STAFF REPORTER

Shocking figures released bythe SAPS' Missing PersonsBureau revealed that one childdisappears every six hours inSouth Africa. Each year morethan 1 500 children disappearin South Africa without atrace. More than 200 of thesechildren come from Pretoria.Even though, a large numberof them will be found, thereare more than 900 whoremains listed as missing onthe SAPS' Missing PersonsBureau database. Most ofthose who vanish come fromPretoria and Johannesburgwith Gauteng having the dubi-ous honour of the highest rateof child disappearances in thecountry. Missing PersonsBureau commanderSuperintendent Fanie vanDeventer said he was extreme-ly concerned by the number ofchildren who remained miss-ing. According to VanDeventer, who also heads theSouth African Centre forMissing and ExploitedChildren (Sacmec), said thatthe international statisticsshow that the golden periodfor finding a child alive is 72hours. While the SAPS has a morethan 80 percent success ratewhen it comes to finding chil-dren, for seven-year-oldSheldean Human, abductedfrom her home last month andfound murdered in a stormwater drain outlet last week, itwas too late. The ordeal ofSheldean's family has high-lighted the plight facing SouthAfrica's children.Commissioner Arno Lamoersaid at a recent media informa-tion session that Sheldean'ssituation was disproportionatecompared to similar cases."There are incidents every dayin which children disappearand then we don't pay as much

attention." The (media) shock over thedeath of the 11-year-old CapeFlats girl, Annestacia Wiese,who was found in the ceilingof her home, died when herbody was discovered.Incidentally, she was wearinga pink shirt and denim jeansjust like the murderedSheldean Human, when shedisappeared. Her death hasbeen regarded as yet anotherindication of the failing childprotection services in SouthAfrica. Superintendent BillyJones said that more state-ments will be taken from fam-ily members and friends of theWieses. In the meantimeRichard Engelbrecht, the manaccused of killing 11-year-oldAnnestacia Wiese made a briefcourt appearance in Mitchells

Plain on Tuesday, the casewas postponed, pending fur-ther investigation. Earlier this month police res-cued two girls from a largeunderground burrow in theHemel and Aarde Valley nearHermanus. The 15-year-oldgirl, who is believed to havebeen kidnapped 18 monthsprior was found along with a4-year-old girl, apparently thesuspect's own child. The sus-pect, 31-year-old JohannesMower, was arrested afterpolice received a tip-off, by aspecial task team consisting ofthe police crime intelligenceunit investigation officers andtrackers. Mower is believed tohave been responsible for ter-rorizing the region betweenCaledon and Hermanus forabout 3 years. Police want to

charge him on 21counts of amongothers rape, kidnap-ping, hijacking, bur-glary and escape. Itis not known whereand when he wouldappear in court.Police are notresponsible foreverything Lamoersaid that the opensociety in whichSouth Africanslived, offered manyopportunities butalso dangers. Hesaid Sheldean wasnot taken bystrangers, but bysomeone whom sheknew and trusted.This showed, hesaid that people wholooked only at theState for their safe-ty, should startlooking at them-selves. "Society haschanged and moreparents are not athome, with familyvalues being lessstrong than in the

past. People don't realise thatit is their own responsibility tosecure themselves. Theywould rather point a finger atpolice if something happens tothem".He said it was the police'sgreatest challenge to fight thecrime that took place betweenpeople who knew each other."How do we intrude on a fam-ily unit? What do you saywhen a man tells you he hasthe right to give his child ahiding?"

We would like to hear from you- "Is the government to beblamed for the crimes commit-ted against children."Please email us on info@islam-icmedia.co.za, fax 021 6972304, sms 074 2274345T3

INNOCENCE: The beauty and innocence of children, their free spirit

Keeping you in contact with your community

After St Petersburg,what's next?

PAGE 4

The Darul- licious boysand girls is Number one

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You can guarantee yourright to a dignified life

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Insight into the lives ofthe Chechen Jihadists

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Narrated by Abu Huraira(RA)-

The Prophet(SAW) said, “Faith is

to believe in Allah, His angels,

(the) meeting with HIm, His

Messengers, and to believe in

Resurrection

‘Abusing a Muslim is

Fusuq (an evil doing)

and killing him is Kufr

(disbelief)’

Sahih Al Bukhari

Narrated by Abu Huraira (RA) - The

Prophet (SAW) said, “Islam is to worship

Allah alone and none else, perform

Salaah, pay Zakaah, fast during the month

of Ramadhan, perform Hajj”

ISLAMIC MEDIA AGENCY CCck 2002/001313/23

Editor: Sanaa PetersenDesigner: Nazleah Hartley

Religious Contributors: Moulana Shuaib AppelbyPrinters: Independent Newspapers

466 Lansdowne Road,Lansdowne, 7780Tel: 021 697 2294Fax: 021 697 2304

Email:info@islamicmedia.co.zaWebsite: www.islamicmedia.co.za

PICTURES: Sanaa Petersen

Inside this issue16TH EDITION MARCH 2007 SAFAR 1428

One child disappears every six hours

STAFF REPORTER

Millionaire businessman, Fred Nassiri,sacrifices his millions to spread themessage of love and peace across theglobe. He arrived in Cape Town inFebruary to record his signature song,'Love sees no colour' in Xhosa as part ofhis music video. He is recording thebiggest music video and first startedrecording his signature song in Eygptthen he traveled to Israel, Palestine,Berlin, Paris, Russia and India. Nassirisaid that crime stems from a lack of loveand poverty. "Take 10% of the militarybudget of a trillion dollars, you willhave one billion dollars to use to eradi-cate poverty". "We spend so muchmoney on the destruction of ourspecies".

Love sees no colourFive-year-old shot in gangcross fireManenberg - A five-year-oldboy, Cameron Adonis, waswounded by a stray bullet in analleged gang-related shootingin Manenberg yesterday. Hewas playing on his bed whenhe was hit in the head by a bul-let that passed through his bed-room window. Policespokesperson SuperintendentBilly Jones said the boy wastaken to hospital, where he wassaid to be in a critical condi-tion. Police were investigatinga case of attempted murder.

2000 criminals escapedpolice custodySouth Africa - Safety andSecurity Minister CharlesNqakula has confirmed thatclose to 2 000 people escapedfrom police custody in the past12 months. Nqakula wasresponding in the nationalassembly to a question byAfrican Christian DemocraticParty leader Kenneth Meshoe.He admitted that 1 980 crimi-nals escaped during that periodand 38 members of the SouthAfrican police force were pros-ecuted for aiding the escapees.The Safety and SecurityMinister then tried to downplay the information by addingthat police will next weekunveil a technological centre

that will assist police in track-ing people and vehicles.

Eleven year old AnnestaciaWiese Body found in ceil-ing of homeMitchells Plain - Police havequestioned relatives and a fam-ily friend of a murdered girl,Annestacia Wiese, after herbody was found in the ceilingof her mother's home inWoodridge Mitchells Plain.The male suspect is believed tobe the mother's boyfriend. Thegruesome find came after resi-dents, responding to a requestfrom police for the assistanceof the public, carried out anextensive two-day search forthe 11-year-old. According toinformation received by thepolice, she was seen with anadult male who took her by thehand and walked in the direc-tion of Woodlands HighSchool, near her house.Hundreds of residents, most ofwhom had assisted in thesearch, gathered around thehome yesterday while policeofficers worked on the scene.But while the search was underway, her lifeless body had beenhidden in the ceiling of herown home. Annestacia Wiesewas found dead on Sundaymorning in the ceiling of herWoodridge home by her bio-logical father, who lives else-where. Annestacia was lastseen by her mother when she

went to a shop in MitchellAvenue, situated a block awayfrom her house. She apparentlynever arrived at the shop.W omen raped in BlueRoute Mall's toiletMitchells Plain - Managers ofthe Blue Route Mall in Tokaiin Cape Town have confirmeda woman was raped in one ofthe centre's toilets this week.Blue Route Mall managerMervyn Caplin says they knowvery little about the incident atthis stage and that he believesit was an isolated incident. Thewoman was attacked in one ofthe mall's toilets close to thefood court. Police are investi-gating the incident, but havenot yet arrested anyone.

Search for abducted 3month baby continuesWestern Cape - Police aresearching for a three-month-oldbaby who went missing onFriday after a woman believedto be a social worker took thebaby from her mother andnever returned. ConstableSiphokazi Mawisa says thebaby, and her 25-year-oldmother was alone at their housein Makhaza Township in CapeTown when a woman visitedthem. The woman took thebaby to a nearby shop to buy acool drink, but she neverreturned. Anyone with informa-tion could contact the FamilyViolence, Child Protection and

Sexual Offences unit on 021-918-3162. Girls tore off victim’sclosed, held her down,while 4 teenage boysraped herOudtshoorn - Six teenagerssuspected of robbing and rap-ing a young woman inOudtshoorn appeared in courtyesterday. Two 18-year-oldgirls pinned down the 19-year-old woman, tore off her clothesand she then was raped in turnby four youths - and alsorobbed. The attack took placenear her home in Bridgton,Oudtshoorn, after she had visit-ed her sister in Smartie Town.The four boys, aged 13, 14, 15and 18, apparently took turnsin raping her. Police are con-cerned about the increasing rateof violent crimes committed byadolescents. A nearby residentwho heard the woman's criesfor help, confronted theteenagers and chased them off.The resident was able todescribe and identify two of thesuspects later and they werequickly traced and arrested.The court released the minorboys into the custody of theirparents. The two 18-year-oldgirls remain in custody. Thecase has been postponed untilMarch 12. Five rapes havebeen reported on the SouthCoast over the past four days.

CRIME IN BRIEF

PICTURES: Sanaa Petersen

LOVE: Philanthropist Fred Nassiri discussinghis music video of “Love sees no colour” withthe Cape Film Commissioner, Lauren Mitchell.

2March 2007 - Safar 1428

RABI` UL AWWAL PRO-

GRAMME 1428

21 MARCH 2007 -17 APRIL

2007

Empowerment Programme forthe Spiritual Youth Monday Evenings:

Iftar programs And an interactive discussion onthe Prophet (PBUH) as a Youthin MakkaTime: 7pm Venue: The Islamic Centre, 60Albert Road LansdowneWednesday Evenings: lectureseries21 March: PrescribedDeeds to be admitted intoParadise, 28 March: Absolution ofSins 4 April: Protection fromHell11 April: Pledge ofAllegiance to the Prophet(PBUH) Time: 7pm Venue: The Islamic Centre,60 Albert Road LansdowneThursday Evenings:

Workshop EmpowermentSessions22 March: Salawaat, 29 March: Adhkaar of theMessenger of Allah (Peace Beupon Him) 5 April: Tilawat of SurahDukhan plus Virtues andThemes of the Sura 12 April: Tilawat of Sura alKahf plus Virtues and Themesof the Sura Time: 7pm Venue: The Islamic Centre, 60Albert Road LansdowneEvery Friday After `Asr

before Magrib:

Visit the graves of relatives,parents etc. Saturday Night:

Seminar 14 April: The Legacy of theProphet Time: 6:30pm @ Masjid AlQuds AuditoriumSunday Afternoon:

25 March: Bring `n Braai @Tokai Forest Time: 12:30pm meet @ Islamic

Centre then proceed to TokaiForest.1 April: Inter Youth DialogueForum 2pm @ The IslamicCentre, 60 Albert road,Lansdowne 8 April: Kirstenbosch Walk:2pm @ The Islamic Centre, 60Albert road, Lansdowne 14 April: Distribute pamphletson the life of the Messenger ofAllah (PBUH) amongst theSouth Africans on Sea PointPromenade Time: 2pm meet @ IslamicCentre

22 April: Horse riding @Schaapkraal Farm R25Time: 2pm meet @ IslamicCentre then proceed to FarmIndividual Activities

Each Night Sura Tabarak (Protection fromthe Punishment of the Grave)Sura Waqia` (Security andPoverty Alleviation)Group Activities during the

Month

Projects for Madressas, Muslimyouth groups, Muslim Schoolsand MSA`s : Forgotten devotional prayersand actions of the Messenger OfAllah (PBUH)Compiling and Memorising 40simple Hadith on living Islam in21th CenturyAutumn Youth Camp

Friday 6 April- Sunday 8 April

Please Contact Moulana ShuaibAppleby on 082 6919181to bookyour place for the events

South African President ThaboMbeki concluded his two-dayworking visit to Riyadh, thecapital of the Kingdom ofSaudi Arabia on 14 March 2007President Mbeki, accompaniedby Mrs. Zanele Mbeki, led aSouth African delegationMinisters Dr. NkosazanaDlamini Zuma, MosiuoaLekota, Mandisi Mpahlwa andBuyelwa Sonjica, senior gov-ernment officials and a busi-ness delegation.The visit took place in the con-text of South Africa's commit-ment to strengthening and con-solidating relations with thecountries of the Gulf with aview to increasing the flow ofinvestment and economic inter-action to ensure a faster andshared economic growth inSouth Africa. An agreement on the Avoidanceof Double Taxation and the pre-vention of tax evasion agree-ment was signed between

South African and the Kingdomof Saudi Arabia Represented bythe Minister of Foreign Affairs,

Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zumaand His Excellency. MrIbrahim Walaz.

YASMINA FRANKE

"Human life has equal worth" ,"A human being is a humanbeing; there is no lesser humanbeing",- hardly the words oneexpects to hear from a mantasked with the financial mat-ters of a nation. FinanceMinister Trevor Manuel deliv-ered his 2007 Budget Speech inParliament on 21 February2007 and dished up a surpriseor two.It is not often that a financialminister announces a budgetsurplus, but Minister Manueltook great pleasure in doing so.He went further to announcebetter tax cuts than was expect-ed and even surprised a fewwith his much improved Xhosa.Speculations were that the min-ister would deliver a fairly con-servative budget, but as itturned out it was more gener-ous than expected. Yet, theMinister exercised reasonableconstraints and resisted thetemptation to spend but optedto save - changing the govern-

ment's fiscal approach fromthat of a spender to a saver.What better way to set theexample to a nation whose sav-ings level is critically low.He said: "In a country like ourswith a low level of savings, theplanned fiscal surplus is gov-ernment's contribution to thenational savings effort and wewould like our citizens to fol-low this example".Much of the tax relief for indi-viduals is meant to promotehousehold savings and the min-ister went to great lengths tofind that balance between reliefand fuelling consumer spend-ing.

Income Tax for IndividualsPersonal Income tax cuts isrealized through the new taxthreshold of R43 000 for indi-viduals under the age of 65 andR69 000 for individuals overthe age of 65. The primary andsecondary rebates have alsoincreased to R 7 740 and R4680 respectively.Particularly welcoming was the

abolishing of retirement fundtax. Then interest and rentalincome of retirement funds willno longer be subject to tax.The reduction in the withhold-ing tax on lump-sum pensionand provident fund payment forpersons earning below R43 000and the increase in interest anddividend income tax-freethreshold should go a long wayto encouraging personal saving.

Tax on Medical ContributionsThe tax-free medical contribu-tions have been increased toR530 and to R320 for eachadditional beneficiary in a fur-ther attempt to get SouthAfricans to start saving more.

Capital Gains TaxThe annual exclusion thresholdfor capital gains will beincreased from R12 500 to R15000. In addition the thresholdbelow which no capital gainstax is imposed at deathincreased from R60 000 toR100 000.Furthermore shares held for 3

years or longer and then dis-posed of will be subject to cap-ital gains.

Fuel LevyFrom 4 April 2007 the fuel levywill be increased to 10c a litre.

Sin TaxThe cost of cigarettes isincrease by 10.7% which meansa pack of 20's will cost 20cmore. A 340ml bottle of beerwill cost 5c more and spiritswill increase by R1,88 per750mm.At a macro level, the govern-ment will be focusing itsspending over the next fewyears on education, upgradinginfrastructure and fightingcrime.Education received a boost ofR6 billion with an additionalR2.2 billion allocated to subsi-dies for higher education.R45 billion is earmarked forthe upgrading of infrastructureand R2,4 billion is being addedfor the fight against crime.All in all, the minister deliv-

ered a very balanced budget.The essence of this year's budg-et confirms the very strong fis-cal strength of our economycompared to other emergingmarkets. Yet, much is up to theindividual. So, lets get beingthe minister and put those taxsavings to good use.

Highlights from Budget 2007- Personal tax * Personal income tax reliefamounting to R8.4 bn. * Level below which no incometax is levied for people under65 is raised to R43 000.* Retirement fund tax abol-ished from March 1 2007. * Iinterest income exemption israised from R16 500 to R18000 for those under 65 andfrom R24 500 to R26 000 forthose 65 and over. * Monthly monetary caps fortax-free medical aid contribu-tions are increased from R500to R530 for each of the firsttwo members. The cap increas-es from R300 to R320 for eachadditional beneficiary.

Highlights from the Budget 2007 speech3

March 2007 - Safar 1428

South African Deputy President PhumzileMlambo-Ngcuka hosted Russian counterpartPrime Minister Mikhail Fradkov on an officialvisit to South Africa on Saturday - Monday, 17-19 March 2007 to expand South Africa's strate-gic partnership with the Russian Federation as amember of the Group of 8 (G-8) and UnitedNations Security Council. South Africa - Russiarelations were significantly consolidated by theState visit in to South Africa by President Putinin September 2006 during which the two presi-dents Thabo Mbeki and Putin signed the Treatyof Friendship and Partnership between theRepublic of South Africa and the RussianFederation.

Economic Bilateral RelationsThe establishment of the Joint South Africa/Russia Business Council is now the means toachieve greater trade and economic co-operationbetween the business sectors of both countries.

The bulk of SA exports are made up of vehicleengines (18.8% of exports); machines &mechanical appliances (14%); Fresh grapes(13.8%); flat-rolled products or iron (10%);pears (6.8%) peaches (3.4%) - amounting toalmost 70% of SA exports to Russia. The majorimport from Russia, accounting for over 65% ofSA imports is made up of the nickel group ofminerals.

South African Investments in RussiaThe SA multinationals Anglo American,Standard Bank, De Beers, JCI, Barlowworld,Capespan and Bateman have substantial interestsin Russia. In addition, SAB/Miller has estab-lished a brewery in the Kaluga Region, whichrepresented a US$100 million investment, andtheir product, Golden Barrel Beer, is highly suc-cessful in the local market. Standard Bank alsohas a growing presence in Russia as well asSAPPI, Protea Hotels and Sun International.Recently also the MIHGroup which includesDSTV, and M-Net also has investments in theRussian Federation.

– STAFF REPORTER

South Africa – Russia relations strengthened

South Africa – Saudi Arabia agree on avoidance of double taxes

STRATEGIST: The president of South Africa, Mr Thabo Mbeki, met with theheads of mission of over thirty countries at the Lord Charles Hotel at theopening of Parliament

PICTURES: Sanaa Petersen

ENLIGHTMENT: The Muslim JudicialCouncil-Youth Desk engaged youth onthe Hijirah- the Prophet (SAW) leftMakka and arrived in Madina on the12 Rabi Al Awwal

PICTURES: M Yusuf Karriem

The seal of Prophethood to humanity

4March 2007 - Safar 1428

In the present disturbing inter-national configuration, domi-nated in July and August byweeks of bitter conflict in theMiddle East, other subjects,however important, somehowseemed out of focus, even mar-ginalised. Nothing illustratedthis more effectively than thecoincidence of the G8 Summitin St Petersburg on July 15-16,with the outbreak of hostilitiesbetween Israel and Hizbollahon the Lebanese battlefield.Although there is now a fragilecease-fire in the Middle East, itis almost as if St Petersburghad never been. The African theme (and itsattendant agenda of 'makingpoverty history') which hadseemed so all-preoccupying atGleneagles in 2005, was nevergoing to make much headwaywith the Russian hosts. Buteven issues slated for promi-nence by them, such as energysecurity and climate change,not to mention the hope of oth-ers that summit should alsoexamine the issue of democracyin Russia, received neither thetime nor the publicity. This wasbecause of the attempts tocover the deep divisions amongthe leaders over the MiddleEast, and produce some sort ofdeclaration, which in the enddistinguished itself by its lame-ness. Papers submitted to thesummit were reportedly passedspeedily, often with scant dis-cussion. We are told that, evenso, the'outreach group' (includingBrazil and India) met with theleaders, and the Chinese had aseparate session to discussNorth Korea, while Africa, rep-resented by the AUCommission President, AlphaOumar Konaré and the AUchairman Denis SassouNguesso, heard a Gleneaglesupdate prepared by the Britishand the Russians, which TheGuardian said "judged itselfgenerously". The serried ranks of NGOs andcharities took a poor view ofthe results, in spite of unsur-prising new commitments oncommunicable diseases, espe-cially malaria and HIV/AIDS,probably the easiest subject onwhich to achieve consensus. Itwas pertinent, not to say brutal,

as far as Africa was con-cerned, than the fact thatthe South AfricanPresident, Thabo Mbekiwas apparently invitedthere as a member of the'outreach group', and thatNigeria, in spite of itsweight and influence inAfrica, was not eveninvited. This was mademore piquant by the factthat Nigeria's formerFinance Minister NgoziOkonjo Iweala wasamong those invited byMoscow to a preliminarymeeting of ministers ofthe subject of debt(reportedly one of themain reasons for the min-ister's subsequentremoval). As a kind of compensa-tion for the apparentindifference shown in StPetersburg, we are toldthat the Germans intendto attach due importanceto an African position onthe agenda, even if worldevents, especially in theMiddle East (if this year is any-thing to go by), may yet cometo predominate again. TheGermans have said, for exam-ple, that Africa itself will atleast be allowed to prepare theposition paper, and that dueconsultation will take place asbefore and during Gleneagles.The Germans are also likely toput substantial emphasis on theoften under-rated EuropeanUnion role in African develop-ment. There seems little chance thatthe Doha Round of trade talksunder the aegis of the WorldTrade Organisation (WTO) willhave had new life breathed intothe talks. They were suspendedindefinitely a few days after thesummit, which meant that theleaders' call for new life to bebrought to them looked notonly platitudinous but down-right cynical. Current thinking,which could always be subjectto new unforeseen factors,seems to concentrate merely ondeveloping regional tradepacts, which look suspiciouslylike a cop-out, although thereare plenty who will argue thatthe suspension will; haveunforeseen benefits.

One is also bound to note thatthere will be some substantialchanges in the dramatis person-ae of next year's summit.Although prognostications arealways dangerous, JacquesChirac should be out of powerby June-July 2007, and TonyBlair may well be, even if hemight hanker to see his Africanagenda further mature at theGerman G8 before going. InAfrica, Obasanjo is due to go atthe end of May, and AbdoulayeWade, President of Senegal,already officially 80 but intenton standing again, has to facean extremely difficult electionnext year to achieve that ambi-tion. But will there be changes in theG8 itself, already somewhatfluid in its nature? Is the G8ready to reform itself further byabsorbing new full members? Areport in The Guardian inLondon of July 13, on the eveof St Petersburg said that TonyBlair would call at the summitfor "five leading fast develop-ing countries to be allowed tojoin the G8 group in order tosecure multilateral deals on cli-mate change, trade and Iran."There was little sign that hiscolleagues were willing to

embark on such a far-reach-ing move, preferring to staywith the present system of'guests', but as with reformof the UN Security Councilor the Bretton Woods insti-tutions, such a recognitionof the changing balance ofeconomic power in theworld cannot be longdelayed. Ironically, it may be thedeparture of Kofi Annan asUN Secretary-General atthe end of the year (possi-bly with an Asian succes-sor) that will aid such apower shift, which even acouple of years ago was notfully visible. It is not onlythe emergence of Chinathat is presenting a realchallenge to the unipolarworld (if one discounts the'dispersed' pole of Europe),but the continued rise ofAsian economies - not justIndia but South Korea,Malaysia and others, join-ing Japan as worthy of aseat at the top table,According to the magazine

Newsweek in its recent coverstory 'Can America Compete' itis the very success of the freemarket model as adopted byothers that is having the effectof circumscribing the US' eco-nomic power. Current statistics coming out ofAfrica, as well as some of theforecasts for the next fewyears, give some cause forencouragement, even if thechallenges of drought, diseaseand conflict remain, and thereis still doubt that most coun-tries will meet the MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs)set for 2015. Although growthin itself is not necessarily thepath to human development,the OECD, in its report"Economic Perspectives 2005-6" puts continental growth asrunning at over five percent forthe past five years and the fig-ures for 2006 are expected tobe better. The figures for indi-vidual countries are inevitablycontrasting and uneven, withsome new oil producers such asChad and Mauritania, orrecently expanding ones suchas Equatorial Guinea, achiev-ing particularly remarkablegrowth rates.

Oil aside, the causes of thisimprovement are complex, andsome have attributed it to theeffect of sustained economicreforms or "post-conflict sta-bility" (as in Mozambique,Uganda and Rwanda). What ismore certain is that it is notbecause of the G8's sweepingbut somewhat ambivalent pro-posals for increased aid by2010 were already takingeffect. The most powerful fac-tor, indeed has to be theincreased world demand forraw materials (it has beendescribed as "the world's great-est resource boom in decades")- not just oil and gas, but gold,copper, iron ore and a range ofother minerals. Some 40 per-cent of the world's known min-eral reserves are said to be inAfrica. The demand has come especial-ly from China but also otherAsian economies. The US,however, has also stepped upits interest in obtaining accessto African oil, which is tied inwith their energy security wor-ries related to the Middle East,which has further ratcheted upthe quest for supplies. Criticsmay worry that this is returningAfrica to its traditional neo-colonial role as a supplier ofraw materials, but if it is wellmanaged with clearer vision ofeconomic priorities than in thepast, it need not be. Oil wealthin particular has fuelled corruptleaders and wasted Africa'sassets, but the present opportu-nity to take advantage of theworld's changing political con-figuration, and reduce tradi-tional dependences, is heavensent. It would be tragicallycriminal to waste it.

Kaye Whiteman is the Director Of

Information and Public Affairs

Division, Commonwealth

Secretariat. Prior to this he was

General Manager, 'West Africa

Magazine'. Between 1973 - 82, he

was a senior official in the

Information Directorate of the

Commission of the European

Communities in Brussels, special-

ising in Europe's relations with

developing countries. In 1994 he

took two months leave of absence

to act as an observer and media

adviser for the EU election unit in

the South African elections.

Africa and the G8 – After St Petersburg, what’s next?

PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN: TheresaJackson,10, lives with her grandparents inKalksteenfontein, spent the day with her home-less mother, she sits on their belongings

PICTURE: Sanaa Petersen

Shaikhs Exotics delightfulCranberry juice

Ingredients

Crushed ice

125ml Cranberry juice

30ml Soda water

30ml Lime cordial

125ml Hanepoot grape juice

Squeeze of lemon juice

Mint leaf

Method

Half fill a tall glass with crushed ice.Pour over the cranberry juice, soda water,lime cordial and grape juice.Squeeze a little lemon into juice mix.Stir and garnish with a mint leaf*Omit Soda Water for a non-fizzy drink.Cranberry delight is excellent served after ameal or as a refresher during the day.

Cranberry delight

5March 2007 - Safar 1428

PICTURES: Sanaa Petersen

MARCH PASS: Darul Arqam Islamic High School proudly displays theirschool’s banner

HOLIDAY PROGRAMME MARIAM SALIE

The Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) -Media Desk held a Media Awarenessconference for youth in February to dis-pel myths and misunderstandings aboutIslam, as well as counter biased reportsand propaganda. The Media awarenessconference highlighted important globalissues affecting Muslims and created anunderstanding of the media's role.Participants included learners betweengrades 10 and 12, from six Islamic HighSchools namely, Islamia College, DarulArqam High, Darul Islam High, IqraaAcademy, Al- Azhar and MadrassaturRajaa from Strand. In his welcome address, Moulana IhsaanHendricks, president of the MJC, spokeabout the rise of Islamophobic materialthat has started to surface and howimportant it is to identify, and criticallyanalyse these trends. The first facilita-tor Awatief Daniels has a degree in jour-nalism and is currently completing herMasters illustrated the functions ofmedia and the influence it has on socie-ty. She highlighted the fact that mediacan be good and bad. "It can be used forgood purposes, like dissemination ofnews, or beneficial information, but itcan also be used to slyly drive people'sthinking into a certain direction," saidDaniels. The second facilitator was Farid Sayed,editor of Muslim Views, whose topicwas 'Truth and Sensationalism'. Sayedexplored the different levels of truth inthe media, how it can be manipulated,how it can be abused, and how carefulwe should be when reading an article orwatching a news report. "We have to

read between the lines at all times," saidSayed. He then went into the intricaciesof sensationalism. He explained thatjournalists generally write in a way toinvoke emotions in the reader. The afternoon session was a practicalone, conducted by Mariam Salie andNabeweya Malick, who runs the MediaDesk, it focused on identifying the neg-ativities found in the media with regardsto Muslims and Islam. They explainedthe negative concepts such as bias,propaganda, distortion etc. and its effecton our daily lives. More importantly

they focused on ways to effectivelycounter bias reporting, identifying nega-tive terminology and introduced the reg-ulatory bodies. The session concludedwith a letter writing exercise wherelearners were ask to respond to a biasletter sourced from The Cape Times.This conference is the first of a series ofconferences that will be aimed at creat-ing awareness in the community aswell as to facilitate training and skillsdevelopment for those interested in thefield.

Youth workshop on bias reporting in the media

CRITICAL THINKERS: Learners of six Islamic high schools were introduced to the negativeimpacts of the commercial media

PICTURE: Sanaa Petersen

Youth on The MOVE

The Darul - liciousboys and girls areNumber oneSTAFF REPORTER

Darul Islam Islamic HighSchool in Athlone won firstplace in the Association ofIslamic Schools (AMS) inter-high school athletics, whichwere held on the 8 March. Thegirls athletics were held atVygieskraal stadium and boys atthe Velodrome in Bellville. Thehighlight of the girls athleticswas the march pass, the talentedgirls strutted their stuff, withchoreographed dance routines,almost like a scene out of theHigh School Musical Disneymovie. On a lighter side andwith all due respect to the ath-letes, I have never experienced arace, where an athlete sprints inthe 200m race, wearing a peakcap, which falls off, she runsback to retrieve it and finishesin fourth position!

Final Results - GirlsDarul Islam - 377.5

Darul Arqam - 242.0

Islamia College - 200.0

Al-Azhar High - 158.0

Iqra Academy - 130.0

Madrassatul Rajaa - 43.0

Final Results - BoysDarul Islam - 290.0

Darul Arqam - 277.5

Islamia College - 178.0

Al-Azhar High - 169.0

Iqra Academy - 150.0

Madrassatul Rajaa - 82.5

GETTING DOWN: Madrassatul Rajaah girls showing theaudience how to get with the beat

SPEED:Two Darul

Islam IslamicHigh School

athletes taking toppositions inthe 200m

sprint

ATTITUDE:Darul IslamIslamic Highschoolteamworkwas Darul-licious

POWERPUFF GIRLS: Iqra Academy girls shows off theirsnazzy and mean moves

CHOREOGRAPHEDTO PERFECTION:Islamia High school’schoregraphedmoves wowed theaudience

Looking for exciting stuf f to do duringthe Easter break? Look no fur ther asthe Community News and The IslamicCentre will host a plethora of fun-filledactivities to make your holiday memo-rable.

When: Mondays to Thursdays, star ting2 April - 12 April 2007Times: 10 -12pm - mornings, 2 - 4pmafternoonsVenue: The Islamic Centre 60 AlbertRoad, Lansdowne.Ages: 4yrs - 16yrs and young at heart(parents, grandparents)

RSVP: Shabier Jacobs of the CommunityNews on 072 9619843 or 021 6972294.Regrettably only fif teen (15) participantsare allowed for each activity, please bookyour space and activity.

6March 2007 - Safar 1428

STAFF REPORTER

The University of Cape Town,Faculty of Science, hosted aScience day at the DarulIslam Islamic High School inMarch for high school learn-ers in the Athlone and sur-rounding area. The learnerswere introduced to thedynamics of science and tech-nology used in their dailylives, symmetry in nature,geographical information sys-tems, cloning and geneticallymodified foods, acids andbases.The learners were alsoexposed to a host of themerelated exhibitors, namelyIThemba Labs, Iziko Museumof CapeTown, KirstenboschBotanical Gardens, MTNSciencentre, SA WeatherBureau, Western Cape BloodTranfusion, 'Adopt a River',SA Women in Science &Engineering, Department ofEnvironmental Affairs andDevelopmental Planning andStoneDragon Educational.

UCT Science Day in AthloneWhat are sea shells?

Did you know that the shells you seewashed up along the beach actuallyused to be a part of a live animal?Shells come from a very large group oforganisms called the Molluscs.Molluscs are a group of soft-bodiedorganisms that either have a shell onthe outside (snails, whelks, limpets,oysters, mussels etc) or a shell on theinside (such as squid, cuttlefish andoctopus). Most molluscs live in thesea, but there also some that live onland or in fresh water. The shell isactually made by the animal and asthe animal grows, so does the shell.The shell is a great form of protectionfor the animal and if threatened, theanimal can retreat into its shell. Butwhat about the molluscs that don'thave shells, such as sea slugs?Instead of a shell to protect them, theymay be very brightly coloured to warnpredators that they are poisonous andshouldn't be eaten. Other molluscswithout shells - such as the squid andoctopus, are a lot bigger and haveother defence mechanisms as well asthe ability to move very quickly.Some of the shells that you may comeacross on the beach include: musselshells, limpet shells, snail shells,abalone shells and cuttle bones.

The mussel is an animal that that liveswithin two shell halves and attachesitself to the rock with threads producedfrom within its shell. These animalsare usually found in large numbers cov-ering rocks at the waters edge as wellas rocks under water. They are eatenby different animals including rock lob-sters (crayfish), birds, fish and alsopeople. In order for people to collectlive mussels, they have to obtain a per-mit which allows them to legally collecta certain number of mussels per day.

Another shell you might be familiarwith is a large oval shell with a row ofholes running down the one side.People often pick them up off thebeach and use them for ashtrays. Theyalso get used in decoration and tomake necklaces. These shells actuallybelong to a large snail called theabalone or perlemoen. Their shellswere once very common along thebeach and rock pools but today, theyare very hard to find. The flesh of theabalone is what has the greatest value,but their shells are also collected.These animals take 8-10 years beforethey are able to reproduce and for asnail that is a very long time! This isone of the reasons as to why these ani-mals are endangered. Along our coast-line, these animals are in great dangerof becoming extinct due to all thepoaching that has taken place. Peopleare removing and killing abalone thatare under sized and they thereforenever have a turn to breed and producemore abalone. If this continues, it willsoon be too late to save our abalone.

You might have come across a cuttlebone before that has washed up on thebeach? This cuttle shell/bone lookslike a broad white surfboard with asmall spine. Some people collectthem and give them to their pet birdsto sharpen their beaks on. It is in factthe internal shell of another mollusccalled the cuttlefish. The cuttlebone isvery buoyant and it helps the cuttlefishto float.

There are other animals that haveshells but aren't actually molluscs. Forexample, you might have noticed cer-tain crabs living in snail shells. Theseare hermit crabs. They have a very softbody and therefore need a shell tohouse and protect them. The shellwasn't actually made by them; insteadhermit crabs find empty shells fromsnails that have died. The hermit crabthem moves into the empty shell. Asthe hermit crab grows and the shellgets too small, it has to move out andfind a bigger shell.

Another type of 'shell' that you maycome across on the beach or in rockpools is a round green one that looks abit like a pumpkin. It is in fact the'skeleton' of a sea urchin (a close rela-tive of the starfish). When the seaurchin dies, this is all that remains.When alive, this 'shell' is usually cov-ered by hundreds of spines and tubefeet and is almost unrecognisable.For years people have been collectingshells for their beauty and value. Oftenthe animal is actually killed not only forits meat but just for its shell. It is up tous to protect our oceans and makesure that we leave behind somethingfor future generations to enjoy. Therate at which people are harvesting theocean is frightening and if we don'tslow down, soon there won't be muchleft. Don't collect live shells unless youhave a permit to do so and report peo-ple that are collecting animals withouta permit. Remember, the only shellsyou should be taking from the beachare the empty ones that have washedup. And the only thing you should beleaving behind is your footprint.- Laura Blamey, UCT, Department ofZoology

Youth on The MOVE

STAFF REPORTER

The Al-Azhar high school inAthlone has introduced nutri-tious snacks like fruit salad, top-pings served on nutty wheat rollsand vegetarian burgers into theTuck-shop.Initially, the learners were hesi-tant in trying the new menu butwere impressed by the businesseconomics teacher, NadeemaBehardien Salie's creativity."The food is not boring, each daythere is a different foodstuff onthe menu, like on Mondays, wecan buy chicken and mayo nuttywheat rolls and Tuesdays - burg-ers and salad and my favourite ispasta which is sold onThursdays, said grade 10 learner,Abdurosheed Emandien. Theprincipal Mr Suroor Christians isequally delighted with thehealthy menu as the learners areless fidgety in class. He said,"with this new menu, you can seea positive change in the learnersbehaviour." In addition to thehealthy and nutritious menu, MsSalie, introduced afternoon yogaclasses for female learners toenforce the theme, "A healthybody for a healthy mind." Theyoga classes are held onWednesday and Thursday from3:15 to 4:30pm at Al-Azhar HighSchool in Athlone, the cost isR100 for two months. For moreinformation please call Nadeemaon 021 6965475

Al-Azhar High adopts a healthy lifestyle

EXPERIMENTING: Learners were exposed to the world ofAcids and bases.

SCIENCE IN MOTION: Kemiso Lecheko, Tumo Makwa andMolefe Sechaba of Fezeka High learning more about thedynamics of mechanical engineering

HEALTHY BREAKFAST: Kauthar Tape and learners of theAl-Alzhar high queueing to purchase the nutritious snackson sale at the school’s tuck-shop

NUTRITIOUS: The principal Mr Suroor Christians sets anexcellent example for his learners to follow, by enjoying asumptuous and nutritious fruit salad

PICTURES: Sanaa Petersen

PICTURES: Sanaa Petersen

Interesting facts

STAFF REPORTER

The South African Women inDialogue (SAWID) an independ-ent South African Women’sPlatform committed to improvingthe status of women was born outof a successful Peace Dialoguebetween South African women andthe women of the DemocraticRepublic of Congo (DRC),hostedby Mrs Mbeki’s office.In August the women of SouthAfrica and Tunisia, under the aus-pices of SAWID and UNFT cele-

brated the 50 years of the TunisianPersonal Status Code, and theAnti-Pass March in Pretoria.Mindful of the global and localchallenges the dialogue highlight-ed the key areas affecting women -1. Legislation, InstitutionalMechanisms and legal framework.2. Advancing gender equality andaddressing poverty through theuse of Information andCommunication Technology(ICT)3. Promoting gender equality andwomen’s advancement in publiclife and business community.

SAWID invited the women ofTunisia to explore the themeWomen, Peace and Prosperity. Theemphasis of the South African legis prosperity.SAWID-Western Cape welcomesthe Tunisian women in April andtabled the contentious debate -Culture, Religion and Gender:Weaving Convergence. And, aspart of the conference theTunisian women will visit a shel-ter for women, explore telemedi-cine and the rich culture of CapeTown.

SAWID to host Tunisian Women

SAWID - PROVINCIAL: The newely elected executive committeeof SAWID in the Western Cape, l-rAnna Berkowitz(Union ofJewish Women,Rashida Shabodien(patron of SAWID), PaulinaMali(CDW-WCost),Caroline Davids(WCNVAW),Me MildredRamakaba-Lesiea(ANCWL), Rashida Abdullah(ANCWL),SanaaPetersen (IMA), sittingfront-Elizabeth Petersen(St Annes Homes)

SANAA PETERSEN

The Muslim Youth Movementand Positive Muslims hosted agender workshop in Februaryat the Saartjie BaartmanCentre in Athlone to addresssensitive gender issues thatare prevalent in the family andcommunity structures. Theworkshop provided an insightinto the difference betweenthe Shari'a and the SouthAfrican Law and equipped theparticipants with critical andpractical recommendations.The expert panel of facilita-tors was Advocate NurjahanKhan, Waheeda Amien of theUCT Law Faculty and AshrafMohamed of the HumanRights Commission.Nurjahan Khan's presentationunpacked the daily realitiesthat women face when access-ing support and counsel fromthe understaffed, poorly edu-cated and predominately maledominated legal and socialstructures within our society.Yet, she cautions that many ofthese frustrations are perpetu-ated because women are notaware of their rights and lackthe basic knowledge to effec-tively and successfully accessthe resources available. "Mostabuse happens in the home. Aswomen we need to learn not to

build our life around someoneelse, and not to walk in some-one's shadow, "said Khan.Waheeda Amien expertlydemonstrated the distinctionbetween the Muslim PersonalLaw (MPL) and the SouthAfrican Law highlighting itscollective benefits and theneed for regulatory bodies.She emphasized that with eachright there is usually a corre-

sponding duty, for example ifyou are awarded custody thenit is your duty to fulfill the dayto day needs of the child. TheMPL discussion unnervedsome participants because ofthe different interpretation ofthe Shar'ia and the culturaland traditional practices insociety. "You need to look atwhat rights are available onthe different schools of

thoughts to use to youradvantage, if not, then lookat what is the custom oracceptable practice,"responded Amien.Another contentious issuewas the human rights discus-sion, facilitated by AshrafMohamed, he illustrated thedistinction between anabsolute right and a rightthat is not absolute. Manyparticipants felt that thebasic needs for a dignifiedlife was absolute, but grap-pled with Mohamed's inputthat "You have a right toexpression, to claim yourright but that does not guar-antee you will get it".

All the facilitators areexperts in their field, but Iam of the opinion that eachtopic should be discussedseparately as it challengesentrenched backward cultur-al practices that marginalizes

the dignified development ofwomen, children and the com-munity.

We would like to hear fromyou - Do you think that thereis a need for an Islamic regu-latory body within a secularcontext?Email us on info@islamic-media.co.za, fax 021 6972304 or sms 074 2274345

You can guarantee your right for a dignified life

7March 2007 - Safar 1428

SOURCE-ISLAMONLINE.NET

A hot debate of women'sempowerment in theMuslim world dominated,the closing session of theUS-Islamic World Forumheld in Doha in February.Participants were divided inwhether Western womenshould be a role model fortheir Muslim peers. "Women empowerment andliberalization do not meanthat we should follow thewestern model. We are firstMuslims, and we can't giveup our identity," saidMariam Bibi, an education-ist who is running variousschools in Pakistan. "I am aliberal woman, but I can'tbe like French. I can'tforego my indigenous iden-tity," Bibi said.Bibi said Muslims as a whole had losttrust in western culture, which in fact wastotally different than theirs."WhenMuslims watch western movies, whichare full of violence and sex, then theythink that they would be naked women allover on the streets in America or Europe,and that the west wants to introduce thesame culture in the Islamic world," saidBibi."Being a working woman, I have this firmbelieve that our women can't digest thewestern model of liberalization as afterall we are Muslims, and we have our ownvalues.""We while working for women rights wemust not challenge the local culture,rather we should make inroads for us withour indigenous cultures, otherwise thepeople will never accept any change, nomatter it is positive," she added.Held this year under the slogan"Confronting What Divide Us", the US-Islamic World Forum is organized by theQatari government and the AmericanBrookings Institution.The three-day forum brought together

more than 230 dignitaries from the USand more than 34 Islamic countries to dis-cuss a plethora of issues that expandedthis year to cover problems facingMuslim minorities in the West.

Western Ideology

But Rola Dashti, Chairperson of KuwaitEconomic Society, sees western ideologyas far as women are concerned is the bestway to empower women in the Muslimworld."We, the women rights activists, are con-sidered anti-Islam, and anti -patrioticbecause we are bringing the western ide-ology of active women participation inthe public life," she said."Though, we have won the war againstextremists in Kuwait and various otherArab countries as women are now educat-ed and advanced there, however, I fear ifwomen are not empowered and providedequal share in the policy making process,they will loose the war they have won,"she added. Rola said Islam was beingmisused by extremists who believed thatwomen had no right in nation building,

and they were only meantfor raising kids, sex andstaying back at home. "Idon't understand why reli-gion is being included inevery matter. If we have toadvance and progress, wehave to stop the inclusionof Islam in politics andgovernment affairs," sheadded.However, Sadiq Al-Mahdi,a former Prime Minister ofSudan, said Islam shouldnot be blamed for women'sdisenfranchisement. "It isnot Islam that prohibitswomen empowerment, butthis is the current despoticpolitical system in all overthe world whereby evenmen are marginalized. Onlya group of exploiters,whether men or women, isempowered," he said.

Veteran journalist and Al-Hayat's colum-nist Jihad Khazen, said women advance-ment and their education was the onlyachievement in the Arab world during thelast tenyears. "I don't agree with those who thinkthat Arab women are totally neglectedand deprived," he said. But he said onecannot force women to be "liberal" orengage in politics as they should do ittheir ways. "Many women who werestudying with me at (Egypt's) CairoUniversity used to wear mini-skirts, butnow they ask their daughters to wearhijab or veil and don't work," he said."What can governments do in this regard.We can't force them.""This could be surprising to us but weshould think that why those women whoused to wear mini-skirts, don't prefer thatfor their own daughters."

We would like to hear from you - SHOULD THE WEST BE THE ROLEMODELS FOR THEIR MUSLIM PEERSEmail us on info@islamicmedia.co.za,fax 021 6972304 or sms 074 2274345

Should the West mentor Muslims peers

WOMEN

EMPOWERING: Ashraf Mohamed, Human Rights Commissioner, illustratesthe difference between absolute and non-absolute human rights.

EDUCATION: Young Muslim women graduates of the International PeaceUniversity South Africa (IPSA), receiving their BA degree in Islamic Studies at agraduation ceremony held on the 21 February 2007.(l-r) Nadiema Taliep(admin.secretary), Rafeeqah Jassiem, Tasmeena Myburgh, Zulfaa Ismail,Shafeeqah Abrahams, Thoraya Rhoda (Academic Secretary)

And know that the loftiest of exem-

plars, the most noble and the great-

est and the most binding to all

Muslims is the Messenger of Allah,

Allah bless him and grant him peace:

verily he is by unanimous agreement

the Greatest Exemplar. And the obli-

gation due to him is the greatest

after that of Allah; and the adab with

him the most emphasised of the

adab and obediences. For whosoever

loves him and immensely esteems

him, he has indeed loved Allah and

whosoever obeys him has indeed

obeyed Allah. Says Allah, the Exalted:

"Say, if ye do love Allah, follow me:

Allah will love you and forgive you

your sins. For Allah is the Oft-

Forgiving, Most Merciful" (al-'Imran:

31). And says the Exalted: "He who

obeys the Apostle, obeys Allah" (an-

Nisaa: 80). And says the Exalted: "So

take what the Apostle assigns to you,

and deny yourselves that which he

withholds from you. And fear Allah;

for Allah is strict in punishment" (al-

Hashr: 7).

Spirituality leads to Paradise"Whoever guards the five presciribed

Salaah while believing that the

Salaah is the Right of Allah, will

enter Jannat." (Ahmad).

Seventy thousand of my people will

enter paradise without being taken to

account. They are those who do not

use spells or take omens, but put

their trust in their Lord.

(Bukhari, Muslim).

Non Violence cherished by God "You have two characters which Allah

loves; gentleness and deliberation."

(Muslim).

Advocate of Non-Violent JihadThe most excellent jihad is when one

speaks a true word in the presence of

a tyrannical ruler.(Tirmidhi).

Prohibition of Blind FuryNo judge must give judgement

between two people when he is

angry.(Bukhari, Muslim).

Honour the Lives of non- combatant

civilians.If anyone kills a man who

had made a covenant (anyone who

belongs to a Non-Muslim community

with whom a treaty of peace has

been made, or a member of protect-

ed communities) will not experience

the fragrance of paradise.(Bukhari)

Non Abusive and Non OffensiveBehaviourThe Prophet (PBUH) never expressed

disapproval of food; if he desired it

he ate it and if he disliked it he left it

alone.(Bukhari, Muslim).

A good way of acting, a good manner

of conduct and moderation are twen-

ty-fifth part of prophecy.(Abu Dawud).

Promotion of InterFaith activitiesThe Allah's messenger (PBUH)

passed a mixed company of Muslims,

polytheists who worshipped idols and

Jews and he gave them a salutation.

(Bukhari, Muslim).

In the year (631 CE), Prophet

Muhammad received a delegation of

sixty Christians from Najran in

Medinah. They were received in the

Prophet's mosque wearing their

crosses. The companions of prophet

Muhammad tried to prevent them

from praying in the mosque, but the

prophet allowed them to pray in the

mosque, and they did so facing East.

A True Warrior is a Non AnarchistThe strong man is not the good

wrestler; the strong man is only the

one who controls himself when he is

angry.(Bukhari, Muslim).

The Highest Status of a Believer isPeace Maker Abu Huraira reported that the

Prophet (PBUH)as telling that Moses'

son Imran said, "My Lord, who is the

greatest of Thy servant in Thy estima-

tion?" and received the reply, "The

one who forgives when he is in a posi-

tion of power. (Baihaqi).

If anyone walks with an oppressor to

strengthen, knowing that he is an

oppressor, he has gone forth from

Islam. (Baihaqi).

PICTURES: Sanaa Petersen

PICTURES: M Yusuf Karriem

HistoryLove for the Holy Prophet Muhammad

Dear Editor

The fact that someone has per-haps publicly stated thatVangate Mall is a 'muslim' mallis short-sighted and exclusive.Firstly, the mall itself wasestablised on the premise andintent as a medium of commu-nity development, enhancementand empowerment, clearly withrespect to ALL the surroundingareas. To isolate its consumersshows poor business acumenand even poorer socio-econom-

ic judgement. The mall ismeant to service the poor anddisenfranchised communitieswithin and around the greaterAthlone and surrounding areas.However it seems the develop-ers, be they Muslim or not, forquite frankly this is a side issuefor me, obviously changed theparameters of the ballpark. It isfunny how 10yrs on, we asSouth Africans fail to under-stand and comprehend thatwhatever enterprises we delveinto, that we are a part of a

broader society basis that doesnot differentiate betweencolour, class and creed, and isthis not what we fought for dur-ing the height of apartheidresistance ? It seems many ofus, although liberated physical-ly are still enslaved psycholog-ically.Being part of a new SouthAfrica means becoming anactive, responsible, productiveand nation-building participantin our modes of work and wor-ship, and ensuring progressive

and empowered change forALL.Muslims must also stop becom-ing defensive when real con-cerns are expressed about fun-damental issues that affect ageneral society. It is moreimportant to remedy the short-comings, than to dwell oncliched arguments and sillysectarian squabbles, that onlymake us look more exclusive asa community. As for not sellingalcohol, if the owners of thesupermarkets are Muslim, from

an Islamic point of view theycannot sell liquor or derive anybenefit thereof.Quite frankly the bottom linefor me is, who exactly will bebenefitting, because there areJewish and Christian develop-ers also in the mix. If the com-munity at large is not benefit-ting then THAT is my gripeperiod!BY the way I am Muslim :).Yours in Fairness andNationBuildingMymoena Arnold

Is Vangate Mall a Muslim mall?

9March 2007 - Safar 1428

YASMINA FRANKE

Muslim women are constantly under thespotlight. From the pulpit to thecolumns, Muslim women are criticisedfor adopting western ideas and beingresponsible for single-handedlydestroying the moral fibre of society.This is a gross generalisation and huge-ly inaccurate. There are many Muslimwomen who operate in a "western" envi-ronment whilst maintaining theirIslamic identity with admirable determi-nation.These women understand that there areno compromises in Islam. Either you'rea Muslim (and adhere to the teachingsof Islam) or you're not. One cannotchoose to act and behave like a Muslimin some instances and when it is incon-venient, forsake all beliefs. These women take strength and encour-agement from the knowledge that Islamis determined to protect the reputationof women by instructing her to "lowerher gaze and guard her modesty" andnot to draw unnecessary attention toherself. Through this behaviour shedoes not open herself up for hearsay andscandals. Contrary to popular misun-derstanding, Islamic dress for women isNOT a device whereby men can oppresswomen nor is it a means to preventwomen from participating in variousactivities in society. Islam stipulatesboundaries for dress so that women arerespected and not become objects ofsexual exploitation. When a Muslim woman adheres to theIslamic dress code she can be comfort-able in the knowledge that she will betreated and respected more so on thebasis of her character, her skills andability and NOT according to physicalappearance, which the hijaab adequatelyprotects.Amongst the many women who haveheeded the Quranic injunction to seekand impart knowledge, to speak the

truth and to fightinjustice andoppression are theones who are pro-gressing through theranks and are nowtaking senior posi-tions in business,government, poli-tics, academia andsocial structures. They are continu-ously in pursuit ofknowledge as theHadeeth beautifullystates: "The seekingof knowledge isincumbent on everyMuslim, male andfemale". This very pursuit ofknowledge is whathelps to build up heracademic ability,resulting in theachievement ofqualifications thatgets her into seniorpositions.These women have mastered the art ofcombining their careers, motherhoodand wifely duties. The many conflictsthey have to resolve at home amongsttheir children, the encouragement theyprovide during difficult times, thedomestic training they impart, the nego-tiation skills they employ when shop-ping, the empathy, support and affectionthey offer their husbands are the veryskills that make them so effective in theworkplace. They juggle a multitude oftasks simultaneously, knowing exactlyhow to prioritise and fulfil the manyexpectations society have of them.Their multi-faceted roles at home arethe perfect training grounds for thechallenges that await them in the corpo-

rate world.These women have come to realise thatyou can be modern, yet modest. Theywear highly fashionable corporate suitsto work, which are long, flowy andcover the owrah. They cover their hairwith beautiful scarves that complementthe whole outfit. They participate inboardroom debates with controlledvoices and behave respectably amongsttheir peers, whilst maintaining theirprofessionalism and femininity. Theyexercise their right to abstain fromsocial events at work that put them insituations which conflict with the teach-ings of Islam. They lobby and cam-paign for the rights of Muslim staff, foraccess to wudu and solaah facilities. They proudly carry their Islamic identi-

ty, they are intelligent, committed andNEVER apologise for being Muslimwomen in a western world. Theybecome agents of change in the struggleto achieve tolerance and understandingof the Islamic way of life.The road that they travel is a not an easyone. It is fraught with challenges, con-flicts and criticism by others who do notunderstand Islam and even of their veryown kind who are not able to reconcilethe two. The battle with their nafs is adaily hurdle that they conquer. Andwhen the road gets really treacherousand they are in desperate need ofadvice, they turn to the Book ofWisdom, the Holy Quran and theyreflect on the lessons they derive fromthe life of Prophet Muhammad (SAW),his wives and his companions (mayAllah's peace and blessing be upon themall).In turn, the corporate world is startingto acknowledge and respect her. Theyhave come to depend on her to be hon-est, fair and just in her dealings withcolleagues, staff, clients, and suppliersand diligent in executing the responsi-bilities given to her. These are thequalities she has become known for -the very qualities Islam has taught herand by living out these qualities, thosearound her stand to benefit.These are the women that we mustsalute and encourage. They are the wor-thy role models for the younger genera-tion who may have been led to believethat being a Muslim woman and havinga career are two mutually exclusiveentities and cannot be integrated withinthe parameters of Islam.So, before we criticise ALL women, letus not forget those courageous andbrave women who go out there in thecorporate battlefield and return homeevery day with their heads held high,their reputation in tact and PROUD TOBE MUSLIM WOMEN.

When Muslim women have careers

LETTERS & SMS

SAXONSEA

HARDWARE & GIFTS

SincerelyImam Achmad Dien of Masjid-Ummah, Kent cresc, Saxonsea,

Atlantis

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Saxonsea, Atlantis, 7349Tel: +27 21 572 5466/4560

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"O Young men, those of you who cansupport a wife should marry, as it pre-vents you from looking at women, as

sexual objects and preserves yourchastity. But those who cannot marry

should fast, for it is a means of coolingsexual passion."

(Bukhari).

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"He who fulfils a need of a person in

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pleasure; whoever has given me pleasure

has given Allah pleasure, He will give

him Jannat."

(Baihaqi).

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PICTURE: M Yusuf Karriem

SMS CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

Why should South Africans pay exorbitant Hadj fees?

10March 2007 - Safar 1428

SOURCED BY MOULANA SHUAIB APPLE-

BY

Interview with the President of theChechan Republic of Ichikeria, AmirMajlisul-Shura Dokka Umarov, 8 March2007

Q: On what stage is the fight ofChechen people against the Moscowaggressors today? Which, in your sight,the prospects for this fight?

Dokka Umarov: In the name of Allah,Most Merciful, Most Compassionate!

First, I would want to send best wishesto the Ukrainian people, which todaysurvives the pressure from of theKremlin regime.

As for the situation in the NorthCaucasus, in spite of the assertions ofPutin, war continues. Informationblockade can create temporary illusionabout the fact that the war ended, but itcan't change the real state of affairs.

Again I declare, that the war continues.

Planned combat operations in all thistime never ended, as each day they arecarried out by our subdivisions, espe-cially in the mountain regions.

Q: How you can explain the fact that thenoticeable part of the participants in thefirst war, and even leaders did pass tothe side of enemy?

Dokka Umarov:The Most High warnsus in the Quran that He will revealintentions, purposes and tendencies ofthose claiming to be Muslim. No oneremains untested. Therefore, Jihadappears as a blessing from Allah. Jihaddetermines, who are insincere and weak.He who pursued purposes distant fromIslam, and the independent Chechenstate or it was simply supergrass and theagent of enemy was exposed. The firstwar was only preparation for the sec-ond.

At the same time I want to refute popu-lar opinion that a large quantity of par-ticipants in the first war turned to the

side of enemy. I will name numbers foryou. In the assault of Chechen capital on 6August, 1996, 850 Mujahideen partici-pated. When 3 days passed and itbecame clear that we did not intend toleave from the city, the forces of the"militiamen" and "volunteers" began toappear. Up to the moment of the knownultimatum of General Pulikovskiy in thecity there were already 3 thousandarmed people. After the ultimatum, 850Mujahideen remained.

After the conclusion of truce inKhasavyurte, armed forces began toappear as fungi after rain. Since thebeginning of the second war theseforces, were financed and created byFSB, they scattered or "turned" to theside of Russians.

Clear example - are the Kadyrovs,father and son. Russian propagandastates that they fought on the side of theMujahideen against Russian troops in1994-96 years. But this is a lie.

Neither father nor son shot anyRussians. Akhmad Kadyrov (secretservice nickname FSB "Adam") was asupergrass and regular agent KGB - FSBeven from the Soviet times, he satthrough the entire war together with hissons in the village of Hosi- yourt. Hewas activated by FSB, when Lebedappeared. He appeared once in the vil-lage Oyskhar (Novogrozniy) afterRaduev marched into Kizlyar, and par-ticipated in the press conference. Hisson, Ramzan Kadyrov, all this time wasthe chauffeur of his father. That is theentire "battle road" of these supergrass-es.

Magomed Khanbiyev participated in theoperation's of the first war and a little inthe second (ex-minister of DefenseCRI), which however, found for himselfjustification for surrendering to enemy.He and several men from his relativessurrendered.

Also we have, in the first war, SulimYamadayev (large part of the war he'ssat through on the oil well in Benoy),was the same supergrass as Kadyrov, he

together with Kadyrov engaged inhostage taking.

Q: Did the government of CRI recog-nize inadvisable conducting operationson the mass seizure of hostages amongthe citizens?

Dokka Umarov: In the war with theaggressor we are guided by the positionof the Shariah, which says: "fight withthem just as they fight with you, but donot transgress". Both in Nord-Ost and inBeslane for Putin created the opportuni-ties to end the genocide of Chechenpeople, to end war with the retention ofits honour. It showed that for theRussian authority the life of people,means nothing. This is sick maniac.

The Mujahideen never killed people inNord-Ost nor children in Beslane. They(Mujahideen) did not transgress. Putinkilled them. This is the fact, which isacknowledged today by all.

In our military operations we will beguided by the principle of military-political expediency, and rest on theposition of the Shariah.

Q: Does the Chechen people hope tohave its own state?

Dokka Umarov: We have our state. Itwas restored on 6 September, 1991, as aresult of people revolution. Today ourstate is occupied by enemy, we wagewar against the occupiers and areassured that sooner or later the enemywill be banished not only from ourearth, but also from entire Caucasus.

Q: Does Chechen people distinguishbetween totalitarian, aggressive andsectarian "Russian Christianity" andhumane freedom-loving Christianitysuch, as Ukrainian? (i.e. possible col-laboration in the fight against the gener-al imperialistic enemy of Moslems andChristians on the basis of mutually-respect?)

Dokka Umarov: The Quran determinesChristians as people of Holy Writ.Therefore Shariah prescribes in theinterrelations with the people of Holy

Writ to call to the monotheism and toact into the correspondence with theagreement.

Ukraine also is under pressure andaggression from the side of Russia.Moscow did not leave its plans withrespect to the return of control overUkrainian people. ThereforeUkrainians, Chechens and other peoplesof the Caucasus are objective allies inthe fight against the neocolonial plansof the Kremlin.

Commander Abu Hafs

Abu Hafs was born in 1973 in Jordan.After studying at university, he arrivedin Chechnya in 1995 to wage waragainst the Russians. He joined thewell-known Mujahideen group underthe leadership of Emir Ibn Khattab. Dueto his outstanding military capabilitiesand strategic thinking, he held the postof instructor for that group. AfterKhattab's martyrdom, Abu Hafs becamethe assistant of the new commander,Emir Abu Walid. When was also mar-tyred, Abu Hafs became the commanderof this group. At the moment he is theassistant of the Chief Emir, DokkaUmarov.

Insight into the lives of the CIR Jihadists

SMS: Why must SA Hujaaj paymore?Somebody must explainwhy a gujaaj from the UK pays£1400 while S.Africans must payexorbitant fees.

Editor: Ebrahim Ismail, secre-tary general, of SAHUC said thatthe reason for the cheaper inter-national flights is because theBritish Airways flies their ownpeople. And, also travellers needto shop around for cheaperflights and travel in the low sea-son and not expect cheaper airtickets in the high season.

SMS: Why do SAHUC sendfemales alone to Makkah?Me, my friend & our husbandswent 4 gadj this yr.algamdulil-laah.SAHUC was veryhelpful,but we are very upsetwhat we saw happening in Maccaand Madina between SAHUCworkers we know that man &

who was working with himwasnt his wife.strange women &men walking around shopping &eating together. the ulama tellsus at home a man should not lookat a woman. our Nabi [SAW] saida strange man & woman shouldnot be in each others companythey r garaam 4 each other. Whydo SAHUC employ women withno magram 2 work for them onthe mission?then that womanexpect another woman's husband2 be magram for her.it iswrong!how can parents allowtheir daughter to travel to othercountris witout a magram?whydon't sahuc just employ men?Ycant hujaaj use Saudi hospitals &why do agents allow women toperform gadj alone? They lie 4da Saudis then they have thenerve to stand on Arafah 4 gadj& they are a nuisance for others& expect our husbands to helpthem! That is when the jollingcomes in. SAHUC we dont likewhat you are doing when ur in daHoly cities of Macca &

Madina.it is disgustingshame onu for allowing garaam acts in theHoly Land.i've faxed sahuc a let-ter as well pls do somethingabout da wrong sahuc is doin.nowonde da Saudis think nothing ofSA women.help us as Muslimladies. Die gooie daar uit.toregain our honour anddignity.shukran a concernedMuslim ummah.

Editor: Ebrahim Ismail said thatthe female staff were the medicalstaff, which was outsourced tothe Islamic Medical Association,only their salaries were paid bySAHUC. He added that whenperforming a special service youdon’t need a mahram and somefemales prefer to be examined bya female doctor. In response tousing the medical facilities inMakkah -Hujaaj can use theSaudi hospitals in an emer-gency,but the KSA requires thateach mission must have theirown medical team, to fulfil therole of the primary caregiver.

CRI JIHADIST: Dokka Umarov, president ofthe Chechan Republic of Ichikeria, AmirMajlisul-Shura Dokka Umarov

PICTURE: Sourced

SAHUC worst Hajj ever!SAHUC’s secretary-general,Ebrahim Ismail, said that South

Africans experienced the worst Hajj ever because of the new

developments in the KSA and the high number of repeat

Hujaaj.The new developments in KSA were the additional

safety regulations imposed on the hotels and the construction

on Mina. “Hujaaj, need to brace themselves for the next two

years - until the construction on Mina is complete,”said

Ismail. South Africans will have to be patient with the quota

system as all countries will fall under the OIC - 1000 hujaaj

for every 1mil of the total population of Muslims.”If SAHUC

wants to increase the quota for South African Muslims it will

need to engage with the KSA soonest,” said Ismail.Ebrahim

Ismail, has subsequently resigned from the hot seat as secre-

tary-general of SAHUC, but has not resigned as its member.

SAHUC new executive committeeThe South African Hajj and Umrah Council is pleased to

announce that at the Annual General Meeting which took

place in Johannesburg on Saturday, 03 March 2007, a newly

elected Executive has been elected as office bearers for the

next two years by the participating members of the National

Executive Committee comprising of:

Moulana Ihsaan Hendricks(President)

Ebrahim Vawda(1st Deputy President)

Mustafa Murudker(2nd Deputy President)

Shaheen Essop(Secretary General)

M. Abdul Fattaag Carr(Assistant Secretary General)

Emaam Hashim Sallie(Treasurer)

Akhtar Thokan(Assistant Treasurer)

CONTINUED FROM LETTERS PAGE

11March 2007 - Safar 1428

JERUSALEM: The Hamas-ledPalestinian government, boy-cotted by the West since itselection more than a year agobecause of Hamas' support ofterrorism, announced Thursdaya unity coalition with the moremoderate Fatah movement inhopes of ending the boycott.But the political documentguiding the new governmentdoes not fulfill the internation-al community's three demands -to recognize Israel, forswearviolence and accept previousIsraeli-Palestinian agreements -and Israel announced that itwould therefore not deal withthe new government or any ofits ministers, Hamas or not.The United States is expectedto follow suit but the EuropeanUnion will face a fierce inter-nal debate about whether tocontinue its isolation of thePalestinians.Miri Eisin, a spokeswoman forPrime Minister Ehud Olmert,said Olmert would continue "tomaintain dialogue with theelected Palestinian president,"Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah,known as Abu Mazen, "whodoes accept the three princi-ples."Other Israeli officials com-plained that Abbas had failed tomake good on his promise toOlmert last week that a cap-tured Israeli soldier, CorporalGilad Shalit, would be releasedbefore a new government isformed. "If Abu Mazen coulddeliver Shalit, he would, but hecan't," an Israeli official said."So it raises new questionsabout his ability to deliver,"meaning that Olmert's discus-sions with him will be limited,the official said, "to theimprovement of the quality ofPalestinian life."The new government, still ledby Prime Minister IsmailHaniya and dominated byHamas, contains some moder-ate figures from Fatah andindependent parties, includingthe finance minister, SalamFayyad, and it was greeted withrelief by ordinary Palestinians,who hope that it will be able topay their salaries and put anend to internal warfare.The diplomatic struggle overwhether to funnel aid throughFayyad is just beginning.Germany, which currentlyholds the presidency of the

European Union, is likelyto support Israel, as willBritain.The French foreign minis-ter, Philippe Douste-Blazy,said in Paris that the newPalestinian government"could open a new page inrelations with the interna-tional community." But healso called for the immedi-ate release of Shalit and foran end to "all forms of vio-lence against Israel and itscitizens."The European Union's for-eign policy chief, JavierSolana, said the EuropeanUnion would wait to see thegovernment list as approved bythe Palestinian legislature,expected on Saturday, and thepolitical document that governsit.A State Department spokesman,Sean McCormack, said similar-ly that Washington "will waituntil the government is actuallyin place and we have an under-standing of what their platformwill be before we make anyfinal judgments about it."The document was slowlynegotiated on the basis of aunity statement put together byPalestinian prisoners in Israeljails and was pushed alongearly in February at a meetingcalled by the Saudis in Mecca.Abbas argues that it implicitlymeets international demands,and argues further that as thehead of the Palestine LiberationOrganization, he is the onlylegal negotiator for thePalestinians in any case.The document mentions Israelonly as an occupier ofPalestinian land. It does notrecognize Israel's right to existand does not explicitly acceptprevious Israeli-Palestinianagreements, but says the agree-ments, including internationalagreements, will be "respect-ed."And it does not forswear vio-lence. On the contrary, it"affirms that resistance is alegitimate right of thePalestinian people." It says"halting resistance depends onending the occupation andachieving freedom, return andindependence," a reference to"the rights of Palestinianrefugees and their right ofreturn to their lands and prop-erties." Israeli officials called

that "a step backward" from theagreement in Mecca.The document does call for anextension of the often-brokencease-fire by Israel and thePalestinians and for further dis-cussions on how to organize themany - and often competing -Palestinian security forces.One of the main aims of theunity government is to end theviolence that has broken outbetween Hamas and Fatah inrecent months.In Gaza, an Abbas aide, NabilAbu Rudeineh, said the mainaims of the government were"internal security and endingthe suffering of Palestinians,"by getting aid abroad to againpay full salaries and stoppingthe internal clashes. Haniyasaid the main aim was "internalsecurity."In Gaza, Mustafa el-Sawaf, apolitical analyst close toHamas, noted the continuingHamas-Fatah clashes and said,"One can say there is really noPalestinian consensus on theprogram. I give this govern-ment six months."One of the sticking points inthe negotiations was theInterior Ministry post, whichhad been held by an importantHamas figure, Said Siam, whois said to oppose this newagreement with Fatah. The twosides settled on a bureaucrat,Hani al-Qawasmi, 50, whosefamily is from Hebron in theWest Bank but who was bornand lives in Gaza.But most experts expect that hewill have little power, and thatthe Executive Force, set up bySiam in Gaza as a parallelpolice force loyal to Hamas,will continue to be controlledby Hamas leaders.Diana Buttu, a former adviser

to Abbas and to the keyFatah figure in Gaza,Muhammad Dahlan, notedthat except for the deputyprime minister, Azzam al-Ahmed, the head of theFatah faction in the legis-lature, the Fatah ministerswere relatively unknownand untainted by accusa-tions of corruption."Fatah needs time to reor-ganize and reform and isplaying for the next elec-tions," Buttu said. "Thisgovernment is based on'samoud,' or steadfastness.

It doesn't seem to have anyother policy, and Palestinianshave no real expectation thatthey will do anything aboutserious problems."Hamas also appointed a numberof lesser-known figures, leav-ing out of the government well-known hard-liners like Siamand Mahmoud Zahar, who hadbeen foreign minister. WhileIsrael sees the unity govern-ment as a victory for Hamas, itis clear that some key Hamasfigures are very unhappy withthe coalition, which makesHamas look less principled andmore willing to compromise tokeep its hold on cabinet seats.The new foreign minister is aformer Fatah member and inde-pendent, Ziad Abu Amr, whohas a Ph.D. from Georgetownand was supported by Hamas,but who also has close ties tothe West.The new government has 25ministers. In a complicated for-mula, Hamas controls the mostseats, then Fatah, while the twofactions also control theappointment of some independ-ent figures. There are alsomembers of four other partiesin parliament, includingFayyad and InformationMinister Mustafa Barghouti.In Ramallah, there was reliefand hope. Said Batrawi, ownerof Samir Restaurant, said:"This is great news. We wantlaw and order so we can feelthere is authority and govern-ment. We need the siege to belifted so we can improve theeconomy."Taghreed El-Khodary con-tributed reporting from Gaza,and Khaled Abu Aker fromRamallah.source-www.iht.com

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CRITICAL LEADERS: Fatah-Mahmood Abbasand Hamas-Ismail Haneya discuss the newnational unity government

PICTURE: AFP

Palestinian Prime Minister-designate Ismail Haneyaannounced on Thursdayafternoon that PalestinianPresident Mahmoud Abbashas approved the list of thenew national unity govern-ment The following is the

tentative list of the lineup of

the national unity govern-

ment obtained by Xinhua

from Haneya's office.

Prime Minister: Ismail Haneya

(Hamas)

Deputy prime minister: Azzam el-

Ahmad (Fatah)

Minister of Finance: Sallam

Fayyad (Third Way Party)

Foreign Affairs minister: Zeyad

Abu Amer (independent)

Interior Minister: Hani al-

Qawasmi (independent)

Minister of Tourism: Kholood

D'eibes (woman) (independent)

Minister of health: Radwan el-

Akhras (Fatah)

Minister of Labor: Mahmoud el-

Aaloul (Fatah)

Minister of transportation: Sa'di

al-Kronz (Fatah)

Prisoners Affairs Minister:Suleiman Abu Sneinah (Fatah)

Minister of Education: Nasser el-

Deen Asha'er (Hamas)

Minister of Telecommunication:Yousef al-Mansi (Hamas)

Minister of al-Waqf (Moslemproperties): Suleiman al-Shendi

(Hamas)

Minister of Planning: Samir Abu

Eisha (independent)

Minister of Sports and youths:Bassem N'aime (Hamas)

Minister of Justice: Ali Sar tawi

(Hamas)

Minister of Agriculture: Mohamed

el-Agha (Hamas)

Municipal Affairs Minister:Mohamed al-Barghouthi (Hamas)

Minister of Culture: Bassam al-

Salhi (People's Party)

Information Minister: Mustafa al-

Barghouti (Independent

Palestine)

Minister of Economy: Zeyad al-

Zazza (Hamas)

Minister of Social Welfare: Salleh

Zeidan (Democratic Front)

Minister without portfolio: Wasfi

Qubaha (Hamas)

Minister of Public Work: Sameeh

el-Abbed (Fatah)

Minister of Women Affairs: has

not been chosen yet.

Palestinian UnityGovernment shapeswith tentative list

Zoghra MoosaTHE WELL BABY CLINIC

12March 2007 - Safar 1428

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QUICK REG

PAT SIDLEY

Johannesburg–Health experts fear

epidemics of several infectious

deseases in Mozambique as the

flood waters recede and mosqui-

toes begin breeding.

According to Pierre Kahozi of the

Maputo office of the World Health

Organization, malaria is endemic

in the region but there are fears

that a much greater outbreak

might occur in around a month. It

is too early to tell if the situation

has already worsened markedly,

he said.

Scores of suspected cases of

cholera have been reported and

more are expected, along with

cases of other diarrhoeal condi-

tions. The Mozambican govern-

ment has reported a "high degree"

of cholera and malaria in camps.

Cholera is endemic in Maputo and

Beira, but numbers of cases are

expected to increase in the wake

of the floods.

Dr Kahozi said that agencies were

unable to get adequate statistics

on diseases because tens of thou-

sands of people were being airlift-

ed to safety, and operations to get

food, drugs, and other provisions

to refugees had only begun this

week. Because of the lack of clean

water, soap, clothing, and sleeping

mats, skin diseases like scabies

have been reported, along with

bacterial conjunctivitis in chil-

dren.

Among the other problems likely

to be encountered by health

authorities are the dangers from

land mines. After Mozambique's

two wars, an estimated one mil-

lion land mines were left unex-

ploded in the ground. These have

been shifting because of the

floods and may be unstable. The

International Committee of the

Red Cross has been asked to help.

An influx of more than 100000

Mozambican refugees is expected

in South Africa. The Northern

Province of South Africa, which

has a common border with

Mozambique and which itself has

been battered by the floods, is

making provision for accepting

refugees.

Neil Cameron, chief director of

communicable diseases at the

health department in South Africa,

says that more cases of malaria

are expected within a month when

the breeding cycle of mosquitoes

is renewed. He said the floods had

wiped out breeding grounds and

that this had contributed to a lull

in the disease.

Before the floods, South Africa

had seen an explosion in malaria.

The Department of Health in

KwaZulu-Natal and the national

health department had begun

using dichlorodiphenyl-

trichloroethane (DDT) for the first

time since 1995 to control mos-

quitoes.

Dr Cameron said that the number

of cases of malaria in South Africa

had increased from 12000 in 1995

to 50000 in 1999. The increase

could be attributed partly to cli-

matic changes and resistance to

certain drugs. Reporting methods

have also become more accurate,

so the number of cases might pre-

viously have been underreported,

but there has been a real increase

in the incidence of the disease, Dr

Cameron said. Some 380 people

died last year.

It is possible that DDT will be

used again in Mozambique. Its use

there was stopped several decades

ago, because 80%of the country's

health budget came from donor

funds, and donors refused to allow

the use of DDT. Mozambique's

earlier attempts to tackle the mos-

quito problem were hampered by

South Africa's aggressive policy

to the country during the apartheid

era, when troops were flown in to

fight the Mozambique government

and it carried out air raids to

destabilise the regime.

The issues involved in tackling

malaria are now being considered

as part of a special development

initiative on infectious diseases

being undertaken jointly by the

health departments of three coun-

tries: South Africa, Mozambique,

and Swaziland.

Malaria epidemic expected in MozambiquePICTURES: Islamic Relief Worldwide -SA

FLOODS: ISRW - SA Driving through waterlogged raods inQuelimane town

MEETING: Cassiem Khan of ISRW-SA meetingwith the Director of Zambezia Province DisasterManagement Centre in Quelimane

DISTRIBUTION: Islamic Relief Worldwide - South Africa dis-tributing vital aid to the flood victims of the MorrumbalaDistrict Zambezia Province

Formation of Close CorporationProffessional BusinessRegistrationCompany Secretarial ServicesFormation Trusts