A 10-point "declaration on promotion of world peace and cooperation," incorporating

the principles of the United Nations Charter was adopted unanimously:

1. Respect for fundamental human rights and for the purposes and principles of the

charter of the United Nations

2. Respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations

3. Recognition of the equality of all races and of the equality of all nations large and

small

4. Abstention from intervention or interference in the internal affairs of another

country

5. Respect for the right of each nation to defend itself, singly or collectively, in

conformity with the charter of the United Nations

6. (a) Abstention from the use of arrangements of collective defence to serve any

particular interests of the big powers

(b) Abstention by any country from exerting pressures on other countries

7. Refraining from acts or threats of aggression or the use of force against the

territorial integrity or political independence of any country

8. Settlement of all international disputes by peaceful means, such as negotiation,

conciliation, arbitration or judicial settlement as well as other peaceful means of

the parties own choice, in conformity with the charter of the United Nations

9. Promotion of mutual interests and cooperation

10. Respect for justice and international obligations.

The final Communique of the Conference underscored the need for developing countries

to loosen their economic dependence on the leading industrialised nations by providing

technical assistance to one another through the exchange of experts and technical

assistance for developmental projects, as well as the exchange of technological know-

how and the establishment of regional training and research institutes.

Published by Saeedah Cachalia and Haroon Aziz in The Jakarta Post on 23 April 2015

Molvi Ismail Ahmad Cachalia of South Africa was the key link between the African National Congress (ANC) and the Bandung Conference.

The link dated back to 1907 when Mahatma Gandhi and Molvi’s father had organized the First Great Passive Resistance Campaign. The link continued through Gandhi and Pundit Nehru as a family bond when the young Cachalia studied to become an Islamic scholar at Darul Ulum Deoband in India (1924-1931).

In 1913, Gandhi, Thambi Naidoo and Molvi’s father had organized the Second Great Passive Resistance Campaign.

In 1946, Molvi helped to organize the Third Great Passive Resistance Campaign, which influenced the formation of the militant ANC Youth League, under Nelson Mandela and others.

On June 22, 1946 — as a direct consequence of the Third Campaign — India’s government addressed a letter to the UN Secretary General and placed the mistreatment of Indians in South Africa on the agenda of the UN General Assembly. This measure internationalized the struggle against apartheid.

In 1948, Molvi travelled to India and met the leaders of the Indian National Congress (INC), including Gandhi and Nehru. Soon thereafter Gandhi was assassinated.

On Nov 8, 1951, the National Action Committee (NAC) was formed in South Africa

to defy the fascist laws that were being passed to institutionalize racism as apartheid. NAC was formed on the basis of the Molvi Report, Non-Violent Campaign of Defiance of Unjust Laws. It was modeled on the three Great Campaigns (1907-1946). The Report provided the theoretical guide to mobilizing the masses on a non-racial basis.

On June 26, 1952, the Defiance Campaign of Unjust Laws was launched, with Mandela as the volunteer-in-chief and Molvi as his deputy.

About 8,000 defiers were jailed. Mandela became the brave face of the ANC in the event that apartheid would proscribe ANC as an illegal organization.

Molvi was sentenced to a suspended 18-month imprisonment for his role in the Defiance Campaign. Apartheid immediately banned him as a “communist”. In response to Molvi’s objection to being labeled a communist”, Judge Rumpff coined a special term — “statutory communist’” — to give a de jure justification for an allegation that lacked de facto substance.

The banning order curbed his physical movement and prohibited him from absenting himself from the city of his residence in Johannesburg and it also curtailed his civil liberties. But Molvi, the defiant soul, continued his underground political activities under disguise and became reputed as a master of disguise.

In 1955, the World Peace Council conferred the World Peace Award on Molvi.

The ANC was invited to attend the historic Bandung Conference in 1955, which was a forerunner to the present-day Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), set up in 1961; and it had an influence on the Tricontinental Conference of Asia, Africa and Latin America held in 1966.

The former colonies were shifting toward continental solidarity against worldwide imperialism, for which Bandung provided the initial spark. This solidarity has to continue because imperialism still reigns hegemonic.

The invitation to Bandung was delivered to the ANC, care of Molvi and Dr Yusuf Dadoo, from the INC through the India League, under Krishna Menon and Mulk Raj Anand, based in London.

The ANC deployed Molvi and Moses Kotane to the Bandung Conference. Both of them were denied their right to passports. Molvi, a lifelong scholar of jurisprudence, discovered a loophole in the law relating to foreign travel. Travel agents were not obliged to issue tickets against passports only but against letters of intent to travel. Molvi got a friendly travel agent to issue the two tickets, which were sponsored by Molvi’s friend.

Molvi and Kotane travelled to London where they met Menon who issued them with Indian travel documents that enabled them to travel to Egypt, India, Singapore and Indonesia. The mere thought of the conference was igniting their spirit of internationalism in new and practical ways to overthrow apartheid and imperialism. They courageously became the physical embodiment of the spirit of the oppressed South African masses.

In London, they canvassed political support for the anti-apartheid struggle, which included the revered Canon Collins of St. Paul’s Cathedral, who later founded the International Defence

and Aid Fund (1956), which provided funds for the legal defense of 156 people charged for high treason in 1956 and other political/legal trials. The spark of Bandung was lighting up fires in unexpected ways.

In London, Molvi and Kotane fell under the spying eyes of the MI6 intelligence service because the US government had labeled Kotane as one of the 500 most dangerous communists in the world, and Molvi had played a leading role in the 1952 Defiance Campaign.

They travelled to Egypt where upon arrival in Cairo they were detained and interrogated by the police, apparently on US orders. They were later released to meet Ali Sabry, who was in charge of political affairs in Premier Nasser’s office. Menon had recommended them to Nasser. They canvassed Nasser’s support for the anti-apartheid struggle and he made them the guest of his state.

In Cairo they also consolidated bonds of solidarity with political exiles from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia as well as with the head of the Arab League.

They then visited Nehru in India, whose support was axiomatic. They left for Singapore where they canvassed support among the Chinese, Malay and Indian organizations. They left for Bandung, which yielded benefits for the ANC even before the actual conference.

Nehru was the prime mover for the presence of the ANC at the conference, supported by Indonesia, Burma (today’s Myanmar), Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and Pakistan.

Molvi and Kotane opened discussions on the ways and means of achieving fuller economic, cultural and political cooperation. The conference reaffirmed their incorrigible belief in the certainty of the defeat of apartheid.

Their hearts were warmed by newfound international solidarity and by being treated as world statesmen. They presented a 32-page memorandum against apartheid to the conference, which was favourably received. One conference resolution read, “The Conference extended its warm sympathy and support for the courageous stand taken by the victims of racial discrimination, especially, by the peoples of African, and Indian and Pakistani origin in South Africa.”

It declared support for Palestinians against Zionism while it also rejected an application by Israel to be included as a participant country of the Bandung Conference. Of special historical significance was that Indonesia and South Africa shared a common oppressor — Dutch colonialism — and that Islam first reached South Africa in 1668 through the agency of political prisoners from the Indonesian/Malaysian archipelago.

After the conference, Molvi departed for India and Morocco, where he prepared the ground for Mandela’s later visit to canvass for military and financial aid for the armed struggle that was to unfold in South Africa from 1961-1994. Kotane left for Poland and China, where he consolidated further solidarity links for ANC. The post-conference benefits yielded results beyond expectations.

The conference ensconced the anti-apartheid struggle firmly in the Third World, beyond the wily machinations of imperialist powers. The spirit of Bandung should be carried forward through global South-South trade and dialogue to sustain cultural, educational and social ties between nations of the South. Through the emerging economies of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), South Africa can mutually help Indonesia to consolidate its rightful place in the Maritime Silk Route.

The hall of Gedung Merdeka where the Bandung Conference took place. [Photo/Xinhua]

- ’

1. To bind oneself firmly in the management of emotions before actions

2. To guard oneself against negative emotions with good thoughts

3. To take account of one’s emotions

4. To punish oneself for one’s negative emotions

5. To overcome negative emotions by constant efforts

6. To renounce negative emotions

The basis of the six phases: Is to take account of oneself through self-examination of emotions

• Sole intention is the purification of the soul as the only valid form of success in life

• All good actions serve this intention

• Every breath should be invested in the purification process

• Place all five sense organs under the control of the mind as the agent of the soul

• The best way to give leadership to oneself is to take account of oneself

• Meditate on truth constantly

• Meditation is a sharp point of focus that produces beneficial neuro-chemicals and enzymes

• Meditation strengthens faith

• Meditation shifts attention from the physical to mental realm

• Cultivate silence of action and solitude of heart

• Intention interconnects sincerity of purpose, mind, heart lips and meaningful actions

• Intention directs and controls scarce energy and time to a particular area of focus

• Intention contains foreknowledge of what an action aims to achieve

• The human will interconnects intention and achievement

• The human will is reinforced by steadfastness

• Sincerity of purpose is the hidden treasure of the heart

• Sincerity of purpose purifies the achievements of action

• Meditation before action:

• Why are you doing what you want to do?

• For whom are you doing it?

• How will you do it?

• Intention implies action

• Prophet Isa on action: • Follow good action/intention

• Avoid bad action/intention

When in doubt, entrust action to one

who knows better

• Prophet Muhammad on faith

• Not to fear slander in the cause of truth

• Avoid service for the sake of showing off to people

• Preference of the eternal to the temporal

• Prophet Muhammad on time management

• Whisper to God

• Ponder on wonders of nature

• Take account of oneself

• Eat, drink and sleep

• Take account of oneself

• Exercise self-restraint

• Obligatory duties are principles

• Optional duties are bonuses

• Wrong actions are losses

• Inflict self-punishment to curb further negative emotions and avoid self-destruction

• For wrong actions perform optional duties or punish yourself

• Resist negative emotions

• Move far away from wrong actions

• Let inner sincerity accompany outer actions

• Your worst enemies are your negative emotions that lead to wrong actions

• Your best friends are your positive emotions that lead to good actions

• Teach yourself positive emotions and carry them into good actions

• Then give people lessons accordingly

• Overcome ignorance with wisdom by bringing all emotions under control

• Negative emotions are hell. Positive emotions are heaven

• Death is always near. It is sudden and alone

• Detach yourself from all emotions with compassion

(From Imam Al-Ghazali’s “Ihya Ulum-Din” Vol.

IV Islamic Book Service: New Delhi 2011)

Intention

Faith

Time

Action

MOLVI ISMAIL CACHALIA Essay Competition

EXTRACTED FROM MOLVI CACHALIA’S BIOGRAPHY

Striving for social justice is the most valuable thing to do in life according to Albert Einstein. That is what the learned and honourable Molvi Ismail Cachalia spent his life fighting for - the liberation of Indian South Africans during the Apartheid regime.

Cachalia was born on 5 December 1908, in Newtown, Johannesburg, South Africa. His father, Ahmad Cachalia, a political activist, was detained at the time of his birth. At the age of 16, Cachalia became actively involved in politics. He pursued theological studies in India, and qualified as an Islamic scholar in 1931, with political links to Gandhi and Nehru.

Cachalia was one of the key leaders in the 1946 India Passive Resistance Campaign, which influenced the ANC Youth League, under Nelson Mandela. Due to a report compiled by Molvi Cachalia, the NAC (National Action Committee) was formed. Cachalia was made deputy chief of this campaign, under the Chief Nelson Mandela. In 1955 Cachalia was given the world peace award.

The ANC-led alliance was invited to attend the Bandung Conference, and Molvi Cachalia was deployed to represent the alliance. Through obstacles along the way, they managed to travel and arrived in London, to canvass support for the anti-apartheid struggle. They then reached Indonesia and then participated in the Bandung Conference, by discussing ways and means of achieving fuller, economic, cultured and political co-operations. They

presented a 32 page memorandum against apartheid to the Conference, which was favourably received. This conference declared its support for the struggling people of African and Indian origin. Molvi returned to SA, and continued to build a mass movement against apartheid.

The spirit of Bandung should continue into the 21st Century, and the Al Ghazali College in Pretoria will be hosting the 60th anniversary celebration of the Bandung Conference of 29 May 2015 at a Gala Dinner.

“God commands you to render trusts to whom they are due, and when you judge between people, judge with justice.” (Quran 4:58)

Our Quraan considers justice to be a supreme virtue, and it is therefore safe to say that justice is an obligation in Islam and injustice between races is strictly forbidden. This sums up what Molvi Ahmad Cachalia stood firmly for.

Grade 6 Winner – Zahra Dada

MOLVI ISMAIL CACHALIA Surah 49. Al-Hujurat, Ayah 13

“O Mankind! We created from you a single(pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other(not that ye may despair each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).”

The 1955 Bandung Conference is valued as part of South Africa’s history. It was one of the first and largest events at which anti-apartheid struggle was internationalized.

Ismail Ahmed(Molvi) Cachalia, one of South Africa’s greatest liberation activists attended this conference. Molvi was born in Johannesburg, South Africa on 5 December 1908, while his father was in prison. Molvi went to the Indian School in Bree Street and after completing standard Five at the age of 16 he went to study at the theological College in Deoband India. In 1931 his lectures inducted him into the underground political movement.

In 1946 Molvi was one of the leading organisers of the Third Great Passive Resistance Campaign. In 1951 the National Action Committee (NAC) in South Africa was formed on the basis of Molvis Report. In 1952 Cachalia was Deputy Volunteer in Chief to Nelson Mandela. In 1955 Cachalia and Kotane,

leader of ANC, represented Liberation Movement at the historic Asian African Bandung Conference. He was awarded the “World Peace Council Award”. He returned to South Africa in 1990 and died on 8 August 2003.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Bandung Conference. Since the aims are to promote the African-Asian economic and cultural co-operation and to oppose colonialism, Al Ghazali in Pretoria will host a celebration in May 2015 as a civil society initiative in conjunction with the Indonesian Embassy in Pretoria. It creates an outstanding opportunity for Muslims worldwide to assert Islamic awakening as well as justice and economic development for Allah (S.W.T) says in Surah 49 vs 13.

Grade 7 Winner – Zaakir Abdoola

MOLVI ISMAIL CACHALIA God commands justice and fair dealing. This means that injustice is forbidden in Islam and justice is an obligation.

The Asian-African was a meeting of Asians and African states. The twenty-five countries that participated at the Bandung Conference represented nearly one-quarter of the Earth’s land surface and a total population of 15 billion people. The conference’s aim were to promote Afro-Asian economic and cultural co-operation and to oppose colonialism by any nation.

Mahatma Gandhi played an important role with Ahmad Cachalia, father of Molvi Cachalia. In 1907, the first Passive Resistance Campaign took place. Ismail Cachalia qualified as an Islamic Scholar in 1931. He was introduced to an underground political movement against British colonialism.

Molvi was one of the leading organizers of the Third Great Passive Resistance Campaign, which influenced the defiant political militancy of the African National Congress Youth League, under the leadership of Nelson Mandela and others.

On November 8, 1951 the National Action Committee (NAC) in South Africa was formed to defy the fascist laws that were being passed. NAC was formed on the basis of Molvis Report, Non-violent Campaign of Defiance of Unjust Laws.

Molvi Cachalia took part in the Great Defiance Campaign of 1952 against racism, of which Apartheid was a special form. In 1952 he was

banned under the Suppression of Communism Act that infringed his human right to freedom of movement.

The ANC was invited to attend the historic Bandung Conference deployed by Molvi and Kotane to represent it at the conference. They canvassed political support for the anti-apartheid struggle.

At the conference Molvi and Kotane were treated as world statesmen. They presented a 32 page Memorandum against Apartheid to the Conference, which was favourably received.

The Bandung Conference Celebration allows worldwide Muslims to assert Islamic awakening, progress, social justice and economic development. This involves poverty alleviation, elimination of discrimination and inequality and fighting corruption in all its forms.

Grade 8 Winner – Zahra Carrim

MOLVI ISMAIL CACHALIA “But whoso does good works, whether male or female, and is a believer, such shall enter Heaven, and shall not be wronged even as much as the little hollow in the back of a date-stone.” (Al Qur’an 4:125)

Islam teaches that in the sight of Allah Almighty, all people are equal, but they are not necessarily identical. There are differences of abilities, potentials, ambitions, wealth and so on.

The Bandung Conference was a meeting of Asian and African states organized by Indonesia, Myanmar (Burma), Ceylon (Sri Lanka), India, and Pakistan which took place from April 18–24 1955 in Bandung Indonesia. A total of 1.5 billion people nearly one-quarter of the Earth’s land surface participated at the Bandung Conference. The conference is also known as the Asian-African or Afro-Asian conference. The aim of the conference was to promote economic and cultural co-operation and to oppose colonialism.

Molvi Ismail Cachalia was born in the then - Transvaal province of South Africa on 5 December 1908. Molvi Ismail Cachalia went to school at the Bree Street Indian School and after completing grade 7, at the age of 16 he went to study at The Muslim Theological College in Deoband, India.

Molvi Ismail Cachalia qualified as an Islamic scholar in 1931 at Darul’Ulum Deoband. Due to his advanced intelligence he was introduced to an underground political movement against British colonialism by his lecturers. In 1946 Molvi Ismail Cachalia was one of the leading organisers of the Third Great Passive

Resistance Campaign and influenced the defiant political militancy of the African National Congress Youth League which was formed in 1948 under the leadership of the late Nelson Mandela and others. The National Action Committee (NAC) in South Africa was formed on 8 November 1951 to defy the fascist laws that were being passed by the National Party. NAC was formed on the basis of Molvi Ismail Cachalia’s report Non-Violent Campaign of Defiance of Unjust Laws.

The Molvi Report supplied the theoretical guide to mobilising the masses on non-racial basis.Molvi Cachalia took part in the Great Defiance Campaign of 1952 against racism that Apartheid was a special form. Molvi was then sentenced to a suspended 18-month imprisonment for his role in the Great Defiance Campaign. Molvi was also banned under the Suppression of Communism Act although he was not a communist and this violated his human right to freedom of movement. Three years later in 1955 the World Peace Council granted Molvi the World Peace Award.

The ANC-Led Alliance was invited to attend the Bandung Conference. Molvi and his partner Kotane were assigned to represent The South African liberation movement at the conference. They travelled to London were they issued their Indian travel documents that allowed them to travel to Egypt, India, Singapore and Indonesia. While in London they canvassed political support for the anti-Apartheid struggle.

MOLVI ISMAIL CACHALIA They fell under the watch of the MI6 because the USA government had labelled Kotane as one of the 500 most dangerous communists in the world and Molvi had played a leading role in the 1952 Defiance Campaign. They visited many countries and canvassed political support for the anti-Aparthied. Molvi and Kotane were treated as world statesmen. They presented their 32 page memorandum against Apartheid to the conference and it was favourably received.

The 60th anniversary of the 1955 Bandung Conference is scheduled to take place from April 19th-24th 2015 in Indonesia. It is a celebration of the termination of injustice and discrimination and to commemorate all those who fought for our freedom.

Grade 9 Winner – Uzair Hoosen

Legacy: Rashida Daya nee Cachalia (photo left, left to right), Yehia Cachalia and Saeedah Hassan Cachalia pose in front of the picture of their father Ismail Ahmed

Cachalia, known as Molvi, who was an activist with the South African liberation movement. Courtesy of Cachalia family.

MOLVI ISMAIL CACHALIA Human dignity and human rights play an important role in our lives and we should show respect to those courageous people who made sure that all of us here today have those 2 things. Here is what Allah (SWT) says in the Holy Quran about human rights and human dignity:

Human Rights: “He who kills a single being is like he has killed humanity at large and he who gives life to one it is as if he has given life to the entire humanity.”

Human Dignity: “Oh you people, indeed we have created you males and females and made you in the races, tribes and clans so you may (only) know each other.”

The first large-scale African-Asian Conference, known as the Bandung Conference, was a meeting of Asians and African states which took place in 1955 in Bandung, Indonesia. The conference’s stated aims were to promote Afro-Asian economic and cultural co-operation and to oppose colonialism. The core principles of the Bandung Conference were political self-determination, mutual for sovereignty, non-aggression, non-interference in internal affairs, and equality. 25 countries participated at the Bandung Conference.

In 1914 when Mahatma Gandhi left South Africa for India, after the Second Great Passive Resistance Campaign, he implied that Molvi’s father, Ahmad Cachalia, was his worthy successor. The First Great Passive Resistance Campaign took place in 1907, for which Ahmad Cachalia was sentenced to nine-month imprisonment which hard labour. His son, Ismail Cachalia, was born in Newton in Johannesburg, South Africa on the 5th

December 1908 while his father was in prison.

Ismail Cachalia enrolled at Darul ‘Ulum Deoband, a theological college in India, in 1924 where he qualified as an Islamic scholar in 1931. Because of his precocious intelligence his lecturers inducted him into the underground political movement against British colonialism and into the underground Naqshabandi Sufi movement, which was linked to Shah Walliullah. Vlamdimir Lenin, the leader of the 1917 Russian Revolution, was also ideologically influenced by Ubaidullah Sind, who was a disciple of Shah Walliullah.

In 1946 Molvi was one of the leading organizers of the Third Great Passive Resistance Campaign, which influenced the defiant political militancy of the African National Congress Youth League, formed in 1948, under the leadership of Nelson Mandela and others.

On 8 November 1951, the National Action Committee (NAC) in South Africa was formed to defy the fascist laws that were being passed after the White-race-based National Party attained political power in 1948. NAC was formed on the basis of Molvi’s Report, Non-Violent Campaign of Defiance of Unjust Laws, scheduled to be launched on June 26, 1952.

Grade 10 Winner – Naeema Ismail

MOLVI ISMAIL CACHALIA It is narrated in the holy Quraan:

“Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded.”(16:90)

“And this worldly life is not but diversion and amusement. And indeed, the home of the Hereafter - that is the [eternal] life, if only they knew.”(29:64)

The conference of Bandung was preceded by the Bogor Conference in 1949. This was the seed for the Colombo Plan and Bandung Conference. The conference reflected on what the organizers regarded as a reluctance by the Western powers to consult with them on decisions affecting Asia in a setting of Cold War tensions. The conference was followed by the Afro-Asian Solidarity Conference in Cairo.

During this time a man by the name of Ismail Mohammed Cachalia “Moulvi” said: “My political outlook was influenced by the teachings of the Islamic religion. We believe in the equality of man. The Islamic religion imposes upon me as a teacher and a theologian duties in regard to the carrying out of the fundamental tenets of Islam. Equality being one. Tolerance, justice and so on should be meted out to all”.

Moulvi enrolled at the Darul Uloom in Deoband, India, in 1924 and completed his studies in 1930. Deoband played a part in moulding his politics as most of his teachers were either members of the Indian National Congress or belonged to the Jamiat-ul-Ulema-i-Hind, an organisation of Muslims in India which worked for the liberation of India in alliance with Congress. He also followed the political activities of Gandhi.

Returning to South Africa in 1931, Moulvi began a mail order business, called Central Distributing Agency, in partnership with his brother Yusuf. He became formally involved in politics in 1938 when Cissie Gool formed the Non- European United Front to protest proposed segregation legislation. Moulvi was a council member of the Johannesburg committee of the NEUF. They participated in a massive march towards the Houses of Parliament in that year.

Moulvi was part of the rising group of Indians who sought common ground with activists across racial lines. Under Yusuf Dadoo they took over the leadership of the Transvaal Indian Congress in 1946. Moulvi was a member of the Joint Passive Resistance Committee of 1946 and was arrested for leading a batch of women resisters. He was a member of the executive member of the TIC from 1946, vice president from 1947, and secretary from 1951. He was also a member of the executive committee of the South African Indian Congress from 1947, founding member and secretary of the Transvaal Peace Council in 1950, and vice-president of the South African Peace Council. A banning order in 1954 forced him to relinquish these positions.

MOLVI ISMAIL CACHALIA In the late 1940s and early 1950s the pattern was set for cooperation between the SAIC and the African National Congress. Moulvi was a member of the National Action Committee and was seconded to Nelson Mandela during the 1952 Defiance Campaign. Alongside Moses Kotane, ANC leader and chairman of the CPSA, Moulvi attended the Asian-African Conference as a representative of the South African liberation movement in Bandung in April 1955. He did not have a passport but the Indian Prime Minister, Nehru, arranged his travel to the conference which focused on ending colonialism and bringing about better relations between the countries of Asia and Africa. From Bandung, Moulvi visited Singapore and Thailand before going to India where he spent almost a year.

On his return to South Africa Moulvi immersed himself in protest politics and was arrested and imprisoned for three months in the wake of state repression that followed the Sharpeville massacre (March 1960) and the banning of the ANC and Pan African Congress. Moulvi was served with restriction orders in 1963 and placed under house arrest. He escaped into exile in 1964 and established an ANC mission in Botswana. In 1967 he transferred to India where he and Alfred Nzo launched an ANC mission in Delhi.

Moulvi’s wife, Miriam Bhana, was involved in both the passive resistance campaign of 1946-48 and the Defiance Campaign of 1952, serving prison sentences on both occasions. She died in 1973. In 1977, India bestowed its premier honour, the Padma Shri, upon Moulvi Cachalia. Moulvi returned to South Africa in 1990 and participated in the ANC’s election campaign in 1994.

The purpose of the 2015 Bandung conference is to commemorate and acknowledge those who fought in the struggle against Apartheid and acknowledged those. The conference also aims at strengthening South-South Cooperation to promote world peace and prosperity.

Grade 11 Winner – Muaath Jacobs

Past Leaders: Then South African president Nelson Mandela (left) is greeted by then Indonesian president Soeharto at the State Palace on July 14, 1997. South Africa’s connection to the Asia-Africa solidarity movement dates to 1955, when the African National Congress was invited to the Bandung Conference Indonesia hosted that year.

Bandung spirit remains relevant,

says family of anti-apartheid hero

Written by Bagus BT Saragih, The Jakarta Post,

Johannesburg, South Africa

Animated by a conversation on inequality, poverty and corruption, Yehia Cachalia did not look his 77 years. His sister, Saeedah Hassan nee Cachalia, 75, had a much softer tone, but she too had a strong message to convey about the challenges still facing South Africans today, 20 years after the fall of apartheid. Clearly, the Cachalias have inherited a spirit of activism from their late father, the Indian-descended Ismail Ahmed Cachalia or Molvi Cachalia, one of South African’s greatest liberation activists, who attended the historic Asian-African Conference in Bandung in 1955 despite the best efforts of the South African authorities. South Africa values the conference as part of its history. It was one of the first and largest events at which the anti-apartheid struggle was internationalized and foreign support for the liberation movement was mobilized. “Molvi is a term synonymous with Iman or Sufi,” Saeedah said at the terrace of their comfortable house, hidden behind a high fence in one of Johannesburg’s premium residential complexes.

Full of smiles and warm hospitality, the Muslim family received Indonesian journalists, including The Jakarta Post, at the house, three weeks ago. The tweets of caged birds provided a cozy backing to the heated but constructive discussions that afternoon, as if the spirit of the Bandung message had flown through time and space to the economic capital of South Africa. Molvi’s children enthusiastically recounted his “illegal” journey, accompanied by activist Moses Kotane, to Bandung, but spoke widely too on education, poverty, corruption and democracy. “We were very young at the time. I remember the government took their passports away, neither had a passport when they were invited to Bandung, but they got hold of tickets anyway. They also managed to travel without passports to London,” Yehia said. Molvi and Moses, who died in 2003 and 1978, respectively, were invited to represent an alliance led by Nelson Mandela’s African National Congress (ANC).

In London, they met with Indian politician VK Krishna Menon, who provided them travel documents that enabled them to travel to Egypt, India, Singapore and, eventually, Indonesia. But the challenges did not end there. Molvi and Moses were reportedly detained and interrogated upon arrival in Cairo, though not for long. During their stop-overs in India and Singapore, they canvassed support for the struggle against apartheid, said Haroon Aziz, a researcher working on Molvi’s biography. Saeedah is also involved in the project, which studies the contribution of Islamic values to the struggle against apartheid. “Then Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru was the prime mover for the alliance’s presence at the Bandung Conference, which was convened by the leaders of India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Burma [now Myanmar] and Ceylon [now Sri Lanka],” Haroon said. Before state leaders attending the conference, Molvi and Moses presented the well-received Memorandum against Apartheid, which significantly helped to ensconce the anti-apartheid struggle and quickened the demise of the regime. Partly thanks to international pressure, apartheid ended in 1993 and Mandela was democratically elected president in 1994. Indonesia subsequently opened

diplomatic ties with South Africa. Molvi’s children were also involved in activism, leading them to be detained without trial. Besides Yehia and Saeedah, Molvi’s other children are Hafsa Patel nee Cachalia, who currently lives in Canada; Rashida Daya nee Cachalia, who resides in Trichardt and Johannesburg in South Africa; and youngest daughter Khaleeda Dockrat, nee Cachalia, who passed away in 2002. Saeedah, for example, was imprisoned for six months without charges. “They arrested us because we were protesting against the education system. They separated schools for Africans, for colored, for Indians, they wanted superior education for the whites. So we fought that. We demonstrated against that,” she said. While Yehia is now retired, Saeedah is still active despite her age. Besides the biography project, she is also involved in a project in Bethal, an area with a sad history of ugly apartheid laws and where Molvi is now buried. A famous strike known as the “potato boycott” occurred in Bethal in the 1950s, following reports of farm workers being beaten to death and left to die and be buried in the fields. This prompted a boycott of the Bethal farms.

Saeedah also works with the ANC’s veteran league, keeping her in contact with most of the party’s comrades. “I still support the same ideology that we had in the past,” she said. Yehia concurred, “After 342 years of struggle we got freedom, it’s a great achievement. What still needs to be achieved is better economic distribution and the eradication of corruption.” “Fighting for freedom in the past was easier, honestly, because we knew our enemy. Today, our enemy is much greater because we don’t know who they are,” Yehia said. Few would deny that his message remained relevant for the challenges facing many developing countries today. Let us hope that the message is heard by leaders of Asian and African nations who are today in Indonesia to attend the commemoration of the conference’s 60th anniversary.

Molvi (center) poses with four Indian activists in this 1955 file photo. Courtesy of Cachalia family.

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AL GHAZALI COLLEGE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Al Ghazali College was established in

1999 with an initial enrolment of 60

Foundation Phase learners. Its current

enrolment stands at 240 learners. The

school has enjoyed an excellent

reputation as an Independent Islamic

school. Al Ghazali College has a long

tradition of academic excellence and

offers a broad range of extra-curricular

programmes that foster life-long learning

and leadership.

Within its precinct, the school has a

mosque complex which serves the

learners of the school and the broader

community. The mosque complex boasts

the following facilities: a conference

venue, a library that is open to the

community, two swimming pools and

modern gym facilities for both genders.

In addition, the school has a sport

complex which also incorporates a hall.

The sports complex includes the

following facilities: a lecture theatre,

indoor soccer and cricket playing areas.

The school has a strong and honoured

tradition in exposing its learners to

leadership development programmes as

well as enrichment activities which

include eco- and sustainable projects. As

part of their holistic development,

learners are encouraged to fundraise and

to contribute generously towards worthy

and deserving courses.

The school caters for all the grades

(grade R to 12). Class sizes are small so

that learners could receive individualized

attention. The school follows the

National Curriculum Statement. In

addition, the learners also follow a range

of Islamic subjects to strengthen their

Islamic belief in the Oneness of Almighty

God.

A strong work ethic and positive work

habits are consistently inculcated – this is

with a view to maximise the learner’s

tertiary education option. The curriculum

is structured with a strong emphasis on

the use of learning technologies (such as

Smart Boards) in our classrooms and the

introduction of i-pad technology.

Almost 98% of learners who enter

university successfully graduate at the

end of their undergraduate programme.

Teaching Staff

The best qualified teachers are sought by

the Board of Governors. Teachers at Al

Ghazali College are all registered with

SACE. Al Ghazali College enjoys a more

than favourable teacher-learner ratio

where the current class sizes do not

exceed twenty-five.

421 Van Leenhof Street, Centurion, 0183 Tel: 012 370 1049/ 012 370 1089 Email: alghazaliprincipal@telkomsa.net School Website: www.agcollege.co.za