Muslim Views, November 2014

THE latest desecration ofMasjid al-Aqsa is unprecedented since 1967.

The occupation itself and thepresence of troops in and aroundthe precincts of the Haram is anongoing gross violation of itssanctity.

The latest incident occurs 47years after Israeli police lastinvaded the Masjid al-Aqsa maincompound.

This time, Israeli policestomped through the masjid withtheir boots and fired stungrenades that set fire to the carpetin the masjid.

Over the past year, Israel hastaken key steps to entrench itsoccupation and advance a strate-gy of annexing part of the Haramfor exclusive Jewish use.

The Zionist project is devoidof religion but Judaism is a con-venient tool for political gain.Hence, the latitude given by Israelto Jewish extremists who claimthat Masjid al-Aqsa is built on theruins of the ancient Jewish Tem-ple Mount is a useful ploy to gainfurther control of strategic landfor geo-political purposes.

Jews demanding the right topray in the Haram where the

Temple Mount is claimed to havebeen are met with resistance fromPalestinians.

The ban on non-Muslimsentering the Haram was kept inplace to prevent conflict andclashes with Muslims who arealready under occupation andwhose rights to land and justiceare routinely eroded in the broad-er Zionist project.

The present crisis came to ahead on October 29 when US-born right wing extremist YehudaGlick was shot by an unknownassailant at the Menachem BeginHeritage Center in Jerusalem.

This was the pretext Israelneeded to invade the Haram andsecure a basis for dividing itbetween Jews and Muslims, pre-sumably as a non-negotiableproposition in the interests of‘peace keeping’.

However, the Haram has muchmore than geo-political signifi-cance. It is sacred to over two bil-lion Muslims in the world. Thecollective outrage of the Muslimummah is evident across theglobe.

It is equally evident that thevast majority of Muslim countriesare silent in this latest Israeli

offensive.The governments of Iran,

Turkey, Pakistan and Jordanhave, albeit in varying degrees,condemned Israel for an act of‘barbarity’ and ‘terror’.

However, it is the silence of theleading Muslim countries,notably Saudi Arabia, which ishome to the first and second mostsacred Haramain, that is particu-larly telling at this time.

The failure of these govern-ments to lead protest action indefence of Masjid al-Aqsa, suchas ending diplomatic ties withIsrael, is indicative of the primacyof power over principle.

The Saudi monarchy is clearlycommitted to preserving its polit-ical power above its obligation todefend the integrity of the thirdmost holy site in Islam.

As a client state of the UnitedStates, which is the most impor-tant and avowed ally of Israel, theSaudis opt for the disgrace ofsilence in the face of outrage asopposed to the prospect of relin-quishing power should theychoose to oppose Israeli aggres-sion.Story MAHMOOD SANGLAY/Photo SHAFIQ MORTON

Vol. 28 No. 11 SAFAR 1436 l NOVEMBER 2014

This poster is a collaborative work commissioned by theSouth African Faith Communities Environment Institute(Safcei) as part of an initiative to turn masajidinto centres of environmental excellenceand sustainability. It isdesigned to be used as alearning tool to helpstimulate discussion andaction around eco-theology, greening worship and the thoughtful use of Allah’sgifts. The aim is toencourage masjid committees and worshippers to becomemore aware of the waywe manage energy,water, biodiversity, foodsecurity and waste.

See page 8.

Masjid-al-Aqsaincreasingly violated

Muslim Views

Muslim Views . November 20142

Muslim Views . November 2014 3

Muslim Views

Crime is worsened bya weak public sector

SOUTH Africa’s crime problemhas for long been part of international news. This year

has been particularly sensational forthe media. Two stories, one of aconvicted killer and another of analleged killer currently on trial havemade headlines.The reason for the protracted mediainterest, and therefore apparent publicinterest, is that the one is a sportscelebrity and the other a wealthyBritish tourist who chose South Africaas the destination for the alleged murder of his new bride. More recently,the death of three South Africansportspersons, one of them a victim ofcrime, has similarly sustained headlines.South Africa’s crime problem is compounded by the perverse nature ofits media coverage. It is sensationalised by the focus on therich and famous while the impact ofcrime on poor and marginalised communities, by comparison, is grosslyunder-reported.Routine and widespread incidents ofserious crimes such as murder androbbery are treated as less newsworthy. Of slightly greater interestare crimes in which middle-classhomes and businesses are the targetsof criminals. Crimes that affect the vastmajority of ordinary South Africans arenot sensational and therefore do notget the kind of coverage that sellsmedia products. However, the failure ofmedia to report on this phenomenondoes not detract from its public interestvalue. It remains high on the agenda

for local communities and the vastmajority of our citizens.Although it certainly is newsworthy, it isno longer sensational to report thatover 161 000 people have been murdered in South Africa since 2004 orthat more than 43 people are murdered, on average, every day inSouth Africa. Similarly, the fact that 5 900 crimes are recorded by theSAPS every day or that 47% of alldrug-related crime in the country occurin the Western Cape are not typicallyheadline news.Since 2004, labour unrest, includingviolent protest, have become commonplace. In addition, publicprotest specifically targeted lack ofhousing, service delivery and localcouncil corruption. This pattern of violent protest is still prevalent.It is almost two decades since localcommunities took to the streets toprotest against a lack of public safetyand security from the activities of druglords and gangsters. The fact thatthese protests have not ceased is anindication that poor communities arestill beleaguered by rampant crime andinadequate policing.Police services are not trusted or reliedon for public safety and security. Middle and upper class neighbourhoods, though the prime targets of criminals, can afford privatesecurity; poor people cannot.In addition, policing in South Africa hasacquired a reputation for brutalityagainst legitimate public protest. Thereis mounting evidence that police continuously use excessive forcedespite denial by political leaders whoblame violence on demonstrators.While much of the problem may beattributed to the deep class divisions inSouth African society and to corruptionwithin the police services, the role ofthe degradation of the public serviceshould also be factored in as a majorcause of the problem.The government’s adoption of theGrowth, Employment and Redistribution Strategy (GEAR) necessitated cuts in state expenditureand a reduction in the numbers of stateemployees, including those in education, health and policing sectors.This policy was imposed at a timewhen transformation of the public sector was expected to occur. The consequences and impact on crucialsectors of the public service is clearlyevident.

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 [email protected]

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MAHMOOD SANGLAYOVER ten years ago, on Monday, March 22, 2004,Shaikh Ahmed Yassin, thefounder and spiritual leader ofHamas, was assassinated inGaza by Israel in his wheelchairafter returning from pre-dawnprayers.

A helicopter gunshiplaunched three missiles at the66-year-old leader, killing him aswell as seven others, andwounding another 17 civilians.

Shaikh Yassin’s struggle forthe freedom of Palestine wasremembered in prayers acrossthe globe.

The next day, Tuesday,March 23, 2004, the MuslimJudicial Council (MJC) called,at short notice, for a mass funer-al prayer in absentia of thedeceased (Salaatul Ghaib) at theVygekraal Stadium, in CapeTown, where over 500 Muslimsjoined in the prayer.

After the prayers, the MJCannounced a sustainable initia-tive to build solidarity with thePalestinians and spread aware-ness of their struggle for free-dom.

Hence ‘fasting till Palestine isliberated’ commenced on Thurs-day, March 25, 2004, and hasbeen observed every Thursdaythereafter.

The fast of Thursday, March27, 2014, therefore marked itstenth anniversary on the Grego-rian calendar.

On the Islamic calendar, thetenth anniversary fast was onThursday, Safar 2, 1435 (corre-sponding to Thursday December5, 2013).

The purpose of the fast is toappeal to Allah to ease the bur-den of suffering of the Palestini-ans and to grant them victory in‘our lifetime’.

According to Yoonis Allie, ofthe Al Quds Foundation ofSouth Africa, the practice hasbeen sustained without fail eversince in the form of an iftar pro-gramme at a masjid for thoseparticipating in the fast.

Allie says the iftar pro-gramme is offered at a differentmasjid every week on a rotation-al basis from Maghrib till Eshaprayers.

Iftar commences afterMaghrib prayers and is followedby an introduction by ShaikhEbrahim Gabriels to the pro-gramme to the local communitycontextualising the fast, its pur-pose and significance.

Thereafter, Moulana IhsaanHendricks presents a talk and anupdate on the latest develop-ments in Palestine. Usually, theupdate reflects the events overthe past weeks or month.

Once a month, a Palestinian,introduced as Abu Ahmad, pre-sents a PowerPoint show inwhich these developments areexplained as part of the educa-tional initiative.

Although the programmestarted on the Cape Flats, it hastraversed the West Coast, theBoland and the South Peninsula

five times over the ten years. Inaddition, it has reached out tocongregations in the EasternCape, Gauteng and Kimberley.

The whole team usually trav-els to these destinations once amonth to address the respectivecongregations.

Over the past five years, theprogramme has also been adopt-ed internationally in Malaysia,Lebanon, Jordan and the UnitedKingdom.

Moulana Hendricks toldMuslim Views that it was alsoofficially adopted at a confer-ence in Yemen a year after itslaunch in Vygekraal. However,the most remarkable develop-ment is that it has been adoptedin Gaza, Palestine, as well.

Ismail Haniyeh, the leader ofHamas in Gaza, Shaikh RaedSalah, the leader of the IslamicMovement in Israel, and ShaikhKamal Khatib of Kafr Kannahave formally adopted the pro-gramme.

The latter two leaders, whoare banned from coming towithin a 10km radius of MasjidAl Aqsa, have for the past fiveyears made extraordinary effortsto gather congregations everyThursday, despite Israeli block-ades and checkpoints.

Shaikh Raed addresses hiscongregation after Maghrib andiftar on the rooftop of a Pales-tinian businessman’s buildingevery Thursday. This locationoffers them a view of the Domeof the Rock, adjacent to MasjidAl Aqsa.

It is noteworthy that since2002 Israel has launched majorattacks on Gaza. Following theassassination in 2002 of thehead of the Hamas militarywing, Salah Shehadeh (andkilling 14 others, includingwomen and children), ShaikhYassin was assassinated in 2004.

The following month, AbdelAziz Rantisi, the co-founder ofHamas, was assassinated.

In 2006, Israel launched aground and air offensive insouthern Gaza, three days afterone of its soldiers, Gilad Shalit,was abducted. In 2008, Israellaunched air and groundassaults on Gaza, killing morethan 120 Palestinians.

In December that year, 1 400Palestinians were killed in anIsraeli blitz of the Gaza Strip.

In 2010, Israel attacked aconvoy of ships with aid inbreach of its naval blockade ofthe Gaza Strip, killing nineTurks. In March 2012, an Israelistrike on Gaza City killed thehead of the Popular ResistanceCommittees and 25 Gazans. InNovember, the Hamas militarycommander Ahmed Jaabari wasassassinated.

July and August this year sawthe worst attack on Gaza yetwith an assault on a civilianpopulation over seven weeks ofIsraeli bombardment and aground invasion.

More than 2 200 people werekilled, the vast majority of themGazan civilians, women andchildren.

From Vygekraal toLondon to Gaza:fasting for Palestine

Muslim Views


MAHMOOD SANGLAYTHE 2014 CIA World Factbookrecords that the world’s mineralfuel export trade (including oil,coal, gas and refined products)accounts for $2,69 trillion(14,4%) of the total globalexport trade value of $18,71 trillion in 2013.

In comparison, the world’shalaal industry is at present esti-mated at $2,3 trillion per annum.This is according to Wan Azah-muddin Josoh, deputy director ofMalaysia External Trade Devel-opment Corporation.

This effectively means that thevalue of the global halaal marketprobably exceeds the oil marketalone, even if oil constitutes 85%of all mineral fuel trade in theworld.

The Saudi deputy chairman ofthe Council of Saudi Chambers,Farhad Al Rabiah, says $700 bil-lion of the global halaal trade islocated in Islamic markets.

If more than half ($1,3 trillion)of the global halaal trade is out-side of Islamic markets, but ofinterest to the Muslim consumer,one can expect a scramble forlion’s shares in the world halaalmarket by all and sundry amonggovernments, multinational cor-porations and the salt-of-the-earth variety capitalists.

What complicates matters isthat halaal is a religious require-ment exclusively for the Muslimconsumer, as prescribed by thelaws of fiqh in Islam. Compound-ing it further, much further, is thatthe emerging global halaal marketis largely unregulated and effec-tively operates in a standardisa-tion vacuum.

Considered in isolation, thismay be a controversial andunfounded statement to make,given the proliferation of bodieslike the World Halal Council(WHC), the Halal World Institute(HWI) and the Halal Internation-al Authority (HIA).

But seen in the context of inter-national standards and regulatoryframeworks, it is a patent fact.

Let’s stay with the oil industryas an example. The global oilmarket is a mature one, operatingin an environment of internation-al laws and regulations that coveraspects such as standardisation,contract risk management, inter-national boundary and produc-tion agreements and the risk ofinternational sanctions.

The world halaal market hasno such environment and isfraught with deep political andreligious complexities.

Yet, it offers highly unprece-dented commercial opportunitiesfor the standardisation of theindustry by entities such the Inter-national Organisation for Stan-dardization (ISO).

However, just as ‘world’ and‘international’ halaal bodies pro-liferate, so do halaal trade exhibi-tions.

In 2014 alone, at least teninternational halaal trade exposwere held in Dubai, Sharjah, Pak-istan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Tai-wan, Japan, Germany, Paris andRussia.

This is an indication of thevibrance and astonishinglydiverse reach of the industry.

However, the commercialinterests of halaal-related busi-nesses and service providers inrespect of sales and marketing are

not entirely independent of thecommercial interests in halaal cer-tification; nor is it independent ofthe ethics, theology and politics ofhalaal in the market place.

Hence, some strategic position-ing moves are afoot in recentyears by the key Muslim stake-holders in the industry.

A World Halal Summit is in themaking, scheduled for April 1 to4, 2015, in Kuala Lumpur, withthe ambitious aim of ‘Redefiningthe Halal Ecosystem’.

This event is designed to incor-porate both the commercial andideological aspects of the globalhalaal market place.

The 12th Malaysia Interna-tional Halal Showcase (Mihas) isthe expo part of the event, driven

by clear commercial interests andproviding opportunities forexhibitors and buyers of halaalproducts and services.

The Conference and Forumpart of the summit involves aseries of seven conferences,including a multaqa (forum) forulama.

Malaysian entrepreneur, CEOand founder of Mihas, Moham-mad Shukri Abdullah, who visit-ed South Africa recently, says theulama multaqa will be an oppor-tunity for leading world ulama toconfer, debate and resolve a rangeof issues, not necessarily relatedto the halaal industry.

Presumably, it is also an oppor-tunity to engage issues such astrade with Israel and the BDS

movement, a policy on issues likechild labour, global food security,food wastage, health standardsand environmental sustainability.

Also important are the gover-nance of halaal certification bod-ies, locally and internationally,the regulation of halaal certifica-tion and the need for greateraccountability and transparency.

Abdullah also attended theWorld Halal Council’s (WHC)twelfth AGM from October 17 to19.

The WHC represents all themajor South African halaalauthorities, namely the MJCHalaal Trust, SANHA, NIHT andICSA.

Shaikh Thafier Najjaar is vicepresident of ICSA and of theWHC.

He told Muslim Views that the‘most pertinent resolution’ of theWHC was the ‘finalisation’ of itsstandards.

Shaikh Najjaar also confirmedthat the WHC, and therefore itsmembers in South Africa, heedthe BDS call to support Palestine,and that its code of conductaddresses issues such as childlabour, global food security, foodwastage, health standards andenvironmental sustainability.

In addition, he said that theWHC now has an ‘audit commit-tee’ to ensure good governance,accountability and transparency.

Global halaal industry outstrips oil tradeThe Malaysia International HalalShowcase (Mihas) CEO, MohammedShukri Abdullah, addressed a breakfast meeting with potentialexhibitors at the Alhambra Restaurant, in Lansdowne, CapeTown, on October 17. He is flanked byhis host, Nazreen Salie, left, and ArifaParkar of AASHA Business Services.

Photo MAHMOOD SANGLAY


Muslim Views

Muslim Views


MAHMOOD SANGLAYTHE Naqshbandi MuhammadiOrder of South Africa hostedGrand Shaikh Muhammad Adil,the Grand Shaikh of the Naqshbandi Sufi Order, fromOctober 22 to 30.

While the Grand Shaikh’s visitwas primarily for the benefit ofhis disciples (mureeds) in theWestern Cape, his last four daysin South Africa were devoted tovisits to the Eastern Cape, Gaut-eng and KwaZulu Natal.

Shaikh Muhammad Adil, 57,is the son and successor of themuch-loved Shaikh MuhammadNazim Al Haqqani who passedaway on May 7 this year, aged 92.Shaikh Muhammad Adil is alsofondly known as Shaikh MehmedEffendi.

Shaikh Muhammad Adil hasbeen in South Africa before, in2001, with his father.

According to Gasan Omar,media liaison officer for theshaikh’s tour, Shaikh Nazim AlHaqqani’s paternal lineage has itsroots in the person of ShaikhAbdul Qadir Jilani, founder of theQadiriyya Order.

His maternal lineage may betraced to Moulana JalaluddinRumi, founder of the MevleviOrder.

‘He is Hassani-Hussaini, relat-ed to the Prophet (SAW) throughthe lineages of his grandfathers tothe family of the Prophet (SAW),and Shaikh Muhammad Adil ishis eldest son,’ says Omar.

His programme consisted ofdaily pre-dawn spiritual exercises(adhkaar), visits to various tombsof well-known spiritual leaders inSouth Africa, including the tombof Shaikh Yusuf, in Macassar, and

that of Khalid Shah Bawa, inBenoni.

According to Omar, the shaikhfrequently visited the poor andneedy.

Such visits included themureeds in Blikkiesdorp, Delftand Kayamandi Primary School,in Stellenbosch. The shaikhannounced the building of two

additional classrooms in the over-crowded school, which will alsobe used as a madrassah for Mus-lims.

An important developmentemanating from the visit ofShaikh Muhammad Adil, is thereconciliation between the leader(khalifa) of Naqshbandi Muham-madi in South Africa, Shaikh

Yusuf da Costa, and other disci-ples of the local chapter.

For over five years, relationsbetween factions within the localorder were tense, inter alia, due todiscontent with the leadership ofthe order.

According to Omar, all themembers of the local order ‘arenow united again’ after Shaikh

Muhammad Adil made resolutedemands on his disciples toresolve their problems.

Before Shaikh MuhammadAdil’s departure from SouthAfrica all the mureeds congregat-ed at Shaikh Yusuf da Costa’shome where the latter said ‘whathappened in the past is in thepast’.

Omar told Muslim Views thatImam Hassen Walele, who wasgranted permission (ijaza) byShaikh Nazim Al Haqqani to takethe oath of allegiance (bay’ah) tothe Naqshbandi Order, may con-tinue to do so, with the blessingsof Shaikh da Costa.

Masjidul Jumuah in Phoenix,Milnerton, where Imam Waleleleads the congregation, was notoriginally part of the programmeof Shaikh Muhammad Adil.However, this was changed afterhis intervention, and Shaikh daCosta and his disciples attendedthe programme at this masjid.

According to the NaqshbandiMuhammadi Order of SouthAfrica, its history can be traced totwo phases, the first being theperiod from 1694, with ShaikhYusuf of Macassar to 1998.

The end of this phase saw fig-ures like Shaikh Abdul-Qadir,Master Ismail Chogle and Abdul-Hay Chogle whose khilafahshowed ‘very little known evi-dence of the growth’ of the order.

The second phase commencedwith the establishment of theHaqqani Foundation in 1998 byShaikh Hisham Kabbani, theAmerican khalifah of ShaikhNazim Al Haqqani.

The latter facilitated theappointment of Shaikh Yusuf daCosta as the khalifah in SouthernAfrica.

Naqshbandi Grand Shaikh unites disciples

Shaikh Muhammad Adil is pictured(top left) in a recitation of salutationsto the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) withhis mureeds at the official welcomingceremony on October 22, and inprayer (above) at Azzavia Masjid, inWalmer Estate, on October 23. Theearly monochrome image (left) ofShaikh Nazim Al Haqqani shows himwith his two sons Bahauddin Effendi(on the left of the picture and Muhammad Adil as children. ShaikhBahauddin Effendi accompaniedShaikh Muhammad Adil on the visit toSouth Africa last month.

Photos SHAFIQ MORTON and MAHMOOD SANGLAY;

monochrome SUPPLIED

Muslim Views


Muslim Views


MAHMOOD SANGLAYINTERNATIONAL Peace College South Africa (IPSA) andMuslims for Eco-Justice presented an inaugural Environmental Justice Seminarentitled Fiqh Al-Bi’ah fi al-Islam(Towards an Islamic Jurisprudence of the Environment) on November 1, atthe IPSA campus.

The keynote address for theevent was delivered by ProfessorMustafa Abu Sway of Al QudsUniversity in Palestine. However,Prof Abu-Sway was prevented bythe Israeli government fromattending the event, hence his par-ticipation was by means of a livevideo link.

Although his physical absencewas partly mitigated by the digitalalternative, the irony of theapartheid state’s impact on theHoly Land was not missed by theaudience of 80 delegates.

Abu Sway argues that our rela-tionship with the environmentshould be regulated by shariah as‘an act of faith’. He calls forjurisprudential intervention, asopposed to philosophical engage-ment, on the human relationshipwith the environment because ofthe need for behaviour change.

Abu Sway provides ampleQuranic and Hadith evidencesupporting his call for legislatingthe protection of the environ-ment.

Relying on the work of classi-cal scholars such as Imam Al-Ghazali he calls for hifdh al-bi’ah(protection of the environment)to be included as one of the high-er objectives (maqasid) of theshariah, among traditional higherobjectives such as the preserva-

tion of human life (hifdh al-hayat)and religion (hifdh al-din).

Imam Dr Abdul Rashied Omarof Claremont Main Road Masjidwas introduced as the imam ofthe first masjid to be registered asan ‘eco-congregation’ whichmeans, inter-alia, that the masjidconducts audits of its water con-sumption.

Eco-congregations are faith-based communities committed toliving in greater harmony andmore sustainably on the earth inresponse to the wisdom of sacredtexts and faith traditions.

Imam Omar also providesextensive references from the

Quran and the Prophetic Tradi-tions to show why Muslimsshould lead initiatives to sustainthe ecological balance, protect theenvironment, conserve energyand pursue values consistent witheco-justice, including kindness toanimals.

He makes an interesting refer-ence to a contemporary Americanscholar, Dr Khaled Abou El Fadl,who challenges the widespreadMuslim prejudice against dogs byadopting stray dogs and caringfor them.

Imam Rashied endorses AbuSway’s proposal of includinghifdh al-bi’ah as a category under

the maqasid of the shariah. How-ever, Imam Omar goes a step fur-ther and says hifdh al bi’ahshould also be included in thecurricula of the relevant institu-tions of learning.

A second proposal of ImamOmar is the proliferation of eco-congregations beyond his ownwith a view to create greaterawareness among Muslims, andto reduce the carbon footprint ofmasajid.

Dr Najma Mohamed, PolicyAdvisor for the Green Fund at theDevelopment Bank of SouthAfrica, addressed the theme‘Environmental Education in theMuslim World: Putting IslamicEcological Ethics into Action.’

She emphasises moral and spir-itual solutions found in faith com-munities.

Islam, she argues, offers a com-pelling basis for the theory andpractice of a civilisation foundedon eco-justice.

Mohamed identifies severalpublications for Muslim childrenthat promote sound ecologicalvalues as well as a number oflocal and international faith-based initiatives by Muslimsdemonstrating such values inpractice.

In addition, she expounds onthe eco-justice ethics of Islam andhow environmental education canbe used to increase knowledgeand awareness, build values andattitudes of Muslims and partici-pate in the resolution of environ-

mental problems in society.She identifies four major Mus-

lim institutions, namely themasjid, the madrassah as an adultMuslim training institution, themadrassah as a local communitylearning centre for children andthe Muslim school as part of aprocess of ‘greening the educa-tional landscape of Islam’.

As a way forward, Mohamedproposes the consolidation of the-oretical work on Islam and envi-ronmental education, and show-casing practical environmentaleducational initiatives in the Mus-lim world.

She also proposes the develop-ment of relevant curriculummaterials, relevant training ofreligious leaders and madrassahteachers.

Kate Davies, the eco-congrega-tions programme coordinator atthe South African Faith Commu-nities Environment Institute (Saf-cei) called on Muslims to jointheir movement to build eco-con-gregations.

Safcei is committed to thisbecause all faith communitiesinherently care for people and theenvironment and because humansurvival depends on the sustain-ability of life on earth.

She says that religious leadersare more trustworthy than politi-cal leaders, hence Safcei’s com-mitment to work with faith com-munities in South Africa.

The presenters, in response toa question from Muslim Views,agreed that eco-justice projectsmust take into account the radicalclass disparities at local commu-nity level and that they should notbe elitist and middle-class initia-tives that ignore the realities ofthe poor masses.

Protecting the environment is an ‘act of faith’Dr Najma Mohamed addressed delegates at IPSA’s inaugural eco-justice seminar on November 1. Sheproposes the development of relevantcurriculum materials, relevant trainingof religious leaders and madrassahteachers.

Photo MAHMOOD SANGLAY

Muslim Views


Muslim Views


DR DALE T McKINLEY

II is arguably the most importantpolitical development of SouthAfrica’s post-1994 era.

On Saturday, November 8,South Africa’s largest union, theNational Union of Metalworkersof South Africa (Numsa) wasexpelled by the majority of theleadership belonging to SouthAfrica’s largest union federation,the Congress of South AfricanTrade Unions (Cosatu).

The political significance ofNumsa’s expulsion derives fromthree key, inter-related areas ofimpact.

On the ANC-led alliance

Since 1994, the alliancebetween the African NationalCongress (ANC), South AfricanCommunist Party (SACP) andCosatu has relied heavily on themaintenance of a politicallyaccommodative union leadership.

Despite numerous and politi-cally-charged policy disagree-ments, wars of words over thefunctioning of the alliance andleadership power plays, therespective leaderships have alwaysheld the alliance to be politicallysacrosanct.

Even if Numsa’s earlierannouncement of its withdrawalof electoral and political supportfor the ANC signalled serioustrouble on this front, its expulsionconfirms a definitive political rup-ture within the leadership ranks ofCosatu.

In other words, papering overthe regular cracks with another‘alliance summit’, attempting toisolate individual union leadersvia personalised innuendo andpublic attack and ‘disciplining’troublesome unionists through

suspensions and dismissals is nolonger going to cut it.

At the post-expulsion pressconference on Sunday, November9, Numsa General Secretary IrvinJim put it bluntly: ‘Cosatu hasbecome consumed by internal bat-tles between two forces; thosewho continue to support the ANCand SACP with their neo-liberalagenda and those who despitetheir understanding of the ANC asa multi-class organisation, con-sciously and consistently fight foran independent, militant federa-tion.’

Already riven by their own fac-tional and power-mongering bat-tles, the ANC and SACP leader-ships now have even more reasonto fear for the future not only ofthe alliance but of the longer-termpolitical positioning of their ownparties.

When the ANC describesNumsa’s expulsion as ‘tragic’ anda ‘huge setback’ what they arereally conveying are their ownpolitical insecurities and shock atthe failure of their ‘unity building’charades.

Meanwhile, the SACP is soblinded by its own political arro-gance and embeddedness withinthe factional bowels of ANC andstate power that all it can musteris to express its ‘full confidence inCosatu’s capacity to resolve what-ever internal challenges it mayface from time to time’.

The constructed political con-sensus that has up until now suc-ceeded in keeping the alliancelimping along has been shattered.As a result, in the coming monthsand years we are likely to witnessthe further fracturing of what isleft of the alliance.

The Cosatu rump will increas-ingly play the role of labour

imbongi to the intensification ofANC/SACP-driven policiesdesigned to intensify the commod-ification and general privatisationof state and society.

On the labour movement

The Cosatu ‘giant’ that hasplayed such a pivotal role onSouth Africa’s political landscapeover the last three decades hasbeen mortally wounded byNumsa’s expulsion.

Regardless of the bravado dis-played by the ‘victorious’ Cosatufaction, the expulsion will onlyserve to widen the existing politi-cal, ideological and organisationaldivisions between themselves andrank-and-file union members.

Numsa has stated that itintends to hold nationwide meet-ings to ‘lobby’ both its andCosatu’s members to reject itsexpulsion while those unions whohave generally supported Numsaand opposed its expulsion haveindicated that they will continuewith their legal battle to force theCosatu leadership to hold a Spe-cial National Congress.

However, it is extremelyimprobable that these actions will,even if successful, be able tobridge the deepening chasms thatnow engulf Cosatu.

Whatever the longer-termorganisational outcomes withinCosatu from the ongoing falloutof Numsa’s expulsion, the politi-cal realities of what has happenedcannot be reversed.

Just as it is impossible to turnthe clock back to a time beforeneo-liberal capitalism radicallyrestructured the working class tomeet its own needs, attempts(however well intentioned) to‘return Cosatu and its affiliates to… a united, militant, revolution-

ary, socialist, independent, workercontrolled, democratic movement’are illusory.

Some of the horses have boltedfrom the (political) stable.

The key challenge for thelabour movement is not to try andreturn them but to run with themonto a new terrain of politicalindependence and relevance.

On other progressive/left forces

Almost a year ago, Numsadecided to ‘lead in the establish-ment of a new United Front thatwill coordinate struggles in theworkplace and in communities’with the stated task being ‘to fightfor the implementation of theFreedom Charter and be anorganisational weapon againstneo-liberal policies such as theNational Development Plan’.

Since then, a number of politi-cal discussion forums, meetingsand educational and practicalactivities focused on building this‘Front’ have taken place, withNumsa recently announcing thatit will be formally launched nextmonth.

Despite lingering questionsabout the ‘Front’s’ ideological ori-entation and organisational char-acter as well as the extent of polit-ical buy-in from Numsa’s ownrank-and-file members, its expul-sion from Cosatu now providesNumsa the political opportunityto more fully de-link the ‘Front’from its Charterist and Allianceframings.

Not only will this allow themaximum political space to har-monise the widely divergent polit-ical and organisational culturesand practices of South Africa’sprogressive/ left forces, it can go along way in bringing togetherlargely disconnected labour and

community struggles.It would be a politically strate-

gic mistake for Numsa and itsexisting ‘Front’ allies to interpretthe union’s expulsion as a greenlight to move rapidly towards theestablishment of a socialist politi-cal party to contest elections.

Doing so would undermine thevery basis for political unityamongst still ideologically andtactically disparate forces.

What Numsa’s expulsion doesgive a green light to, however, isfully embracing the patient butsystematic building of a new polit-ical movement through unity inactive struggle.

It is this kind of movement thatcan stand as a solid foundationupon which a sustained politicalalternative to the ANC/SACPparty machine can potentiallyflourish.

Just last month, Cosatu Gener-al Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi tolda gathering of Cosatu shop stew-ards that Numsa’s expulsionwould (as part of a larger, ongoingdismemberment of the union fed-eration) lead to a ‘nightmare’ sce-nario.

While certain elements ofVavi’s scenario might well turnout to be a ‘nightmare’ for some,there is a decidedly different kindof interpretation possible for oth-ers when it comes to Numsa’sexpulsion.

As the union’s Irvin Jim put ityesterday, it can mark ‘the start ofa new revolution’. Now that’spolitically significant.This article by Dr McKinley, anindependent writer, researcherand lecturer as well as politicalactivist, was first published onthe The South African Civil Society Information Service website: sacsis.org.za

The political significance of Numsa’s expulsion from Cosatu

Muslim Views


REV EDWIN ARRISONI FEEL that I owe people anexplanation about why I havedecided to boycott Woolworths.

This is a personal decision andis not something I can enforce onany other person but I need toexplain my decision; others canand must make their own deci-sions.

If I have not convinced othersthrough my arguments then theresponsibility lies with me andnot with the other person.

One thing that I hope allhumanity wishes for and worksfor, is to have an as-non-violent-as-possible resolution to the con-flict between the Israelis and thePalestinians.

I do not think wishing for it isenough, and neither do I believethat non-violence is something

only to be talked about: no, it issomething ordinary citizens mustdo. If there is no non-violentaction then I believe we are sim-ply complicit in the violence hap-pening.

As a South African, I am thebeneficiary of a sustained boycottcampaign against ApartheidSouth Africa by ordinary citizensacross the globe.

The freedom I enjoy today ispartly because women and menacross the world refused to buyApartheid South Africa’s goods,even if their governments allowedthose goods to be imported intotheir countries.

Sometimes, groups of peopleprotested with placards in frontof stores and embassies; at othertimes, a lone individual did that,and for all of them I am extreme-ly grateful.

I also know that boycotts andsanctions do have a positive effecteven if it is experienced as nega-tive.

Today, Israel practices Apartheid 2.0

Supporters of Israel will vehe-mently try and argue and denythis but the experience of Pales-tinians in Israel, the West Bankand Gaza, and of many observers,is that Israel practises a verysophisticated form of apartheid.

Besides these daily experiencesand observations, there areresearch documents to prove thatIsrael practices Apartheid 2.0 –one done by South Africa’s ownHuman Science Research Council(HSRC) and by the work of theRussell Tribunal. This informa-tion is widely available on theinternet. Israel also continued to

support Apartheid South Africaeven after the USA decided toimplement sanctions againstSouth Africa. There are also thou-sands of newspaper articles andvideos that describe this.

Supporters of Israel will wantto argue that this happens inother countries as well but intheir case (and one of the key rea-sons why I feel so strongly aboutthis) it is being done on the basisof some selected Biblical texts, thesame Bible that I read every day.

And I definitely do not agreethat the current state of Israelcomplies with the basic tenets ofthe Biblical text, which are love,equality and justice.

My own view is that Israelmakes life as difficult as possiblefor ordinary Palestinian people inorder to force them out and getthem to emigrate so that Israel

can win a ‘demographic war’ – inother words, for Israelis to be inthe majority.

This strategy has worked wellwith tens of thousands of Pales-tinian Christians who are eco-nomically strong: most of themhave emigrated and now live indifferent parts of the world. Theones who remain are being stead-fast but I know how difficult it isfor them there.

I therefore find the ‘Christian’support for Israel completelyweird and unacceptable: here is acountry that has, through big andsmall actions, driven out Chris-tians from the Holy Land and yetother Christians find reasons,most of it completely illogical, tosupport them.

Why I support the #Boycott Woolworths campaign in South Africa

CONTINUED ON PAGE 13

Muslim Views


PROF STEVEN FRIEDMANBOYCOTTS, divestment andsanctions are the most effectiveweapon Palestinians have everhad. Which makes it a tragedythat some attitudes and strategiesin the BDS movement do somuch harm to the Palestiniancause.

An example is the Woolworth’sboycott. Even before campaignersthrew away much of its moralpower by placing a pig’s head in aCape Town store, it seemed likelyto do far more to damage thanhelp the fight for Palestinianrights.

The Woolworth’s campaign isprobably unwinnable. Boycottingan entire store is a much greaterrisk than simply boycotting Israeligoods because, if stores removethe products, they risk alienatingcustomers who want to buy them.

If Woolworths agrees to theboycott demands, it may well facea boycott from supporters of theIsraeli state. And so it may be nobetter off if it agrees to dropIsraeli products and it might aswell refuse.

This is a huge problem becausethe Israeli state and its backers areused to winning – the impressionthat they always win is a core ele-ment in their strategy: in the1920s, the right-wing ZionistZe’ev Jabotinsky wrote thatPalestinians would never acceptIsraeli domination unless theywere forced to realise that resis-tance was futile because theycould never win.

And so, even small victoriesweaken them – a losing boycottplays into their hands.

Boycotts must also rely on

mobilising as many people as pos-sible – the fight against apartheidshowed that the major powers’governments only place pressureon human rights abusers if theircitizens force them, and so boy-cotts rely on citizen power.

People must be persuaded thatthe boycott is moral and reason-able, and boycotting must be aseasy as possible for boycotters.The Woolworth’s boycott ignoresall these requirements.

We have not been told why weshould boycott Woolworths.

The boycott organisers don’tsay that it does more to supportthe Israeli state than its competi-tors – on the contrary, it admitsthat Dischem, for example, ismore vocal in its support forIsrael (Pick n Pay’s owners, inci-dentally, have been avidly sup-porting Israel for years).

So why choose Woolworths?The organisers will only say thatstrategy means that a target hadto be chosen. They won’t say whythey chose this target.

We are, therefore, meant totake their decision on trust. Butwhy should we give the worstoffenders a free pass just becausea group of organisers decide weshould –without telling us why?

This may work for the verycommitted but not for the thou-sands who sympathise with thePalestinian cause but will onlyboycott if they are given goodreasons. And so the boycott isdeprived of many supporters.

Boycotting an entire store alsomakes life difficult for many ofthe boycotters because Wool-worths stocks some lines whichthey cannot get anywhere else.The sacrifice they are asked tomake is too great and so theydon’t stop shopping there – theyjust do it when no-one is watch-ing.

The attitudes of the Wool-worths boycott organisers are notan isolated example – they are thenorm among BDS leaders. It is noaccident that we are not told whyWoolworths was chosen – those

who run the BDS movementbelieve they have the sole right todecide and that we should simplyfollow.

BDS has missed many oppor-tunities because it is dominatedby barons who make sure thatanyone with a different view onwhat should be done is ignoredand relegated to the margins.

Disagree on strategy and thebarons won’t debate you – theywill simply freeze you out.

And so many good ideas areignored because the BDS leader-ship is threatened by independentthinkers.

If you don’t like this treatment,there is not much you can do:BDS organisations don’t seem torecruit members or hold congress-es where strategy could be debat-ed.

So, if you want to join themovement to challenge strategy, itis not clear how you would goabout it.

In this country, the problemhas just become much worse

because the barons have decidedto place boycott activity in thehands not of volunteers but ANCstructures.

This drives away those who donot support the ANC, and leavesthe campaign open to the chargeof hypocrisy because the ANCwhose supporters place pig’sheads in stores is in charge of agovernment which does little tosupport Palestinian demands.

It also drains the boycott of itslife’s blood – people who supportthe cause rather than a party –and makes it even harder to chal-lenge strategy if you don’t belongto the ANC.

BDS deserves better. We do nofavour to the Palestinian cause byfollowing those who lead usdown blind allies by claiming thesole right to decide what we doand why.Professor Steven Friedman isDirector of the Centre for theStudy of Democracy at RhodesUniversity/ University of Johannesburg.

#Boycott Woolworths: another viewIn this country, the problem has just become much worse because

the barons have decided to place boycott activity in the hands not of

volunteers but ANC structures. This drives away those who do not support

the ANC, and leaves the campaign open to the charge of hypocrisy because

the ANC whose supporters place pig’s heads in stores is in charge of a

government which does little to support Palestinian demands.

Muslim Views

13Muslim Views . November 2014

Right now, Israel is trying tomake Jerusalem a Jewish-onlycity through various actions.

It is time we all wake up towhat Israel is doing and how itcontinues to steal more and moreland.

Coming from a country thatpractised apartheid in all sorts ofways (and using the Bible to justi-fy it), I cannot condone the samesituation happening in anotherpart of the world and be quietabout it.

President Mandela had a verydeep intuition when he said that‘South Africans will not be freeuntil the people of Palestine arefree’.

He was completely right, andpeople such as Archbishop Tutuand many others support thestruggle of the Palestinian peopledespite the worst kind of criti-cisms they face.

Woolworths chooses to tradewith the Apartheid Israel

described aboveIt must be said that Wool-

worths is not the only companythat trades with Apartheid Israel,

and that the South African gov-ernment enables this trade to hap-pen. For that reason, 200 000people marched to Parliament onAugust 9 to call on our govern-ment to stop this but they havestill not done so.

But we will not leave it there.We will continue to expose our

government’s double standards.That is a discussion for anotherarticle.

Woolworths has now beenapproached (through letters that Iand others have written to theirCEO) to stop trade with Israeland they have deliberately chosento ignore these calls.

Having made this clear anddeliberate choice against stoppingtrade with Israel, it places Wool-worths in a category where theyare now deliberately culpable inthe continued oppression of thePalestinian people.

Woolworths claims to be ethi-cal, if not the most ethical compa-ny. Those who make claims about

their high ethical standards mustbe challenged to live by it. This ispart of the reason why I supportthe #Boycott Woolworths cam-paign.

The need to focus on oneretailer (from a strategic and

practical point of view)Sometimes people speak about

other companies who also haveties with Israel, and this is true.

If others feel they should boy-cott a few companies, they shouldgo ahead and do that.

But to be effective as a cam-paign, I strongly believe in theneed to focus on one target anddeal with that.

You will simply dilute yourenergy, resources and capacities ifyou try to do too many things atthe same time.

At another time, when morepeople have joined and there aremore resources, the campaign canbe broadened to the other retail-ers who also have links with

Israel but I strongly believe in theneed to focus on one – it is theonly way that the campaign willsucceed.

These are some of my mostimportant reasons why I boycottWoolworths. People are free tochallenge me but I hope that atthe very least you will try tounderstand why I feel so stronglyabout this.

The moment Woolworthsstops its trade with Israel, I willprobably support it again. But notwhile it trades with a country thatpractises Apartheid 2.0 daily, andthat on the basis of a few selectedBiblical texts.

If you wish to join the boycott, here are

some ways to participate

l The simplest way is obviouslyto just stop buying at Wool-worths, and do nothing morethan that, and that will beenough for some people.

l Clients can write to Wool-

worths to ask them to takethem off their address lists.

l Clients can close their accountsif they feel this is what they areable to do.

l Use social media to mentionthat you support the #BoycottWoolworths campaign.

l Write letters to the editors ofnewspapers if they misrepre-sent the campaign.

l People can demonstrate infront of Woolworths storesfrom time to time.

l People can demonstrate insideWoolworths stores by, forexample, filling up trollies andrefusing to pay until that par-ticular branch manager ofWoolworths gives an under-taking to not stock Israeligoods.

l People can write to the PIC,which has almost 20% sharesin Woolworths.

Rev Edwin Arrison, is the chairperson of the NationalCoalition for Palestine (NC4P)

It is time we all wake up to what Israel is doing

and how it continues to steal more and more land

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

Muslim Views

14 Muslim Views . November 2014

RICHARD PITHOUSE

IN 2005, early in her first termas Minister of Housing, LindiweSisulu announced that the statehad resolved to ‘eradicate slums’by 2014.

This was a time when the tech-nocratic ideal had more credibilitythan it does now and officials andpoliticians often spoke, with gen-uine conviction, as if it were anestablished fact that this aspira-tion would translate into reality.

It was not unusual for peopletrying to engage the state aroundquestions of urban land and hous-ing to be rebuffed as troublemak-ers, either ignorant or malicious,on the grounds that it was anestablished fact that there wouldbe no more shacks by 2014.

As we head towards the end of2014, there are considerably morepeople living in shacks than therewere in 2005, in 1994 or at anypoint in our history.

The gulf between the state’saspirations to shape society andwhat actually happens in societyhas also been starkly illustrated atthe more local level. Sisulu’s flag-ship housing project, the N2Gateway project in Cape Town,resulted in acute conflict andremains in various kinds of crisisto this day.

One of the lessons to be learntfrom the denialism around thenature and scale of the urban cri-sis that characterised ThaboMbeki’s Presidency is thatalthough the state is certainly apowerful actor, it has often beenprofoundly wrong about itscapacity to understand and toshape social reality.

But Sisulu’s first term as the

Minister of Housing is not onlyremembered for her failure tograsp either the scale of thedemand for urban land and hous-ing or the limits of the state’sresponse. There was also amarked authoritarianism to herapproach.

She did not oppose the escalat-ing and consistently unlawful vio-lence with which municipalitiesacross the country were attempt-ing to contain the physical mani-festation of the urban crisis vialand occupations.

Sisulu also offered her full sup-port to the failed attempt, firstproposed in the Polokwane Reso-lutions, and then taken forward inthe KwaZulu-Natal parliament inthe form of the Slums Act in 2007,to roll back some of the limitedrights that had been conceded inthe early years of democracy topeople occupying land withoutthe consent of the state or privateland owners.

At the same time, she alsoearned some notoriety for her uni-lateral, and clearly unlawful, dec-laration in 2007 that residents ofthe Joe Slovo settlement in CapeTown would be permanentlyremoved from the (entirely mythi-cal) ‘housing list’ for opposingforced removal.

She was also silent in the faceof the violence marshalledthrough party structures againstshack dwellers who had had thetemerity to organise around issuesof urban land and housing inde-pendently of the ANC in bothDurban and on the East Rand, in2009 and 2010.

Her second term as Minister, ina portfolio now termed HumanSettlements, has been marked by a

similar silence in response to theeven more brazen forms of repres-sion, including assassination, nowvisited on people organised out-side of the ANC in shack settle-ments in Durban.

But there have been someimportant shifts in her position.One is that, like her predecessorTokyo Sexwale, she no longerspeaks as if the ‘eradication ofslums’ is imminent. In this regard,the state has developed a morerealistic understanding of the situ-ation it confronts.

Another shift is Sisulu’s opposi-tion to unlawful evictions in CapeTown. This is, given her on-goingsilence in response to violent andunlawful evictions elsewhere inthe country, clearly an expedientrather than a principled position.

But in a context where landoccupations are routinely misrep-resented through the lens of crim-inality or political conspiracy, herframing of her opposition to evic-tion in Cape Town in the languageof justice may open some space inelite publics to politicise the con-testation over urban land, some-thing that is relentlessly expelledfrom the terrain of the political bya variety of elite actors.

But it is Sisulu’s recent declara-tion that the state intends to doaway with the provision of freehousing and that people under 40will no longer be eligible for pub-lic housing that has been particu-larly controversial.

Both aspects of this commentposition her in direct contradic-tion to the law and the policies towhich the government is, at leastin principle, committed.

This is nothing new. When itcomes to its response to the urban

land occupation, the state routine-ly speaks and acts in direct con-tradiction to both law and policy.

What is significant here is theindication that the state, increas-ingly short of cash, intends to stepback from some of its commit-ments to sustain some forms ofpublic welfare. Sisulu is presentingthe state’s public housing pro-gramme as if it were a temporarystate response to apartheid,which, now that things have beennormalised, can be abandoned.

Both parts of this equation areseriously problematic. The ANC,in a posture that these days is sim-ply farcical given that it is Putinrather than Lenin that restores thesparkle to Zuma’s eyes in toughtimes, likes to pretend to itselfthat it is a revolutionary organisa-tion.

But public housing, far frombeing some kind of unique andtemporary South African excep-tion to the general status quo, is astandard part of even basic socialdemocratic programmes.

Countries in the South, likeBolivia, Brazil and Venezuela allhave public housing programmesof various kinds. These pro-grammes all have serious flawsbut the fact that they exist andthat other states are committed topublic housing as a principle,should not be denied.

In Venezuela, the public hous-ing programme includes housingthat is entirely free for entirelyimpoverished people. There arealso governments in the Souththat have actively sought tolegalise land occupations and sup-port the improvement of condi-tions in shack settlements.

Sisulu’s assertion that people

under 40 ‘have lost nothing [toapartheid]’ is one of the mostextraordinary statements to haveescaped from the mouth of a cab-inet minister since 1994.

The pretence that apartheid’sconsequences came to an end in1994 is the sort of denialism thatis so out of touch with reality –and in a way that works to natu-ralise inequalities inherited from along history of brutal oppressionthat turned race into class – thatit’s almost obscene to even engageit as if it were a serious proposi-tion. In a situation in which mil-lions of people cannot accesshousing through the market, thestate should recognise the socialvalue of land occupations, offerall the support that it can toimprove conditions in shack set-tlements and develop the best andmost extensive public housingprogramme possible.

But, if the state continues to seemost land occupations as criminaland to curtail its own public hous-ing programme, it will place mil-lions of people in a situation thatis just not viable.

The inevitable consequence ofthe state committing itself to anurban agenda that simply has noplace for millions of people will bea radical escalation of the alreadyintense conflict in our cities. Toput it plainly, guns will becomeeven more central to how ourcities are governed.

Sisulu’s comments amount to adeclaration of war.This article by Dr Pithouse, whoteaches politics at Rhodes University, was first published onthe The South African Civil Society Information Service website: sacsis.org.za

Lindiwe Sisulu and the New Denialism

SHAFIQ MORTONEDWARD Said, the Palestinianexile and scholar, cracked the nuton post-colonial prejudice in hisseminal work of the 1970s, Orientalism. In it, he exposedwhat he regarded as institutionalised racism againstArabs and North Africans.

In essence, Said argued thatwestern scholars had looked atthe east with a jaundiced eye.Predicated by notions of superior-ity, western academia had misun-derstood, misrepresented andmisread what constituted the cul-tural and theological discourse ofthe Arab and Muslim world.

For western scholarship of thelate 18th century, when Oriental-ism gained impetus afterNapoleon Bonaparte had invadedEgypt, the term meant someonewho studied the Levant. It was aLatin-derived word referring tothe sun’s rising in the east – in thiscase the eastern Mediterraneanregion between Anatolia andEgypt.

While Said has had to with-stand academic attack on hiswork, his central thesis has stoodthe test of time, despite its allegederrors; this due to the fact thatmany of those outside the Araband Muslim tent have visited itwith extreme prejudice and con-jecture. What Said did was to suc-cessfully, and uncomfortably,expose their arrogance.

A butt of Said’s public invec-tive was Bernard Lewis, a British-American historian.

Lewis, a professor at PrincetonUniversity, was the first to pro-mote the idea of an ‘inevitable’east-west clash, the so-called‘clash of civilisations’. This was

picked up by US neo-con, SamuelHuntington, in his sinister treatiseon post Cold War politics.

Lewis’ methodology, arguedSaid, was a case of puffed-upagenda-driven intellectualism. Itwas based on a western-mindedself-affirmation that merelyenhanced US and European impe-rialism – and Israeli hegemony.

Lewis (an advisor to Bush andCheney) had replied that Orien-talist study had done nothing tofurther western control. He askedhow deciphering the past couldcontribute to this.

The famous linguist, NoamChomsky, shrewdly accusedLewis of having a short memoryon the impact of western med-dling and its political cock-ups inthe Middle East.

I interviewed Bernard Lewis inthe 1990s and found him to be acourteous, if not formidable sub-ject. Assured of his views, he wasnot easily put off his stride –though I did feel that Said andChomsky had rattled him morethan I ever could.

I was reminded of Orientalismthe other day, for, after writingabout the roots of the extremistWahhabi group, Isis, I wasaccused of ignorance and deprav-ity. That I did not fit the jihadimould of anAK47-toting extrem-ist had apparently upset my critic,who commented:

‘ [ M u h a m m a d ] … v o m i t(pbuh)…what the hell do youknow about what happened morethan 800 years ago? Shafiq youare brainwashed…all you have isyour faith and identity (which isobviously confused)…and thatmakes you oppose all who aredifferent from you…you arevile…’

I saw this cyber tantrum (fromsomeone with a name ending in‘itz’) as Orientalism. I saw it asOrientalism not because of itscrassness but rather because thereappeared to be discomfort withthe notion that Isis – the godchildof Ibn Abd ul-Wahhab – didn’trepresent mainstream Islam.

Later exchanges seemed toindicate that my Muslim-ness pre-cluded me from being qualified tocomment on Islam anyway!

It led me to re-examining Ori-entalism, and discovering that itslandscape has been dotted withmadmen, eccentrics, theologicalclaptrap and flashes of genuinescholarship for centuries.

One of the first recognised Ori-entalists was Ramon Lull, a Fran-ciscan from Majorca, who sawhis life work as the conversion ofJews and Muslims. A scholar ofconsiderable note, he was influ-enced by Al-Farabi and Ibn Sina,and called for the introduction ofArabic into European universitysyllabuses.

Obsessed with martyrdom, hevisited North Africa three timesto convert Muslims. On the lastoccasion, he was stoned by angrytownsfolk who’d finally got tiredof his incessant provocation.Licking his wounds (he didn’t getmartyred) he found his way backto Majorca where he passed awayin about 1314.

John Wycliffe, the first totranslate the bible into English,circa 1324, wrote that Islam waslike the Catholic Church – ‘vio-lent, corrupt and greedy’. It wasthe Catholic Church, and not theMuslims, who dug up his bones40 years after his death and threwthem into a river.

In 1356, Sir John Mandeville,a travel writer of French identity– who claimed to be an Englishknight – wrote in Mark Twainfashion that the ‘coffin’ of theProphet (SAW) floated in the air,and was suspended by magnets.The Kaabah in Makkah was filledwith idols that killed any birdthat alighted on it.

The Frenchman, Guillame Pos-tel, was regarded as a madman.He believed that Hebrew was theprimary Semitic language. He wasa linguist par excellence. In Istan-bul, he learnt Arabic so fast histeacher thought he was a demon,and when he departed for theHoly Land in 1549 with a greybeard, it’s said he miraculously

returned with a black one.Curiously, for his era, he

believed in the supremacy ofwomen and said that Muslimsshould be regarded as ‘half Chris-tians’. He was impressed by theeast and wrote that ‘all things wehold in the west as of extraordi-nary edifice are like mere shad-ows of oriental excellences’.

The author Robert Irwin saysthat Postel was driven by a fear ofIslamic hegemony, a pathologythat is noticeable in many westernsocieties today that seem to thinkthat the ‘Muslims are coming’.

Another French Orientalist,Silvestre de Sacy, could not speakArabic. On the other hand, theEnglishman David Margoliouthcould talk for an hour withoutnotes in classical Arabic on thesplendours of Abbasid Baghdad.Margoliouth also clumsily saidthat the Prophet (SAW) was anepileptic.

Another fascinating Orientalistis the Hungarian Jew, IgnazGoldziher, who studied at Al-Azhar in Cairo and who laterconcluded that Islam was betterthan Judaism or Christianity.However, his view of Hadith –that they were later fabricated –did not endear him to the Muslimcommunity.

Goldziher is said to have influ-enced another Orientalist, LouisMassignon, and Bernard Lewis.

Space, and lack of material,precludes discussion on the Russ-ian Orientalists and perhaps eventhe Chinese. But suffice it to saythat our very own home-grownOrientalist, ID du Plessis (whoenjoyed a close relationship withthe imperial PW Botha), fits theEdward Said model of Oriental-ism like the proverbial glove.

Of Orientalism and other madmenCuriously, for his era, he believed in the

supremacy of women and said that Muslims should be regarded as ‘half Christians’

Muslim Views

15Muslim Views . November 2014

FARID SAYEDTHE World Social Forum onMigrations (WSFM) will, for thefirst time, be held in Africa whenJohannesburg hosts the 6thWSFM, from December 5 to 8.

The WSFM 2014 will providea platform to explore alternativemodels and strategies on manag-ing migration globally and inAfrica under the theme, ‘Buildinga Political Alliance of SocialMovements’.

It will also seek to strengthencivil society organisations andmovements across Africa in orderto contribute to nation-building,integration, social cohesion andtolerance of migrants.

Previous WSFM’s – the first ofwhich was held in Porto Alegre,Brazil, in 2005 – have drawnmigrant groups, mass-basedorganisations, social movements,academics and activists.

The Local Organising Com-mittee (LOC) is expecting up to5 000 national and internationaldelegates to attend WSFM 2014events, including workshops,exhibits, cultural events, field

trips and a march, culminating ina mass rally, on the last day.

Abdeslam Habiballah Ahmed,the Organising Secretary of theLOC, said in a statement to Mus-lim Views that WSFM 2014 ‘pro-vides a unique opportunity toimprove our understanding ofmigration patterns within, to andfrom Africa.

‘The forum will provide aspace to fully engage on the issueof migration and mobility. Thisincludes labour migration,refugees, asylum-seekers andinternally displaced people.Human trafficking and smugglingof people will also come underfocus.’

The forum is being organisedagainst the backdrop of thedeaths, this year alone, of 3 000African migrants who attemptedthe hazardous route to Europeacross the Mediterranean Sea.

Dr Vusumuzi Sibanda, the Sec-retary General of the LOC,declared that the partnership ofthe City of Johannesburg as hostswas significant.

‘This will strengthen Johannes-burg’s campaign on its drive forsocial cohesion and integration,and clearly demonstrates that thecity has recovered from the uglyxenophobic attacks of the past.

‘The WSFM 2014 will rein-force Johannesburg’s claim ofbeing a truly international city.’

Dr Sibanda said that SouthAfrica’s migration laws, in partic-ular recent amendments, wouldprobably be a major focus of dis-cussions.

The WSF on Migrations islinked to the broader WorldSocial Forum (WSF) which firstmet in Porto Alegre in 2001, andhas roots in Latin Americanactivism.

Some suggest that the impetusfor the WSF was the Battle forSeattle, in November 1999, whereanti-globalisation activists led by– amongst others – the anti-apartheid struggle stalwart, DrDennis Brutus, challenged WorldTrade Organisation (WTO) nego-tiations, which reinforced theneo-liberal economic agenda.

According to Dr Sibanda, theWSF does not regard itself as anorganisation but ‘prefers to defineitself as an open-space; one that isplural, diverse, non-governmentaland non-partisan.

‘The WSF stimulates decen-tralised debate, proposal build-ing, exchange of experiences andalliances amongst movements andorganisations engaged in concreteaction towards global justice. It isa permanent space and process tobuild alternatives to neo-liberal-ism.’

The World Social Forum isexplicit about not being a repre-sentative of all those who attendand thus does not publish anyformal statements on behalf ofparticipants.

It tends to meet in January – atthe same time as its ‘greatest cap-italist rival’, the World EconomicForum’s Annual Meeting inDavos, Switzerland.

The WSF on Migrations meetsseparately because of the complexissues related to migration andrefugees.

WSFM 2014 will be held at theSoweto Campus of University ofJohannesburg.

To secure participation in thismajor forum to discuss the criticalissue of migration, register withthe LOC via its website:www.wsfm2014.com.

For further information, con-tact either Amir Sheik, the LOCDeputy Secretary General, on011 487 0269; [email protected] or the LOCOrganising Secretary, AbdeslamHabiballah Ahmed via email:[email protected].

Thousands expected to converge on Joburg for forum on migrationThe forum is being organised against the backdrop of the deaths, this year alone, of 3 000 African migrants who attempted the hazardous

route to Europe across the Mediterranean Sea.

Muslim Views


SALIM PARKER

NABI Muhammad (SAW)led the salaah in MasjidulNabawi up till a few days

before Allah recalled him. He ledthe salaah despite being quitesick and having to be seated.

About four days before ourbeloved Nabi’s ultimate demise,He was so weak that he could noteven go to the masjid. ‘Have thepeople performed the salaah?’ heasked his wife Sayyida Ayesha(RA), in whose house he was rest-ing.

‘No, they have not, they arewaiting for you,’ she replied. Heasked for water to be put in thewashing utensil and washed withthe assistance of his wives butwhen he tried to stand up, hefainted.

When he regained conscious-ness, he again asked whether thepeople had performed salaah andthe same sequence of eventsplayed out with him faintingagain. He regained consciousness,asked whether the people hadperformed salaah, and the samesequence occurred for the thirdtime.

‘Tell Abu Bakr to lead the peo-ple in salaah,’ the Prophet (SAW)requested.

Ayesha, the daughter of AbuBakr (RA) was worried that herfather would be anxious andpained about taking the place ofthe Prophet (SAW) and said, ‘AbuBakr is a very sensitive man, he isnot strong of voice and he crieseasily when he recites the Quran.’

The Prophet (SAW) was havingnone of it. ‘Tell Abu Bakr to leadthe people in prayer,’ he againsaid. Ayesha wanted to suggestthat the task rather be bestowedupon Umar when Hafsa (RA),one of the other wives, wanted tospeak.

The Prophet (SAW), however,silenced her and replied, ‘You arelike the women who were withYusuf. Tell Abu Bakr to lead thepeople in salaah. Let the blamerfind fault and let the ambitiousprosper. Allah and the believerswill not have it otherwise.’ Herepeated the last sentence threetimes.

Abu Bakr proceeded to leadthe salaah and did so for 17waqts before the Prophet (SAW)finally succumbed to his illness.

Nabi Muhammad (SAW) rest-ed with his head on Ayesha’s lapfor most of this time. However,when his daughter Fatimah (RA)visited, Ayesha would retreat a bitin order to afford them some pri-vacy.

During one of these visits,Sayyida Ayesha noticed him whis-pering something to SayyidaFatimah and the daughter startedcrying. Thereafter, he whisperedsomething to his daughter where-upon she started smiling throughher tears.

When Ayesha asked her whatthe conversation was about,Fatimah indicated it was a secretshe could not divulge. However,she later told Ayesha that NabiMuhammad (SAW) first told herthat he would succumb to the ill-ness and therefore she cried.

The second whisper was whenhe informed her that she wouldbe the first of his household whowould follow him and join him,and therefore she smiled.

A day before his demise, whichwas probably a Sunday, theProphet (SAW) felt well enough togo to the masjid.

He was helped by some of theSahabah, and the salaah hadalready commenced when heentered. The people were so over-joyed to see him that they werealmost drawn away from theirsalaah.

He motioned to them to con-tinue their salaah. His face wasradiant and Anas reported: ‘Inever saw the face of the Prophet(SAW) more beautiful than it wasat that hour.’

Sayyidina Abu Bakr, who wasleading the salaah, was aware ofthe stir behind him and surmisedthat it could only be that the

Prophet (SAW) had entered themasjid.

Without turning his head, hestepped back but Nabi Muham-mad (SAW) put his hand on hisshoulder and pushed him forwardagain. ‘Lead the salaah,’ he said,and then joined the congregationto perform the salaah in a seatedposition to the left of Abu Bakr.

The Prophet (SAW) returned toAyesha’s house and Abbas (RA)and Ali (RA) visited him but didnot stay long. As they left thelodging, some passers-by askedabout the wellbeing of NabiMuhammad (SAW).

‘Praise be to Allah, he is well,’Ali replied.

Abbas did not share Ali’s opti-mism and afterwards told him: ‘Iswear I recognise death in the faceof the Messenger of Allah, even asI have ever been able to recogniseit in the faces of our clansmen. Solet us go and speak with him.’

Abbas wanted to clarifywhether the Prophet wished toconfer authority on them, and ifnot, commend them to whoeverwas going to be in charge. Alihowever was not keen and theydid not go.

The Monday morning, thetwelfth of Rabil Auwal 11AH, inthe year 633 AD, the Prophet(SAW) opened the curtain leadingfrom Ayesha’s house to themasjid. Abu Bakr was about tolead the Fajr (early morning)salaah and all the Sahabah weredelighted and surprised.

The Prophet (SAW) smiled andhis face expressed satisfaction atthe sight of the Muslims properlyaligned in their rows ready forsalaah. When Abu Bakr saw him,he withdrew from the imam’sposition and joined the lines withthe other musallees, expecting theProphet (SAW) to go forward andlead the congregation.

Nabi Muhammad (SAW)waved to them to carry on, closedthe curtain and withdrew to hisroom. He was not to be aroundfor the next salaah.

There was great joy amongstthe Sahabah at the apparentimprovement in the condition ofthe Prophet (SAW). Abu Bakr,who had recently marriedHabibah, the daughter of one ofthe Helpers with whom he hadlodged ten years prior, set off tovisit his new wife who was stay-ing with her parents on the out-skirts of Madinah.

Yet, the Prophet (SAW) knewhis time was arriving. WhenFatimah expressed her concernabout the great pain she wasaware he was suffering, hereplied: ‘He will not suffer anymore when today is over.’

He asked that Fatimah’s chil-dren – his grandchildren, Hassanand Hussain – be called. Whenthey arrived, he kissed them andadvised that they should be welllooked after. He also asked for all

his wives and when they arrived,he implored them to rememberAllah.

A while later, Nabi Muham-mad (SAW) was lying on Ayesha’sbosom and she could feel that hewas weakening as he was startingto feel heavier to her.

When her brother entered theroom, she noticed that theProphet (SAW) was staring at hismiswak (wooden strip used tobrush teeth).

She asked the Prophet (SAW) ifhe wanted it and he replied in theaffirmative. She realised that itwould be too hard for him andshe softened it with her saliva.

The Prophet (SAW) brushedhis teeth vigorously with it despitehis weakened state. There was awater pot close by, and he usedthe water to wipe his face, saying:‘There is no god but Allah. Deathis full of agonies.’

Not long afterwards, he fellinto a state of unconsciousness.Sayyida Ayesha initially thoughtthat the Prophet was passingaway but after about an hour heopened his eyes.

She then remembered him oncetelling her: ‘No Prophet is takenby death until he has been shownhis place in Paradise and thenoffered the choice to live or die.’

She immediately understoodthat he had returned from avision of the hereafter andrealised that he would soon notbe with them anymore as he hadmade his choice.

He looked up, lifted his handand she heard him say: ‘Withthose on whom you havebestowed Your Grace, with theprophets and the truthful ones,the martyrs and the good doers.O Allah, forgive me and havemercy on me and join me to themost exalted Companionship onhigh.’

He said ‘the most exaltedCompanionship on high’ threetimes.

These were the last words sheheard him speak as his handdropped and he joined the mostexalted Companionship.

‘To Allah we return and toHim we turn for help, and the lastabode.’ Ayesha felt his head growheavier on her bosom, and theother wives began to lament.

Ayesha placed his head on apillow and joined the other wivesin lamentation. Their husband,the Seal of the Prophets, Allah’sMessenger, was no more in thisworld.

Stories from the Hijaz is sponsored by Al-Anwar Hajj andUmrah.

Muslim Views


Final days of Nabi Muhammad (SAW)This is the front of the chamber thatis the final resting place of NabiMuhammad (SAW). Behind this barrier lies Allah’s Beloved with twoof his Companions. This and part ofthe western side (if not all) are areasto which women do not have access.When one faces the qabr from thisside, one stands with one’s back toqiblah – something that the Saudiauthorities strongly discourage.

Photo SALIM PARKER

The western side of Nabi Muhammad’s (SAW) resting place, which is inside whatwas the house of Sayyida Ayesha (RA), forms the one boundary of the RoudatulJannah. Thus, if one is in that area and facing qiblah, the Prophet’s (SAW) resting place is on one’s left. Photo SALIM PARKER

Muslim Views


WE are pleased to announce that15-year-old Saabierah Ryklieffrom the Western Cape is thewinner of the two Hajj ticketssponsored by Al Anwar Hajj andUmrah.

The South African NationalZakah Fund (SANZAF) is pleasedto announce that Saabierah Ryk-lief aged 15 scooped the overallprize in the SANZAF 5 PillarsGame Show flighted during themonth of Ramadaan.

Hoosen Essof, South AfricanNational Zakah Fund Adminis-trator in Gauteng, added that‘although the show has a defini-tive entertainment value to it, thereal value is in what we have beenable to achieve by way of educa-tion as evidenced by the number

of participants who scored as wellas they did.

‘We learnt that many of thecontestants actually studied the

game which was great becausethey learnt new things about thedeen’.

This year, Al Anwar Hajj andUmrah sponsored the Hajj pack-age for two as part of their socialresponsibility and commitment tosupport initiatives that empoweryouth.

SANZAF expresses sinceregratitude to all the sponsors andmembers of the public who con-tributed to the success of the 5 Pillars Game Show.

Zakaah Quiz in PaarlCome join us on Saturday,

November 29, 2014, at Alma-hadul Islam Centre, LappertStreet, Paarl. For more informa-tion telephone 021 862 7836.

- ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE -SANZAF 5 Pillars Game Show on iTV a resounding success

Al-Anwar Hajj and Umrah Travel Representative Mohammad Ashraf, Al AnwarHajj and Umrah Travel Director Ganief Harris, Saabierah Ryklief, Mogamat Ryklief, Shanaaz Ryklief. Photo SUPPLIED

SANZAF reaches out duringMuharram and SafarIT’S all hands on deck for SANZAFstaff in the Western Cape as theIslamic new year begins; the monthof Muharram and Safar is a time forSANZAF to emphasise the plight ofthe elderly and children in need.During the next few weeks, all SANZAF offices will be activelyengaging with young people andsenior citizens throughout theprovince, providing relief and joy tothose in need.

SANZAF CARES FOR CHILDRENChildren are a blessing from AllahSWT, and Islam considers childrento be an amaanah (trust) given tothe family with the obligation ofraising the child in a righteousmanner. In Islam, both male andfemale children should be treatedequally and should be loved andcherished.

SANZAF HONOURS THE AGEDAccording to Islamic principles,old-age homes should not be inexistence. The belief is that just asour parents cared for us when wewere young so, too, should we dothe same for them as they reachtheir golden years.SANZAF has organised a numberof activities for the senior citizensand children within the community;this includes numerous Children’sDays and Senior Outreach Programmes within the areas ofBridgetown, Elsies River, Belhar,Mitchells Plain, Green Point Park,Manenberg and Retreat.To contribute financially or in kindto a SANZAF project or programmeemail [email protected], contact021 638 5108/ 021 638 0965/021 447 0297 or visitwww.sanzaf.org.za, like SANZAF onFacebook or follow @SANZAFSAon Twitter.Alternatively, if you would like tovolunteer your time, contact SANZAF on 021 447 0297.

THE South African NationalZakah Fund (SANZAF) recentlyannounced that the SANZAFBursary Applications for the2015 academic year are nowopen.

The SANZAF Education andEmpowerment and Development(SEED) Programme is a nationalprogramme that focuses on devel-opment and empowerment of ourbeneficiaries through educationprojects which comprises five pil-

lars namely, Childhood Develop-ment, Mentoring Youth, Reli-gious Studies, Tertiary and SkillsDevelopment, investing R11,6million in education in 2014.

For 2015, we are earmarking a20% increase of which R1 mil-lion alone will be allocated to ter-tiary education students in Uiten-hage, East London, Port Eliza-beth, Kimberley, Ladysmith andGeorge.

Candidates are encouraged to

examine the requirements thor-oughly and ensure that all thenecessary documentation isattached when submitting anapplication.

The closing date for applica-tions is Friday, January 9, 2015.Students are encouraged to applyto other bursars for funding asSANZAF does not guarantee afull bursary.

SANZAF also encourages cor-porates to get involved in the

SEED Programme as a means toinvest in the education of stu-dents, enabling them to becomefinancially independent.

For further information onSEED, contact SANZAF on086 172 6923. All SEED detailsare available onwww.sanzaf.org.za, or like us onFacebook and follow us on Twit-ter.

SANZAF changing livesthrough development and relief.

SANZAF bursary applications now open

Register online today

Muslim Views


THE sun had just risen overthe vast plains of Arafah,and the millions were

arising and arriving for theirown unique space, time and spirit to soon converse with theirinner selves and their Creator.

It was already hot but no onewas deterred from their determi-nation to have, for the vastmajority, a once-in-a-lifetimechance of asking for, and mostlikely receiving, the Mercy ofAllah, for is this not the day whenAllah forgives more of His sub-jects than on any other day?

Is this not the day when moreprayers are answered and thedirection of the future laid bare?

It was the second day of Hajj,the day when all converge onArafah. Hajj is Arafah. Even amere moment on Arafah validatesHajj, and if there is no Arafah,there is no Hajj.

An ihram-clad man walks toone side of our camp. In deepthought he looks around andthen, slowly, picks up a sharp-edged stone. He writes a name inthe sand. Her name, the name ofa person who had asked him notto have any contact with her anymore.

She was thousands of milesaway yet, she was innermost inhis thoughts. Her deen demandedthat he either marry her or moveon; he did not want to get mar-ried for whatever reason but alsodid not want to move on.

He suddenly became acutelyaware that others might havenoticed him writing in the sandand he sheepishly tried to wipeaway the letters. ‘Strange,’ Ithought, ‘here is an attempt tohide her name from the rest of theworld yet Allah sees and knowseverything, and surely Allah saw

the name.’I saw the smudged letters still

in the sand. It will forever beetched in the sands of Arafah, asshe would forever be embedded inhis heart.

He looked lost, confused andbewildered, and moved to an areawhich, though initially touchedby golden soft and caressing rays,now had heat emanating from itsbare soil, like oppressively humidwater vapour rising and glisten-ing.

Then, as happens every year,there was a slight breeze; notenough to cool anyone, not near-ly enough to rush out and havethe accumulating sweat dry a bit;only enough to assure all thatwith every test there is somerelief.

Another gentle whisper, justdiscernible as the small branchesof the mechanically-watered treesbowed ever so slightly.

His ihram flaps ever so slightlyand he whispers her name. Doeshe wish it to echo and reverberateperpetually on the vast plains?He again seems at a loss andlooks around to see whether any-one noticed.

‘How weird,’ I thought again.‘Surely Allah saw him writing,heard him saying, and definitelyknows that in his heart isentrenched – her name.

Midday was approaching andthe time of standing, the time ofWuqoof, was getting near. Forsome it will be a just a moment,for others an eternity.

I attended to a lady who col-lapsed due to a combination ofheat exposure, inadequate fluidintake and overdressing. ‘Is itWuqoof yet?’ were the first wordsshe uttered when she regainedconsciousness.

I attended to a few others whowere clearly exhausted afterwalking from Mina to Arafah inthe scorching heat. I remindedthem that our Beloved Prophet(SAW) used his camel as a modeof transport.

Wuqoof is the time to be phys-ically, mentally, emotionally andspiritually at the peak of ourcapacity as it would come onlyonce in the lifetime of most; it isthe time of asking, the time torepent, the time to connect withthe inner self.

It is the one time where every-one is a speck of individualitywithin the sea of ihram-clad uni-formity and anonymity.

‘This is the wonder of Arafah,’someone remarked. ‘Allah hasreduced us all to a common phys-ical denominator. Now, at thetime of Wuqoof, He is going tobare our souls and we can exposeour deep-seated emotions.’

The man had by now returnedto his camp, still unsure whetheranyone had noticed his writingand whispering. By now helooked content, not as if havingreceived revelation about hisfuture but simply about beingpresent on Arafah.

Someone asked him about hisfeelings and it seemed that hecould not stop expressing himself.

‘I do not know whether I am wel-coming the future or sayingfarewell to the past. Maybe I amdoing both but all I know is that Iam in the present here on Arafah.

‘I feel like I am in my ihrambut, somehow, am way outside it,looking at myself. And I see asimple human being covered in apiece of white cloth. The bodyand cloth can be washed andcleaned; inside the soul only myAllah sees, and the cleansing of itneeds my willingness and Allah’smercy. I am going to ask the wayforward,’ he said.

‘Sometimes the road ahead isclear but the rocks and sharpobjects on it, and numerous bendsand forks in it are a deterrent,’someone remarked.

‘At least I would have mademy choice and then have to livewith it,’ he replied.

‘What if the wrong choice ismade?’ someone else asked.

‘Sometimes there is no right orwrong choice, just alternatives.Each will have different conse-quences,’ he replied. ‘Sometimeswe see things in black and whiteand compartmentalise everythinginto blocks that either fit ourvision or not.

‘I want to stand here and notonly want to ask forgiveness forharm that I caused but to ask forthe blessings for the little goodthat I do and the strength to con-tinue the good.’ He paused.

‘As long as responsibility istaken for the harm caused andreparations attempted,’ someonecommented.

Profound words were spokenon an auspicious plain at a divine-ly ordained time.

People rose, some went aloneto seek solace. Couples could beseen seeking their own spots,delivering prayers individuallyand together.

Families huddled together,sometimes stepping back inhalingto pray individually while, attimes, exhaling the melodies ofcollective prayers.

Groups congregated, differentnations were visible in theircamps but, on Arafah, atWuqoof, it was one ummah, onereligion’s devotees who, thougheach had a unique soul, had oneheartbeat pulsing through all ofthem.

He stood at Wuqoof, handsraised and reached out. He castno shadow as the blazing sun wasdirectly above him.

Yet, his prayers shaded himand the inevitable welcomingslight breeze whispered: ‘You arehere.’

I looked around. Some werethinking of their beloved, otherssearched serenity. I knew that hehad searching troubles to resolvebut at that moment he was at onewith all of humanity, at one withwhat his Creator had ordained,and at one with himself.

Many an issue needed still tobe resolved out there but, at least,at the time of Wuqoof, we couldcocoon ourselves with ‘Labaik; Iam here, we are all here.’Comments [email protected]

Triumph of Arafah: Wuqoof

Midday was approachingand the time of standing,the time of Wuqoof, wasgetting near, writes DoctorSALIM PARKER.

After Wukoof, the climax of Hajj, not only does one leave Arafah cleansed of all sin but it is as if one’s questions about theway forward are also answered. Photo SALIM PARKER

Muslim Views


AASIF NAJJAARWAQF is an Islamic law institution which was introducedby the Prophet Muhammad(SAW). In simple terms, waqf (orawqaf in plural) refers to property which is voluntarilygiven for the benefit of broadersociety; it is a ‘continuous charity’ or ‘sadaqatu jariyah’.

Jurisprudentially speaking,waqf is a permanent dedication ofany movable or immovable prop-erty for the upliftment and benefitof a community at large.

The characterising theme ofwaqf is that the ownership ofsuch a property will not pass toany single person, it is seen as apledge to Allah to be used by thecommunity at large.

In South Africa and manyother countries where a shariahlegal system is absent, the waqfsystem has been realised throughthe English law concept of Trust.

The institution of awqaf hassuccessfully been employed inseveral countries with provenresults in addressing many soci-etal concerns relating to social,economic and legal affairs.

Muslim countries based onshariah law can easily employ thewaqf concept, governed as partand parcel of their legal system.South Africa, through AwqafSA,has managed to integrate a fully-fledged waqf system in a countrybased on a Roman-Dutch legalsystem and, moreover, featureinternationally.

In 2007, the Southern Africa

International Waqf Conferencewas successfully hosted in CapeTown by AwqafSA in conjunctionwith the Islamic Research andTraining Institute, based in SaudiArabia and Kuwait Awqaf PublicFoundation.

The institution of waqf hasdrawn the attention of manyscholars and academics fromacross the world, uniting tostrategise and find solutions tocurrent challenges.

The intercontinental unifica-tion can best be evidenced by theGlobal Islamic Economic Summit2013 which was held in Dubai,boasting an attendance of over 2 000 delegates from around theworld.

In the South African context,AwqafSA is strictly managedunder the rules relating to waqf,in accordance with shariah law.

The difference is that our legalsystem does not recognise theconcept of waqf as it is in coun-tries with a shariah legal systemand, therefore, we have mergedvarious recognisable legal princi-ples provided for by SouthAfrican law, to create a shariah-compliant awqaf system.

There is, undoubtedly, a needfor the waqf concept in address-ing the evident and growing con-cerns relating to social welfare,including education, job creation,housing, youth development andrenewable energy.

Comparatively, countries gov-erned by shariah have the neces-sary legal framework to readilyemploy an awqaf system.

A prominent legal academic,Dr Shabeeb, from University ofJordan, added that the Jordanianawqaf system is regulated by thegovernment through the Ministryof Awqaf and Islamic Affairs,under a mass of legislation ensur-ing strict adherence to shariah.

Interestingly, the Jordanianawqaf system extends as far asproviding underprivileged per-sons monetary and other supportin order to obtain an educationand, consequently, enter the jobmarket (The Regulations for

Waqf Projects no 83 of 2005).Such a service is especially nec-

essary in South Africa, as it wouldbe beneficial to the public and oureconomy as a whole.

In South Africa, the Englishlaw of Trusts serves as a vehiclefor waqf institutions to operate,due to the notable resemblancebetween Waqf law and the law ofTrusts.

Many academics and scholarsmaintain that Trust law wasderived from the Islamic conceptof Waqf. If this is the case then itwas a great compliment whenFredric Maitland described ‘thetrust idea’ to be the greatestachievement in English jurispru-dence.

The concepts of trust in com-mon law systems and waqf inIslamic law systems are twoimportant legal and economicmechanisms. The law of Trustshas been particularly effective inadvancing economic activity as aneconomic and legal instrument.

In contrast, the Islamic law ofwaqf has acted as more of a socialwelfare mechanism.

Apart from this, there are sev-eral other similarities and differ-ences between a waqf and a trust.The resemblances in both con-cepts are evident from the outset:every waqf is required to have awaqif (founder), mutawillis(trustees), a qadi (judge) and ben-eficiaries.

The defining characteristic of awaqf is that a waqif is preventedfrom having an interest in theassets of the waqf.

Assets held in trust are alien-able whereas the assets of a waqfare inalienable, except in theinstance where a shariah courtgrants permission.

The rationale for this is that awaqf is meant to exist indefinite-ly. The indefinite existence of awaqf is further ensured throughthe rule that bars a waqif fromrevoking a waqf, whereas trustlaw permits the power to revoke.

It is clear from this that a trust,as it is used in our context differsfrom a waqf and therefore needsto be adapted in order to serve asa shariah compliant mechanism.

To ensure that a trust is gov-erned in accordance with the rulespertaining to waqf, its constitu-tion must contain the necessaryprovisions.

The constitution must directthat the trust deed contains theprovisions which form the shari-ah standards by which a waqf isrequired to function.

AwqafSA is governed in thisregard with a team of highly qual-ified personnel in every sphere ofits structure, to ensure compli-ance with Islamic law in the mostefficient manner.

Moreover, AwqafSA has goneabove and beyond this by actingas an advocate to those who needto be heard, guaranteeing a highdegree of transparency andaccountability, and empoweringcommunities and people in a sus-tainable manner.Aasif Najjaar, currently based inSaudi Arabia, writes for Awqaf-SA in a voluntary capacity.

Trusts and waqf: a legal perspectiveAWQAF - promoting self-reliance and sustainability

...the Jordanian awqaf

system extends as

far as providing

underprivileged persons

monetary and other

support in order to

obtain an education and,

consequently, enter the

job market... Such a

service is especially

necessary in South

Africa, as it would be

beneficial to the

public and our

economy as a whole.

Muslim Views


Part 2: The modern state

ACCORDING to Wael Hallaq, we should notassume that the modern

state is a natural and obviousphenomenon. It is not naturaland obvious because it is ‘modern’ – having emerged fromthe modern world and exhibitingthe characteristics of that world.

Hallaq lists five such charac-teristics.

The first of these characteris-tics is that the modern state is aEuropean product. It was forgedin the Enlightenment and repre-sents the unfolding of a politicaland cultural arrangement thatwas inspired by that movement.

It may have been presented asnatural and obvious – as timelessand universal – but it is a productof particular historical circum-stances.

More specifically, it can betraced to the Treaty of Westaphiaof 1648, when Europe tookexplicit steps to recognise the‘sovereign nation’ as the basis of anew political order. There wasnothing quite like the nation inthis sense in the premodernworld.

‘Sovereignty’ is, in fact, the sec-ond characteristic of the modernstate identified by Hallaq.

Sovereignty is established onthe idea that a nation is the soleauthor of its will and destiny. Thewill of a nation here acts as a sub-stitute for the concept of divinewill. And the nation, like God,can demand that the lives of its

citizens be sacrificed for its sake –for the sake of the nation.

Sovereignty gives the modernstate its own theological charac-ter, one that exists in competitionwith traditional theologies.

Hallaq writes: ‘To be a citizenis to live under a sovereign willwith its own metaphysics. It is tolive with and yet under anothergod, one who can claim thebelievers’ lives.’

This theological character isreinforced when we consider thatsovereignty is held in place by thelaw, the third characteristic of thenation-state.

The modern state, by necessity,produces laws as it seeks to putall domains of society under itscontrol, regulating a citizen’s lifefrom birth to death.

And so an omnipotent God ismirrored by the omnipotent law-giver, the parliament of thenation-state.

State violence (through jails,for example) becomes necessaryto implement law and, in sodoing, regulates all layers of soci-ety. The state and the law cannotbe separated.

The modern state is also char-acterised, fourthly, by an exten-sive bureaucracy. Bureaucracy inmodern state administration is atool through which society is con-trolled. But as the tentacles of thestate expand into other domains,the bigger the bureaucracybecomes.

Bureaucracy, in fact, hasbecome so big that it breeds itsown community – the communityof the state. The state becomesmore and more pervasive, allow-ing increasingly less space to civil(non-state) society.

The fifth characteristic of themodern state follows from thefourth: the state also penetratesthe cultural. The state has todestroy (or reconstitute under itsown jurisdiction) all cultural for-mations and authorities thatcould challenge its sovereign will,its claim to represent the nation.

This is what happened in Eng-land and France and it is some-thing that a modern Islamic statewould also feel entitled to do.This sense of entitlement, and thetheology of national sovereigntywhich underpins it, is built intothe very structure of the modernstate.

It is unconscionable that anIslamic ‘state’, in its expressedpurpose to serve the one God,does so by serving another god.Muslims need to radically rethinkthe notion of a state as a vehiclefor the implementation of theshariah.

Some important questionsneed to be addressed here.

What if the impact of the stateis felt as benign and even wel-comed?

What if the state does notintrude upon cultural identitiesand allows them breathing space,so to speak?

What if the laws of the state(such as the need to have an iden-tity document) are seen as neces-sary for the normal functioning ofthe society?

These are important considera-tions because they affect the qual-ity of life under a state. A hijab-observing woman will presum-ably feel more comfortable inSouth Africa, with its high degreeof allowance for cultural and reli-gious traditions, than she wouldin less tolerant France.

And no one would dispute theneed for laws that ensure thesmooth running of society.

But I think Hallaq’s point isthat, whether experienced asbenign or overbearing, it is themodern state that defines thespace and conditions for culturaland religious traditions, and forcivil life in general.

The state seeks to centralise –bring under its own jurisdiction –the life of society. It can do thisgently, compassionately and withunderstanding and tolerance or itcan harshly impose its will. But,either way, it is still centralising. Itdetermines the rules of engage-ment. It is still in charge.Reference: Wael Hallaq, TheImpossible State, Columbia University Press, New York,2013.In part three, Dr AuwaisRafudeen, explores Hallaq’sposer: Which is more democratic? Modern law or theSharia? Dr Rafudeen is SeniorLecturer in the Department ofReligious Studies and Arabic atUniversity of 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.

It is unconscionable that an

Islamic ‘state’, in its expressed

purpose to serve the one God, does

so by serving another god

Muslim Views


RESPONDING to emergencies iscentral to Muslim Hands.

THE crisis in Bosnia in 1993prompted a community in Not-tingham (UK) to send aid to thosesuffering in the conflict, markingthe formation of Muslim Hands.Since then, we have responded tocountless more emergencies, anddeveloped a specialised networkof staff and volunteers around theglobe for a fast response.

Some of the appeals we haverun this year are: Iraq emergencyappeal, June 2014; Gaza emer-gency appeal, July 2014; Pakistanemergency appeal, September2014.

Muslim Hands current appealEbola Emergency appeal:

November 2014

What is Ebola?

Dr Salim Parker (MuslimViews, August 2014) captures theEbola Virus Disease in summary:

‘Ebola is introduced into thehuman population through closecontact with the blood, secretionssuch as nasal mucous, and theorgans, such as the liver, or otherbodily fluids of infected animals.

‘Infection was traced in Africaafter humans handled infectedchimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats,monkeys, forest antelope andporcupines. These animals wereoften found ill or dead in the rain-forest.

‘Humans then spread itamongst each other when theblood, bodily fluids and secre-tions of those infected or had died

of it, come into close direct con-tact with others. Clothes andother materials soiled with bloodor secretions are also sources oftransmission.

‘Health care workers who donot practise optimum precautionsalso have either contracted orspread the disease.

‘The virus is not easily spreadthrough the air and this factallows effective quarantining andisolation with good medical prac-tice and standards to contain thedisease.’

A person can have the virusand not show any symptoms for

between two and 21 days. Theonset of the disease is heralded bythe following:l Sudden onset of feverl Intense weaknessl Muscle painl Headachel Sore throat

As it gets worse, internal andexternal bleeding occurs. This fol-lows vomiting, diarrhoea and thedeterioration of kidney and liverfunctions.

Dr Parker adds: ‘The symp-toms are similar to common dis-eases in Africa such as malariaand it was initially commonly

misdiagnosed.’If you were to be diagnosed as

having Ebola, you’ll be quaran-tined and secluded from the pub-lic as soon as possible to inhibitthe spread. Ebola has no cure butresearchers are working on it.

Treating Ebola contains exper-imental serums that subdue thecontaminated cells. Professionalscontrol the symptoms of this dis-ease with electrolytes and fluids;oxygen; blood pressure medica-tion

Treating additional infections with antibioticsThe africacheck.org website

advises: ‘In addition to supportiveand symptomatic treatment,health workers can only reallycontrol the spread of the virus:isolating those infected, raisingawareness of the virus and how itis spread in affected communities,ensuring appropriate protectivegear is worn by all in contact withEbola sufferers and ensuring thequick and safe burial of thosewho have succumbed.

The situationThe Ebola outbreak in West

Africa has been growing steadilyand now represents a majorhealth crisis. The number of thoseinfected by the disease approach-es 20 000, with over 5 000 havingdied as a result.

Despite efforts to contain theoutbreak, new cases are arising ata rate of over 2 000 per week. Anumber of countries have beenaffected but Liberia, Sierra Leone

and Guinea are worst hit. Localmedical teams, already under-funded and with strainedresources, are overwhelmed andstruggle to treat victims or con-tain the outbreak.

Muslim Hands has a history ofwork in Liberia and Sierra Leoneand has been working closelyalongside local medical profes-sionals.

Teams are operating in theLiberian capital, Monrovia, andSierra Leone’s capital Freetown aswell as a number of smaller townsand cities where the outbreak isconcentrated.

Guided by our medical part-ners, teams are providing foodand non-food assistance to thosein quarantined areas who areunable to move freely or work. Inaddition, a training programme isbeing run to highlight and raiseawareness of how the disease isspread, as well as providinghygiene and sanitation supplies.Donate: Provide a family with afood parcel (R1 350)Donate: Provide a hygiene kit andsafety training for a family(R810)Donate: Family Pack includingfood, hygiene kit, awarenesstraining and shelter (R3 960)

Our work on the ground isextremely focused and effectivebut we urgently require donationsto help more of those affected.Please donate generously and helpsave lives Insha Allah.Contact Muslim Hands on 021633 6413 or visitmuslimhands.org.za

- ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE -

Muslim Hands: Emergency Response

Muslim Views


Muslim Views


WHETHER it’s through helpingits members to Connect, Save,Give or to Win – CrescentLifestyle is always right at theheart of the Muslim community.

The months of September andOctober were all about heart asCrescent Lifestyle completed itssecond round of beneficiary pay-out ceremonies for 2014.

Crescent Lifestyle not onlyoffers their members a great rangeof benefits to enjoy for themselvesbut they also give members theopportunity to select charitiesfrom in and around their commu-nities to receive a portion of theirmonthly membership fees.

The latest payout of R201 287,34 to more than 150charities across South Africatipped the total amount donatedon behalf of Crescent Lifestyle

members since 2008 to over R2,2million.

The difference these contribu-tions have made and continues tomake is clearly visible in the pro-jects that the various beneficiariesrun and complete so devotedly.

Some of the beneficiaries in theCape Town area that receivedcontributions in the recent payoutinclude:Muslim Judicial Council: R7 385

Jameah Masjid: R3 104Beitul Aman Home for the Aged:R3 876Muslim Aids Programme: R2 159Muslim Hands: R1 986

A few other beneficiaries thatare based in Gauteng but whoalso reach out to communities inCape Town include Gift of theGivers (R24 200) and Al-ImdaadFoundation (R13 787).

Al-Firnas Patel, Managing

Director of Crescent Lifestyle vis-ited some of the Cape Town-based beneficiaries to personallyhand over contributions on behalfof its members.

‘Some of the beneficiaries men-tioned that they have been findingit difficult to raise the funds theyneed for their projects and reiter-ated just how grateful they are forthe regular contributions fromCrescent Lifestyle and its mem-

bers,’ says Al-Firnas Patel.‘We are grateful to be able to

give back to the community.‘In the end, we’re only helping

our members to take what’s intheir hearts and to place it in thehands of those they would like tohelp the most.’

It’s plain to see that with aCrescent Lifestyle membership,giving and receiving goes hand inhand.

Join Crescent Lifestyle today tostart helping the charities closestto your heart and to start cele-brating all aspects of your life ofIslam with a range of fantasticbenefits.Call 0861 444 786 or SMS CL to31699 or email [email protected] www.crescentlifestyle.comfor more information.

- ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE -Crescent Lifestyle follows their members’ hearts

(Left) Crescent Lifestyle Managing Director, Al-Firnas Patel, handing over a cheque to Mr Phaldie Jeppe of Beitul Aman OldAge Home while resident Mrs Roegaya Peters looks on.(Above) Crescent Lifestyle Managing Director, Al-Firnas Patel, and Crescent Lifestyle Marketing Manager, Khalida Khan,handing over a cheque to Emily Thomas and Allauddin Sayed of Gift of the Givers in Johannesburg.(Right) Crescent Lifestyle Managing Director, Al-Firnas Patel, handing over a cheque to Imam Moutie Saban of JameahMasjid, Chiappini Street, Bo-Kaap, at the VOCfm Studios. Photos SUPPLIED

The difference these contributions have made and

continues to make is clearly visible in the projects that

the various beneficiaries run and complete so devotedly.

Muslim Views


THE invasion and occupation of Iraq notonly resulted in the deaths

of hundreds of thousands ofIraqis and destruction of Iraq’sinfrastructure but also in theappearance of and rise in a number of diseases.

It is estimated that the UnitedStates used 350 tons of depleteduranium (DU) munitions in Iraqduring the 1991 war, and 1 200tons during its 2003 invasion andsubsequent occupation.

In a report submitted to theUN Secretary General, Iraqexpressed ‘deep concern over theharmful effects of the use in warsand armed struggles of arma-ments and ammunitions contain-ing depleted uranium, which con-stitute a danger to human beingsand the environment (the air andthe soil)’.

According to a 2013 report bythe Netherlands-based organisa-tion Pax Christi, Iraq has beensubject to the largest use of DU

munitions of all areas of conflictand test sites, conservatively esti-mated to be at least 440 metrictons though the UN EnvironmentProgram has estimated anamount up to five times thatbased on satellite imagery.

Dr Jawad al-Ali, a consultantphysician and oncologist at theBasra Cancer Treatment Center,estimates that there are 300 sitesthroughout Iraq that are contam-inated with radiation from theDU munitions.

This contamination is causingsharp rises in congenital birthdefects, cancer cases and other ill-nesses throughout much of Iraq,according to numerous Iraqi doc-tors.

Iraqi doctors and prominentscientists believe that DU contam-ination is also connected to theemergence of diseases that werenot previously seen in Iraq, suchas new illnesses in the kidney,lungs and liver, as well as totalimmune system collapse.

DU contamination may also beconnected to the steep rise inleukemia, renal and anaemiacases, especially among children,being reported throughout manyIraqi governorates.

Official Iraqi government sta-tistics show that, prior to the out-break of the first Gulf War, in1991, the country’s rate of cancercases was 40 out of 100 000 peo-ple.

By 1995, it had increased to800 out of 100 000 people and,by 2005, it had doubled to at

least 1 600 out of 100 000 peo-ple. Current estimates show thetrend continuing.

‘We have noticed bouts ofmalignant tumors affecting chil-dren’s limbs,’ an Iraqi doctor whohas worked in various parts of thecountry for 20 years declared.‘These malignancies are usually ofvery aggressive types and in viewof the shortage of facilities we arerunning in our hospitals, theyusually have a fatal outcome.’

There has also been a dramaticjump in miscarriages and prema-ture births among Iraqi women,particularly in areas where heavyUS military operations occurred,such as Fallujah during 2004.According to a chemist, ChrisBusby, the Fallujah health crisisrepresented ‘the highest rate ofgenetic damage in any populationever studied’.

Doctors in Fallujah continue towitness a steep rise in severe con-genital birth defects, includingchildren being born with twoheads, children born with onlyone eye, multiple tumors, disfig-uring facial and body deformities,and complex nervous systemproblems.

Dr Samira Alani, a paediatricspecialist at Fallujah GeneralHospital, stated, ‘We have allkinds of defects now, rangingfrom congenital heart disease tosevere physical abnormalities,both in numbers you cannotimagine.’

Alani co-authored a study in2010 that showed the rate of

heart defects in Fallujah to be 13times the rate found in Europe.And for birth defects involvingthe nervous system, the rate wascalculated to be 33 times thatfound in Europe for the samenumber of births.

Iraq’s southern city of Basra,like Fallujah, was heavily bom-barded with DU munitions by USwarplanes during the 1991 war.

Dr Al-Ali who was involved inworking on two birth defect stud-ies carried out in the wake of thewar on Iraq made the followingsubmissions:

‘The types of birth defects werehydrocephaly [an abnormalbuildup of cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) in the ventricles of thebrain], anencephaly [the absenceof a large part of the brain andthe skull], cleft lip and pha-comelia [loss of limbs].’

Cancers increased three-foldduring the last two decades.

Clusters of cancers occurringat higher incidence within thesame family were another newphenomenon seen in Iraq onlyafter the 1991 and 2003 wars.

Other diseases related to theeffects of DU were kidney failureof unknown cause and stone for-mation.

Respiratory problems likeasthma, myopathy and neuropa-thy are now very common aswell.

According to a study publishedin the Bulletin of EnvironmentalContamination and Toxicology,there was a sevenfold increase inthe number of birth defects inBasra between 1994 and 2003.

In addition, never before hassuch a high rate of neural tubedefects (‘open back’) been record-ed in babies as in Basra, and therate continues to rise.

According to the study, thenumber of hydrocephalus (‘wateron the brain’) cases among new-

borns is six times as high in Basraas it is in the United States.

Childhood cancer also appearsto be unusually prevalent inBasra.

In Babil Province, in southernIraq, cancer rates have been esca-lating at alarming rates since2003.

Dr Sharif al-Alwachi, the headof the Babil Cancer Center,blames the use of depleted urani-um weapons by US forces duringand following the 2003 invasion.

‘The environment could becontaminated by chemicalweapons and depleted uraniumfrom the aftermath of the war onIraq,’ Alwachi infers.

‘The air, soil and water are allpolluted by these weapons, and asthey come into contact withhuman beings they become poiso-nous.

‘This is new to our region, andpeople are suffering here.

‘The only help we can provideto those children is amputation,which sometimes does nothingbut prolong their suffering, inaddition to the great psychologi-cal impact on both the child andthe parents,’ Alwachi said.

‘We know that it is possible tosave most of these children in spe-cialised oncology centres byadvanced salvage surgery, withthe attendant chemotherapy andradiotherapy.

‘Unfortunately, this seems tobe a kind fantasy for our govern-ment and health administrations,which are currently busy with thelarge amount of trauma over-whelming our hospitals’resources.’

This is the aftermath of thewar waged by the most ‘moral’and ‘civilized’ nation on earth! [Source: http://truth-out.org/news/item/26703-iraqi-doctors-call-depleted-uranium-use-genocide]

DISCUSSIONS WITH DANGORDISCUSSIONS WITH DANGORIraq hasbeen subject tothe largestuse of DUmunitionsof all areasof conflictand testsites, writes

Emeritus ProfessorSULEMAN DANGOR.

The aftermath of the occupation of Iraq

Muslim Views


DO you know if you are a registered tax payer?

Either you or your employerwould have registered you andyou would have been issued witha 10-digit tax reference numberfrom SARS.

You may have an IT150 Noti-fication of registration that statesyour reference number.

If you have an IRP5 certificateor payslip from your employer,your tax reference number mayappear there.

If you think you might have atax number but aren’t sure, ratherphone SARS at 0800 00 7277 tocheck.

If you have not registered then the process is easy

1. Simply download the IT77form from the SARS website,print it out and follow these easysteps to complete it.

2. You will need the followingdocuments to be submitted withyour completed IT77 form:l A certified legible copy of your

ID, passport or drivers licence.Certification of copied docu-ments can be done at yournearest police station (justremember to take the originalalong, too).

l Proof of address (this can be arates bill, utilities bill, phonebill etc. – anything that showsyour name and your address

on an official letterhead)l three month’s bank statements

or an official letter from thebank indicating when theaccount was opened and docu-menting the details of theaccount holder. These shouldbe original and stamped by thebank.3. Now let’s have a look at the

registration form and complete itstep-by-step:l Page 1 requires you to enter all

your personal details. Be as up-to-date and accurate as youcan to avoid having to repeatany of this information ifSARS requires it.If you don’t know what a VDP

agreement is then just mark theNo box under the Voluntary Dis-closure Programme section.Remember to sign this page withyour signature.l Page 2 requires you to enter

the details of your tax practi-tioner, if you are using one.Your employer’s details arealso required on this page. Ifyou have an existing IRP5 thenyou should be able to find thedetails there.

l Page 3 asks you to describe thedetails of your income andwhere it comes from. Note thatthis should be an estimate.When describing the source ofyour income, enter dates val-

ues in YYYYMMDD formate.g. 20130301 (for 1st March2013).The Gross Amount is your

total income before any deduc-tions have been subtracted. Page3 also requests the details of anypartners that you are in a partner-ship with to earn an income.l Page 4 asks about your Estate

details. This page does notapply to you as an individual –ignore it!

l Page 5 contains informationabout what documents youmay/ may not need. There isnothing to complete here.4. Visit your nearest SARS

branch with the completed IT77form and relevant documentationwhere a friendly SARS employeeworking at the counter will assistyou.

Remember to get an acknowl-edgement slip from SARS as itcontains your reference numberand stands as proof that you havesubmitted your registrationforms.

Alternatively, you may be

issued with a tax number immedi-ately.

If you prefer, you can postthese documents to the postaladdress of your nearest officeinstead.

SARS should get back to youwith your new tax number withina maximum of 10 days. You mayreceive your tax number by postin the form of an IT150 / Notifi-cation of registration.

If you prefer, you can call themon (0800 00 7277) to find outwhat the current status is.Remember to have your referencenumber with you when you call.

Visit any branch of NexiaSAB&T now and we will helpyou through the next steps ofbecoming tax compliant.This article is intended for information purposes only andshould not be considered as alegal document. If you are indoubt about any information inthis article or require any advice,please do not hesitate to contactNexia SAB&T Tax departmentat 021 596 5400.

Registering for income taxFocus on Finance

HASSEN KAJIE, CA (SA), a director of NEXIA SAB&T, based in the Cape Town office, andAysha Osman CA (SA), Technical manager at Nexia SAB&T, point out the steps to be takento register as a tax payer.

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

Aysha Osman is Technical Manager inthe Cape Town office of Nexia SAB&T.

Muslim Views

Muslim 27

NABEEL YASIN

RAMADAAN and the Hajjseason have come andgone and, with that, the

many nice treats we ate whilevisiting friends and family duringthese two auspicious times of theyear.

As Muslims, we exercise greatcaution with regards to our spiri-tual well-being and do all that isnecessary to make sure we suc-ceed. Unfortunately, we forget toexercise the same caution when itcomes to our physical well-being.

We should not look at thephysical and the spiritual aspectsof well-being as two separatethings but rather as two aspectsthat grow and nurture one anoth-er.

Physical well-being is achievedthrough correct eating habits andphysical activity. In the modernworld, we need to constantlyreview what we consume. Theprocesses that many food prod-ucts go through strip them oftheir nutritional content.

A direct result of eating foodswhich have no or minimal nutri-tional value is the increase in dis-eases of lifestyle, namely diabetes,hypertension, obesity etc.

As Muslims, our dietaryrequirements are strict; we cannoteat food where the name of Allahhas not been invoked. Allah saysin the Holy Quran: ‘Eat of what islawful and wholesome on theearth.’ (Quran 2:168)

This verse not only instructs usto strictly consume food which ishalaal but also encourages us toconsume food which would be

nutritious to our bodies and assistin good health.

A body that does not ‘move’nor consume nutritionally sound,wholesome food is a body thatwill not perform at its best inworship, duty towards family,friends and humanity at large.Alhamdulillah, we have beenguided to what is good for us notonly spiritually but physically aswell.

Rasulullah (SAW) encouragedMuslims to engage in certainphysical activities such aswrestling, swimming, horse ridingand archery. These activities havevast benefits to our physicalhealth and general well-being.

Wrestling strengthens the mus-cles, ligaments and joints, anddevelops the body to attain agreat degree of strength in differ-ent planes while swimming

strengthens the heart muscle andimproves endurance and cardio-vascular fitness.

Horse riding has been welldocumented to stimulate positivepsychological feelings as it assistswith managing stress and depres-sion as the rider is outdoors andinteracts with the horse.

Archery requires a great dealof mental focus; it improves con-centration and hand-eye coordi-nation.

The above activities may beperceived as masculine activities.The main causes of this view arethe ‘traditional’ cultural normsand the perception that womenare not allowed to do certainthings.

These views are false since, inreality, all the above activities arepermissible for women within theparameters of the deen. They,therefore, can also enjoy themany health benefits associatedwith these activities.

In fact, Rasulullah (SAW) ranraces with his beloved wife,Ayesha (RA). Prophet Muham-mad’s (SAW) beloved wife Ayeshamentions their love of games andsports.

She said, ‘I raced with theProphet and I beat him. Later,when I had put on some weight,we raced again and he won. Thenhe said, ‘This cancels that (refer-ring to the previous race).’

This shows us as the ummah ofRasulullah that physical activityshared between husband and wifeis encouraged. It also encouragesus to participate in running as anactivity.

To get started, we need to

assess ourselves inwardly andoutwardly and set goals for our-selves spiritually and physically.Once we set a goal, we can takethe first step toward achieving it.

Summer is on our doorstep,which means we can take fulladvantage of the outdoors andlater sunsets.

The easiest means of engagingin physical activity is to startwalking. However, to truly bene-fit from walking, we must engagein walking a collective 30 minutesa day and most days of the weekto reap the cardiovascular bene-fits.

Those of us who have seden-tary lifestyles can start a littleslower and start walking a mini-mum of twice a week.

Eventually, we would have toadd flexibility training andstrength training into the regimenas our lifestyles do not provide uswith enough physically demand-ing tasks to reap the health bene-fits of such activities.

The Quran and hadith has setthe tone as to how we should beleading our lives. It is for us totake the lessons learnt withregards to our physical well-beingto heart and implement them inour lives and family’s lives. Inturn, a healthier more productivenation will develop, which will beof greater benefit to humanity.

To get started, speak to yourdoctor or biokineticist to engageyou in a more physically activelifestyle.Nabeel Yasin is a biokineticistwho practices in BelthorneEstate, Lansdowne, Cape Town.

Spiritual and physical fitness – merging the twoHealth File

Muslim Views


Change is possibleIN his book Why States Recover,author Greg Mills pens in his tributes that ‘Writing about thereasons for failure always risksbecoming a target. People do notwant to and rarely like hearingabout the personal roots of theirdifficulties, preferring to externalisethem and make them some-oneelse’s fault.’

The systemic message from theDepartment: Justice and Constitu-tional Development informs fathersto pay maintenance. Maintenance isthe obligation to provide, for exam-

ple, a minor with housing, food,clothing, education and medicalcare.

That maintenance can be claimedfrom grandparents is a progressivestep as this will somewhat guaran-tee that parents teach their progenymanners.

The growing narrative suggeststhat there are many who are unwill-ing to accept that they must sustaintheir children.

Stricter conditions must beapplied as the high and increasingrate of teen and unintended preg-nancies among those who cannotmaintain themselves must bestopped. That taxpayers reward thesensual activities of emotive butignorant individuals with free

money must stop.The following examples should

clarify.Since the morality of others is

not my primary concern, societymust examine realistic strategieshow taxpayers can be protectedfrom another endless expense. Forexample, those who access grantsare eligible until they are 18-years-old.

With free education, health careand housing, free water and freeelectricity, including municipal debtwrite-offs and indigent grants fromall levels of government, onewoman with three children costs thetaxpayers millions over a period of18 years.

Often, Muslim men, like other

men, have children with differentwomen and are then unwilling orunable to pay maintenance. Thewomen then complain to the localimam, who in reality cannot compelthe man to maintain his children.

I suggest that women reportthese matters to the authorities asthis will at least ensure that the manis pressured and thus less eager toimpregnate other naïve women.

Secondly, some time ago, I wasprivy to a school meeting wheremany learners failed because theywere troubled by their parents’divorce. This case validates how anindividual’s emotion has directfinancial consequences for otherpeople.

Since a few learners were trau-matised, the broader class sufferedas the learners often acted-out. Iron-ically, the classroom is often consid-ered a safe space in contrast withthe home milieu.

With an average class size of 35learners, very few teachers can copewith a full teaching load, emotional-

ly needy children and the upkeep ofoverall discipline.

As a result, the school has limit-ed options as the needs of the widerschool community must be securedahead of individual issues.

While a fee-paying school canafford to hire a social worker, thiswill increase the fees of all studentsthe next year. Is this needless finan-cial burden fair on the bulk of otherparents?

Since divorce statistics in SouthAfrica hover around 50%, this phe-nomenon is replicated across thecountry on a massive scale. Howmust poor communities cope whereschools cannot afford social work-ers?

Since the National Departmentof Education has huge infrastruc-ture backlogs, do rural school com-munities sacrifice access to toilets orrequest a departmental social worker?

LETTERS TO THE EDITORLETTERS TO THE EDITOR

CONTINUED ON PAGE 29

Muslim Views


Experience suggests that thoseengaged in divorce have limitedconcern for taxpayers as their focusis on their private emotional needs.How then, do we engender a stablesociety when 50% of families areseemingly at war?

The argument is that the activityof any given individual sooner orlater has an impact on the socialorder as a whole.

As a society, how should wemanage such issues realistically andnot respond with political correct-ness or ethical disputes that have noreal outcomes?

Thirdly, in Cape Town, there arethousands of drug and alcoholaddicts that waste billions in rateand taxpayers revenue via freehousing, health care etc. Thisexcludes the cost of their criminalactivities.

Addiction is increasing andseems overpowering as profits fromnarcotics are worth the materialrisk.

Our desperately considerate sys-tem of justice, the ineptness of thelowly paid law enforcement officialsand infantile political strife will,unfortunately, ensure that drugaddiction will remain a problem fordecades.

In a media release on October 9,Mayoral Committee Member forHealth, Cllr Benedicta Van Minnensaid: ‘We cannot deny that there is astrong link between substance abuseand mental health issues and, whilewe don’t have statistics on the num-ber of “dual diagnosis” cases, wehave noticed high rates of mentalhealth issues with substance abusersas well as high rates of substanceabuse with mental health clients.

‘Traditionally, substance abuseand mental health services havebeen fragmented but because theCity’s treatment sites are based in

clinics, many of which have doctorsand mental health nurses, it hasallowed the provision of an inte-grated service where the client canbe treated for both issues.’

The treatment sites screened 1621 clients last year. Many addictssuffer from bipolar disorder andschizophrenia and the costs into thefuture are infinite.

Clinics are filled with unplannedpregnancies that create infinite lia-bility to the taxpayer as mostremain state dependant. These out-comes prove that billions spent oncontraceptives and preventativeprogrammes have failed.

Also, how will the City of CapeTown sustain addicts with mentalissues who produce children whenwe have an existing housing back-log of 500 000? To prevent spi-ralling costs requires action.

To moderate unplanned pregnan-cies, those who receive free housingor welfare etc. must submit to steril-isation as a social service to taxpay-

ers as they are often unable to makequality decisions. Those whoimpregnate unmarried teens and areunable to support them should alsobe sterilised.

Criminals, who are guilty of seri-ous crimes such as murder and rape,must be sterilised in lieu of their freelodging, food and clothes.

Any study of criminals will con-firm a link between a dysfunctionalfamily history and a reliance onstate support. In reality, taxpayersare aiding and abetting their ownvictimhood via the enabling pro-gramme of welfare.

Security companies often specifythat in the suburbs beggars do sur-veillance for burglars. Thus, theydiscourage residents from helpingbeggars as this only encourages areturn to the suburb.

My father learnt this lesson thehard way when he hired people offthe street for his workshop. In onenight, they stole equipment that hadtaken 40 years to accrue. His trade

was finally ruined when his vehiclewas stolen.

By governing the movement andactivities of those who threaten thesustainability of society, we cancompel them to accept the supportthat the City of Cape Town has tooffer. Locals would feel safer athome and at work when they knowthat ruffians are not able to throwbricks willy-nilly.

In the words of the wise, almosteverything in life is a result ofhuman intellect; if we improve theway we think, we progress. Ourshared social sustainability cannotbe dependent on the emotive needsof a minority.

Communities who do not learnfrom history and reality will eventu-ally become its victim.

Cllr Yagyah AdamsCape Muslim Congress

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28

Write to: [email protected] submit full name & address

Muslim Views


Muslim Views


JASMINE KHAN

THE matric examinationsherald the end of twelveyears of grade school, and

also the beginning of a new erain your life.

The prospect of finally beingfree of the school bell and beingat the mercy of the educatorstakes a back seat to the stress ofthe approaching examinations.

It would seem that stress is anintegral part of the entire process.In fact, the young people I spoketo seemed of the opinion that it isexpected of them to be stressed.

Love them or hate them, exam-inations are a necessary rite ofpassage for everyone who hasattended school. It remains theonly way of ascertaining whetherthe learner has in fact graspedwhat he has been taught.

It is a conundrum that withouta matric certificate no one can beadmitted to further study or enterthe labour market. Yet, even withit there is no guarantee of successin later life.

There are many matriculantspounding the streets looking forwork or waiting on admission totertiary institutions. On the otherhand, there are countless numbersof people who have either failedthe examination or did not makeit to grade twelve at all, and theyare successfully earning a living.

This does not, however, changethe perception that passing matricis a mark of your success. Neitherdoes it in any way lessen the anx-

iety and stress experienced bythese young people.

The amount of stress that thelearners suffer can adverselyaffect their performance in theexamination, and there are manyreported cases of extreme depres-sion and anxiety attacks amongthe young people. Many willbelieve that an unsatisfactory passmark is an unacceptable outcomeof twelve years of hard work.

The stress they feel may causethem to forget everything theyhave so painstakingly studied. Inaddition, many will memorise theinformation and promptly forgetit once the paper is handed in.Yet, they have no choice but to do

the preparation and hope for thebest.

Stress is not exclusive to thelearners; in many cases, the par-ents are even more stressed. Thisresults in them putting great pres-sure on their chidren, which inturn produces a more stressful sit-uation.

With all due respect to parents,they should realise that the childis the one who attended schooland went through the process oflearning; it is the child who willsit up nights studying and, ulti-mately, it is the child who willwalk alone into the examinationhall, sit down and attempt toanswer the questions.

As parents, we should providesupport and encouragement butnot push and nag. We need totrust that our children are cog-nisant of the gravity of the situa-tion and that they will do what isnecessary.

The child’s performance maybe adversely affected by too muchpressure, causing even morestress. It is pressure enough toknow that the results will affecttheir future.

Even though the system is farfrom perfect, we have to acceptthat examinations have for cen-turies been used to gauge a per-son’s readiness to face life as anadult, and it is here to stay. Onecan but hope that certain reformswill take place sometime in thefuture.

A way in which all the relevantcourse information can be cov-ered and tested will be animprovement. In this way, the stu-dent’s understanding of the con-cepts can be ascertained.

Many learners do very well inthe classroom but ‘freeze’ in theexamination room. The progressthe child makes in the classroomshould be taken into considera-tion when judgements are made.

In spite of these real concerns,the examination model does havea few positive outcomes. Learnersare encouraged to develop theirmemory to understand the coursematerial. It forces them to be spe-cific, to focus, and teaches disci-pline as examinations have a timeframe.

It also promotes a healthysense of competitiveness, whichcould result in greater effort beingmade.

Education has certainly seenmany changes over the decades,and I am certain that much of thematerial covered today will be ofbenefit to these young people asthey navigate the adult world.However, there is still the concernthat knowledge acquired bycramming will have no usefulpurpose later in life.

I remember in my matric yearwe had to learn the body parts ofthe common house fly. Part of thelesson was to draw the insect.Being hopeless at drawing, minein no way resembled a fly.

My biology teacher took onelook at my effort and remarked:‘If the fly could see how youdepict him, he would not want tobe a fly.’ I consoled myself withthe fact that the existence of thefly did not depend on how well Idrew it.

A good matric pass may opendoors to further education oremployment but it will need morethan this to become a fully func-tional and responsible adult,Insha Allah.

From Consciousness to Contentment

Matric: an end and a beginningBeginning of the end: As matriculantsstarted their final examinationsrecently, it heralded both the end ofan important developmental period oftheir lives and the start of life beyondthe relative protected environment ofschool. This, coupled with the needto succeed in the final examinations,is a cause of immense stress forthese individuals.

Photo M T NAKIDIEN

Muslim Views


STATIC is the opposite ofdynamic. Dynamic artmoves. Don’t just look;

observe closely and you’ll seewhat an artistic rush is all about.

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardenwas picture perfect, the sky crys-tal azure. At the garden’s entrancea water feature tinkled a ‘wel-come’ greeting. A few metresaway a little springbok leaps intothe air; at its heels comes death.

The snort of the cheetah’sbreath crackles like fire as shereaches out for the little spring-bok’s legs. The next bite would befor the neck. The terminal screamof the buck would be frozen,silent.

This drama played out in jig-gered dark bronze right beforeme, in the midday sun; and allthanks to the brilliance and skillof the sculptor. The rough exteri-

or surfaces of the sculpture weresmoothed out in the mind’s eye.

It gelled the horror of deathand dismemberment of onespecies as opposed to nourish-ment and survival for the preda-tor higher up the food chain.

According to a SANBI note in‘Art in the Garden at Kirsten-bosch NBG’, sculptor ‘DylanLewis is among the most highlyregarded figurative sculptorsworking with the animal formtoday.

‘He works in clay, crafting themedium so that its final shapeand surface take on an almost ele-mental quality, its texture notonly bringing the animal to lifebut speaking of the wildernessitself.’

On every visit to Kirstenbosch,this bronze sculpture is my firststop. Its fascination has not ebbedover the many times I have pho-tographed it from all angles.

What is the reason for thisenthralment? I have seen cheetahsup close on reserves, and wildspringboks by the hundreds atEtosha Pan, in Namibia, but Ihave never seen the ‘kill’.

At an exposed Etosha water-hole, the bus engine is silenced.We hold our breath. A smalltroupe of buck has come from thesecurity of the enveloping dryscrub bush to drink.

Every few steps they stop, scanthe open surrounds of the water-hole and sniff the air. As they nearthe waterhole, the fear in thesearching eyes of the leading buckis palpable, escalating with everytentative move.

Water is vital for the buck butthey are exposed and defencelessin the open plains. Every timethey must assuage their thirst theyhave to come to the waterholeand dice with a violent death.

At times like these, yourecount that when you pull yourchair to the table and dig into asteak or a meat stew you just gulpthe food down without a thoughtof how and from where the meatcomes.

For me, that sculpture inKirstenbosch Garden evokes allthose aphorismic memories. Thework’s core shows that life shouldbe lived to the full but with duecaution of the risks.

It is good to live responsiblyand know that life is a vulnerablesituation, only death is certain.But while you still breathe, it ispointless to freeze in fear of theinevitable.

The second forceful piece ofsculpture is a fantastic creativetour de force, a masterly achieve-ment, in which man is the victim.On a visit to the Vatican I wasstruck by rooms stuffed with mar-ble busts of donors keen on pre-serving their faces for eternalmemory in holy divinity.

Obscuring dust has long agocovered their pompous lustre,their lips forever silent, evokingno emotions, sending no messagesto the millions who pass by.

But, at the entrance of themuseum, a father and his twosons wrestle with a sea serpent, itssinuous body squeezing the life-blood from the fighting father; acruel battle for survival as old aseternity.

You can feel the relentlessstrangling coils, you can feel thepain.

This marble sculpture was dis-covered buried on Rome’s

Esquiline Hill in 1506.It is surmised that it was prob-

ably created about 30BC by threesculptors Hagesander, Athen-odoros and Polydorus from theGreek island of Rhodes.

According to the Greek poetVirgil’s epic poem Aeneid, whenthe Greeks besieged the city ofTroy (in present Turkey), theGreeks placed a big wooden horsefilled with soldiers outside thegates of Troy.

Laocoön, a Trojan priest andhis two sons tried to warn theTrojans not to open the gates anddrag the wooden horse into thecity. The Greek goddess, Athena,goddess of wisdom and war, andPoseidon, God of the Sea, pun-ished Laocoön by sending a seaserpent to kill Laocoön and hissons.

It is said of the Laocoön: ‘Thesculpture group is acclaimed forits dignified portrayal of agony.’

How can agony be dignified?Philosophically the sculpture isabout life and death depicted inbronze and stone.

You cannot walk by withoutemotion. It affects one in messageand execution.

Much of sculpture is ego tripsby politicians, captains of indus-try and education. Some are top-pled dramatically like the tyranni-cal Saddam Hussein of Iraq,repeated ad nauseam on televi-sion.

Most just gather dust andpigeon droppings, and soon theybecome invisible to the passers-by.

On the V&A Waterfront, therewere two pieces of sculpture that

caught my eye and illustratedynamism, and the lack thereof.The front bronze show staticdiminutive figures standing in arow, the same distance apart, ofthe same ‘burnt half-candle’ sizeand posed rigidly like four boredpillars of salt.

You will probably recognisethat they depict Oliver Tambo,Bishop Tutu, F W de Klerk andPresident Mandela.

Contrast the Lego Man in thebackground. It has movement: itsmouth is open, the arms areraised and the fingers give the ‘v-for victory’ sign or whatevermodern meaning.

It is communicating with theviewer on many fronts. The menin the front are creatively deafand mute. They have no audiencearound them.

Lego Man has a figure sittingon his left leg. Someone is takinga picture of her. Other figures areadmiring the artwork.

What is dynamic and what isnot?

The work’score showsthat lifeshould belived to thefull but withdue cautionof the risks,writes

Doctor M C D’ARCY.

FOR ALLFOR ALLThe delight ofdynamic sculptures

TOP: The Laocoön depicts the deaththroes of the Trojan priest and hissons who were punished by the godsfor warning the Trojans not to dragthe wooden horse into the city.

Photo M C D’ARCY

Top: This photograph vividly illustrates the contrast between staticand dynamic sculptures. The ‘LegoMan’ not only towers over the sculptures of these South Africanicons but is also animated.

Photo M C D’ARCY

LEFT: The realistic depiction of the ‘hunt’ at the entrance to Kirstenbosch NBGis beautifully contrasted by the serenity of the botanical garden situated at thefoot of Table Mountain. Photo M C D’ARCY

Muslim Views, November 2014

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Transcript of Muslim Views, November 2014