleader, Robert Sobukwe, from the narrative. The PAC and the AfricanNational Congress (ANC) differ overthe latter’s lack of an Africanist ethos inthe Freedom Charter. These ideological differences and the ANC’shegemony over the struggle led to the marginalisation of the PAC and itsleader.An important fact often deliberately leftout of the narrative is that the March21, 1960, protests against the passlaws were called by the PAC and notthe ANC.The latter’s call was for March 31 butthe PAC pre-empted this and called fora protest march ten days earlier. Yet,the popular narrative reflects an ownership of the legacy of Sharpevilleby the ANC.Apart from these historical issuesaround the commemoration of theSharpeville massacre, both the memory and proper commemoration ofthe event are important for SouthAfricans today.It serves the interests of apologists,opportunists and reactionaries torewrite a history of struggle. It is suchdistortion of our history that further relegates and diminishes atrocitiessuch as Marikana and Orkney as isolated cases.Apartheid is no longer on the statutebooks and we have a democracy inplace, therefore – so the reasoninggoes – anti-apartheid discourse is nolonger relevant.This is a diabolical fallacy. Racism, theclass system, poverty and the legacyof apartheid are all still with us. Therefore, the silenced voices of leaders like Sobukwe and Steve Bikoremain ever-relevant.When our social organisations todayadvocate campaigns against povertyand the like, it is devoid of a context ofthe past dehumanisation of our people.Democracy has come to apply a salveof amnesia, to produce a euphoria thatoverwhelms the anger induced by thepain of the past.We must constantly evaluate and re-contextualise our present struggle,with a very proactive and consciousagenda of arresting attempts to systematically distort our history.

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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February 21 marked the50th anniversary of theassassination of El HajjMalik El Shabazz, MalcolmX. In this extract from anarticle that appeared on theshabazzcenter.net website,his daughter, ILYASAHSHABAZZ, traces the rootsof her father’s revolutionary activism.

MY father was an exemplary humanbeing because of the

service he gave to humanity.Malcolm X was only in his

20s when he burst onto thescene of the human rights strug-gle.

And in just a few short yearsof tireless service, he carried allof us forward into a brighterand more egalitarian future –asking nothing for himself or hisfamily in return.

My father was just 39-years-old when he was martyred.

But, thanks to Allah, he leftus with a legacy – a legacy oftruth, courage, compassion andlove for all humanity and a lega-cy of service to God.

My father, like his parents,was willing to risk everything,including his life, in the name oftruth and justice.

One of my greatest concernsabout the way my family’s histo-ry is told is the distorted picturethat is given of my father’s earlyfamily life.

One such distortion is thatbefore my father went to prisonand discovered Elijah Muham-mad, he was an illiterate deviantwho could barely sign his name.

To some degree, the Autobi-ography is responsible for this.

The Autobiography was com-pleted after my father’s assassi-nation.

And three of the final chap-ters were, strangely, omitted.

But the truth is that Mal-colm’s parents, Earl and Louise,were two, young, ‘conscious’activists having met in Canada,at a Garvey rally.

And they, as father and moth-er, emphasised the importanceof social justice, literacy andeducation to young Malcolmand his siblings.

It was they, my grandparents,who promoted accountability,responsibility and leadershipideals in young Malcolm and hissiblings.

Malcolm’s mother, LouiseNorton-Little, from Grenada:St. George’s Dominion, spokefive different languages andserved as the national recordingsecretary for Marcus Garvey’sorganisation, the United NegroImprovement Association(UNIA).

As a young mother, she filledtheir home with language, cul-ture, humanity and the love ofeducation.

She taught young Malcolmand her other children to singthe alphabet in French, and hadthem read to her from newspa-pers produced by Garvey and afellow Grenadian.

She kept a dictionary on thetable where her children didtheir homework; and if theymispronounced a word, shemade them look it up.

My grandfather, ReverendEarl Little, was a Baptist minis-ter who helped organise Gar-vey’s UNIA.

Grandfather Earl fought fear-lessly for freedom from theinhumane yet, lawful oppressionof Black-skinned people back inthe 1920s.

On the night of my grandfa-ther’s assassination, he wasgathering signatures in Klu KluxKlan territory for a petition tobring the US government up oncharges before the League ofNations for violating the humanrights of Black Americans.

And so, it was the thinkingand analysis of Earl, Louise andthe Garveyites that influencedmy father’s nationalistic, plural-istic and global understandingof freedom strategies.

People mistakenly say thatmy father made Hajj and cameback a changed man who NOWloved humanity – like he didn’tpreviously.

They say, ‘He returned to theUnited States with a newlyfound compassion for all peo-ple.’

My father’s struggle for thebenefit of people began longbefore he made Hajj.

He travelled around thiscountry alone, tirelessly educat-ing and lecturing because of hislove for people, because of hislove for our humanity.

It seems that his Hajj servedto increase his awareness andunderstanding.

That’s why people make Hajj– but it did not change him intoone who loved humanity.

He had already proven him-self as such.

And today, I can honestly sayI am extremely proud to be adaughter of El Hajj Malik ElShabazz, Malcolm X, and of DrBetty Shabazz.

They were exceptionalhuman beings. Simply extraordi-nary.

And I do not say this becausethey are my parents but becauseof their love and compassion forall of us.

They dedicated themselves tocomplete service to humanity...freedom and justice.

My father –El Hajj MalikEl Shabazz,Malcolm X

Muslim Views

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MAHMOOD SANGLAYTHE Embassy of the Republic ofIraq hosted a symposium on thetheme ‘Countering Extremismand Terrorism in the Digital Age’on February 16, at the Table BayHotel in Cape Town.

Just over 30 delegates, most ofwhom represented diplomaticmissions, attended the event. Theabsence of the Muslim JudicialCouncil (MJC) was noted, bothofficially and unofficially.

Thirteen topics were coveredby various speakers. This report ison the opening address by the for-mer South African ambassador tothe United States, EbrahimRasool.

Rasool’s topic was ‘Root caus-es of violent extremism and ter-rorism’ and he pointed out thatSouth African Muslims, uniquely,have had the opportunity for co-existence and peace under condi-tions of democracy and humanrights.

We have, he said, participatedin a struggle for liberation with-out being ‘afflicted by the pathol-ogy of inherent violence withinour nature’.

‘Unless we are able to bringpeace to the soul of the Muslimworld, we are not going to findpeace in the world at all,’ Rasoolsaid.

He estimates that since the endof World War II, 60 to 70 per centof the violence and conflicts in theworld have affected Muslims inone way or another ‘by virtue ofeither what was done to them orwhat was done by them’.

Over seven decades, majorpolitical events have contributedto sowing the seeds of a culture ofextremism. Rasool identified sev-eral of these, including the estab-

lishment of the state of Israel, theindependence of India followedby the partition of Pakistan, theeight-year long Iran-Iraq war, theinvasions of Iraq andAfghanistan, the rise of the Tal-iban, the seminal attack on theTwin Towers on 9/11, the rapidrise of Islamophobia and the riseof Isis as cases in point.

However, he also pointed outthat counter-extremism, similarlytends to be extremist, coming attimes from those seeking powerand, at times, from those inpower, backed by the militaryindustrial complex.

Rasool’s premise is that we

have to drive a discourse ofcounter-extremism to disengagefrom the seven decades ofunremitting conflict. Without thisclear objective, we are likely to becaught up in a ‘complex mael-strom’ in which one form ofextremism is replaced by another.

Basing his position on theQuranic principle of justice, ‘eventhough it be against your ownselves’ as espoused in 4:135, headvocated an interrogation ofextremism from wherever itemerges.

He argued, however, that theUS is now disinclined towards‘unbridled militarism’ due to an

exhaustion of its financialresources and due to the vastmajority of Americans opposinganother imposed war.

Even though the resources andappetite of the West for war isdiminished, its foreign policy forthe foreseeable future will remaindominated by its interests in thesecurity of Israel.

Rasool advocates an end to theculture of equivocation by theMuslim world to usher in a newculture.

Equivocation on issues such asthe poor treatment of women dis-able Muslims to take firm posi-tions on violation of women’s

rights by groups like Boko Haramand Isis.

He also advocates the amplifi-cation of the intellect and a theol-ogy that is consistent with themaqasid of Islam as opposed toany given local culture.

Rasool calls for a genuineexplosion of the stereotype ofIslam and Muslims as violent andextremist in three ways.

Firstly, by bringing ‘relief tothe restless’ as witnessed in theArab Spring.

Secondly, by changing forms ofgovernance that are unjust andthat marginalise the masses and,thirdly, by managing both of theabove without creating a gap forthe breeding of undesirableextremist elements.

He identified the fault linesthat sustain extremism as theSunni-Shiah, the Islamist-secularand the moderate-extremistdivides. These need to be man-aged by means of strategies suchas moving away from the tradi-tional – and contested – model ofthe Islamic state to the civil state,which upholds the values of Islamas opposed to the rules and regu-lations of Islam.

He also calls for appropriatesolutions for Muslims in Europeand Muslim minorities. He didnot expand on this due to insuffi-cient time.

Ultimately, the solution is to‘build a movement that is militantbut not violent, radical but notfundamentalist, and revolution-ary but not extreme’.

He said that if we can managethat, we will effectively deal withour historical problems and ourfuture challenges.Reports on the presentations byother speakers will follow in thenext edition of Muslim Views.

The ‘pathology of inherent violence within our nature’

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

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Muslim Views speaks toMUHAMMAD CAJEE, Convenor of the MuslimCivil Society Conferenceplanned for later this year.LET’S begin by asking you: Whythe need for a Muslim Civil Soci-ety Conference?

I’ll give some quick contextbefore I explain why. We knowthat our South African Muslimcommunity comes from a rich his-tory of contribution to the strugglefor justice, equality and freedomin our nation, starting with ShaikhYusuf of Makassar serving hispolitical exile in the Cape in thelate 1600s. Then, Tuan Gurubeing one of the first political pris-oners on Robben Island from1780 to 1793, and Shaheed ImamHaron, Ahmed Timol, BablaSaloojee and Abu Bakr Asvat sac-rificing their lives for freedombetween the 1950s and the 1980s.

However, at the same time, wemust acknowledge that, over thelast 15 years, since the secondintifadah in 2000, our focus as acommunity has very much been oninternational issues that are closeto our hearts, such as Palestine,Afghanistan 2001, Iraq 2003, theArab Spring 2011 and now theArab Winter.

As a result of this, we are com-ing to be defined as a communitythat acts on international issuesbut are not as vocal on localissues, even though South Africa isas close to our hearts.

So, the time has come for us, asSouth African civil society, initiat-ed in part by Muslim civil society,to speak, act and become problemsolvers with equal vigour andenergy on critical South Africanissues that face all of us as ordi-nary citizens daily, such as educa-

tion, healthcare, nation-building,crime and justice, and unemploy-ment. This conference is the begin-ning not the conclusion.What does this conference aim toachieve?

It really aims to instigate anational conversation and call toaction broader South African civilsociety. A day of talking heads anda fancy dinner wouldn’t reallyachieve much if it doesn’t act as acatalyst for a national conversa-tion about our role as civil societyin securing our country’s future.

It has to motivate us to act con-sistently to achieve the society thatwe envision, that is, world-classpublic education, world-class pub-lic healthcare, low levels of crime,an effective and efficient justicesystem, and low levels of unem-ployment.Those are very idealistic goals.

Of course they are, and so is thejust, equal and prosperous societythat Islam envisions. But again,the simple immediate goal is toinstigate a national conversationin broader South African civilsociety to motivate us into action.What should also motivate us intoaction are the huge socio-econom-ic costs down the road of not act-ing now as civil society, by part-nering with government and othercivil society organisations andcommunities to find solutions tothese critical socio-economicissues.

For example, a failing publichealthcare and education systemdramatically increases poverty andthe gap between rich and poor. Ifthe current trajectory continues, inthe next ten years a much largerproportion of our society will nothave access to quality educationand healthcare. Only those whocan afford medical aid and private

schooling will have access. We’llhave the situation where, withinour own immediate families, somewill have access and others not.No amount of charity or fundrais-ing will be able to solve that prob-lem.

The only solution is to start act-ing now, as civil society, to workwith government to alter the tra-jectory, and to efficiently spend thepublic purse to fix the root causes,which is fundamentally the lack ofcapacity on the part of the state toimplement public policy efficientlyand effectively without waste.Is this an open or elitist civil soci-ety conference?

It is broad and open, definitelynot elitist. The conference is envi-sioned to be a pluralist civil societyconference in its truest sense, initi-ated by the Muslim community,bringing together Muslim civilsociety and broader civil societyfor a common purpose.

Attendance is open to anyonereally – citizens, NGO leaders,jurists, professionals, businessleaders, religious leaders – regard-less of ideology, political affilia-tion, religion, gender, etc. As Isaid, pluralist in the truest sense.How is the conference programmestructured?

The conference uses the NDP asits initial input. Regardless of yourview on the NDP, the reality is thatthe NDP is a policy blueprint thathas been tabled by government toguide South Africa’s developmentuntil 2030.

It’s our duty as citizens and civilsociety to engage with the plan,understand it and critique it, andmake a judgment for ourselves onwhether to reject it, amend it orchart a different course. This hasnot happened.

Considering this, we have struc-

tured the conference programmealong themes identical to the chap-ters of the NDP, with eight paneldiscussions.

The panels are as follows:Improving Education and Innova-tion; Promoting Health; Unitingthe Country; Building Safer Com-munities; Social Protection; Fight-ing Corruption; Creating Employ-ment; and Effectively Implement-ing Policy.

Each panel will consist of aneutral moderator, two civil soci-ety representatives, a governmentleader, labour leader, and a busi-ness leader to engage in a robustdiscussion around the content ofeach chapter of the NDP in turn,with participation from the con-ference delegates on the floor.

I should also add that the con-ference opens with a gala dinner,which will be addressed by theHonourable Deputy President, MrCyril Ramaphosa, in his capacityas the Chair of the National Plan-ning Commission. We’re co-ordi-nating with his office to lock in asuitable date.How will the conference be fund-ed?

It will primarily be fundedthrough the conference registra-tion fees and the gala dinner.Donations are also welcome. Ide-ally, we’d like this conference toalso be funded, in part, by a largebase of small R100 donationsfrom our community.

Our target is 5 000 x R100donations = R500 000 and is veryachievable. 500 x R1 000 contri-butions would also be great.Which other organisations are onboard?

So far, we have the MuslimJudicial Council (MJC), JamiatulUlama, United Ulama Council ofSouth Africa, Sanzaf, Awqaf-SA,

ASRI, Minara Chamber of Com-merce, Muslim Professionals Net-work, Samnet, Al Ansaar Founda-tion and Radio Al Ansaar, Voice ofthe Cape, Radio Islam, iTV, Mus-lim Views, Union of Muslim Stu-dents Associations, Islamic Care-line, Muslim Aids Project, IslamicForum, Al Imdaad Foundation,The Call of Islam, Suliman NanaMemorial Trust, Islamic Relief SA,Somali Community Board of SA,The United Arab Communities ofSA and the Islamic Medical Asso-ciation.

Over and above these organisa-tions, there are several individualswho are on board in their person-al capacities. Any other organisa-tions or individuals who want tocome on board or contribute inany way can email me directly.Where can readers go for moreinformation, to volunteer, con-tribute, register to attend or makea donation?

The website is www.asri.org.zaand I can be reached on Muham-mad.cajee@asri.org.za.

We welcome volunteers. Inter-ested participants can sign up forthe mailing list on the website, onwhich we’ll send updates as moredetails are finalised. Also on thewebsite is information aboutASRI, a pluralist Domestic PublicPolicy Institute that’s one of theinitiators of this conference. ASRIis currently building research andapplied research capability, andwe do have some funding avail-able for Honours, Masters andPhD study in the areas mentioned,i.e. Education, Health, Nationbuilding, Crime and Justice, andCreating Employment. Honours,Masters and PhD candidates arewelcome to contact us to talkabout research fellowships andmentorships.

Muslim civil society to address social justice issues

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MAHMOOD SANGLAY‘REVOLUTIONARIES like CheGuevara, definitely! I mean youcannot be young and involved inthe force of the left and not beadmiring Che Guevara.’

But Muhammad Khalid Sayed,30, the newly elected WesternCape leader of the AfricanNational Congress Youth League(ANCYL) also admits to influ-ences from figures like VladimirLenin, Frantz Fanon, Ali Shariati,Mahmood Mamdani and EdwardSaid.

Of course, the traditional his-toric liberation movement leader-ship like the young Mandela,Tambo, Sisulu, Biko, Hani, Lem-bede and Sobukwe also loomlarge.

More close to home and to hiscontemporaries, he respects the‘personality and discipline’ ofDullah Omar, who died in 2004when Sayed was 19 years old.

Omar was also from Sayed’shome political constituency, theRobert Waterwitch Thornhillbranch of the ANC, and he valuesthe brief opportunity he had tointeract with Omar.

Among Sayed’s contempo-raries today, he has a high regardfor both his political superior,Minister of Public Enterprises,Lynne Brown, and for Max Ozin-sky whose integrity he greatlyadmires.

Mcebisi Skwatsha, the DeputyMinister of Rural Developmentand Land Reform, is a mentorwhose commitment to principlesSayed respects and with whom heoften engages ideologically.

‘My father has also had animpact, it goes without saying,’ hesays with a smile.

He adds that his father, the edi-tor at Muslim Views, clearly

influenced his position on issuessuch as racism and social justice

in his childhood and early adult-hood.

Sayed is unmarried and liveswith his parents, so he literallyresides within a very familiarsphere of influence. However, hequalifies that this influence, now,unlike in his childhood and earlyadulthood, is necessarily moder-ated and unobtrusive.

Of course, in order to ensurethe mutual independence andintegrity of the role of the mediaprofessional on the one hand, andthe politician on the other, theseboundaries are necessary andunderstood.

The elements of personal, pro-fessional and public trust investedin this relationship are self-evi-dent.

The election of Sayed as West-ern Cape ANCYL provincialchairperson comes after six yearsof a political vacuum within theleague. It is, to date, the mostimportant move in his nascentpolitical career.

He played an active role in pol-itics at the age of nine when hecampaigned for the ANC in the1994 elections. He says he evencompiled his own little scrapbook

about the liberation movement atthe time.

As he grew into a young man,he sustained this interest. In 2004,he formally joined the SouthAfrican Students Congress(Sasco) at the University of CapeTown (UCT) when he com-menced his tertiary studies.

His courses straddled the relat-ed disciplines of religious studiesand social science and he holds aMasters degree, cum laude, inReligious Studies on the topic‘The Shifting World of SouthAfrican Madrasahs, 1973-2008’.

Sayed also holds a Diploma inArabic Language from Universityof Damascus, in Syria.

While reading for his Mastersdegree at UCT, Sayed heldresearch positions for NationalResearch Foundation and theCentre for Contemporary Islamin the Department of ReligiousStudies. Throughout this period,his interests have been in a varietyof social science fields, notably incontemporary politics, religiousvalues and education.

In the new ANCYL, discipline is a top priority

Muhammad Khalid Sayed, left, walks alongside his political mentor, McebisiSkwatsha, Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform. The eventwas the ANC’s 103rd Anniversary Celebrations at Cape Town Stadium, on January 10. Photo SUPPLIED

The election of Sayed as Western Cape ANCYL

provincial chairperson comesafter six years of a political vacuum within the league.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

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He became actively involved inthe local ANC, in Athlone, afterhe graduated in 2010. At thetime, there was no ANC YouthLeague. Today, Sayed may becredited for introducing the youthleague to this ANC branch. Inother areas he revived the league.

In 2011, he took the positionof Senior Advisor in Parliamen-tary, Governmental and PoliticalAffairs at Ethicore Political Con-sulting, which provides profes-sional and independent politicallobbying, intelligence and com-munications services.

After almost a year, he leftEthicore and joined the ANCCaucus in the Western CapeProvincial Legislature.

In 2014, Sayed joined theDepartment of Public Enterprisesand Development Co-operationas Parliamentary Liaison Officerto the Minister. He still holds thisposition while managing theresponsibilities attendant with theprovincial ANCYL chair.

The impetuosity of youth‘Without a youth league that is

radical and militant, the ANC isgoing to be dead,’ says Sayed. Hequotes Kgalema Motlanthe inaffirming that the ANCYL mustbe militant and radical but hequalifies this by saying it does notsuggest licence for undisciplined,unlawful and insubordinatebehaviour that undermines publictrust and the unity of the organi-sation.

The context of this assertion isimportant. The events leading tothe expulsion of Julius Malemafrom the ANCYL in 2012 and thesubsequent anarchy within theleague has bruised the ANC itself.

Sayed maintains that radical-ism and militancy are vital and

his qualification, he says, appliesto such instances as the poo-throwing incidents, campaigns tomake the Western Capeungovernable and attacks on themedia.

In June 2014, the ANCYLmarched on the offices of the Mail& Guardian in Johannesburg,calling it counter-revolutionaryfor becoming a ‘willing propagan-dist of a counter-revolutionagainst the ANC in support of theopposition’.

Sayed does not share this viewand says he enjoys a good rela-tionship with the media. Howev-er, he admits to a policy vacuumon a number of relevant issues,including media freedom.

Sayed supports state interven-tion in independent civil societyaffairs but cannot say whetherthis includes intervention inmedia freedom. The same appliesto the ANC’s proposed MediaAppeals Tribunal, the Protectionof State Information Bill or theright of the media to practise self-regulation.

However, neither a provincialnor the national ANCYL may beable to challenge the democraticcentralist position of the ANC,which sees itself in a very conser-vative relationship with themedia. It appears this is one issuethat must still be interrogated bythe provincial ANCYL.

Rhetoric of racismRacism is another major issue

with the ANCYL and it readilyevokes anti-racist rhetoric.

In his report at the ProvincialConference on February 22, he

says, ‘We need to ensure that, asblack people in this province, weinstil a sense of confidence thatwe can govern.

‘The only way to try andunseat the DA is by ensuring that,in general, among the young peo-ple in society, we move awayfrom a racist mindset and movetowards a mindset where blackpeople, and Africans in particular,feel confident about who they areand their culture.’

On the one hand he criticises aracist mindset. Yet, on the otherhand, he implies that black peoplelack the confidence to govern.Conversely, it suggests that whitepeople possess the confidence togovern.

This juxtaposition of theabsence of black confidence andthe prevalence of white confi-dence is counter-productive. In itsattempt to offer a critique ofracism, it instead continues topolarise people in terms of raceand thus plays into a racistrhetoric.

Sayed disagrees and defendsthe rhetoric as useful in the con-text of a history of black oppres-sion that must constantly beinvoked in order to build a blackconsciousness focused on elimi-nating racism.

‘Too often we have seen youngpeople, especially, have blackskins but white brains. We see thisin the Blue Party [the DA] and inthe Red Party [the EconomicFreedom Fighters].’

This line, also taken from hisrecent conference report, similar-ly suffers from the polarisingrhetoric.

In this instance Sayed concursit could have been expressed dif-ferently.

Sayed recognises the deeplyingrained forms of racism in theWestern Cape manifesting andjustifying itself, for example, asassertions of socially exclusive‘indian’ and ‘coloured’ culturalidentity. And often those whomake these assertions point, asvindication and a guarantee oftheir right, to the Constitution ofSouth Africa.

It’s a gargantuan task, he con-cedes, but Sayed posits broadconsultation within the provinceand the building of solidarity as afirst step towards deconstructingthis evil. He says the league hasno grand strategy yet.

PalestinePalestine is a major policy issue

for the ANCYL and the leaguefully endorses the Boycott Divest-ment and Sanctions (BDS) cam-paign against Israel.

The ties between BDS and theANCYL are so close one fears itmay compromise the indepen-dence of both the movement andthe league.

Sayed appears surprised andsays this concern is for BDS toanswer.

However, the ANCYL positionis clearly not consistent with thatof the ANC, and embarrassinglyso. South Africa continues itsdiplomatic and trade relationswith Israel and the ANCYL canonly say that it will continue topressurise its own ruling partyand the government.

Sayed says he cannot respond

because, as ANCYL representa-tive, he is not a deployee for inter-national relations. Nor, he says,can he speak for the ANC.

At a public debate at NelsonMandela Metropolitan University(NMMU), on March 5, theDemocratic Alliance (DA), theEconomic Freedom Fighters(EFF) and the ANCYL were on apanel to address the topic ‘Whatare the political parties’ positionson the State of Palestine/ Israel?’

Sayed represented the ANCYL.Disappointingly, it seems Sayedwas upstaged by the EFF whosespeaker engaged in more power-ful and eloquent rhetoric indefending the internationalefforts to isolate Israel.

And Sayed was outwitted bythe DA whose speaker put him onthe spot, claiming that the ANChas an interest in protecting theUS$400 million trade relationshipwith Israel.

It is not surprising that there isno unequivocal position on thelong-time burning national issueand in parliament, Nkandla.

Perhaps it is not appropriatefor a provincial Youth Leagueleader to express an opinion onthe President’s unauthorisedexpenditure of millions of randsof public money for personal use.

But then, for a radical and mil-itant youth, perhaps it should be.

After the successful nationalconference, Sayed says one of hispriorities is to build unity and dis-cipline in the ANCYL.

Given his charisma, youthfulenergy and integrity that seems arealistic goal. But this alone is notsufficient to unseat the DA.

He became actively involved in the local ANC, in Athlone, after

he graduated in 2010. At the time, there was no ANC Youth League...

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

Muslim Views

Muslim Views . March 201510

SHAFIQ MORTONTHE letter ‘x’ doesn’t featureprominently in the English dictionary as the opening letterof a word. Mostly, the ‘x’ precedes borrowed expressions,mainly from Greek. In this case,the word ‘xenos’ means ‘strange’or ‘foreign’. ‘Phobia’, as we allknow, denotes fear.

Xenophobia is a ‘deep-rooted,irrational hatred towards foreign-ers’ intones the Oxford Dictio-nary, whose definition I preferover a wordier Webster.

This is because my encounterswith xenophobia tend to agreewith the Oxford version, whosedefinition I would expand toembracing racism and oriental-ism.

What the dictionaries can’tdefine, though, are the horrificoutcomes – violent mob behav-iour directed against those whohave become figures of nationalresentment.

Xenophobia, which targetsmigrant African minorities, is ourgreat shame.

The picture of Mozambicannational, Ernesto Nhamuave,clinging to life after being setalight by a mob in theRamaphosa informal settlementduring Gauteng’s xenophobicriots in 2008, is a harrowingimage that has come to charac-terise the disturbing savagery ofSouth African xenophobia.

Please note that I deliberatelyhaven’t used the term ‘post-apartheid’ to frame the discus-sion; our historical human rightsshortcomings did not becomenew ones after Madiba.

Three centuries of colonialismand 46 years of apartheid are not

the kind of things that disappearovernight because of a differentrule book.

Culturally, we are the heirs ofan entrenched, violent racial irra-tionality that has constantly hall-marked our turbulent history.

For instance, how many of usknow that the first recordedxenophobes were the early Capesettlers who used to hunt the Sanor that the Adderley Street SlaveLodge was used as a brothel bythe Dutch?

Gabiba Baderoon, in her book,Regarding Muslims, explains thatthe obsession with the p-word onthe Cape Flats is a direct result ofblack women being debased.

The term Maasbiekers, oncereferring to Mozambicans in ourcommunity, is as loaded as ‘mak-werekwere’, the derogatory termfor foreigners today.

Even in the stormy 1980s,when thousands of Congoleseand Mozambicans sought shelterin South Africa from regionalconflict, some of our Bantustans –to which they were confined bythe government – deigned not toaccept them.

So should it be a complete sur-prise that in the 1990s foreignerswould unfairly bear the brunt ofsocio-economic frustration?

Due to our mining industry, wehave always been an economical-ly migrant society.

In the pecking order that gov-

erns being a newcomer, our recentmigrants fleeing war, famine andpoverty have always been themost vulnerable in the most inse-cure and most impoverished sec-tors of our society – a place wherecompetition for scarce jobs andresources is at its most intense.

Let me provide an anecdotalexample of why I say the above.A few years ago, I was teaching ajournalism course at a local ter-tiary institution.

When the topic of xenophobiacame up in a discussion forum,things got very heated.

Some students were adamantthat the foreign migrants shouldgo home.

Foreign migrants took theirjobs, sold drugs and unfairlyoccupied RDP houses.

Other students argued that for-eign migrants were hard-working,law-abiding and that the RDPhouses had been sold to them bythe very same locals who wantedthem out.

As I sat watching these talent-ed young minds let loose on eachother, I began to observe a patternemerging. It was a small class andI knew my students well.

Those who were the most‘xenophobic’ in debate usuallycame from township environ-ments while those who were moretolerant generally hailed morefrom the middle-class ones. Itwasn’t scientific but there was an

observable trend.It reminded me that apartheid’s

group areas had been designed toconfine people of colour to theoutskirts of cities.

The poorer you were, the moreyou were pushed to the edges.

With populations forciblymoved, they were suppressed by apsychology of state violence that,I feel, still festers angrily withinour DNA.

I tried the same discussion onxenophobia with another class,and exactly the same thing hap-pened.

I tried it the following yearand, again, the same thing hap-pened. Those from disadvantagedbackgrounds always expressedthe most antagonism towards for-eign migrants.

Fascinated, I turned to a 2004study on xenophobia by the SAMigratory Project that told me 21per cent of its respondents hadfelt that foreign migrants shouldbe repatriated; 64 per cent hadfelt there should be restrictions.

It tied up with my findingsnumber-wise but I didn’tencounter too much about setting– for instance, foreign migrantsare not targeted in economicallystable areas.

Given apartheid’s stark geogra-phy, this lack of attention tosocio-political ecology surprisedme.

I’m no expert but wouldn’t the

institutional memory of our priv-ilege-divided landscape be the keyto addressing the challenges ofxenophobia?

When you’ve been down in thedumps for so long, and yourhopes have been extinguished bydecades of municipal neglect,unemployment and corruption,perceiving a newcomer to beahead of you in the queue is goingto fuel resentment, justified ornot.

However, what struck me fur-ther was another statistic.

It showed that 87 per cent oflaw enforcement officialsbelieved, ten years ago – withoutany proof – that foreign migrantswere involved in crime.

This explained the bureaucrat-ic disdain that is the bane of everymigrant’s life in South Africa.Xenophobia – I’m afraid to say –is our official, if not unofficial,policy.

Comparisons are unmistakablyodious but it does remind me of amentality during apartheid that ablack man walking through awhite area was always regardedas a potential burglar.

Even the dogs were xenopho-bic and, picking up their master’svibes, would snap and snarl atany person of colour.

Of course, in trying to under-stand xenophobia, we are certain-ly not condoning the rank law-lessness and gross victimisationthat bedevils our poorer commu-nities.

But, surely, the time is ripe forour leaders, who will pay lip ser-vice to the rights of foreignmigrants on Human Rights Day,to rid themselves of the sublimi-nal xenophobe that still lingerswithin us.

Xenophobia: our official-unofficial policy?Those who were the most ‘xenophobic’ in debate usually came

from township environments while those who were more tolerant

generally hailed more from the middle-class ones

Muslim Views

Muslim Views . March 2015 11

Dr HOOSAIN EBRAHIMINTERNATIONAL Peace College South Africa’s (Ipsa)2015 graduation was held atKelvin Grove, in Newlands,Cape Town, on February 27,2015.

This event will not be forgot-ten for three reasons.

Firstly, it was the first accredit-ed graduation where studentswere conferred the three-yearBachelor of Arts Degree IslamicStudies, and the one-year HigherCertificate Islamic Studies.

Secondly, the keynote speakerwas his Excellency, AmbassadorEbrahim Rasool.

Finally, a Lifetime Achieve-ment Award was awarded to theactivist Shaikh Abdul GamietGabier.

The principal of Ipsa, ShaikhIghsaan Taliep, welcomed andinformed the audience of IPSA’s10th Anniversary “12 000 believ-ers’ waqf for financial sustainabil-ity”.

Ipsa’s vision, he believes, is to‘build a world-class tertiary insti-tution with the aim to developleaders who are equipped toengage the intellectual, ethical aswell as socio-political challengesthat had precipitated the declinethat continue to grip the ummahacross the globe today’.

In order to achieve these objec-tives, he appealed to the audienceto join the drive for financial sus-tainability of the first registeredIslamic tertiary institution inSouth Africa.

Because ‘Extremism’ has beenthe theme of Ipsa’s past seminars,I was not surprised when ShaikhIghsaan mentioned that there arepeople in the community who

practised extremism for the pur-pose of piety in Islam.

He believes it is in stark con-trast to the Prophetic council:‘Beware of extremism, for the onething that brought destruction tothose before you was theirextremism in religion.’

He said, ‘Though we observewith concern the discourse of reli-gious extremism and intolerancerearing its ugly head in our owncommunities, South African Mus-lims yet represent a beacon oflight for how to live Islam and co-exist in a modern globalised andpluralist society.’

After the principal’s address,Ambassador Rasool gave hiskeynote address.

He commended Ipsa for theirchoice of Shaikh Abdul GamietGabier as its Lifetime Achieve-ment Award honouree, pointingto his active participation in thestruggle against apartheid as theepitome of what the Qurandescribes as ‘… the people ofknowledge, standing for justice’.

This, Ambassador Rasool said,should be what Ipsa strivestowards producing out of theunique combination of over 1 400years of Islamic scholarship and

300 years of experience of beingMuslim in South Africa underslavery, colonialism, segregation,apartheid and now freedom.

Drawing on Surah Alaq (theCongealed Clot of Blood),Ambassador Rasool pointed tothe three ingredients contained inthis chapter that create the basisof scholarship and the recipe forIpsa’s excellence.

The first revelation of theQuran, the exhortation to read(‘iqra’), he said is the foundationof a learning institution thatteaches and reads, thus imbibingknowledge already developed.

He continued emphasising thatAllah follows this with a referenceto the creation of the pen (‘alqalam’), thus exhorting us to dis-seminate, proclaim and spreadwhat we know. Ipsa, therefore,has to encourage its faculty andstudents to be prolific in the exer-cise of writing.

Finally, Allah challenges us touncover what is yet unknown(‘Allah reveals what we do notknow’). The emphasis on researchhas been the driving force for theearly Muslims who uncovered theheavens, developed mathematicsand science, and made key dis-coveries in many disciplines.

After Ambassador Rasool’skeynote address, Shaikh EbrahimMoos took to the podium andgave an introductory speechabout Shaikh Abdul GamietGabier.

The highlight of the eveningwas when Doctors Abdul Kar-riem Toffar and Hoosain Ebrahimwere called upon to confer thefirst accredited certificates anddegrees.

The students were conferredeither the one-year Higher Certifi-cate Islamic Studies or the Bache-lor of Arts Degree Islamic Studies.

Shereef Abbas did the vote ofthanks, and the principal, ShaikhIghsaan, officially closed thegraduation. The salawat wasfinally recited with the participa-tion of everyone.

IPSA graduation 2015 an historic occasionInternational Peace College SouthAfrica (Ipsa) BA Islamic Studies graduates with Ipsa principal, ShaikhIghsaan Taliep. From left: FatimaMatthews, Munthirah Kriel (cumlaude), Igsaan Frieslaar (cum laude),Shaikh Taliep, Abubaker Solomons,Sabirah Guzano and AbeedaMohamed. Photo FRED BARKER

Muslim Views

Muslim Views . March 201512

MAHMOOD SANGLAYSIPHIWO Sulaiman Shabangu,64, embraced Islam in 1986, inJohannesburg. In May 2012, hemoved to Cape Town to seekgreener pastures and start a newlife. He settled in NY21,Gugulethu, where he purchaseda modest home.

Due to the needs of neighboursin the area, Shabangu soonlaunched Al Mau’un, a weeklyfeeding scheme, which providedmeals for up to 150 hungry resi-dents in the area. They weremostly children, and he cookedtwo pots of food every Tuesday.

Today, the organisation bene-fits 425 people, with the supportand partnership of Islamic Relief.It is popularly known as Neigh-bourly Needs and is registered asan NPO dedicated to the welfareof children who are being neglect-ed and malnourished.

The vision of NeighbourlyNeeds is to create a safe, healthy,drug-free and poverty-free envi-ronment for the local community.

Its goals are to manage thesoup kitchen and feeding scheme,provide mentorship to the unem-ployed and to offer a youth centreespecially for the benefit of drug-addicted youth.

Another goal is to provideshelter for and support to theneglected children by means ofthe day-care and after-care centre.The organisation also hopes toassist the community in accessingwelfare grants.

At present, Neighbourly Needsruns a soup kitchen that feedsabout 150 people with a nourish-ing meal twice a week. They alsoprovide 50 loaves of bread a weekto the aged and their families.

The ultimate aim of Neigh-

bourly Needs is to provideneglected and abused childrenwith shelter, and a resource centrefor the youth.

As a non-profit organisation, itis not funded by the government.It uses its own resources andrelies on the generous support ofthe community outside the town-ship. Some of the funding for theproject is derived from the soupkitchen.

In order to help render thesource of funding sustainable, theorganisation collects second-handclothing, and sells to the public.

Shabangu’s research showsthat households with an incomeof R2 300 are below the povertyline. In the Western Cape, he says,this applies to 48 per cent ofhouseholds.

In the same province the pro-portion of people over the age of20 with grade 12 is 20 per cent.

Based on the relevant statisticsrelating to, inter alia, employmentand education, Shabanguapproached the Muslim commu-nity to help establish the soupkitchen in the township. This iswhere the idea of selling usedclothing emerged as a means ofincome.

The first organisations to sup-port Neighbourly Needs, for alimited period, were Nakhlistanand Muslim Hands. Thereafter,Islamic Relief came on board andcontributed significantly by giv-ing blankets in the winter andfood parcels.

The South African NationalZakah Fund (Sanzaf) also provid-ed support by supplying ingredi-ents from month to month for thesoup kitchen. Sanzaf also makes asignificant contribution to thecollection of used clothing ofNeighbourly Needs.

The partnership betweenIslamic Relief and NeighbourlyNeeds started in 2012 with sup-port in the form of blankets, foodparcels, fitrah parcels and Eidhampers.

They also provided pots andthree gas burners. The pots havecapacities of 60 to 80 litres andare also rented to other membersof the local community for func-tions such as weddings.

In September 2014, IslamicRelief approached NeighbourlyNeeds with the idea of extendingan existing feeding scheme inLanga to other madrassahs. Sha-bangu was then tasked to identifyten madrassahs, which he did andthe extended feeding scheme com-menced in November 2014.

In that month, Islamic Reliefstarted a contribution of R30 000per month. Currently, elevenmadrassahs are serviced in theproject.

The goal of the partnership isto develop it into a fully-fledgedfeeding scheme with all the facili-ties of a modern, hygienic kitchenthat has the capacity to servemeals, snacks, fruit and perhapssandwiches.

School learners are typicallythe benefciaries of the schemewith a view to build healthylearners, motivated to attendclasses, even in anticipation of anourishing meal at the end oflessons.

An Islamic Relief report for-warded by Shabangu stated thatthis project presents a good imageof Islam, and offers good oppor-tunities for dawah.

Shabangu is assisted by hiswife, Evelyn Mabinza, and theyconsult and seek counsel fromtheir local religious leader, ShaikhIsmail Gqamane.

Partnership addresses local poverty

TEN years ago, Naeema Limbada decided that we neededto link ourselves to our historyvia our sacred sites scatteredacross the Middle East, Turkey,India and China. Sadly, inMakkah and Madinah, over 90per cent of our Islamic heritagehas alreadybeen obliterated.

An inveter-ate travellerand formertour guide,Naeema decid-ed to write it alldown for futuregenerations.

As she says,little did sherealise the enor-mity of the taskbut it had to bedone.

After adecade ofr e s e a r c h i n g ,writing, imagesourcing ande d i t i n g ,Remembranceof IslamicSacred Sites has finally been pub-lished by Al-Kaaf Trust, of CapeTown.

Chairman of the trust, busi-nessman and activist, Dr AnwahNagia, says the book reflects theheart and soul of an unassuming

author, inexperienced but sincere-ly driven by the task at hand.

‘When Naeema started, shecouldn’t have realised that Syria,a historical treasure trove, wouldlie smashed and in ruins.

Yet, here we have a record ofits heritage. We have supported

her work atthe Al-KaafTrust becausewe think it isan honest andupright workreflecting ourethos,’ he said.

At the booklaunch, held atthe soon to becompleted Al-Kaaf HumanRights Centreincorporatingthe PalestineMuseum inDistrict Six,Limbada ques-tioned theu m m a h ’ ssilence on thedestruction ofits Islamic her-itage, particu-

larly in Saudi Arabia.She said that the sacred sites

were important reminders of ourrich past.

Remembrance of IslamicSacred Sites is available from Al-Kaaf Trust at 082 418 1898.

Ten years of loveand labour producesheritage sites book

Muslim Views

13Muslim Views . March 2015

Dr MOGAMAT HOOSAIN EBRAHIM

ON behalf of the principal,deputy principal (academic) andstaff of International Peace College South Africa (IPSA), it isa great honour and privilege towrite a tribute to Farhaana Mugjenkar.

I thank the Mugjenkar familyfor allowing me to write this trib-ute. It is highly appreciated. Shewas not only a student of IPSAbut became very attached to thestaff and was more like a familymember.

Farhaana died on Thursdaymorning, at 4.30, at Groote Schu-ur Hospital, and was buried thesame day, at the Pooke RoadMaqbarah. Her Salatul Janazahwas performed after Asr Salaah,at Habibia Soofie Saheb JamiaMasjid.

Attending the masjid andmaqbarah reminded that youngand old will leave this dunyah.The Quran reminds us that ‘everysoul shall taste death’.

Farhaana was born in CapeTown on July 30, 1983. She wasthe eldest of four sisters born toShaikh Mahmood and Khairun-nisa Mugjenkar.

Farhaana commenced hermadrassah years in Kimberley foreight years. When she arrived inCape Town, she pursued hermadrassah education atMadrasatul-Quds, Gatesville.

She attended Rylands Primaryand High Schools until she com-pleted her Senior Certificate.Thereafter, she registered withUniversity of South Africa(UNISA), completing a few cours-es towards a degree in law.

It was her passion to study.Because of her love for the deen,

she registered with IPSA, com-pleting the one-year EnrichmentCourse and continued with theBA degree. Due to her illness shecould not complete her degree.

Shaikh Fakhruddin Owaisi,one of Farhaana’s teachers, said:‘Farhaana was my student forthree years and I remembered heras a truly dedicated and wellbehaved student, always smilingand greeting. She worked hard toachieve her goals.

‘A few days before she passedon, she messaged me to saysalaam and requested me to makeduah. I pray that Allah grants hercontinuous happiness in the nextworld as she had in this tempo-rary world.’

Farhaana’s sister, Aneesa, saidthat Farhaana loved reading the

biography of The Prophet (SAW).‘She enjoyed watching videos

of Shaikh Muhammad Ninowyand Mufti Menk. Her hobbieswere knitting and baking and shehad an interest in arranging flow-ers. She had in mind opening herown business. She also startedworking on a recipe book.

‘She was very assertive inbringing her ideas across. Shealways had a smile on her face;she had the ability to forgive veryeasily.’ This reminds me of theProphet (SAW) when he said: ‘Donot anger.’

When I interviewed her father,he said, ‘She is still the apple ofmy eye.’

Her spirituality was clearly evi-dent. When I made contact withthe records officer at IPSA, Mas-

noenah Kamalie, she had this tosay: ‘I had the honour of knowingFarhaana. She had a special placein my heart that only she knewhow to fill.

‘Farhaana and I spent manyhours chatting about her hopesand dreams and her love for Allahand her yearning to always be astudent of deen. After she leftIPSA we stayed in contact.

‘I tried my utmost to alwayscheck on her but she, being theamazing soul that she was, alwaysbeat me to it by checking in on meto ensure that I am doing well.Farhaana had a warm, lovingheart and spirit who will bemissed by all who know her.’

I had the honour to teach herSirah and History at IPSA andfound her to be dedicated and

passionate about her work. Herpersonality and character set agood example for the rest of theclass.

I conclude this tribute by stat-ing that Farhaana was a faithfulperson who lived a life of sinceri-ty, dignity and, above everythingelse, was conscious of her dutiesas a Muslim. She expressed herlove for Allah and endeavoured tofollow the practice of Muham-mad (SAW).

May the Almighty forgive hersins and reward her in abundancefor the sacrifices she had madestudying the deen. May theAlmighty Allah grant her Jannat-ul Firdous and grant her familysabr, ameen.

Our condolences go to theMugjenkar and Parker families.

Tribute to Farhaana Mugjenkar (July 30, 1983 – February 5, 2015)

‘I tried my utmost to always check on her but she, being the amazing soul that she was,always beat me to it by checking in on me toensure that I am doing well. Farhaana had awarm, loving heart and spirit who will be

missed by all who know her.’

Muslim Views

14 Muslim Views . March 2015

SAKEENABOCK

THE SouthAfrican NationalZakah Fund (SANZAF) recently honouredMualimah Yasmine Abdulrazaak witha LIFETIMEACHIEVEMENTAWARD aptlyinscribed ‘In honour of your outstanding commitment anddedication forserving those inneed and for leaving no onebehind’.

A selfless ser-vice to humanityis also a selflessservice to theAlmighty.

On biddingfarewell to Mual-imah Yasmin, SANZAF DeputyChairperson Showkat Mukadam,reflected on the instrumental roleshe played in the systematicdevelopment of training Muslimsand reverts in the spiritual, moraland social aspects of our deen.

Her deep insight and wisdom

both on radio and as a case-work-er in the early years benefitedmany that passed through thedoors of SANZAF. Those tuningin and listening to her soft-spokenbut formidable voice were edu-cated and informed about zakahand the outreach activities ofSANZAF.

These are big shoes to fill butthe groundwork has been set forthe Tarbiyyah programme atSANZAF.

True to her humanitarian spir-it, Mualimah Yasmin remains adedicated volunteer. We wishMualimah Yasmin all the successin the future.

- ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE -

Forty years of selflessservice to humanity

Sharing in this special moment (from left): SANZAF Western Cape Administrator, Abdurazaaq Razaaq, Mualimah Yasmine Abdulrazaak, SANZAF National Treasurer, Fayruz Mohamed, and SANZAF Deputy Chairperson, Showkat Mukadam. Photo SAKEENA BOCK

CASEWORKERS at SANZAFdeal with a plethora of socialissues affecting society on a dailybasis ranging from economicissues, family relationships andconflicts, challenges facing theelderly and drug abuse, to namebut a few.

The approach at SANZAF isto maintain the dignity of the per-son who chooses to come forassistance or to seek advice.

A holistic assessment is offeredby the caseworkers to establishwhat can be done to benefit andsustain a family in the long term.

Hence, the Skills DevelopmentProgramme offer, which is part ofthe SANZAF education empow-erment development programme

popularly known as SEED. Thisprogramme plays an essential rolein alleviating poverty and uplift-ing communities.

Insaaf Osman, Skills Develop-ment Coordinator, explains whatsets the course aside from therest.

‘The main benefits we see fromthe programme are that our ben-eficiaries that have been comingto our offices consistently havenot returned for assistance afterpursuing the training.’

She added that the Informa-tion Technology (IT) students willbe graduating in April, andinternships for these studentswith stipends are secured.

Would you like to support astudent in need, andmake a difference?

Feel free to con-tact us at 021 4470297 or visit us atwww.sanzaf.org.za

SANZAF Skills Development Programmerecognises potential in people

Mohammed Ibrahim,an IT student at anaccredited institution,studiously applieshimself while InsaafOsman, SANZAFSkills DevelopmentCoordinator, lookson. These trainingcourses offer students an opportunity to gainaccess to the worldof work, allowing students to becomeself-sufficient.

Photo SUPPLIED

Muslim Views

15Muslim Views . March 2015

Part 6The real meaning of life

THE brutal economic logic ofthe state inevitably produces acitizen that is similarly focusedon the material and the immediate. In other words, itproduces a citizen that is intuitively suspicious of the spiritual; that is trained not tolook into that realm as a solutionto life’s crises.

If so, how does the citizen ofthe modern state give meaning tohis or her life?

A major vehicle of meaning inthe modern world is the phenom-enon of nationalism. While a cer-tain degree of nationalism has his-torically been characteristic ofcultures worldwide, its use by themodern state has taken certaindramatic overtones.

Nationalism has now come tofill the void created by the mar-ginalisation of religion in modernsociety. In other words, it oftentakes the place of religion.

Modern nationalism is com-posed of beliefs and symbols thatape a religion but, of course, it isnot a religion in the traditionalsense. It is the religion of thestate. And it is the religion of acitizen that has been left emotion-ally and spiritually impoverishedby the logic of that state.

And as shown, in Nazi Ger-many, for example, it can havedevastating consequences.

In contrast, Islam, like any tra-ditional religion, locates reality inthe eternal, not in the historical.

All actions take place keeping thereality of God firmly in the fore-front.

The human being is soon goingto return to that God, and his andher purpose is to make the realityof God palpable in their lives.And they do so by submitting tothe shariah.

And the key to the shariah, thekey to making the reality of Allahpalpable, is acting upon the fivepillars of Islam. And becauseAllah is a reality who is All-See-ing, All-Hearing, it is not merelyformal acting upon these pillarsthat is required.

On the contrary, a Muslim isalso required to act upon the spir-it and inner meaning of these pil-lars. (In a traditional Muslimsociety, formal following and

inner spirit – fiqh and tasawwuf –go hand in hand, being two sidesof the same coin.)

And the spirit of these pillarsrevolve around the concept ofniyyah (intention), which impliesdoing things purely for the sakeof Allah.

But attaining such Allah-con-sciousness is not easy. A humanbeing is involved in a constantbattle between the heart (the seatof such consciousness) and thenafs or lower self (containing theforces that detract from such con-sciousness).

And so the human being has tofight the forces of the lower self inorder to develop and cultivatesuch consciousness. And in theprocess of such cultivation, the

human being gradually acquiresvirtue – that is, submitting toAllah willingly, freely and, ulti-mately, out of pure love.

And this is really what isintended by the shariah, themoral system of Islam: it aims tocultivate the real, active, ardentlove of Allah within the individ-ual. And in this love, the self findsits fulfilment, its highest purposeand its unending bliss.

It is the shariah, then, ratherthan the modern state, that showsa profound care and solicitude forthe true welfare of an individual.It seeks to gently guide the self tothe truly real.

In this journey, the self realisesthe nature of virtue, realises itsqualitative dimensions, realises

that it is more than a materialaccident.

In contrast, the modern statereduces the individual to a citizen,to an automaton in the service ofthe state. And having so reducedthe human being, it leaves herspiritually alienated, disenchant-ed and impoverished.Reference: Wael Hallaq, TheImpossible State, Columbia University Press, New York,2013.In part seven, we look at howthe economic worldview of theshariah fares in the face of theforces of globalisation.Dr Rafudeen is Senior Lecturerin the Department of ReligiousStudies and Arabic at Universityof South Africa.

Perspectives

Hallaq’s impossible state: an interpretationIn this series of eight articles, Dr AUWAISRAFUDEEN presents aninterpretive summary of amajor recent book, TheImpossible State, by a distinguished expert inIslamic law, Professor WaelHallaq. The book speaks ina major way to the modernMuslim condition and theissues it raises are deserving of careful consideration by all thoseseeking to faithfully adhereto the shariah while navigating the tempestuous modernworld.

Modern nationalism is composed of beliefs and symbols that ape a religion but, of course, it is not a religion in the

traditional sense. It is the religion of the state.And it is the religion of a citizen that has beenleft emotionally and spiritually impoverished

by the logic of that state

Muslim Views

Muslim Views . March 2015 17

Muslim Views

16 Muslim Views . March 2015

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The Sunfoil 10km Big WalkThe Sunfoil 10km Big Walk

Muslim Views

Muslim Views . March 201518

CRIPPLED by arthritis, sheslowly heaved her heavy frameinto my consulting room in CapeTown, her hefty walking stickstruggling to support her.

Jovial as always, she againlaughed and elaborated on myclinical inadequacies before start-ing to talk about her medicalissues.

She has been my patient for athird of her 75 years on this earth.She is a devout Christian, and wefrequently discuss religious issues.

Her husband passed away afew years ago after a few decadesseverely incapacitated by dam-aged lungs – a sad price paid tothe fashion of smoking sincechildhood. She reminisces abouthim at every visit, and I oftenexpress my admiration of herdevotion to him.

She was an absolutely stunninglady in her youth as the manyphotos that she proudly presentedto me bore testimony to. She has

had many proposals since beingwidowed and she would relatethese to me with a giggle; flatteredto still be admired yet determinednever to be ‘unfaithful’ to theman with whom she had spentmore than half-a-century.

‘Doc, why do you people greeteveryone before you go on Hajj?’she asked me on one occasion.She had grown accustomed to myannual absence during the pil-grimage period and would alwaysenquire about my journey uponmy return.

‘I don’t greet everyone everyyear; it’s only when people go forthe first time that they do that,’ Ireplied.

‘Well, it seems everyone who

attends the surgery knows whenyou’re gone,’ she said. ‘A Muslimcame to greet me,’ she added witha stutter. Her eyes lit up and thenshe hesitantly gazed down, a shysmile becoming subtly dis-cernible.

The change from the loud andverbose to teenage withdrawalcould only mean one thing. ‘Sowhich old flame came to greet?’ Iquizzed.

‘It’s nothing really,’ sheprotested but I persisted and,after a while, she relented.

She recounted the story of herfirst love, many, many decadesago in one of the well-known sub-urbs of Cape Town where Mus-lims and Christians lived peace-fully as neighbours, shared ineach other’s joys and sadness andearning each other’s respect byallowing each other to practisetheir religions in harmony andtranquillity.

She was deeply in love withhim. She was a deeply devotedChristian and he a Muslim. Theydiscussed marriage and sherealised that Islam was a religionshe was very interested in. She, infact, realised that she deeplyadmired all her Muslim neigh-bours and that she had values incommon with them.

They spoke of her attendingclasses conducted by a localshaikh, and the two of themdecided to approach their respec-tive families.

From what I gathered, her par-ents had not been over the moonwith her plans but informed herthat they would not stand in herway. His parents, however, were acompletely different story.

The father threatened, themother spoke of the shame, theextended family violently object-ed. ‘I decided to leave all things as

be; left thoughts of being his life,his wife and, in the process, alsoleft thoughts of becoming a Mus-lim,’ she recounted.

‘You’re a Muslim at heart,’ Ithought. Every year, she wouldreligiously call me just beforeRamadaan and the day after Eid;after every Hajj she wouldenquire about the journey. Shegrew up surrounded by the reli-gion yet, when she wanted toentrench it in her heart and life,prejudice tore it away from her.

She was acutely aware of thecelebrations taking place when hemarried a Muslim lady a year ortwo later. She felt alienated by thecourse of events, remained true toher Christian upbringing and,later, married the most wonderfulman.

Many a child she bore andmany more years they spent inwedded bliss. She must have hada wonderful personality in heryouth. There must have beensomething about her that trig-gered fond memories when manyMuslims reminisced about daysgone by and remembered thosewho were special and significantin their lives.

These were the prospective pil-grims who make it a rule to greetvirtually everyone who was pre-sent in some way or other in theirlives. And she could account thatnearly everyone in the neighbour-hood of her youth came to greether before they embarked on theirHajj.

She fondly recollected a couplewho had got married in theirteens and received a Hajj trip as awedding gift from their parents.Different tales she told of divinedirections some of her Muslimfriends experienced on their wayto fulfilling the fifth pillar ofIslam.

‘Yes Doc, so he came to greetme a few weeks ago,’ she shylyrelated. ‘His wife passed away afew years ago and he said that hisone regret was that he couldnever take her for Hajj. Theycould never afford to go but nowhe had enough money to go.

‘All his children are married,just like mine. He was all alone,just like me. He is lonely, just likeI am,’ she added.

‘So he proposed and you twoare going to get married and thetwo of you are going to performHajj!’ I exclaimed. ‘Yes!’ I added.‘We are going to be in Sauditogether.’

She burst out laughing. ‘NoDoc, nothing like that. He want-ed to talk but I kept it very for-mal. He talked of how differentlife could have been if he had per-suaded his parents to consent tothe two of us getting married.

‘I talked of how good my hus-band was, how blessed we allwere for what God had providedus with, and that we all believe inthe same Creator. I knew I alwayswas important to him as he wasimportant to me. I appreciated itthat he came to greet.’

I looked at her and noticed hersadness. ‘Remember that peoplealso come to ask for forgiveness.Sometimes, decades later, theywant to right a wrong, ask forforgiveness no matter how indi-rectly, before departing for Hajj,’I said.

‘You know Doc, I wanted himto fight for me those many yearsago. I felt I was worth fighting foras I went for religious classes andloved the religion that I neverembraced. Sometimes my familysaid I was more Muslim thanChristian.

‘Just not being born a Muslimwas such an insurmountableobjection to his parents; and I lostfaith in that way of life. I proba-bly would never have beenaccepted.

‘I kept thinking that I was achild of a lesser religion in hisparent’s eyes, that I was not wor-thy of entering the religion thatrecognises no superiority of onebeliever over the other. But I amnot bitter; I just often think aboutyour religion and wonder aboutthis wonderful journey that Mus-lims speak so highly about.’

My telephone rang. My recep-tionist informed me that the wait-ing room was packed; I had spenta considerable time chatting toher. ‘Let me greet you before Idepart for my Hajj,’ I smiled.

She hugged me. ‘I know I amalways in your prayers,’ she said.

‘And I’ll take your prayers onthis pilgrimage which many con-sider the ultimate journey,’ Ireplied.

‘You know Doc, I think hisgreeting was part of his redemp-tion, and it finally led to meaccepting that human fallibilityleads to weakness. He did notfight for me but his greeting saida lot of his regret.’

She smiled, ‘Let’s greet and for-get.’ She suddenly laughed outloud and departed, leaving behinda few stark reminders of all theworthwhiles that I, as a humanbeing, was too weak to fight for.Comments to: salimparker@yahoo.com

Hajj greetings

The father threatened, themother spoke of theshame, the extended familyviolently objected, writesDoctor SALIM PARKER.

In our eagerness to fulfil the tenets ofour deen, how often are we blindedand leave others in the shadows dueto our prejudices?

Photo SALIM PARKER

Muslim Views

Muslim Views . March 2015 19

THOUGH we live in a world of greatmedical advances, there are still thousandsof women around the world who die dailyfrom childbirth and resulting complications.

Motherkind is Muslim Hands’s mater-nal health campaign, and aims to respondto the causes of maternal death in some ofthe most high-risk countries around theworld, with a variety of simple, life-savinginterventions.

Working in a number of hot spot coun-tries, Motherkind is providing maternalhealth provisions to new and expectantmothers, equipping them to have safe andhealthy deliveries with ongoing support.

Motherkind’s services such as prenatalcare, skilled birth attendants, properhygiene, counselling about postnatal careand new-born health, benefits the most vul-nerable women, enabling them to take careof themselves and their babies.

Motherkind is our commitment to pro-tecting mothers and children at their mostcritical time.

Muslim Hands has taken the campaignto some of the most vulnerable communi-ties across Sudan, Indonesia, Kashmir,Niger and China.

For the average woman in Afghanistan,the biggest threat to life is giving birth asshe faces the prospect of motherhood in acountry where one in eleven women die inchildbirth.

Muslim Hands Afghanistan built a cus-tom Maternal Health Clinic to deliver pre-natal, postnatal and antenatal care toexpectant mothers.

Since opening its doors in 2011, approx-imately 2 000 expectant mothers have ben-

efitted each month from a variety of health-care professionals.

By providing midwives, nurses, birthattendants and an ultrasound doctor,women have a safer delivery and the basicessentials to see their child through theirearly and most vulnerable weeks.

In January 2012, the clinic welcomed itsfirst delivery, a beautiful baby girl, alham-dulillah.

In a country with shocking levels ofmaternal death, midwives are precious inNiger. Muslim Hands Niger provided

urgently needed subsidies to five midwiveswho would, otherwise, not have been ableto complete their essential three-year studyprogramme at their medical college.

They are now completing their midwifetraining, and will work at government-based medical clinics in rural areasthroughout the country.

In countries like Sri Lanka, manywomen are left vulnerable as social taboosprevent them seeking treatment for routineconditions associated with pregnancy.

With experience in infant mortality

reduction in Afghanistan, Indonesia, Indiaand Bangladesh, Muslim Hands Sri Lankaset up a ‘Well Mother Clinic’ in order toprovide quality maternity and postnatalcare for women who would otherwise notbe able to afford treatment.

The clinic offers qualified obstetriciansand gynecologists to examine and performregular check-ups for expectant moth-ers. The clinic has staff to advise women onthe nutritional levels they need to maintainduring pregnancy.

Counselling is also offered to new moth-ers suffering from conditions like postnataldepression. Now mothers and children canlook forward to healthy futures, InshaAllah.

Of course, there are a million reasons tobe Motherkind. The Quran eloquentlysays: ‘...and we have enjoined unto mankindness to his parents. In pain did hismother bear him and in pain did she givehim birth...’ (Surah Al Ahqaf:15)

You can support Motherkind and helpexpectant mothers benefit from life-savinginterventions such as prenatal care, skilledbirth attendants and proper hygiene.

Motherkind aims to reduce the majorityof maternal death in developing countrieswith simple and routine interventions.

Up to 80 per cent of women who dietoday can be saved with effective and time-ly assistance, Insha Allah. With Moth-erkind, we pledge to take action for mater-nal health, that is why we are asking you tobe Motherkind.

For more information or to donate tothis life-saving campaign, contact MuslimHands today on 021 633 6413 or visitmuslimhands.org.za.

- ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE -

Muslim Hands focuses on the importanceof maternal health care: Motherkind

Muslim Views

Muslim Views . March 201520

Myth or fact?I FEEL compelled to respond tothe article by S Morton, ‘Justifying the Light Fantastic’(MV February 2015).

At the outset, the divine Quranis the only primary source ofguidance, and the hadith is a sec-ondary source. In other words,the Quranic verses take prefer-ence over the hadith.

The writer therefore succeedsin pointing out that there are overforty ahadith that contradicts theQuranic injunctions on propheticintercession.

My main concern is that thewriter confines 1 400 years ofscholarship to the hadith. He dis-regards the vast body of Islamicscholarship in the sciences, poli-tics and economics, among otherfields, that has its roots in Quran-ic revelation.

The general acknowledgementis that the Quran gave rise to themodern scientific era. I do notneed to elaborate on this.

Another problem is that thewriter fails to distinguish betweenmyth and logos, which is com-mon in our Islamic society.

While there is a place for mythin society, any attempt to trans-late myth into rationality onlyleads to irrationality. Manymythological concepts have crept

into Islamic culture and practicein the post-Quranic stage forobvious reasons.

These are based on similartopologies found in other mytho-logical beliefs. The saliva mixedwith sand is one of these, and canbe traced back to ancient Irishfolklore and Roman beliefs.

The use of saliva for treatingeye-diseases, in particular, isnoted in a variety of Jewish,Greek, Roman and early Christ-ian sources. Egyptian myth tellsus that Thoth healed Horus’sblind eye by spitting on it.

Instead of distracting from theissues at hand by consistently dis-crediting the respondents to hisinitial article, the writer shouldconcede fact from myth.

N MahomedWestern Cape

Realise thedynamism of theQuranIN response to the dialoguebetween Members of The OpenMosque and Shafiq Morton inMuslim Views (February 2015):a dialogue can become a minefield if not characterised bytolerance, sincerity, love andsanctity of Nabi (not prophet)

Muhammad (PBUH), an exemplar that embodied theQuran, a divinely inspired bookwith a complete code for life.

The Quran with its true histo-ry, describes the physical and themetaphysical, not forgetting thedevelopment of the self in thespiritual and material way. TheQuran is a book that is divinelyprotected (Surah 15:9).

There have been no additionsor deletions since its completionby Nabi Muhammad (PBUH) 1400 years ago. It is protected insuch a way that its details cannotbe altered (Surah 41:41), as hap-pened with the divine books ofprevious nabis, peace be uponthem all.

The response to the above dia-logue is in conjunction with thecurrent rise in literalist religiousmodels for organising societiesand individual lives, the complici-ty of western and Muslim leaderswith Zionism, the United Statesof America and its allies’ inva-sions of the predominately Mus-lim middle eastern countries suchas Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya andits war on terrorism in whichIslam (Muslims) is the scapegoat.

The above should be of greatconcern to the Muslims who holddear the same Kalima Tayyaba.

The Quran is essentially adivinely revealed scripture for allof mankind till the end of time

(14:1) and (2:185). The Quranmust be studied (2:121) then wewill realise it is divine knowledge.

The passivity prevalent in theMuslim world today is polesapart from the dynamic Islampresented by the Quran. Belief inGod has been replaced. The con-cept of sovereignty of Allah inhuman affairs has been changedto the concept of sovereignty ofthe people or the sovereignty ofindividual human beings.

Consequently, the centralisa-tion of the ummah is lost. Insteadof subservience to Allah, the Mus-lims today are subservient to mul-lahs, faqirs, pirs and the imamsand all sorts of political and intel-lectual exploiters (9:31).

The main mission of ourBeloved Nabi Muhammad(PBUH) was to release mankindfrom priesthood and the heavyburdens and the yokes that wereplaced upon them (Surah 7:157).

Our Beloved Rasool (PBUH)achieved his goal, gave a practicaldemonstration of it and leftbehind a pattern of the Quran forthe smooth development of theself.

Hence, some of the narrationsof the scholars of antiquity forsome reason or the other brokethat pattern whereby Islamchanged from the dynamic prag-matism to a religion of mythologyand mysticism whereby Muslimstoday are groaning under thesame pressure of the same weightsand are bound by the same yokesfrom which our beloved Rasool(PBUH) came to release them.

Islamic history, with the Quranas the only source of law, has

been more intellectually accom-plished than Christian Europe ofthe day, where Christians, Jews,Hindus, Buddhists had flourishedand worked together.

It was a deen that seeded theEuropean Renaissance andenabled many aspects of modernWest and global civilisation.

Presently, the deen of Islam isbeing vilified, ignored, misunder-stood, suppressed or even misin-terpreted because the divine mes-sage of the Quran has been stuckto various interpretations and lit-eral statements of acts of ourBeloved Nabi Muhammad(PBUH) who was a dynamic prag-matist Allah had sent to bring tomankind a code of life that isdetailed in the Quran – a code forlife that evolves with time, withthe quagmire of social milieuswhich has affected the Muslimworld. Hence, it is important notto ignore divine revelation inIslamic scholarship.

The article of Shafiq Mortonthat has brought about this dia-logue is a good thing perhapsand, hopefully, the Muslims willrealise the dynamism of theQuran and the mythological nar-rations of the scholars of antiqui-ty, Insha Allah. Allah knows best!

It is my earnest appeal to myfellow Muslims to read the fol-lowing divine Quranic revela-tions: Surahs 12:08, 6:50, 38:70,6:155, 18:6 (Allah’s Hadith). Per-haps or maybe we will return tothe status of the Mutaqeen. InshaAllah.

Ismail AchmatCape Town

LETTERS TO THE EDITORLETTERS TO THE EDITOR

MAHMOOD SANGLAYAFTER 25 years, Orient LadiesCultural Club has reason to celebrate the ways in which ithas enhanced the lives of womenin the community.

The aim was to empowerwomen in the community social-ly, culturally and spiritually.However, in the course of theirefforts much charitable work hasalso been done.

On February 14, 1990, thefirst official meeting of 14 mem-bers of the club was convened bythe founders, Suraya Vinoos andFeroza Ebrahim. This followedelections, the creation of differentportfolios, the formation of anexecutive committee, various sub-committees and the drafting of aconstitution.

The club currently has about50 members but this number isdynamic due to the constantinflux and departure of members.

They discovered that they allhad a range of different skills andtalents. Some excelled in the culi-

nary arts, others in crafts andsome had lessons in spirituality toshare. Soon the club formed adhikr group and book club.

They also presented pro-grammes in the interest of theirmembers’ health and they invitedmedical specialists to talk to themon health-related topics.

The club also promoted smallbusinesses and home entrepre-neurship by having an annualmini-market. In Ramadaan, themembers benefit from extra class-es on spiritual topics.

Members of the club enjoyquarterly outings to destinationslike strawberry farms, Kirsten-bosch Botanical Gardens or frol-icking in the water on the beachon a hot, sunny day. Such activi-ties are enjoyed for their socialvalue and for building relationsbetween members.

Over the 25 years, membershave supported the club gener-ously by contributing to theannual Winter Warmth collectiondrive.

Some of the regular recipients

of the club’s Winter Warmth col-lection drive include the SouthAfrican National Zakah Fund,Mustadafeen Foundation, TheKhayelitsha Masjid and BeitulAman Home for the Aged.

In 2000, the club contributedto the Department of Ophthal-mology at Tygerberg Hospital forits Cataract 2000 project.

Recently, the club assisted theMfuleni Development Trust for aproject which is under construc-tion in Delft.

They also gave over 100hygiene packs for the ‘To My Sis-ter with Love’ campaign in Syria.

Another successful campaignwas the Adopt-a-School-Projectin which socks, shoes and rain-coats were contributed for thebenefit of the learners at Christ-ian David Moravian PrimarySchool.

Much of the activities requireorganisational skills and plan-ning. By participating in theclub’s various activities, membersare empowered and contribute toachieving its objectives.

The current executive committee of the Orient Ladies Cultural Club are, fromleft, Feroza Ebrahim, secretary, Farida Ahmed, assistant secretary, Razia Ismail,vice-chairperson, Ayeshabi Parker, chairperson, and Amina Parker, treasurer.Dilaram Royker, assistant treasurer, was absent. Photo SHARIEFA JOHAAR

Orient Ladies celebrates 25 years of service

Write to The Editor. e-mail: editor@mviews.co.za • fax: 086 516 4772 • PO Box 442 Athlone 7760Please keep your letters as brief as possible. Muslim Views reserves the right to edit letters that exceed 500 words. Kindly include full name and address details.

‘Enemies to yourselves’CHAPTER 64, Surah Taghabun (MutualLoss and Gain): ‘O ye who believe! Truly,among your wives and your children are(some that are) enemies to yourselves: sobeware of them! But if ye forgive andoverlook, and cover up (their faults), verily Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.’ (Yusuf Ali translation)

Very often the Quran contains versesthat utterly frighten me. The above verseoften causes me to ponder deeply whenrequested to assist a family that has prob-lems which are evidently self-created.

After nearly ten years in the Social Wel-fare Department of the Muslim JudicialCouncil (MJC) and 15 years in national,provincial and local government, I am fair-ly confident when helping people.

When I do not know, I research, consultor refer into the correct direction. Ironical-ly, often I assist people who hear but inreality do not listen to the advice given.

Example 1: An elderly lady met with meabout her Council arrears. During the chat,she told me that her son was a drug addictand he did not like to work. I suggestedthat she tell him to contact me so I couldrefer him to a rehab. I also told her not tosupport him otherwise he would notimprove.

Since he never visited, I contacted thelady who told me not to worry. Monthslater, she was in my office and explainedthat she was being evicted. I was startled asshe owned the property and had little debt.

Ironically, in our time apart, her sonswayed her to transfer the house onto hisname for inheritance. He then sold theproperty and used the money on drugs. Heleft his mother with municipal accountsand left the sold property without any

warning.The addict son ruined his mother’s

financial stability. As the verse explains, theelderly lady’s greatest enemy was her son;she just did not know this fact.

Example 2: Decades ago, I experienced asimilar case at the MJC offices. Afterdecades of hard work, a retired coupledecided to transfer their home into theirson’s name. The son who was married forsome years had lived with them and theytrusted him.

After the transfer was done, the son andhis wife who were married in court hadmarital problems. Long story short, thedivorced wife ended up with the elderlycouple’s house, and the pensioners andtheir son had to rent elsewhere.

To add insult to injury, the wife remar-ried and her new husband is living in greatcomfort. As the verse advised, in this casethe wife was the husband’s unknownenemy.

Example 3: Recently, I was contacted bya person who had received several noticesfrom the Council to come forward andmake an arrangement. As a result, I advisedwhere to go and even what to say.

A week later, the person insisted on anurgent meeting as his water and electricitywas cut. Confident in my advice, I contact-ed the Council admin demanding answers.The official clarified that the person did notcome forward and, after months, dueprocess was effected.

On meeting, I asked the plaintiff why hedid not listen a week earlier. He replied thathe was busy and forgot. This personshamed me in the view of key officials. Inthis case, the man did not need enemies ashe was his own enemy.

In the end, Allah knows best, may Allahprotect you and me from our enemiesknown and unknown. Ameen

Cllr Yagyah AdamsCape Muslim Congress

Muslim Views

Muslim Views . March 2015 21

DR MOGAMAT HOOSAINEBRAHIM points out that theroad to wellness – especiallywith behavioural illnesses –is a synergy between spirituality and sound medical advice and treatment.MAJOR advances in unravellingthe causes of illnesses andimproving the quality of medicalcare are speedily taking place inthe area of scientific research. Allthese have enhanced curative andpreventative measures in fightingillnesses.

Despite the advancement inknowledge and modern technolo-gy, it is evident from statisticaldata currently available thathumankind still suffers from psy-chological, social and physicaldiseases, specifically behaviour-related disorders.

Although people are wellaware of preventative methodsand treatment, they may beunable to keep to the advice givenby concerned physicians. Thisindicates that certain ideas andthoughts may already have beenshaped which influence people’sbehaviour in health and illness.

These ideas and positiveapproaches will have a greaterimpact on human behaviour ifthey are spiritually bound andreligiously established. It willhave a more dynamic and broad-er impact on the encouragementof health-care and the preventionof behaviour related diseases.

It was described by theprophets that preventative mea-sures are instructions fromAlmighty Allah who createdhuman beings and knows what

benefits or harms them.During the era of the Prophet

Muhammad (SAW), this spiritual-ity had a powerful effect on hiscompanions and those after them.

With the current behaviouralrelated disorders, this faith/ spiri-tuality should be increasinglyreinforced now that we realise thegreat dangers that confronthumanity.

Absolute faith is central to therole of prevention. The Qurangives clear directions to abstainfrom these behavioural ills. Andthe starting point is to firstly obeyAllah and His Rasul (SAW).

Allah mentions in Chapter 59,in a part of verse seven: ‘Andwhatever the Messenger givesyou, accept it, and whatever heforbids you, abstain (from it).’

Alcoholism was partly respon-sible for the deterioration whichbefell prehistoric civilisations.During our contemporary world,many families are destroyedbecause of this evil. Alcoholicsand drug-addicts cannot livewithout their fixes, and in theirdesperate moments are ready to

commit the worst crimes.Islam faced that great evil and

succeeded gradually in overcom-ing its dangerous effects. The finalprohibition of the consumption ofwine is mentioned in the Quran:‘O you who believe, wine andgames of chance and idols anddivining arrows are an abomina-tion, a handiwork of Satan. Leaveit aside in order that you may suc-ceed.

‘Satan seeks only to castamong you enmity and hatred bymeans of wine and gambling, andwould keep you away fromremembrance of Allah and fromprayer; will you not then desist?’(5:91)

The Prophet (SAW) said: ‘Anintoxicant is a mother of all vices.Whosoever drinks it, his prayerswill not be accepted by Allah for40 days. If he died and there iswine in his stomach, he has diedthe death of the jahiliyyah (theperiod before the advent ofIslam).’

The true Islamic societies, todate, are reasonably free from theevils of alcoholic addiction. This

is as a result of the deep faith thattrue Muslims keep as regards theQuranic injunctions and follow-ing the practice of the Prophet(SAW).

This was also applied to otherphysical, psychological and socialevils.

Although faith is of varyingdegrees, spiritual faith often cre-ates in man satisfaction and plea-sure depending only on the All-Powerful Allah.

This pleasure and satisfactionis manifested in the behaviour ofa true believer who is confrontedwith a very dangerous situationbut who is urged by his faith to gothrough it, in several cases suc-ceeding. Without this faith, suchan endeavour could not be ful-filled.

The faith is acquired throughlove and satisfaction, meditationand contemplation of the universeand insight about life.

Allah says in chapter three,verse 190: ‘In the creation of theheavens and the earth and thealternation of night and day, thereare indeed signs for reflection.’

This meditation creates in onea wealth of insight that theAlmighty Allah is not only theCreator but is the absolute giverof health and all other bequests.

It is Allah who created diseaseand who also created relief.

Muslims have made exception-al contributions to medical sci-ence, being driven by their faithand the saying of the Prophet(SAW): ‘There is no disease forwhich Allah did not create acure.’

Finally, the recital of the Quranand regular prayer is the answerto all these sins.

Allah says: ‘Recite that whichhas been revealed to you of theBook and keep up prayer.

‘Surely prayers keep (one)away from indecency and evil;and certainly the remembrance ofAllah is the greatest (force). AndAllah knows what you do.’(Quran 29:45)Dr Ebrahim is a lecturer in Religion Studies, History, Ulumal-Quran and Ilm al-Kalam atInternational Peace CollegeSouth Africa (IPSA).

Spirituality a dimension of well-being‘Recite that which has been revealed to you of the Book

and keep up prayer. Surely prayers keep (one) away from

indecency and evil; and certainly the remembrance of

Allah is the greatest (force). And Allah knows what you do.’

Muslim Views

Muslim Views . March 201522

Doctor MY CHOTHIAChronic kidney disease (CKD) isan irreversible form of kidneydamage. It is a very common disease with one out of ten persons in the world havingsome form of CKD.

In the Western Cape, it is esti-mated that the number of newcases of the most severe form ofCKD, end-stage kidney disease(ESKD), is approximately 1 250cases per year.

The most common causes ofCKD include diabetes mellitus(‘sugar’), hypertension (‘highblood pressure’), infections suchas HIV, and inherited diseasessuch as autosomal dominantpolycystic kidney disease(ADPKD).

Individuals with CKD usuallyhave no symptoms until very latein the disease progression. Ifsymptoms are present they areusually non-specific. For this rea-son it is important that individu-als at high risk for the develop-ment of CKD are screened yearly.

High-risk individuals includethose with diabetes, hypertension,HIV infection, a family history ofkidney disease such as ADPKDand age older than 50 years.

Screening for CKD includesmeasuring the blood pressure,testing the urine for protein usinga dipstick and a blood test tomeasure creatinine (a substancenormally made by muscle andremoved by the kidneys).

The main aim for identifyingindividuals with early CKD is to

prevent progression to ESKD.This treatment relies on patientstaking their medication regularly.

Preventative treatmentincludes sugar control in diabet-ics, blood pressure control inthose with hypertension, cessa-tion of smoking, and avoidingover-the-counter (OTC) medica-tion that may cause further dam-

age to the kidneys, such as painmedication including Brufen®and Voltaren®, and certain typesof antibiotics.

If OTC medication is pur-chased, patients must inform thepharmacist of their CKD to avoidthe inadvertent dispensing ofpotentially kidney-damagingmedication.

For those individuals whoprogress to ESKD, the treatmentoptions are extremely costly.These forms of renal replacementtherapies (RRT) includehaemodialysis, peritoneal dialysisand kidney transplantation.

Both forms of dialysis are time-consuming, which impacts on thepatient’s quality of life. Those onhaemodialysis receive this form ofRRT three times a week at a dial-ysis centre. Here the patient isconnected to a machine thatremoves blood from the bodyand, after toxins have beenremoved, returns the ‘cleaned’blood to the patient.

The other form of dialysis,called peritoneal dialysis, is doneby the patients themselves athome and entails the instillationof fluid into the abdomen througha catheter, allowing it to dwell forfour hours. This allows toxins tomove into the fluid. Thereafter,this ‘toxin-filled’ fluid is drainedand replaced with ‘clean’ fluid.The procedure is done four timesa day. Most patients will initiallyreceive dialysis as RRT but this isonly used as a bridge to allowpatients to survive long enough toultimately receive the best form ofRRT, a kidney transplant.

Kidney transplantation has thebest overall outcomes such as thebest long-term survival, the bestquality of life and cheaper costsas compared with both forms of

dialysis.However, due to a shortage of

organ donation, the number ofpatients awaiting transplantationis growing at a rapid rate. (Forinformation regarding organdonation, please visit the OrganDonor Foundation website,https://www.odf.org.za/)

The vast majority of patientswith ESKD, about 80%, aredependent on the public sector forRRT. However, due to costs, onlylimited numbers of patients willeventually receive this treatmentin the public sector.

In conclusion, CKD is a verycommon condition. Patients atrisk for the development of CKDshould be screened so that treat-ment can be initiated early to pre-vent progression to ESKD. Adher-ence to prescribed medication isof utmost importance. The bestform of RRT is kidney transplan-tation but a lack of organ dona-tion is the main reason for manypatients waiting for a transplant.

As the vast majority of ESKDpatients are dependent on thepublic sector for RRT, and treat-ment is prohibitively expensive,many cannot be accommodatedin the public sector. For this rea-son it is important that preventa-tive therapies are initiated early,and strict adherence to thesetreatments are maintained.Dr MY Chothia is a nephrologistin the Department of Medicine,Divisions of Nephrology andGeneral Medicine, Faculty ofMedicine & Health Sciences,Stellenbosch University and atTygerberg Academic Hospital.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD)Health File

Sister Jennifer Juta (left) with patientMieta Amsterdam while receivinghaemodialysis at Tygerberg Hospital.

Photo JOHNATHAN MAREE

Muslim Views

Muslim Views . March 2015 23

Doctor NUR ABRAHAMS‘SO, what is rheumatology?’That’s a question I often getasked, and the easy answer isthat we deal with arthritis.

However, that is just the tip ofthe iceberg. There are more than100 rheumatic diseases, somebeing more common than others.Some rheumatic diseases may notalways be obvious at the onsetand may require some time tomake an accurate diagnosis.

Rheumatologists see commonconditions like gout, where anaccumulation of uric acid resultsin the deposition of uric acid crys-tals in the joints. Gout usuallyaffects men more than women.

Post-menopausal women aremore at risk of developing goutthan pre-menopausal women.Gout usually presents with anacute, painful, swollen joint.Gout can affect any joint in thebody but most people will havean attack of the big toe at somepoint.

If uric acid levels remain highfor years then crystals deposit inthe tissue and result in tophi.Tophi are unsightly lumps on theskin that can occur in the hands,tendons and even ear cartilage.

Gout is usually easily treatedprovided patients comply withthe prescribed treatment.

The hallmark of rheumatic dis-eases is inflammatory arthritis.Features of inflammatory arthritisinclude pain that is worse in themorning, and improves withactivity; morning stiffness lastingfor more than an hour and, usual-ly, the insidious onset of pain.

Rheumatoid arthritis, psoriaticarthritis and SLE (systemic lupuserythematosis) are some examples

of conditions that can causeinflammatory arthritis.

A great deal of research hasgone into the immunologicalunderstanding of these diseases.Targeted therapies are availableand have proven effective inpatients who are not controlledby conventional treatment. Thesenewer agents are called biologics.

Also in the spectrum ofrheumatology are rare autoim-mune diseases which affect theconnective tissue – bone, muscle,joint and skin – and vasculitis –inflammation of the blood ves-sels.

These diseases usually requireimmune suppressive agents tocontrol the diseases.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosis

(SLE) is a multisystem auto-immune disease. The manifesta-tions vary and can affect eachperson differently. Skin and jointdisease are the common featureswhile other patients can havesevere organ dysfunction.

Kidney disease in SLE is themain cause of mortality alongwith infections in patients that areimmune-compromised from thetreatment used in SLE.

All patients with lupus shouldbe on chloroquine as this hasbeen shown to prevent flair ups ofthe disease.

Fibromyalgia (FMS)Fibromyalgia is chronic pain

syndrome where people havewidespread pain. It is associatedwith poor sleep and sedentarypatients.

FMS is a diagnosis of exclu-sion. Other causes of pain need tobe excluded e.g. thyroid disease,rheumatoid arthritis, SLE, psori-atic arthritis, drugs-statins andmyositis.

The clinical examination inFMS is usually normal. The rangeof movement in joints is normaldespite having pain. A tender

point examination is usuallypainful, confirming the diagnosis.

Other symptoms related toFMS include persistent fatigue,waking up unrefreshed and a feel-ing of mental slowness. A host ofsomatic symptoms may alsoaccompany patients with FMSe.g. tingling of fingers, dizziness,headaches, abdominal pain,numbness and nausea.

Fibromyalgia is part of thespectrum of diseases where painamplification is central to thepathogenesis. Patients may haveincreased pain sensitivity.

Alodynia is the painful feelingthat patients may get from ownpain stimuli, for example shakinghands and hugging. Hyperalgesiais an exaggerated pain responseout of keeping with the stimulus.

Treatment of FMS involvessimple analgesia management andimproving the quality of sleep. Agraded exercise programme isalso vitally important to the out-come of FMS.

So what should one expectwhen visiting a rheumatologist? l Accurate assessment and diag-

nosis of painful syndromes.l Management of soft tissue

rheumatism often with localsteroid injections.

l Control of inflammatoryarthritis and to monitor for thepotential side effects fromthese treatments.

l Investigate and manage con-nective tissue diseases and vac-ulitides.Rheumatologists usually spend

six years in medical school beforedoing a speciality in InternalMedicine, which is an additionalfour years of training.

The Fellowship in Rheumatol-ogy is an additional two-yearcourse followed by a thoroughexamination by academic profes-sors.

Often a rheumatologist workswith multiple other healthproviders, like nurses, physiother-apists, occupational therapists aswell as other physicians and sur-geons.

The team approach is oftennecessary as rheumatic diseasescan be very complex.Dr Nur Abrahams, MBChB(UCT), FCP (SA), Cert Rheum,is a rheumatologist based atMelomed Gatesville Hospital.Telephone 021 699 0095

Arthritis just the tip of the iceberg of rheumatology

Dr Nur Abrahams. Photo SUPPLIED

There are more than 100 rheumatic diseases, some being more common than others. Some

rheumatic diseases may not always be obvious at the onset and may require some time

to make an accurate diagnosis.

Muslim Views

Muslim Views . March 201524

DR GAATHIER MAHEDOVER the past 20 years, Islamicfinance has grown faster than itsconventional counterpart. Proofof this lies in the fact that marketgrowth has been in the region of15 percent per annum from 2005to 2008. In fact, global assets ofIslamic finance have doubledsince the start of the economicdownturn.

Tentative estimates suggeststhat the size of the market hasbeen valued at around $1,45 tril-lion, globally, which indicatesthat Islamic finance has ‘shownresilience at a time when the glob-al economy has slowed and con-ventional banking in Westerncountries has been under pres-sure’ – so notes the UK IslamicFinance Secretariat (UKIFS) inresearch reports published inOctober, 2013.

This is evidence of the expand-ing Muslim middle class and theirwealth, argues Nasr (2010). His-torically, wealth within these bur-geoning Muslim societies hasbeen synonymous with charity,writes Singer (2009).

Unlike zakaah, which is a com-pulsory form of worship, thedonation of wealth in the form ofcharitable endowments is donevoluntarily. Believers are allowedto bequeath up to a third of one’sestate for charity, writes Khan(1979), and this form of philan-thropy has played a significantrole in aiding in the developmentof societies.

Further, after examining casesof charity and charitable endow-

ments in Muslim society, Singer(2009) has concluded that thegenerous contributions of individ-uals has led to the construction ofinfrastructure, which would oth-erwise have been state-fundedand operated.

Historical sources indicate thatmany of these smaller assets,specifically in Istanbul, weremainly donated by women, andthey have stood the test of time assome still serve their communitiestoday, in the form of water foun-tains and gardens, notes Bear(1984) further.

In a modern context, we findmultiple waqf institutions global-ly, with some of them managingmulti-million or even multi-bil-lion dollar funds.

In certain scenarios, the largestawqaf institution has been foundto be a private company or even aministry.

A prime example is that of theMinistry of Awqaf in Qatar,which recently published figuresthat indicate that one billionQatari riyals worth of stocks isunder their management (Awqa-funa, 2013).

Furthermore, over 291 endow-ments from 275 endowers over aperiod of three years have beenestablished in this oil rich state.

The Warees Investment Com-pany, which is based in Singa-pore, focuses on property, andhas approximately half a billionin Singapore dollars under man-agement. One should note thathalf of the assets under its man-agement are owned by the Islam-ic Religious Council of Singapore.

Behrens-Abuseif (2004) hasshown that asset management bythe clergy has led to the downfallof societies. This could be thepossible reason for separating thefinancial institution from the reli-gious in Singapore, and thus ithas proven to be a roaring suc-cess.

It is evident that here in SouthAfrica, and particularly in CapeTown, where many waqf proper-ties are located in strategic areas,these locations could be used, likein Singapore, to aid in income

generation for the communityand, in turn, make the communi-ties self-sustainable.

This model for managing anddeveloping waqf propertyrequires a paradigm shift andcould best be achieved with thecorrect mindset and attitude.

It is with this thinking thatAwqaf South Africa has workedtowards managing waqf proper-ties and assets in South Africawith transparency and account-ability.

These two principles, alongwith income generation and man-agement, form the cornerstonesof a sustainable, community-dri-ven venture.

The Awqaf Foundation ofSouth Africa (AwqafSA) currentlyoperates as a waqf managementinstitution, and has simplified theprocess of donating endowmentsthrough developing various prod-ucts, namely:

The 1% product allows anyindividual to contribute a per-centage of his or her monthlyearnings to participate in thewaqf process.

According to the AwqafSAwebsite, the 1% waqf is tailor-made for anyone including the‘student, housewife, professional,clerk, business, factory worker,shop assistant – who has a bankaccount’.

The payment is made by debitorder and the waqif (or waqifa)must complete a payment autho-risation form available fromAwqafSA.

Another product offeredthrough the foundation is the

Waqf al Nuqud or the DirectLump Sum Waqf.

Endowed from regular oroccasional cash, cheque and elec-tronic deposits, this product guar-antees that there is zero risk ofany monies being lost as 100 per-cent of all deposits will be invest-ed and work from day one, thewebsite explains.

However, should you wish toendow tangible goods like jew-ellery, coins, property and evenreal estate, the Al Maal Waqfproduct is specifically designed tomeet those needs.

Further, if an individual wishesto bequeath up to one third of hisor her estate in an Islamic will,AwqafSA offers its Al WasiyyahWaqf product.

Finally, for the donation of apercentage of profits or equity ina business or on a specific busi-ness transaction, the Al Tijarahproduct is perfect for entrepre-neurs with their pulse on societalneeds.

Donating through AwqafSA’srange of products could not beeasier. Make your waqf now andensure that your ultimate rewardwith your Creator is secured. AndAllah, as always, knows best!

For further information, thewebsite of the National AwqafFoundation of South Africa canbe viewed at http://www.awqaf-sa.org.za/ while correspondencemay be forwarded to awqaf-cape@awqafsa.org.za. Dr Gaathier Mahed is a volun-teer at the National Awqaf Foun-dation of South Africa, and isbased at the Cape Town office.

Waqf: asset management and income generationAWQAF - promoting self-reliance and sustainability

... asset

management by

the clergy has led

to the downfall of

societies. This could

be the possible

reason for

separating the

financial institution

from the religious

in Singapore …

Muslim Views

Muslim Views . March 2015 25

TERRY BELLWEDNESDAY, February 25, wasBudget day in South Africa, anannual event for the state. But,for most citizens, budget day isevery day or, if they are slightlyluckier, a weekly or monthly calculation to try to, at least,remain afloat, economically.

So, what happened last month,along with the plaudits and theprotests reflected in the media,will not cause any excitement formore than half the population.

And who can blame those wholive in penury? While the statecan effectively wallow in debt,with its functionaries able to livehigh on the hog, debt for peopleon the ground often means mal-nutrition and a slow descent intosickness and premature death.

Unlike the government, bigbusiness or the historicallywealthy, there is little – and usu-ally no – access to loans at any-where near reasonable rates totide poor families over a roughpatch.

The mashonisas and thosemoneylenders who remain just onside with the law, ensure thatrepayments are cripplingly highfor those forced to borrow.

And there are no allowancesmade for the recipients of grantsthat, in most cases, do not evencover the cost of an adequate diet.

It is an awareness of this thatunderlines the arguments by thelabour movement for moreexpansionist policies and for amore equitable redistribution ofresources.

This year, with more fears ofjob losses and in the face of anongoing economic crisis, there isgreater urgency being expressedabout these demands.

Yet, calls for such policies runcounter to requests for belt-tight-ening, however these are present-ed. These calls are also based onthe labour-supported assumptionof a macro-economic foundationof widespread redistribution, oflabour-intensive work leading toa ‘virtuous cycle’ of economicgrowth: the opposite of the gov-ernment’s growth-first orienta-tion.

The focus for these policydebates is invariably how to cre-ate a better life for allSouth African families. And,according to official, Stats SA fig-ures, most men, women and chil-dren live below the poverty level.

Cosatu general secretaryZwelinzima Vavi also maintainsthat a family of five would needR4 750 a month to rise just abovethis. Yet, most family incomes arebelow R3 000.

And the generally estimatednumber of dependents survivingon the incomes of the nearly 11 million people employed in theformal sector is five or more.

Nearly a quarter of the work-ing population is also covered byministerial sectoral determina-tions and these, for the most part,amount to barely more than R2 000 a month. A domesticworker, for example, now has aminimum wage of R2 065,47.Out of this must come often heftytravel costs to and from work.

And, despite the 25 per centdecline in the petrol and dieselprices since July last year, therehas been no reduction in travelcosts. Nor, according to a surveyby the Pietermaritzburg Agencyfor Social Action (Pacsa), hasthere been any overall reductionin the price of food, where trans-port and, therefore, fuel costs arean important factor.

In time for this Budget week,Pacsa also produced its latest fig-ures on the current cost of ade-quately feeding a family, takingaccount of family size and theages and nutritional requirementsof family members.

An adequate, balanced, butbasic diet for two healthy, activeadults with two children, underthe age of nine, costs R2 144,52 amonth. For a family of seven – amore realistic average – thatincludes a pensioner, two activeadults and four children, twounder nine, one of ten and one of16, Pacsa puts the monthly cost atR3 754,05.

For most South Africans, thesefigures, combined with the cost oftransport, school fees, clothingand shelter, along with wages lessthan R3 000 a month, constitutethe economic reality.

Wednesday’s Budget did littleto change this but these are factsthat should give added impetus tolabour’s demand for a nationalminimum wage that makes for anat least tolerable life.Terry Bell is a Cape Town-basedjournalist, commentator andauthor. Visit his blog at terrybellwrites.com

RABIAH TALIB BADROENTHE principle of ubuntu/asabiyya was once a vision thatthe underprivileged aspired tocollectively. Sadly, it has becomea shadow of the real spirit.

The humanist philosophy orig-inated from African heritage sym-bolising allegiances and respectfulrelations with each other.

The origin of ‘ubuntu’ can befound in the African languages ofsub-Saharan Africa. The Arabicsynonymous term is ‘asabiyya’.

Abd Al Rahman Ibn Khaldun(1332-1406/ 732-808 AH) was ahistorian from the Golden Age ofMuslim civilisation and hailedfrom North Africa. He is knownas the founder of sociology, Ilm alUmran.

He defined ‘asabiyya’ as groupcohesion and solidarity and morecoherent to a life not threatenedby modern lifestyle distractions.Yet, modern lifestyles enhancemodern crafts, sciences and artsand culture, all aspects conduciveto enlightenment, and recognisedby Ibn Khaldun.

Asabiyyah and ubuntu refer tothe spirit of loyalty and cohesive-ness to a common culture, lan-guage and code of behaviour.

Solidarity remains the essence,though variations in these ele-ments are present.

The Liberian activist, LeymanGbowee, defines the concept ofubuntu as: ‘I am what I ambecause of who we all are.’

Ubuntu/ assabiyyah is spelledout by Tutu as ‘I am humanbecause I belong, I participate. Ishare – I am because you are’.

We think of ourselves far toofrequently as just individuals, sep-arated from one another whereaswe are connected and what we doaffects the immediate, whole sur-

rounding world.Steve Biko, the political

activist killed in South Africandetention in 1977, was a passion-ate proponent of ubuntu. Hedetested the hallmark of capital-ism for the inherent characteristicof individualism, using people asstepping stones for the purpose ofself-progression.

His contribution to ubuntu/asabiyyah was professing the ide-ology of the African personality,placing less emphasis on powerand more on humanity in a con-certed effort to overcoming con-frontational problems – an ideol-ogy consistent with the teachingsof Islam.

With Islamophobia on theincrease, it has become an essen-tial part of Enlightenment tounderstand the reason for theindividual’s existence as part of agreater world society.

Muslims all over the world areconfronted daily with either con-fidence in asserting yourself as aMuslim or condescending to theacceptance model of a Muslimprescribed by an order totallyignorant of Islam and the respectafforded to the last prophet ofIslam, Muhammad (SAW).

The Golden Age of Muslimcivilisation is resurrected withinoneself.

That ideal persona naturallyextends to others in normal, nat-ural integration in society, a fea-ture which is exported from theauthentic ahadith on the charac-ter of Muhammad (SAW).Rabiah Badroen is a graduate inInternational Politics and IslamicStudies. She is currently registered as a Masters candidateat University of South Africa(Unisa) and is a staff member ofthe English Department at AlJouf University, Saudi Arabia.

The spirit of ubuntu and asabiyyaReal South African Budget:a frantic daily struggle

Muslim Views

Muslim Views . March 201526

THE French would have usbelieve that freedom ofexpression in France is

absolute and that they will notbe prevented from mocking orridiculing anyone, including religious figures. Let us examineif the French claim of defendingtheir ‘way of life’, includingabsolute freedom of expression,is true.

There are laws in France thatprohibit homophobic hatespeech, and a 1970 law prohibitsthe advocacy of illegal drugs.

The 1990 Gayssot Act pro-hibits racist or/ and religious hatespeech under which negationism,including Holocaust denial is anoffence. This law was invoked to

forbid public appearances by thecomedian Dieudonné (wellknown for making anti-Semiticjokes) and to ban pro-Palestiniandemonstrations.

Despite the fact that freedomof the press is guaranteed by theFrench Constitution, there havebeen several effective cases of cen-sorship against newspapers (LeCanard enchaîné, Hara-Kiri aswell as Charlie Hebdo).

Nicolas Sarkozy, former Presi-dent of France, ordered the firingof the director of Paris Matchbecause he had published photosof Cécilia Sarkozy with anotherman in New York.

Racial hatred and other dis-criminatory and violent languagein artistic work is criminalised asa ‘public expression offence’.Many artists have been taken tocourt for this offence, which liesmainly in Article 24 of the 1881Law on Press Freedom.

Government officials, civilsociety groups and individualshave repeatedly sued artists fordefamation and incitement to vio-lence.

The deputy of the UMP party,Nadine Morano, called on Nico-las Sarkozy to censor hip-hopbands, while 200 UMP deputies,led by François Grosdidier,demanded censorship of hip-hopbands.

This demand followed therelease of a song called La Franceby French hip-hop band Sniper.The song ‘Sarkozi’ by Joey Starrwas banned in 2006.

The proclamation of the stateof emergency, used during theAlgerian War (1954-62) and alsoin 2005, during the civil unrest,allows the state to legally censornews articles and other mediaproductions.

Henri Alleg’s book La Ques-tion denouncing torture by theFrench army during the Algerianwar was censored as well as othersimilar books, such as The Battleof Algiers and Frantz Fanon’s TheWretched of the Earth (1961),with a preface from Jean-PaulSartre.

Mongo Betis’ Main basse sur leCameroun, autopsie d’une decol-onization (Cruel Hand onCameroon, autopsy of a decolo-nization), was censored by theMinister of the Interior, RaymondMarcellin, on the request of theCameroon government.

Bagatelles pour un massacre,by Louis-Ferdinand Céline, wasbanned for anti-Semitism. L’Ecoledes cadavres and Les Beaux drapsby the same author were alsobanned, as was Léon Degrelle’sTintin mon copain.

A book called Suicide, moded’emploi written by two anar-

chists, Claude Guillon and YvesLe Bonniec, containing a historicand theoretical account of suicideas well as a critical overview ofways to commit suicide was pub-lished in 1982.

After a law repressing incita-tion to suicide was passed in1987, the book could not be rere-leased and is unavailable in anylibrary or bookshop in France.

As recently as April 2013, avolunteer with administrator’saccess to the French languageWikipedia was summoned by theCentral Directorate of HomelandIntelligence (DCRI), a division ofFrance’s interior ministry.

The volunteer was ordered toremove an article that had beenonline since 2009 concerning amilitary radio relay station ofPierre-sur Haute. DCRI claimedthe article contained classifiedmilitary information and brokeFrench law.

The volunteer was told hewould be held in custody andcharged if he failed to comply.

While France continues to pro-mote freedom of the press andspeech online by allowing unfil-tered access to most content, it fil-ters web sites promoting childpornography, terrorism or racialviolence and hatred.

All films intended for theatricalrelease have to be granted a visaby the Ministry of Culture, uponthe recommendation of Commis-sion for Film Classification.

Cinemas are bound by law toprevent under-aged audiencesfrom viewing films and may befined if they fail to do so. Amongthe films that have been banned

are the following: Le Petit Soldat,The Battle of Algiers, Romance, L Essayeuse, Le Mur, and DeZwischenzeichen der Sexualitat.

In terms of France’s privacylaw, the publication of privatedetails of someone’s life withouttheir consent is a punishableoffence, with limited public inter-est defences available.

Privacy is safeguarded not onlyby civil law provisions but also bythe existence of specific criminaloffences which indirectly promotethe withholding of informationand self-censorship, and limit theexposure of political corruption.

In 2010, a French officialclaimed that, while freedom ofspeech exists in France, ‘the limitsare different than in the US, as faras insults, defamatory comments,or propagation of hatred are con-cerned’.

In September 2013, l’AgenceFrance Presse (AFP) posted a glo-riously unflattering photo of cur-rent French President FrancoisHollande, which the editorsimmediately retracted, citing ‘aneditorial decision’, followingobjections by the President.

Interestingly, French lawallows freedoms to be suspendedunder the threat of unrest or vio-lence. There are, in fact, voices inFrance expressing the need forminorities to be protected fromhate speech which may lead,according to them, to heinousacts and hate crimes.

Given the above, the claim thatthere is absolute freedom ofexpression in France is as untrueas it is hypocritical.Main source: Wikipedia

DISCUSSIONS WITH DANGORDISCUSSIONS WITH DANGOR

Despite thefact thatfreedom ofthe press isguaranteedby theFrenchConstitu-tion, therehave been

several effective cases ofcensorship, writes Emeritus ProfessorSULEMAN DANGOR.

Is there absolute freedomof expression in France?

The volunteer was ordered to remove an article that

had been online since 2009 concerning a military

radio relay station of Pierre-sur Haute

Muslim Views

Muslim Views . March 2015 27

IBRAHIM OKSAS and NAZEEMA AHMED

IN the turbulent times inwhich we live, and which arecharacterised by the demand

for instant gratification andimmediate resolution of whims,there is surely a quality that weare all sorely in need of, and thatis patience (sabr).

In this regard, in his contempo-rary Quranic tafsir, Risale i Nur,Bediuzzaman poses the question:‘What is the purpose and aim ofthe saying, Allah is with thosewho patiently persevere?’

By way of answer, Bediuzza-man says that as is required byHis Name of All-Wise, AlmightyAllah placed in all things anarrangement, like the steps of aflight of stairs.

An impatient man does not actwith slow deliberation, and soeither skips some of the steps andfalls or leaves some deficient andthus he cannot reach the pinnacleof his goal.

From this it is clear that exer-cising patience does not equate toinaction.

Rather, it requires considera-tion, deliberation and seeing thewisdom in the inherent arrange-ment of matters.

This is quite instructive as itwill assist us to navigate issuesranging from waiting in longqueues to facing what we mayperceive as challenges and calami-ties from a very different orienta-tion and perspective.

Bediuzzaman states that thesaying ‘patience is the key to alldifficulties’ and the hadith‘patience is the key to happiness’have become like proverbs. Thatis to say, Almighty Allah’s graceand favour is with those who arepatient.

Patience is threefold: the first isto patiently persevere in refrain-ing from sin; and this patience istaqwa, and manifests the meaningof the ayah in Surah Al-Baqara:‘Allah is with those who fear Himand restrain themselves.’

The second is patience in theface of calamity: this is to placeone’s trust in Allah Almighty andto submit to Him. It is to be hon-oured by the manifestation ofthese ayahs in Surah Ali Imran:‘Allah loves the patient’ and‘Allah loves those who put theirtrust in Him’.

As for impatience, it amountsto complaining about Allah, andto criticising His actions, accusingHis mercy, and not liking His wis-dom. For sure, man is weak andpowerless, and weeps complain-ingly at the blows of misfortunebut our complaint must be toAllah, not about Him.

Our words should be like thewords of Nabi Yacub (AS) inSurah Yusuf: ‘He said: I onlycomplain of my distraction andanguish to Allah.’

That is to say, we should com-plain to Allah Almighty, and notlament by asking, ‘What have Idone that this should happen tome?’ as though complaining to

other human beings about Allah.Bediuzzaman says that our try-

ing to excite the sympathy ofimpotent humans is both harmfuland meaningless.

The third sort of patience ispatient perseverance in ibadah,which raises a person to the sta-tion of being the beloved of Allah.It urges a person towards perfectworship of Allah and servitude ofHim, which is the most elevatedstation.

Further, with regard to us exer-cising patience in all situations,Bediuzzaman specifically address-es the person suffering from illhealth and who may be unhappyand anxious about his or her con-dition.

He says: ‘Have patience! Yourillness is not a difficulty for you; itis a sort of cure for life departs. Ifyour life yields no fruits, it iswasted. And if it passes in easeand heedlessness, it passes mostswiftly.’

An indication that your life islengthened through illness is thefollowing, much repeatedproverb: ‘The times of calamityare long while the times of happi-ness are very short.’

The question then arises: whatare we to do if illness serves tolengthen our lives in this world?Bediuzzaman responds by saying:‘Be patient, indeed, offer thanks!Your illness may transform eachof the minutes of your life into theequivalent of an hour’s ibadah.’

Bediuzzaman further explainsthat there are two kinds of

ibadah. One is positive, like thewell-known ibadah of duah andthe establishment of the salaahfive times per day.

The other is what is seen as the‘negative’ forms of ibadah like ill-ness and calamities.

By means of these illnesses andcalamities, those who may beafflicted by them realise theirimpotence and weakness; theybeseech their All-CompassionateCreator and take refuge in Him;they, therefore, perform ibadahthat is sincere and free fromhypocrisy or ‘show’ of any kind.

Bediuzzaman states that thereis a sound narration stating that alife passed in illness is counted asibadah for the believer but oncondition that he or she does notcomplain about Allah.

It is even established by soundnarrations that one minute’s ill-ness of some who are completelypatient and thankful becomes theequivalent of an hour’s ibadah,and a minute’s illness of certainperfected men may be the equiva-lent of a day’s ibadah.

Thus, we should not complainabout illness which, Insha Allah,may transform one minute of ourlives into a thousand minutes, andthrough which we will gain longlife; we should rather offer thanksto Almighty Allah.

Bediuzzaman then recountssome of his own experiences, hav-ing endured a life of exile andimprisonment because of his com-plete and total service to Islam,imaan and Quran.

He says that everythingdeparts and, after it has gone, if itwas distress and hardship, ityields such pleasurable benefits,both in this world and in the here-after.

From the point of view ofbeing sacred service (to imaanand Quran), it reduces the troublesuffered to nothing.

In his own words: ‘I assure youthat by practising total patience,by offering thanks to AllahAlmighty, and throughendurance, I am happy at my sit-uation.

‘Thanks in the face of disasterare for the reward to be had fromdisaster and for the benefits inthis world and the next.’

He further says that, as forphysical hardships, such hard-ships were both transitory andunimportant, and they yieldreward, and they were a means bywhich the service of imaanunfolded in other situations, andso it was necessary to meet themwith thanks and patience.

Bediuzzaman recounts whathis students said: ‘Let us see whatAllah does, since whatever Hedoes is good,’ and thus theyworked steadfastly to transformthose transient difficulties thatthey may have experienced, intopermanent instances of mercy.

Insha Allah, may AllahAlmighty allow us to benefit fromthis instruction and make us ofthose who are patient and whorely on Him.

Ameen.

Light from the Qur’an

Patience: the key to all difficulties

Muslim Views

Muslim Views . March 201528

Muslim Views

Muslim Views . March 2015 29

FOUZIA RYKLIEFTHIS article is a report on a discussion I arranged for Radio786 two weeks ago. The presenter, Zainab Bean, and Ispoke to Vanessa Vermaak fromCHOC (Childhood CancerFoundation South Africa).

IntroductionHow many of us know that

February 15 is InternationalChildhood Cancer Day? I did notknow until I started to researchthe topic and spoke to VanessaVermaak.

I have always been aware ofBreast Cancer Day because thereare the Cup for Cancer events,and even national sports teamswear pink outfits when they play.

This awareness is very neces-sary as we know that breast can-cer is common amongst women.But childhood cancer? This issomething I think we block outuntil it happens to someone closeto us.

How prevalentis childhood cancer?

Globally, the incidence ofchildhood cancer is 150 childrenin a million. In South Africa, onein 600 children is affected by can-cer before the age of 16.

What is the survival rate?70 to 85 per cent of children

can be cured.In high income and developed

countries, the survival rate can beas high as 80 to 90 per cent.Vanessa stresses that this can beenhanced by early detection.Unfortunately, many children arediagnosed when the cancer is inan advanced stage and treatmentoften fails.

How does CHOC support the parents/caregivers?

‘Keeping more than hope alive’is the tagline on CHOC’s logo. Itspeaks volumes and it is with thisas a motivation that I write thisarticle.

The organisation was foundedin 1979 and operates across thecountry. It has CHOC houses allover the country (more about thislater). CHOC employs socialworkers and voluntary workers.

The first question I asked was,‘How do you help the child?’Vanessa’s immediate responsewas that their major focus when

it comes to psycho-social supportis the parent. Their approach is aholistic one, focusing on emotion-al and practical support.

Emotional support for the par-ent is crucial to the child’s emo-tional well-being. Experience hasshown that when parents firsthear that their child has cancer,they do not take in anything thatthe doctor is saying. They areoften told: ‘Your child has cancerand must start treatment immedi-ately.’

This comes as a great shockand parents need time and sup-port while processing this. Thesupport from CHOC is importantbut equally important is family.

A listener phoned in andshared her story of her daughterwho was ill from the age of two-and-a-half years.

The daughter told her mother:‘Don’t cry Mommy, I’m okay. Justbatcha (pray) for me.’ The moth-er shared how important it was tohave her family supporting her.Her daughter is now in her thir-ties and doing well, Alhamdulil-lah!

CHOC has a handbook thatexplains everything in simpleterms for parents.

Practical supportWe often only think of the

emotional stress but not so much

of the practical challenges.CHOC assists parents with trav-elling costs, food vouchers andaccommodation. Some familieslive outside Cape Town and needto be close to the medical facili-ties.

Treatment can be from six tonine months and, for some, trav-elling to and from the medicalfacility is a problem. The CHOChouse where a mother and child isaccommodated for the entire peri-od is a microcosm of childhoodcancer. There are families from allwalks of life.

The houses are not just for thepoor but also for middle-incomefamilies who are struggling. Thesehouses are located across thecountry.

What about the siblings?A concern I often have is that

while the parents’ focus is on theaffected child (also in case ofother situations, and it is neces-sary) the other children can feelleft out. Understandably, the par-ents have a great deal to copewith in addition to caring for thechild.

Parents need to focus on hugechanges such as losing a jobbecause it is not always possibleto get leave for nine months whilethe child is receiving treatment.This results in loss of income. So

the stress of this gets to everyone.The mother often has to stay withthe child at the CHOC house forthe full nine months.

The siblings, especially thevery young ones cannot under-stand this and wonder when shewill be coming home. The siblingscontinue being children who haveneeds, and CHOC helps the fam-ily to keep this in mind and torespond to those needs.

How does the child cope?In answer to my question:

‘When you have to explain to achild what is happening, how doyou do it and what is theirresponse?’

Vanessa said that it is not easybecause most of the time they donot understand. The doctors areamazing because they treat thechildren as equals and use thecorrect terminology whenexplaining treatment.

She said further that she feelsfor the teenagers because theyunderstand. When teenagers havea relapse, they often refuse furthertreatment, feeling that they do notwant to put their bodies throughit again.

Parents don’t understand this.Their brains take over and try tofind the logic in it. The childrenknow their bodies and althoughtheir spirits are often still high

they know when it’s close to theend. They know what they canhandle and what they can’t.

CHOC has a series of booksfor the children to help them getthrough it all: ‘Keemo goes to thedoctor, Keemo starts therapy,Keemo loses his hair, Keemo goeshome.’ Children are hearingterms constantly and these booksexplain medical terms simply. Thebooks help them to know what toexpect, which makes everythingeasier.

In conclusion, the question,‘How do children cope?’ wasanswered by Vanessa as follows:

‘The children are absolutelyphenomenal. When you come to aCHOC house in the afternoonyou will see children cominghome from treatment, feelingawful, some vomiting.

‘Five minutes later, they areplaying outside, laughing. Theyare focused on life now – playing.We focus on tomorrow, theyfocus on right now. Treatment ofan hour ago is past. This is anamazing lesson we can learn. It isour privilege to witness this.’

We should heed this powerfulmessage from a child: ‘Don’t cry,Mommy, I’m okay. Just batcha(pray) for me.’References: www.choc.org.zaTelephone: 086 110644; email:wcape@choc.org.za

Positive and Effective ParentingTALKING ABOUT TOUGH ISSUES

When a child has cancerThe support from CHOC is important

but equally important is family. A listener

phoned in and shared her story of her

daughter who was ill from the age of

two-and-a-half years. The daughter told

her mother: ‘Don’t cry Mommy, I’m okay.

Just batcha (pray) for me.’ The mother

shared how important it was to have

her family supporting her. Her daughter

is now in her thirties and doing well,

Alhamdulillah!

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‘The children are absolutely phenomenal.

When you come to a CHOC house in the

afternoon you will see children coming

home from treatment, feeling awful, some

vomiting. Five minutes later, they are

playing outside, laughing. They are

focused on life now – playing. We focus

on tomorrow, they focus on right now.

Treatment of an hour ago is past.

This is an amazing lesson we can learn.

It is our privilege to witness this.’

Muslim Views

Muslim Views . March 201530

JASMINE KHAN

IT is close to three monthssince we celebrated the birthof the best of humankind,

Rasulullah (SAW). True to age-old Cape tradition, Moulood celebrations continue everyweekend. The salawaat andashrakal pour forth from the lipsof our amazing Mouloodjamaahs, Alhamdulillah.

As an ummah, we send peaceand blessing on our beloved Rasuldaily, in obedience to Allah’srequest.

Globally, the enemies of Islamare insulting our noble Prophet(SAW). In response, Muslimshave responded with anger, andfeel the urge to retaliate. An insultto our Rasul is seen as a heinouscrime.

There are many who, in thename of Islam, have embarked ona spree of killings because of whatthe enemies of Islam are doing.

What is completely ignored isthe fact that Rasulullah (SAW)never retaliated, never committedan act of violence or said a harshword to those countless enemieswho ridiculed and insulted him.

Of greater import is the factthat while we celebrate his birth,we seem to have forgotten thatAllah instructed us to follow ourbeloved Prophet’s example. He,(SAW) said, ‘I leave two thingswith you, the Book of Allah andmy way of life. If you cling to thatyou will never go wrong.’

Should we not do some reflect-ing and consider whether we are,in fact, following the Sunnah? Arewe doing so in the important mat-ters, not just in the rituals?

Looking at some of the situa-tions currently taking place in ourcommunity, the answer appearsto be a resounding ‘no’.

Zureida has two daughters andis married to a businessmanwhose business has failed severaltimes. Every time he gets intotrouble, her father helps him out.Her husband abuses her andwhen she says she wants to leavehim, her father tells her that if shedoes, she will be digging hisgrave.

Faranaaz has not gained clo-sure since her first husband lefther to live with a ‘white’ girl.Now in her second marriage, herhusband lost his job because of

dishonesty and has had an affairwith a colleague. Faranaaz is stillwith him but finds it difficult totrust him.

Six months ago, Gayaat’s hus-band told her that he is unhappyand is moving out to ‘find him-self’. He then started what heterms a platonic relationship witha non-Muslim woman. WhenGayaat had come to terms withthe end of her marriage, her hus-band asked to return and work atthe relationship.

However, he continued to seethe other woman, even taking hiseight-year-old daughter to visither. After months of see-sawingand playing with his wife’s emo-tions, he has now given her atalaq.

Soraya is 20-years-old and wasmarried for just 18 months whenshe discovered her husband washaving an affair with a schoolgirlbut he refused to end the relation-ship. He subsequently divorcedher.

Warda has been putting upwith her husband’s affairs foryears.

Every time she finds out aboutan affair, he apologises andpromises to reform, and then,very soon thereafter, he does itagain.

Hudah is married to an angryand abusive man. He spends lav-ishly on other women and doesnot support his wife at all. Shehas two sons who are experienc-ing anger issues and are rude toher.

Taheera’s husband takes noresponsibility for anything to dowith their life; she has to nag andbeg him to do what he is sup-posed to do. He then becomesrepentant and promises to do bet-ter but seems incapable of takingresponsibility.

Mareldia has been married fortwo years and, a few months ago,her husband told her he no longerfeels a connection to her and nowsleeps with his back to her.

They consulted an imam whotold them to perform salaahtogether.

Abeeda’s husband has moodswings; he can be perfectly fineand then, suddenly, he willscream abuse at her. He hasslapped her around her head, andbanged her head against the wall.He lies to her father and herfather now takes his side.

She is very angry at her fatherbecause when she asked if shecould move in with him for awhile, he refused and told her tostay with her husband and havesabr. She wants to know whathappened to the instruction thather father is supposed to protecther if her husband abuses her.

Nadia has three children, aged16, 10 and 7. She was shockedwhen, three months ago, her hus-band sat her down with theirthree children and announced: ‘Iam in love with another womanand will be spending time withher. So you will not see much of

me.’ He promptly moved out.Now he has returned, begging

for forgiveness and wants life togo on as if nothing has happened.

On the authority of AbuHuraira (RA), Rasulullah (SAW)is reported to have said: ‘The per-fect believer is the one whosecharacter is excellent, and the bestamongst you is the one who treatshis women with kindness.’ (Tir-midhi)

Abu Darda (RA) reports Rasu-lullah (SAW) as saying: ‘Nothingcounts heavier on the scale of thebeliever on the day of qiyamahthan good character. And trulyAllah dislikes a shameless andbad character. (Bukhari)

Whatever the reason for ourmen behaving this way, the bot-tom line is that women and chil-dren are suffering.

The question that begs answer-ing is: Can we say that these menare kind to their wives and chil-dren or that they have the best ofcharacter?

From Consciousness to Contentment

The best amongst you is the onewho treats his women with kindness

Of greater import is the fact that while we celebrate his

birth, we seem to have forgotten that Allah instructed us to

follow our beloved Prophet’s example. He, (SAW) said, ‘I

leave two things with you, the Book of Allah and my way of

life. If you cling to that you will never go wrong.’ Should

we not do some reflecting and consider whether we are, in

fact, following the Sunnah? Are we doing so in the

important matters, not just in the rituals? Looking

at some of the situations currently taking place in our

community, the answer appears to be a resounding ‘no’.

Muslim Views

Muslim Views . March 2015 31

TO some, China is enigmatic, cold and mysterious, as if still

hidden behind its Great Wallerected to keep the maraudingMongol terror of the 1200s atbay.

Few know its history; stillfewer are familiar with the vastnumber of Chinese innovationsand inventions that have filteredto the West over the last millenni-um.

The printing press is a Chineseinvention, as is gunpowder usedin fireworks and cannons.

According to a very interestingbook, Lost Islamic History, byFiras Alkhateeb, ‘Caliph Uthmanbin Affan sent a recent convert toIslam, S’ad ibn Waqqas, as anambassador to the Tang dynastyof China around the year 650CE.By then many in China hadalready become Muslim, and theTang dynasty had invited Muslimsoldiers to serve in their armies.’

Firas also writes: ‘In the 1300s,The Hwongwu Emperor wrotethe Hundred word Eulogy, whichpraised the characteristics of theProphet Muhammad. Copies of itwere distributed to mosquesthroughout China.’

But, over the centuries, Mus-lims have remained a smallminority. Confucianism and Bud-dhism reigned as the dominantreligions and still do. Today, some40 million or about 2,8 per centof China’s 1,3 billion are Muslim.

The early Muslims did notsummarily discard their ancientChinese heritage.

Interestingly, their equanimitywith Islamic abhorrence of repre-sentational figures in mosques,and their ancient Chinese mythol-ogy can still be seen in their earlymosque construction and décorwhere traditional Arabic calligra-phy is juxtaposed with figurativedragon and spirit motifs.

Aramco World Magazine ofNovember/ December 2014 has afascinating article on Chinesemosques beyond the touristmosque-trails of the Ox RoadMosque of Beijing and the GreatMosque of Xian.

Many of the mosques, like theearly mosques in Cape Town and

elsewhere, started off as rooms inhouses used for prayers and werelater renovated into mosques.

Dedicated mosque structureswere often on raised platformsand made almost entirely of tim-ber. Their tiled roof finials,though, had the re-curved patternof Chinese Pagodas.

This style harks back to theancient Chinese belief that whenevil spirits descend from aboveand slide down the roof, theywould follow the curved roof andshoot up again.

Some of these finials are alsodecorated with figures of assorteddragons and spirits. Most of themosques did not have minarets ordomes. Some had central pago-das, just higher than the mosqueroof, and were used for ‘moonsighting’.

Mosque interior decors wereoften an amalgam of typical Chi-nese patterns interplaying withArab calligraphy and geometrics.Madrassahs were integrated intothe mosque structures. Modernmosques tend to have the genericMiddle East style of domes andtall minarets.

The history of the Chinese inSouth Africa goes back to withina week of Jan van Riebeeck’slanding at the Cape. But why didhe come here?

The powerful spice-tradingDutch East India Company’s(DEIC) ships sailed between Texelor Amsterdam in Holland toloading ‘factories’ at Calicut,Madras and Bengal on the coastof present-day India, Batavia(Jakarta) in Java and Calle inCeylon (Sri Lanka).

(Note that sometimes, in docu-ments, these stations were lumpedtogether and referred to as eitherIndia or East Indies, causing con-fusion for researchers.) The toand fro journeys took manymonths at sea without fresh foodand vegetables.

Often, more than half of thecrews, fed exclusively on a diet ofsalted pork and worm-infested

biscuits, died on the long sea pas-sages between Holland and theEast Indies.

Death was primarily due to thedeadly disease, scurvy. In this dis-ease the teeth fall out, the patientloses weight, bleeds internally anddies a painful death. Scurvy waslater found to be caused by a lackof Vitamin C, abundant in lemonsand fresh vegetables.

In 1648, the Dutch ship Haar-lem floundered in Table Bay. Onrescue, the sailors reported to theDEIC that Table Bay had plentyof water and was ideal for planti-ng vegetables.

To provide a halfway victual-ing station and hospital for sailorssuffering from deadly scurvy, theDEIC decided to erect a halfwaystation at the Cape with Jan vanRiebeeck as the commander.

Jan van Riebeeck had workedfor the DEIC in Tonkin (now VietNam).

He had also visited the compa-ny’s trading post in Desjina,Japan. Of note, he had also beento the West Indies.

During his stay in the lucrativeEast, he fell foul of the DEICmonopolistic trading laws andwas sent back to Holland. Inorder to rehabilitate himself withthe DEIC, he agreed to be sent tothe Cape as commander and sur-geon to erect the proposedhalfway station.

On landing here on April 6,1652, he erected a mud-brick fortwhere the old post office of the1950s was sited, opposite theGrand Parade.

Within a week, he had labourproblems. The highly affrontedKhoisan, from whom he wasstealing traditional grazing land,refused to work for him.

He complained that, ‘Thesailors ‘oafs’ he had brought withhim on the ships Dromedaris,Reiger and Goede Hoop werelazy and refused to work.’

On May 16, 1652, he wrote ascathing letter to the company inBatavia about the ‘lazy oafs’ and

proposed the importation of Chi-nese labour (he didn’t mind ifthey were slaves or prisoners inBatavian jails).

The letter continued in thesomewhat derogatory racist modeof the day: ‘Chinese labour is byfar the best. The Chinamen arenot as turbulent as the Arab nor ishe rebellious under pressure likethe K**r.

‘He is thrifty and economicallike the Indian but, unlike him, isnot mean and hoarding but onoccasion can and do spend, andeven give freely… He is neat(compared with other coolies)intelligent in his work while forpatient, steady, perseveringwork… he has no equals and nosuperiors.’

A small number of Chinesewere sent to the Cape. And, in1658, some free Muslim, Mardy-ckers, soldiers from the Indone-sian island of Amboina (mardyc-ka = freedom) were brought tothe Cape to defend the settlementsubject to the conditions of theDEIC’s Statute of India.

It stated: ‘No one shall troublethe Amboinese about their reli-gion or annoy them; so long asthey do not practise their religionin public or venture to propagateit amongst Christians and hea-thens.

‘Offenders to be punished withdeath, but should there beamongst them those who hadbeen drawn to God to becomeChristians, they were not to beprevented from joining Christianchurches.’

The Chinese were put to workin menial jobs erecting the fortand as laundrymen, gardeners,builders and running boardinghouses. They were forbidden towork at certain jobs, such as bak-ing, it being a DEIC monopoly.

In time, the Chinese, nevermore that fifty souls, mixed andmarried with some Mardyckersand slaves from Madagascar andWest Africa (Nigeria and Angola)who arrived at the Cape in 1658.The later importation of slavesand exiles from India and Indone-sia added to the mix.

A special Chinese cemeterywas located just below the TanaBaru (‘New Ground’) Muslimcemetery in the Bokaap till itsfairly recent incorporation intothe defunct Tana Baru burialgrounds.

In Chinese tradition, cemeter-ies are auspicious when sited highon a hill and facing the morning

sun.Van Riebeeck left the Cape in

1662 and headed for Malacca, aDutch enclave and trading poston the coast of present-dayMalaysia. His wife Maria diedand was buried there.

Van Riebeeck was promoted tosecretary for the DEIC in Batavia,Java. He died after eleven years ofservice and was buried there.

The next influx of Chinese inSouth Africa occurred during thediscovery of diamonds and goldin the hinterland during the1870s. Substantial numbers set-tled in Port Elizabeth and on theWitwatersrand.

During the apartheid days theywere classified as ‘coloured’.(Japanese individuals were classi-fied ‘honorary white’ for anti-apartheid sanction-busting tradepurposes.)

After 1994, there was a hugeinflux of Chinese from Taiwanand mainland China. The majori-ty of these immigrants are small-traders dispersed all over SouthAfrica. It is estimated that thereare presently more than 250 000Chinese in South Africa.

China was and is rich in artsand culture. The outsider in theWest is mostly aware of this whendrinking tea from a Chinese wil-low-patterned teacup, a Chinesestory-design made especially forforeigners by the crockery manu-facturers.

But beyond the green tea leavesthere are colourful satins andsilks, leather and faux-suede, elec-tronics and ships, and add a mil-lion pirated-copies of brandedgoods.

Much of the popular brand-named couture and shoes havesmall labels stating ‘Made inChina’.

Ask Apple, and many otherwell-known brand companies,where their innovative productsare assembled. Much of theworld’s art prints come from Chi-nese art-presses, the copies hardto tell from the originals.

This ramble is but a touch ofChina. Even if we resent China’saggressive economic blows toworldwide economies, also takenote of its spectacular rise frompoverty to economic super-power.

There is much to learn in andfrom China across the globe andright here in our midst.

While the world sleeps Chinaworks; van Riebeeck wasn’t sucha bad judge of the Chinese workethic after all.

Most of themosquesdid nothaveminarets ordomes.Some hadcentralpagodas,

just higher than themosque roof, and wereused for ‘moon sighting’,writes Doctor M C D’ARCY.

FOR ALLFOR ALLChina is right here: Part 2

Mihrab of an old Chinese mosque.Photo ARAMCOWORLD

Old Chinese mosque.Photo ARAMCOWORLD

Old Chinese mosque sited on platform and with recurved roof finials.Photo ARAMCOWORLD

Muslim Views

32 Muslim Views . March 2015

DALE T McKINLEY

AMANDLA NGAWETHU!We hear it all the time andmany regularly shout it.

Indeed, ‘Power to the People!’has been a crucial part of SouthAfrica’s political vocabulary fordecades, first as the sole preserveof those in the anti-apartheidstruggle but now as an almostgeneric democratic slogan.

While the slogan has alwaysbeen largely defined by a macro-frame of political and socialstruggle, the ongoing and intensi-fied electricity crisis has given anew twist to its meaning andapplication, which raises a funda-mental question.

Is ‘Power’ (in the form of elec-tricity) really going to ‘the Peo-ple’?

If we believe President Zumaand his Public Enterprises Minis-ter, Lynne Brown, then the quickand easy answer to that questionis that since 1994 most all such‘Power’ has indeed gone to thepeople.

According to this line of argu-ment, it is precisely because of theANC government’s commitmentto doing so as part of a largereffort to deal with the discrimina-tory legacies of apartheid, that thecountry now finds itself in apower crisis.

In other words, it has been theroll-out of electricity infrastruc-ture to those – overwhelminglyfrom the ranks of the black poor/working class – that were exclud-ed from the grid before 1994which shoulders the primary‘blame’ for the country’s currentelectricity woes.

To back this up, Zuma, Brownand their ANC/ governmentcounterparts have continuouslycited the fact that since 1994,almost six million additional peo-ple have been connected to thegrid.

While this is true and while itno doubt represents an importantachievement, there are severalproblems with this whole ‘story’which crucially undermine theframing argument.

Problem no. 1: The claim (pre-sented as fact by governmentpoliticians and reports) that theroll-out has reduced the percent-age of households without elec-tricity from around 50 per cent in1994 to 15 per cent at present, issimply not borne out by the rele-vant statistics.

According to StatsSA’s latestyearly compilation of its ‘GeneralHousehold Survey’ (2013), thereare 15,1 million households in thecountry. During his State of theNation address, President Zumastated that there are still 3,4 mil-lion households without electrici-ty.

As the Department of Energyhas confirmed, this consists of 1,2million informal and 2,2 millionformal households.

One does not have to be amathematician to quickly figureout the resultant equation; thatthe percentage of people stillwithout power stands at 22,5 percent. Not nearly as many of ‘thePeople’ have ‘Power’ as claimed.

Problem no. 2: While the 11,7million households connected tothe grid might seem like they rep-resent the largest consumer-blockof electricity, the reality is thatresidential use accounts for only18 per cent of (average yearly)usage.

This pales in comparison to the58 per cent consumed by themanufacturing and mining sec-tors combined.

When broken down into percustomer usage on a monthlybasis, the size of the usage gapbecomes even more glaring. Resi-dential (‘homelight’) users sup-plied directly from Eskom con-sume 0,0007 per cent of whatlarge corporate/ industrial(‘megaflex’) customers use.

Further, Eskom’s figures showthat sales to residential users from

1996-2014 increased by a mere3,5 per cent – from 1,5 per cent to5 per cent of total sales.

As energy expert Dirk de Voshas shown, when placed in thecontext of ‘the total increase inelectricity supplied to the countryas a whole’ since 1996, ‘less than12 per cent of that can beascribed to the expansion ofaccess to electricity in previouslyun-served areas’.

The expansion of the electrici-ty grid and the resultant distribu-tion and use of ‘Power’ is notnearly as much in favour of ‘thePeople’ as has been made out.

Problem no. 3: The price that‘the People’ pay for electricity,and more importantly by thatpoor majority which is engaged ina daily struggle just to survive, isfar beyond what those who aremost able to afford, pay.

As set against the average costof electricity (measured per kilo-watt hour) across all socio-eco-nomic sectors, residential userspay 100 per cent more.

When it comes to a price com-parison with the manufacturingand mining sectors, residentialusers pay, on average, 300 percent more than these power-guz-zlers.

What makes this class-framedprice divide even worse is the factthat almost a third of the powergenerated by Eskom is sold belowthe cost of production, with thepower-guzzlers and internationalclients being the main beneficia-ries.

The cumulative result is thatnot only have ‘the People’ becomethe power cash-cows but the cosy,below-cost deals with those whoshould be charged much more hasfinancially compromised capitalexpansion requirements.

Problem no. 4: While the dom-inant trope of media, public andgovernment discourse and think-ing is that poor people are themain defaulters and electricity‘thieves’ (mostly through ‘illegalconnections’), the reality is that,by far, the biggest power default-ers and ‘thieves’ are anything butpoor.

Meter audits undertaken byEskom’s ‘Energy Losses Manage-ment Programme’ have shownthat around 65 per cent of allenergy ‘theft’ in Eskom’s supplyareas is carried out by the busi-ness, industrial, commercial andagricultural sectors as the resultof meter tampering, lack ofmetering and refusal to pay.

Not surprisingly, Eskomadmits that the subsequent finan-cial losses incurred are far greaterthan those resulting from residen-tial ‘theft’.

When it comes to defaulters, itis once again not ‘the People’ whotake first prize. Across the coun-try’s municipalities, the prime cul-prits are big business and govern-ment itself. A few examples willsuffice.

Last year, in the Western Capemunicipality of Kannaland, aleaked confidential reportrevealed that big businesses owe

the lion’s share of R20 millionarrears to Eskom.

Similarly, a 2014 report fromthe Free State municipality ofMatjhabeng fingered mines,medium-sized businesses, govern-ment departments and those rent-ing state-owned properties as thebiggest defaulters.

And, even though the 2013-2014 Annual Report of (Johan-nesburg’s) City Power failed tomention how much its big busi-ness, industrial and commercialclients owed, it did reveal that theyearly debt of Johannesburg Gen-eral Hospital stands at R57 mil-lion.

The picture is clear. Our energycrisis is not the result of succes-sive ANC governments bringing‘Power to the People’.

Rather, combined withextremely poor forward planning,it is the result of bringing less-than-cost power to a very smallminority of manufacturing andmining corporates.

The crisis has been furtherexacerbated by allowing thosewho can most afford to pay, tolargely get away with large-scalepower ‘theft’ and non-payment.

It seems like ‘the People’ needto shout a lot louder. AMANDLANGAWETHU!This article by Dr McKinley, anindependent writer, researcherand lecturer as well as politicalactivist, was first published onthe website of The South AfricanCivil Society Information Service(sacsis.org.za)

South Africa’s electricity crisis: ispower really going to the people?

When it comes to a

price comparison with the

manufacturing and mining

sectors, residential users pay,

on average, 300 per cent more

than these power-guzzlers

…around 65 per cent of

all energy ‘theft’ in Eskom’s

supply areas is carried out

by the business,

industrial, commercial

and agricultural sectors…