Newsletter of the Claremont Main Road Mosque · No.14 - January 2015/1436

40-42 Main Road, Claremont, 7708 • 021 683 8384 • www.cmrm.co.za

The noble teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), inspires us in beautiful symbolic and poetic language to live a more Eco-sensitive existence. There is a critical need to excavate this Prophetic legacy in view of the rampant environmental destruction we observe at multiple levels these days. No one can deny the challenges humankind face in dealing with this enormous problem. It has the potential either to put under severe strain or to eradicate many forms of life sustainable only on planet earth.

The root cause of this crisis is man’s insatiable greed to exploit the earth’s resources. The earth is barely given a chance to regenerate itself. Scant attention is paid to the destructive consequences of polluting the soil, the atmosphere, the rivers, the oceans, the forests and the habitat of every known species of plant and animal life on earth.

What are the unique strengths of the Prophetic teachings we can harness in our struggle to establish a balance between providing for present day human needs and preserving the environment for the benefit of future generations?

The environmental crisis is a byproduct of modernity, of science, technology and dependence on pure rationality for human progress. Reliance on Revelation or Divine Guidance plays no role in the currently dominant way of engaging with the environment. Seeking guidance from Prophetic sources and traditions are therefore a major paradigm shift in our attempt to solve a serious social problem. Dire necessity has propelled the formation of many cooperative ventures between state, civil society and

especially interfaith movements to become innovative in trying to reduce our carbon footprint and contribute towards a healthier environment for all of us.

The problems we face today simply did not exist in the time the Prophet lived. Nor do new technologies immediately manifest their unwarranted side effects. As a general rule, any technology which upsets the fragile balance in nature, destroys eco systems, increases toxicity in the composition of the air we breathe, the water we drink, the soil which is supposed to sustain our crops and pollutes our oceans are all interventions we should avoid.

In our search we will find many different prophetic reports pertaining to the environment and the many resources it produces for our consumption. Whether it was water or food, the Prophet (pbuh) was always supremely conscious of praising and thanking Allah for what he was served with. Even simple mundane acts of eating and drinking became infused with a spirit of sacredness.

“The Prophet (pbuh) espoused an environmental philosophy which showed compassion (rahma) for all living things and advocated the harmonious balance between humans and nature.”His kind treatment of animals is legendary. Even a tree trunk against which he used to lean against was treated with the kindness and respect one would reserve for a speaking, feeling human being! It is this sense of gratitude and tenderness he displayed towards all elements of the natural world that will forever remain in our memories of him as a true reflection of what it means to be “a mercy unto all the worlds.”

It is qualities and actions such as the above that gives the environmental teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) a universal and a timeless appeal.

As a Divine Messenger, the single most important teaching or word of wisdom, he teaches, is that Allah is One, Unique, and He alone is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. The Prophet is the bearer of Allah’s

Dr. Rafiq Khan

Mawlud Jan 2015

Reflecting on the Sirah Through a “Green” LensRevealed Book containing His signs or ayat. He also reminds us that the entire creation of Allah is also a more primordial form of revelation. Like the Qur’an and other revealed texts, it is also composed of signs or ayat.

The Prophet (pbuh) taught us that our soul is the seat of our moral and ethical consciousness. A similar sacred presence pervades the rest of Creation, which thus remains in a constant state of Remembrance and Glorification of Allah. Causing species to become extinct which is so emblematic of our current environmental crisis is nothing short of biological genocide. Spiritually, we are impoverishing the earth as we destroy the lives and habitat of those who are constantly engaged in Allah’s adhkar i.e. remembrance.

Divine Revelations speak to humankind. They teach us to remain humble; we cannot run faster, see further, dive deeper, or hear better than many other animals on earth. Yet we have been endowed with wisdom, which comes from our ability to read Revelation. This gives us the ability to rise to a higher level of behavior, of compassion, of care and fulfilling the rights of others. We learn to transcend our individual needs and be sensitive to the needs of others; these are the hallmarks of a culturally and morally evolved individual, a true khalifatul Allah fil ard.

The Prophet’s example embodies the highest possible human expression of what it means to live in awe of Allah (makhafa), seeking through love (mahabba) to be His servant (‘abd) and always striving to gain knowledge (ma’rifa). The Prophet (pbuh) teaches us to remain cognizant that our entire existence occurs within the total grasp of Allah’s control as He is indeed, Al Muhit or the One Who Surrounds.

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Imam’s MessageImam Rashied OmarIn September 2014 I struggled to stay out of the deliberate provocation and the raging controversy relating to the launching of the so called ‘Open Mosque’ in Wynberg. Several media houses and individuals contacted me for a response, and I consistently responded with no comment. However, of concern to me was that I was alerted to the fact that CMRM’s ethos and practices were being likened to the ‘Open Mosque’, especially on social media platforms, sometimes positively, and sometimes negatively. Hence I felt compelled to clarify the ethos, traditions and practices of the Claremont Main Road Masjid (CMRM), rather than allowing others to define who we are, what we do or what we are about.

I highlighted some of the following features of the ethos and practices of CMRM:

1. CMRM embraces the enduring values of pluralism and co-existence and regards human diversity not as incidental and negative but rather as representing a God-willed, basic factor of human existence (Q10:99).

2. We respect the right of others to hold their own views and consider this to be both a part of our Islamic beliefs and central to our commitment to a democratic South Africa (Q11:118).3. We embrace the Qur’anic concept of ta’aruf i.e. recognition and affirmation of each other through intimate knowledge, and not mere toleration (Q49:13).

4. We welcome critical debate on contentious issues and advocate an ethics of disagreement (adab al-ikhtilaf) that respects the right of others to hold views that may differ from our own (Q16:125).5. It is within this ethos, that CMRM endorses the anti-sectarian sentiment expressed in the 2005 Amman Message (Risalatu ‘Amman), which calls on all Muslims to rise above differences that separate them, to emphasize the commonalities that unite them, and desist from declaring each other as infidels (takfir) (www.ammanmessage.com).

6. We aspire to follow the prophetic traditions (sunnah and hadith), but also embrace what we consider to be ‘good cultural innovations’ (bid’a hasana) that do not violate the spirit and teachings of Islam.7. We embrace all the traditional Muslim schools of law (madhahib), but do not adhere strictly to any one madhab. 8. We have established a socially responsive vision of Islam that seeks to engage in and build sustainable social justice programmes that transcend the apartheid legacy of racial and class divisions in our society.

9. We have striven and continue to cultivate CMRM as a sacred and welcoming space wherein the spirits of both men and women and people of other faiths and worldviews are nurtured, their intellects inspired and their skills and contributions appreciated and utilized. 10. Last, but not least, CMRM has actively sought to institutionalise enabling platforms for youth development and empowerment. It is my considered view that a masjid should serve as a real space for nurturing community solidarity and supporting social justice struggles. In order for any masjid to be able to play this broader and more dynamic role it needs to delicately balance between the spiritual, educational and social roles of the masjid in a way that does not erode the sanctity and hallowed space of the masjid.

Chairpersons MessageYusuf (Jowa) Abrahams

Some of the productive outcomes of CMRM’s 160th year celebrations

in 2014 were the two opportunities we had to reflect on and project

some of the prospects and challenges we face as we move towards

200 years of the masjid’s establishment.

The first opportunity was at the 2014 AGM, when Dr. Aslam Fataar,

Professor of Education at the University of Stellenbosch, presented an

excellent analysis of how CMRM has evolved as a socially responsive

masjid over the last 35 years. He also posed some challenges for us

going into the 21st century. Notably amongst these was the challenge

to involve more congregants in our activities. This is particularly

challenging for CMRM since our masjid is not located within a

residential community, with most congregants commuting to the

masjid. Aslam suggested one way of addressing this would be to

initiate a limited number of activist orientated projects and build

supportive networks amongst members. This is a suggestion which

we have started to take up and needs to be sustained and expanded. A

second challenge that Aslam put to us was to cultivate youth education

programmes, driven by youth, in which social conscientization and

self-actualization was key. We need to encourage and support the

CMRM youth group to consider implementing this outstanding

proposal.

The second opportunity for reflection on future directions of CMRM

was a post-tarawih talk delivered by Jihad Omar. He proposed that

CMRM consider modeling itself on the idea of an Islamic Centre. Jihad

suggested that CMRM as an Islamic Centre could entail for example

establishing a library and Claremont heritage centre. Such an Islamic

centre may also convene monthly seminars open to the general public

and offer counseling services through part-time or full-time social

workers. In addition, Jihad suggested that CMRM should consider

offering classes in performing basic rituals and traditional rites of

passage. These are all very useful suggestions we will consider when

decisions have been made regarding expansion of the existing masjid

facilities.

We commend Aslam and Jihad for their thought provoking

presentations on the future role of CMRM, and we welcome more such

reflections.

As we enter 2015, we leave 160 years behind us, and look ahead with

great optimism to the furure of this institution, Insha-Allah.

We wish you all a healthy and peaceful year ahead. Shukran for your

continued support.

The above verse of the Qur’an asserts that the communication of the message of God (da’wah) takes place through human languages. Therefore the messenger of God ought to speak the language of the people he or she preaches to. It is in the context of the above verse that the translation of the Qur’an into Xhosa takes on great significance. This should motivate us to produce Qur’ans that are translated into all the indigenous languages of our country.

The Qur’an proclaims that the messages that were sent down through earlier Prophets such as Musa, Dawud, `Isa (peace be upon all of them) were specific and sent only to the children of Israel. In contrast, the Qur’an describes the mission and the message of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as not limited to a particular community. In Surah Al-A’raf, Chapter 7, verse 158, Allah, commands Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to proclaim:

O Humankind! Verily, I have been sent as a Messenger of Allâh to all of you [humankind] (Q7:158)

Because of the universality of the message of Islam, it is thus essential that the message of the Qur’an should be made available in people’s mother-tongues. Sadly, this has never been the case in South Africa. With the first translation of the Qur’an in Xhosa, we hope this will inspire translations of the Qur’an into other indigenous languages. Up until now, only those Xhosa mother-tongue speakers who were also proficient in English, could access translations and make meaning of the Qur’an. But since translations of the Qur’an were only available in English to the South African communities it made the Qur’an look foreign. It is therefore often treated as a foreign scripture in black communities while other scriptures, such as the Bible, which are translated into Xhosa and other mother-tongue languages, enjoy greater acceptance since they are perceived to be indigenous.

To conclude, in my view, da’wah i.e. the propagation of Islam should be one of the foremost things that we are all preoccupied with. The Qur’an is the main source of Islamic teachings. Its translation is a da’wah itself. We pray and beseech Allah to reward and bless the translators and the ones who helped in its reproduction and reprinting as well as distribution. May they all be abundantly rewarded by Allah, the Lord of Mercy and Compassion.

Imam Ismaeel Ngqoyiyana is the translator of the first Xhosa translation of the Qur’an. He is the imam of the Sayyidina Bilal Masjid in Makhaza in Khayelitsha and is currently pursuing a B.Ed through UNISA.

The Xhosa translation of the Qur’an is available from the offices of the Islamic Da’wah Movement (IDM) in Rylands. During the past year, thanks to generous donations from the CMRM congregation we have been able to distribute over 200 Xhosa translation Qur’ans to communities in Dunoon, Milnerton and Kwanabuhle, outside Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape.

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Celebrating the Xhosa Translation of the Qur’anImam Ismaeel NgqoyiyanaI have recently produced the first full Xhosa translation of the Glorious Qur’an. This translation of the Qur’an will help many Xhosa speaking Muslims to be able to read and understand the sublime messages of the Qur’an in their own language. It will also enable madrasah teachers and imams to be better prepared for teaching and delivering khutbahs for Xhosa speaking audiences, since previously they were compelled to do their own individual translations.

In Surah Ibrahim, Chapter 14, verse 4, Allah the Sublime declares:

We did not send a messenger except that he spoke the language of his people (bi lisani qawmihi), so that he may explain the message clearly to them;

then Allah lets go astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills, and He is Exalted in Might, the all-Wise. (Q14:4)

Xhosa Translation of Qur’an

CMRM 160TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS

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Khatam al-Qur’an

CMRM Celebrates 160 Years in Style2014 was a special year at the Claremont Main Road Masjid (CMRM) as we celebrated the 160th anniversary since the establishment of this sacred institution in 1854. Two special banners publicising this milestone were made and displayed inside and outside the masjid and four signature events were planned by the CMRM Board of Governors. The first was a congregational sharing in the recitation of eight khatam al-Qur`an’s to honour the memory of all those deceased Imam’s and congregants who established, maintained and patronized the masjid over the past 160 years. The khatam al-Qur’ans were completed by the recitation of the last two juz of the Qur’an and a dhikr which took place at the masjid on 28 September 2014. All the participants received a commemorative booklet which contained an updated list of names of deceased former Claremont residents and CMRM members, as well as a summary of the history of CMRM.

The second commemorative event was a special luncheon hosted in honour of all the elders of the congregation which was held at the Alhambra Restaurant at Islamia College on Sunday 19 October 2014. It was a special afternoon for all the elders who attended the luncheon and they all received a 160th anniversary commemorative blanket as a souvenir gift. A special tribute was paid to Aunty Mymona Galant (75 years old), one of the elders of the jamat, for her contributions to madrasa and community education. The third commemorative event was a family fun-run and picnic which took place at the Urban Park in Green Point on Sunday 30 November 2014. All participants received special commemorative T-shirts and medals and this was followed by CMRM’s hosting of its annual Christmas Party for the children of the Emasithandane Home in Nyanga. The children were treated to a fun day of games, races and treats and were each given special Christmas gifts and party boxes which had been donated by CMRM congregants. Unfortunately, the fourth commemorative event, an interfaith dinner intended for the broader public, was postponed since the guest speaker, the famous British author Karen Armstrong, was not available. The CMRM Board is still planning on convening this event in 2015. We make du`a and pray that Allah blesses the founders and benefactors of this masjid with an abundant and continuous reward, insha-Allah. May Allah bless the Board of Governors, registered members and the broader congregation of the Claremont Main Road Masjid for their generous contributions to the 160th anniversary events and allow us all to live up to our Islamic responsibilities of being witnesses to the justice and compassion of Islam.

CMRM 160TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS

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Lunch in Honour of Elders

Family Day and Emasi Party

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YOUTH EMPOWERMENT CAMP 2014

YOUTH EMPOWERMENT CAMP 2014

Youth Empowerment Camp 2014 Mujahid Osman

CMRM’s annual youth camp was held from 10-12 October 2014. This year we had 25 participants and 8 camp facilitators. Among the youth participants we had 14 boys and 11 girls. The youth campers came from diverse areas such as Steenberg, Dunoon and Claremont/Wynberg. A key feature of the youth camp was the inspirational salah sessions led by Imam Rashied Omar.The highlight of the youth camp on Friday evening was a stimulating session on the goals of education by Professor Aslam Fataar of the University of Stellenbosch. The session with Prof. Fataar encompassed a key theme of the camp: youth empowerment through education. According to Prof. Fataar the purpose of education does not only serve the socialization of the youth into an accepted society, but individuation and the search for identity are important steps to self-actualization. Day Two of the camp had three key events. The first one was a talk by Reverend Alan Storey of the Central Methodist Mission (CMM) in Greenmarket Square. Rev. Storey spoke about the importance of inter-faith solidarity, which he proposed was founded on the following two key features: a) the love of God and b) the love of one’s neighbours. Rev. Storey gave a very insightful commentary on the Beatitudes Biblical passage to support his thesis.

The second key event was the exciting Amazing Race led by Yumna Razak. This session was particularly enjoyed by the campers and it got them involved in nature as participants had to navigate in teams and complete different tasks in order to proceed to the finish line.

The third event was a talk by Professor Keith Gottschalk of the University of the Western Cape. He discussed the relationship between Zionism, Orthodox Judaism and Evangelical Christianity in the United States. The perception is that Zionism is relatively rare among orthodox Jews – the truth, according to Professor Gottschalk is distinctly different. It was a privilege to have such an expert on Zionism to discuss a highly controversial issue and allow the youth to think deeply about their opinions and weighing them up against those of their peers.

The last day of the camp was filled with two very good and equally different sessions. After the early morning fajr halqa, led by Imam Rashied - on the topic of Environmental Balance and Justice – participants enjoyed a traditional Sunday morning breakfast, which naturally included coffee and koeksisters. Thereafter, Imam Rashied led a Question and Answer session on the following topical issues: ISIS, Halal Dietary Requirements, Arts and Music and Social Media. The main learning from this session was the principles from Islamic legal methodology (usul al-fiqh) with which Imam Rashied produced his answers.

The second and last session of the camp was an Eco-Meal activity. This activity examined the choices we make as consumers about food preparation, packaging and waste. The activity provided an opportunity for active participation by everyone as it incorporated the Islamic norms of justice (‘adl) and balance (mizan). It stimulated participants to ask questions about everyday decisions and subsequently helped to bridge the gap between our lifestyle and its impact on the environment. Finally, it encouraged campers to take action in their own homes and in their communities by acknowledging the problem of how much we waste in the kitchen. We can’t wait until next year!

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YOUTH EMPOWERMENT CAMP 2014

YOUTH EMPOWERMENT CAMP 2014

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MASJID ACTIVITIES

On Thursday 23 October 2014, Imam Rashied Omar and a delegation of CMRM Board Members, attended the unveiling ceremony of a plaque in memory of civilians killed in Gaza during July and August 2014. The event took place at a farm in Tamboerskloof and was organized by the South African Jewish Voices for a Just Peace (JVJP). The plaque was unveiled by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.

Plaque in Memory of Palestinians Killed in Gaza

On Wednesday 1 October 2014, Imam Rashied led the opening prayers at a function honouring Older Persons at the District Six Museum Homecoming Centre. The event which commemorated the UN International Day of Older Persons – was jointly organized by NOAH, Ikamva Labantu, STOPP and Street Talk. Mr. Albert Fritz, Minister of Social Development in the government of the Western Cape Province of South Africa addressed the meeting and Cape Town comedian, Marc Lottering entertained the elders.

International Day of Older Persons

Environmental Justice Seminar

On Saturday 1 November 2014 Muslims for Eco-Justice (a project of CMRM), together with the International Peace College South Africa (IPSA) hosted an inaugural environmental justice seminar at IPSA. The keynote address was delivered by Palestinian Professor Mustafa Abu Sway. This was followed by presentations from Imam Rashied Omar, Dr. Najma Mohamed and SAFCEI’s Eco-Congregations coordinator Kate Davies. The seminar urged us to embrace eco-justice ethics and recognize that social rights and environmental rights go together.

CMRM continues to provide modest assistance to the Beitul Aman Home for the Aged in Wynberg. On Saturday 15 November 2014, masjid administrator Shariefa Wydeman and treasurer Wasiela Agherdien and their team prepared and shared meals with the frail and the elderly at Beitul Aman. Wasiela Agherdien is also a hospice volunteer and serves as CMRM representative on an interfaith task team looking at ways of advancing the care for the elderly in our community.

Beitul Aman Home

On Thursday 27 November 2014, 17 year old Mohammed Zuhair Khan, completed the memorization of the Glorious Qur’an at the Dar Ubaiy Centre in Gatesville headed by Shaikh Ism`ail Londt. Hafiz Zuhair Khan was a former student of Jihad Omar at the CMRM Saturday Morning Madrasa and has also led tarawih prayers at CMRM. The main event of the graduation ceremony was Zuhair reciting his final memorized lesson of the Qur’an. Both Shaykh Isma`il Londt and Imam Rashied commended Zuhair and his supportive parents on his achievement and spoke highly of the good character of the student.

Zuhair Khan’s Hifz Graduation

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MADRASA NEWS

Madrasa End of YearRidwan Wagiet

The Saturday Morning Madrasa ended its 2014 academic year on a high note. For the first time since the birth of the Saturday Morning Madrasa in 1991, we introduced a Grade R Class with nine students under the watchful eye of teacher Karima Isaacs. Twenty adult learners completed the basic and advanced Qur’an reading course. This programme is a highly successful innovation as many of these adults eventually become madrasa teachers both at our Saturday Morning Madrasa and elsewhere. Twenty regular students progressed to the Qur’an after completing the eight modules Qur’an Readers. We are indeed grateful for Aunty Mymona Galant and Fahmi Gamildien who collaborated to transform the Yassarnul Qur’an Surah into the highly successful eight module Qur’an Reading system. Six students who memorized Juz Amma were externally examined by Hafiz Nabiel Majiet who had high praise for them especially on their use of the correct tajwid rules associated with Hifz. Two students also wrote their Matric Arabic Exam and we await those results with much anticipation. The madrasa management is extremely grateful for having twenty dedicated teachers who teach from Grade R through to Matric, three custodians and four volunteers who see to the logistics.

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In Celebration Of...Mymona Galant - 75 years old

My mother was born in Durban in 1939, the youngest of five children, to Rashaad and Koeberah Domingo. Both her parents were prominent community workers in the small Durban ‘Malay’ community at the time. She lived there until she married my father, Sedick Galant, in 1963 and then moved to Cape Town. At that time my father was an active member of the Claremont Muslim Youth Association, based at Stegman Road Masjid, under the tutelage of Imam Haron and Abu Bakr Fakier. When they started a library at Stegman Road masjid in the mid-60s, my mother worked in the library cataloguing all the books. In the early years of her marriage she worked as a dressmaker from home and then later worked in the haberdashery department at Cavendish Square, before it became a mall. When my parents moved into the house they built in Vanguard Estate in the early 70s, my grandparents moved to Cape Town and lived with us until they both passed away.

In 1973 my mother volunteered as a teacher at the Vanguard Madrasa. My mother had no formal teaching experience and had completed her schooling only up to standard 8 and had learnt to recite the qura’n from her parents. Inspired by her teaching at the madrasa, my mother started attending tajwid classes taught by the late Hafiz Yusuf Booley in order to improve her recitation. She also enrolled for short courses offered by Vista University on child psychology. These studies inspired her to apply to the University of the Western Cape for degree studies despite having no matric.

In 1997, two years after my father had passed away, she was granted an age exemption, at the age of 58, and started studying towards her Bachelor of Arts degree at UWC. It was also around this time that she learnt to drive and obtained her first driver’s licence. In the final year of her degree she was awarded membership of the Golden Key International Honour Society in recognition of outstanding scholastic achievement. In 2002 she completed her Honours degree in Arabic and Linguistics at UWC.

For twenty years my mother taught at the Vanguard Madrasa, later becoming the principal. During this time she developed a pioneering phonetic method of teaching Qur’an reading, which she also later introduced at the CMRM Saturday Morning Madrasa. With the help of Fahmi Gamieldien, her method of teaching Qur’an reading has been published in a series of eight Qur’an Readers currently used in all grades at the CMRM Saturday Morning Madrasa.

“She developed a pioneering phonetic method of teaching Qur’an reading, which she also later introduced at the CMRM Saturday Morning Madrasa.”This is indeed a proud legacy she will leave behind one day. She has shared her knowledge and experience of teaching Qur’an reading in numerous workshops with madrasa teachers from various madaris in the Western Cape as well as Zimbabwe. She has also taught hajj classes and toekamandie classes to groups of women at home and at CMRM.

My mother lives by a self-defined motto that says ‘it is important for retired persons to find an interest or a hobby in order to keep occupied’. She continues to teach a small group of children and adults at home. When she first stopped her full-time madrasa work she organized for an expert in fabric painting to give morning classes at our home to a small group of women. Our house is now adorned with all the table-cloths and curtains that were decorated and painted by my mother.

This is in addition to the many other items of embroidery in our home that bears testimony to my mother’s needlework skills.

In 2011 my mother embarked on a project inspired by a weekly column called ‘The Way We Were’ published in the Cape Argus written by Jackie Loos. This weekly column focused on the slave history of the Cape, and since 2000 my mother started collecting and cutting out these articles. She decided that she wanted to compile the articles into a ‘scrap book’, and that’s when all the hard work and dedication began. The ‘scrap book’ has turned into seven beautifully decorated A2 albums that contains ‘The Way We Were’ articles as well as other historical material and photographs published in the Cape Argus and other local newspapers since 2000. My mother ‘launched’ her project with an exhibition at our home in 2012 where Jackie Loos herself was the guest of honour. In 2012 my mother was also invited to exhibit her albums at an international conference in Malaysia that focused on Malaysian and Indonesian culture as it has spread all over the world. I accompanied my mother and it was an amazing experience to visit and exhibit the work in a country that was so intimately intertwined with our own cultural history. More recently, in October 2014, the albums were exhibited at CMRM’s elder’s lunch, in celebration of CMRM’s 160th anniversary, held at the Alhambra Restaurant.

My mother has produced a series of compilations that will itself one day be worthy of archiving, if not in the national archives, then at least in the family archives. This is still a work in progress. We pray that Allah grants my mother her health and strength to continue and bring the project to completion, Insha-Allah.

Jaamia Galant

Thandile Kona

President of the Muslim Youth Movement (MYM) and Chairperson of the masjid committee at Masjid ul-Bilal in Kwa-Nobuhle, Eastern Cape.

Dr. Aziz Choudry

Associate Professor in Education, McGill University, Montreal, Canada and visiting professor at the Centre for Education Rights and Transformation, University of Johannesburg.

Dr. David Sanders

Emeritus Professor in the School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape (UWC) and founding member of the People’s Health Movement (PHM).

Ahmed Khalid

A scholar from Cameroon who is a graduate of the Islamic University of Medina and currently PHD candidate in Islamic Studies at University of Bayreuth, Germany

Pastor Xola Skosana

Chairperson of the Western Cape Religious Leaders Forum (WCRLF) and Pastor of Way of Life Church, Khayelitsha

MASJID AFFAIRS

Guest Speakers

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On Tuesday 7 October 2014 CMRM for the second time hosted an interreligious programme for 15 young pastors and 5 group leaders from Indiana in the United States of America, who form part of the Wabash Pastoral Leadership Program. The visit to the masjid was part of an International Study Tour to South Africa. The aim of the programme was to introduce these young pastors to religious programmes in the City of Cape Town. Imam Rashied gave a brief talk on Cape Town’s legacy of interfaith solidarity which was followed by a lively conversation and question and answer session.

Wabash Pastors

On Thursday 5 December 2014, CMRM hosted a dhikr to mark 40 days since the passing of Shukri Abrahams, brother of CMRM chairperson Boeta Yusuf (Jowa) Abrahams. The dhikr was led by the Ottomons jamat and as always was melodious and inspirational. A moving tribute was paid to al-Marhum Shukri by his nephew, Ramiz Nordien. After the dhikr refreshments were served and Mr Thelo Wakefield, President of the Western Province Ruby Union brought the 2014 Currie Cup trophy for people to take photographs.

Ottomans Dhikr Jamat

On August 8th 2014 the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the Ebola outbreak a ‘public health emergency of international concern’. The declaration came four months after the WHO reported a major Ebola outbreak in Guinea which spread to three of its neighbours – Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. The cumulative number of infections and deaths continues to rise and as at the beginning of December 2014 stood at more than 15 000 cases and over 6000 deaths.

This article aims to shed light on the underlying aetiology of the disease, that is, the political, economic, and social factors that underlie Ebola’s appearance, spread and high fatality rate. The organism causing the current explosive epidemic, the ‘Zaire’ species of the Ebola virus, has never been detected in humans in the countries currently affected. How did it travel thousands of kilometers from its earlier known habitat in Central Africa? The most plausible explanation is foreign exploitation of local resources like forests and the takeover of agricultural land by multinational agribusiness. This wreaks gross ecological changes in environments.

Many of the human outbreaks of Ebola since 1976 are believed to have begun with the ingestion of an infected monkey or fruit bat. Those afflicted, at least initially, are typically the poorest that are forced, by scarcity, to look for food in the forests. It is possible that the latest outbreak stems from a major shift in the habitat of fruit bats.

It is not an accident that the present Ebola epidemic has affected three of the poorest countries in the world: Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. The persisting poverty and increasing inequality in these countries is due to global pressures to transition from subsistence agriculture to cash crop

export economies as well as accelerating exploitation of their mineral wealth by a few foreign mining corporations which pay little corporate tax . This is compounded by rampant corruption which has aggravated their economic plight.

Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone are not poor by choice. They did not choose not to build functioning health systems. Their colonial occupation and exploitation left them poor. Agencies such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund imposed further misery through their infamous structural adjustment programmes. These countries were instructed not to increase public spending on welfare and public services by these agencies. The World Trade Organisation promised them greater prosperity in the name of trade liberalisation, and further devastated their economies. The developed capitalist countries send in aid as charity and repatriate back much more through their corporations. Ironically, Sierra Leone in 2013 experienced a 20% economic growth rate but little of this accrued to the mass of the population. These poor countries also subsidise the health systems of rich countries – more doctors born in Liberia and Sierra Leone work in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries than in their home countries. Health worker migration – which is nothing short of a direct subsidy that the poor countries of the world provide to the rich – makes it impossible for many countries in West Africa to build credible health systems. Indeed, many countries in this region, with few exceptions, display the world’s poorest health outcomes, reflecting their impoverishment and weak health systems.

“Those afflicted, at least initially, are typically the poorest that are forced, by scarcity, to look for food in the forests.”The entire world’s gaze is on these three countries, yet it is not just Ebola that is killing people here. In Sierra Leone in the first four months since the beginning of the Ebola outbreak, 848 people had been infected by the virus and 365 had died. In four months Sierra Leone sees around 650 deaths from meningitis, 670 from tuberculosis, 790 from HIV/AIDS, 845 from diarrhoeal diseases, and more than 3,000 from malaria. These deaths have been occurring for decades, not just in the last four months. Yet global attention was not previously focused on these countries. For, to do so, would force the rich and the powerful to confront the reality of Africa’s poverty and inequality.

We have known of the Ebola virus for 40 years, yet no vaccine or remedy was ever developed. This is also the story of neglected diseases – the story of Kala Azar, Malaria, TB, Chagas disease and many more. These diseases are neglected by the research industry because they do not satiate the hunger of profit hungry pharmaceutical corporations.

The Ebola epidemic, as we have argued, can be traced to the rampant exploitation of the region’s natural resources, their continuing impoverishment and accompanying weakness of their health systems. In the medium term there is an urgent need to strengthen health systems in the region. Major and sustained investment in health systems development, especially in human resources, is required. Initially, this will require increased donor assistance. A longer-term solution requires fundamental changes to economic and power relations between these countries and the capitalist economies and enterprises that continue to bleed them dry, often with the collusion of local officials and elites.

“We have known of the Ebola virus for 40 years, yet no vaccine or remedy was ever developed.” The epidemic, in all probability, will run its course and die down after leaving a trail of death and destruction. Not because we as a global community would have done very much right, but because of the nature of the virus itself. The moot question is, will we have learnt anything? Or will it be back to business as usual?

(This is an edited version of a paper published by the Peoples Health Movement (PHM) which was co-authored by Dr. David Sanders and Dr. Amit Sengupta. Sanders delivered a synopsis of this paper during a pre-khutbah talk at CMRM on Friday 14 November 2014. For the full paper see: http://www.phmovement.org/sites/www.phmovement.org/files/phm_ebola_23_09_2014final_0.pdf).

The Social and Political Economy of Ebola

Dr. David Sanders

‘Id Milad-un-Nabi MubarakMay you have a blessed and joyous Mawlud