Muslim Views, January 2015

Special focus on Cancer Awareness Month - February: see pages 10, 11 and 32

Vol. 29 No. 1 RABI-UL-AKHIR 1436 l JANUARY 2015

TAAHIRAH JAYES

THE ten satirists, securityguard and janitor whoworked at the offices of

Charlie Hebdo did not deserveto die.

It is human nature to berepelled by these acts – and weare. But we know that Cherif andSaid Kouachi do not represent theworld’s over 1,6 billion or moreMuslims.

And we also know from a cur-sory glance at the magazine’s pre-vious covers – one of whichdepicts the kidnapped Nigerianschoolgirls as pregnant, wailingyard girls – that Charlie Hebdodoes not qualify as mainstreammedia, as mainstream media wantus to believe.

So, framing this as an attackon our freedom of expression, asthe politicians and media havespun it to be, is problematic formany reasons. The insulting cari-catures of Prophet Muhammad(SAW), given the current globalcrisis that is a Western-led War onTerror with its hallmarks of dronestrikes, rendition, interventions,torture and detention withouttrial of Muslims, which all fuelextremism, is not deserving ofdeath, no – but given the dynam-ics of the war, it is a particularlycruel, and some might say,unwise, thing to do; more on thislater. But after considering deeplywhat is happening in the world,Charlie Hebdo’s consistent deni-grating of the Quran and ProphetMuhammad (SAW) is similar insome ways to the anti-Semitic car-toons of Julius Streicher’s DerStürmer between 1927-1932,which drummed up fear andhatred of Jews in the run-up tothe Holocaust.

Secondly, good satire ridiculesthe powerful, those who by theirvery position must be heldaccountable – simply because, by

accepting responsibility, they’veagreed to it. Satire that ridiculesreligious icons (not even a monthago, Charlie Hebdo ran a cartoonof the Virgin Mary giving birth toJesus, who was depicted with apig nose) or ‘humour’ that deni-grates those who are already mar-ginalised, is just poor taste.

More than that, this kind ofno-holds-barred ridicule pavesthe way for a society that lacksrespect for divinity and empathy,where everything and anything isfair game. Nothing is sacred –and cruel insults take on themachismo of backslaps betweenfriends. Moreover, the freedom ofexpression argument has an iffybarometer, especially in France.As part of its ‘internal security’enactments passed in 2003, it isagainst the law in France toridicule the national flag andanthem.

French rapper, Monsieur R,faced prison charges in 2006 forinsulting Napoleon and Charlesde Gaulle while in the same year,rapper Joestarr had his rap songagainst then President NicolasSarkozy banned. Sarkozy, presi-dent until 2012, ordered the firingof the director of Paris Matchbecause he published photos ofhis wife with another man in NewYork.

While laws protecting therepublic are heavy, laws protect-ing France’s Muslim population(which make up less than 20% ofthe total) are not. In a law ban-ning religious symbols in public,it is illegal for Muslim girls toexpress their religious beliefs bywearing the hijab (headscarf) toschool.

In 2005, a French court ruledin favour of the French CatholicChurch and banned an advertise-ment demeaning the Last Supper,stating that the display was ‘agratuitous and aggressive act ofintrusion on people’s innermost

beliefs’. But, two years later, aFrench court rejected a casebrought by two French Muslimassociations against CharlieHebdo for reprinting cartoonsoriginally published by a Danishmagazine that denigrated theProphet Muhammad (SAW).

This is not even mentioning theduplicitous nature of France’sallies, the United States andBritain, when it comes to freedomof expression. Two examples: in2003, three journalists – TarasProtsyuk, 35, Jose Couso, 37, andTarek Ayyoub, 35 – were killed inIraq when US forces targeted thePalestine Hotel where many jour-nalists were staying.

And more recently, in the Unit-ed Kingdom, events in Paris havefacilitated the acceleration of theCommunications Data Bill whichwill strengthen the government’ssurveillance powers by mandatinginternet service providers to col-lect and retain data about theirusers, including e-mails and othercommunications, at any time andwithout a warrant.

There is nothing to prevent thisdraconian piece of counter-terror-ism legislation from being used,not only against Muslims broadly,but further down the line and,given a couple of years, againsthuman rights activists or environ-mentalists who are particularlyirksome to governments.

This dovetailing of globalcounter-terrorism legislation withthe political agendas of power-hungry governments is alreadyalive and well, according tonumerous reports by AmnestyInternational and Human RightsWatch, in countries likeBangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt,Kenya and Ethiopia, among oth-ers. As Wikileaks founder JulianAssange has said, ‘What happensto the Muslim community, sureenough, sooner or later, happensto the rest of us.’

Make no mistake: I am notdefending the killers. Their actsare criminal. But they have takenplace within a global context thatcannot be ignored – and ‘other-ing’ those who have been allegedto be responsible without moreclosely examining the complicityof the powerful in producing menlike these – as we know from ourvery own history – only furtherpolarises society and leads usdown a path blinded by moralpassion and conflict, where onlyworse decisions are made.

Violence begets violence and soit goes on. Who knows where thiswill lead us.

As we mourn and feel theaftershocks of Paris, France armsits streets with 10 000 soldiers,and Britain rushes through anti-terrorism laws that will strength-en airport stop-and-search andpassport confiscation powers thatharken back to the worst days ofSouth African apartheid.

But we must not take our eyesoff the Middle East: the continuedUS drones strikes in Pakistan andthe Yemen, which, between them,have killed almost 4 000 people,nearly half of them children,according to the Bureau of Inves-tigative Journalism; the bombard-ment of Iraq under false evidenceextracted through torture thatthere were weapons of massdestruction has left a countrystunned and paralysed with overone million dead and nobodyaccountable; the continued crip-pling occupation of Gaza and theWest Bank by Israeli forces, abombardment last year ironicallynamed Operation ProtectiveEdge, which left 2 100 Palestini-ans, among them 495 children,dead; and the continued bombingof Iraq and Syria and lack ofaccess for international humanrights organisations as winterapproaches and people starve.

Now is the time for critical

thinking, moderation and calmheads. It is the time for dialogue.The cyclical violence that feedsthe War on Terror and the securi-ty and media establishments thatbenefit from it needs to be bro-ken. At its source is the prisoncamp of Guantanamo Bay – stillnot closed 13 years after openingin violation of international lawand still not having brought anyadmissible court evidence as towhat exactly happened on 9/11.

Replicating Gitmo are the over100 black sites around the worldwhere Muslims have been ren-dered, tortured and accused ofbeing enemy combatants with nolegal rights and in violation of theGeneva Convention.

In the War on Terror, extrem-ists are the products of Westernforeign policy while the detentioncentres are its factories.

The CIA Torture Report, radi-cally redacted and shortened to apaltry 525 pages out of 6 000 andthen smothered by events in Paris,detailed how men were humiliat-ed, subjected to positional tor-ture, blinding light, simulatedburials, waterboarding, wall-slamming, rape – the list goes on– in order to provide inadmissibledata to be used as fuel for the Waron Terror. It has left out crucialfacts like names and places, andthe details of women and childrendetainees. This report and its hid-den contents cannot, and – thanksto a new crowd-funded investiga-tion by the Bureau for Investiga-tive Journalism and The Rendi-tion Project – will not be allowedto disappear.

It is crucial to understand thenuanced context in which eventslike the tragedy in Paris haveunfolded. Nothing happens inisolation, and nothing is everwhat it seems.This article was also publishedon www.litnet.co.za, an ‘onlinemulticultural journal’.

Charlie Hebdo:Seeing the bigger picture

Muslim Views

Muslim Views . January 20152

Muslim Views . January 2015 3

Muslim Views

Compromised healthequals compromisedrights

THE four main objectives of thepublic health plan are toimprove life expectancy, reduce

maternal and child mortality, increaseHIV treatment and AIDS awareness,and improve the efficiency of publichealth.Yet, the attainment of these objectives inSouth Africa is undermined by a healthcare system plagued by vast disparitiesbetween public and private health services.There remains a severe strain on a public health care system that is responsible for the wellbeing of 80% ofthe population with only 40% of the totalexpenditure on health.This systemic problem has its roots inpresent and past policies on health andcannot be seen in isolation from SouthAfrica’s history of inequality, poverty andeconomic disempowerment.The political shift just over twenty yearsago from apartheid to democracy created expectations of a public healthservice that would improve because ofan end to policies of racial discrimination.This expectation was not met, partlybecause the cost of public health on thefiscus necessitated a limitation of thefree public service to primary health careonly. All other health needs of the nationcome at a cost.Another expectation was that privatehealth care would in some form supportand supplement what public health carecould not provide.This expectation was thwarted to aneven greater degree.

Private health care is big business – asopposed to a service – thriving underneo-liberal economic policies, with aprofit motive.This means that the best health care isavailable, at prices unaffordable to thevast majority of South Africans.It is against this background that weenvisage a scenario in 2015 that offerscontinued challenges to the public healthcare system and to South Africans inneed of it.There are some key priorities worthexploring in this respect.Reports in 2014 indicate that the National Health Insurance pilot is showing ‘signs of collapse’ and ‘struggling to take off’ in at least one participating district. However, no officialprogress report of the scheme has beenreleased since March, 2014.The rising expectation that NHI is thepanacea South Africans have been waiting for must be addressed so that allstakeholders can be informed aboutwhat the realistic projections of thescheme are.At present, South Africans are compelledto choose between either inadequate,affordable public health care or adequate, unaffordable private healthcare.These options are unacceptable. Weneed greater transparency in the actualcost of private healthcare services. Thisknowledge empowers both policymakersand ordinary citizens who seek to makeinformed choices given all relevant information.We also need appropriate regulation ofpricing in the private health industry. Aprivate industry providing a vital serviceguaranteed by the constitution cannot beexpected to monitor and regulate its ownpricing structure in the public interest.Such regulation should ideally be independent to ensure an appropriatebalance between a sustainable privatehealth care business model and affordable pricing for the public.Another priority is the burden of diseases such as HIV and tuberculosis(TB). South Africa is considered theglobal locus for HIV and TB. This is compounded by a legacy of poverty andpoor diet. What may ordinarily be a treatable condition develops into achronic one, resulting in a serious impacton people’s health.Yet, our constitution guarantees rightsthat empower citizens protection fromthese conditions, namely access to adequate health care, clean water andfood, and social security. It is whenthese rights are compromised that people’s health is also compromised.

Our editorial comment represents the composite viewpoint of the Editorial Team of Muslim Views,and is the institutional voice of the newspaper. Correspondence can be sent to [email protected]

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Al-Aqsa Haram al-SharifWE published a photograph in our November 2014 edition (vol.28, no. 11), which was a cropped version of a larger panoramicimage that included views of a number of sites that make up Al-Aqsa Haram al-Sharif.The headline alongside the published photograph read, ‘Masjid-al-Aqsa increasingly violated’.A concerned reader pointed out that the cropped version thatappeared in Muslim Views showed the Dome of the Rock, and notMasjid-al-Aqsa.The headline, it was pointed out, could thus give the impression tothe readers that what appeared on the photograph was Masjid-al-Aqsa.For the record, the photograph that was published on the frontpage of the November 2014 edition of Muslim Views showed theDome of the Rock (Qubbat-as-Sakhra) which, according to scholars, is nonetheless an integral part of Al-Aqsa Haram al-Sharif.As Ebrahim Moosa pointed out in his article, published on Octo-ber 9, 2012, on the Channel Islam website,www.ciibroadcasting.com: ‘...the entire enclosed area, also knownas the Haram al Sharif, is to be designated as the al-Aqsa Mosque.‘In practical terms this encompasses more than 200 buildings,domes, schools, wells, fields, walls and pavements.‘Quite clearly, this would include not only the mosque with thegolden dome, the Dome of the Rock, nor the mosque with blacklead dome, Al Masjid Al Qibli. Rather, both would constitute meresections of the larger Al Aqsa mosque compound.’Shafiq Morton, who took the original photograph, annotates someof the key areas that appear on the photograph.

The original photograph by Shafiq Morton showing Masjid-al-Aqsa, theDome of the Rock and wall of the haram. The entire precinct is known asAl-Aqsa Haram al-Sharif.

Ummayad era ruins (foreground wall) and the Marwani, or underground section (back wall); it underpins the masjid with huge columns which extended further in Ummayad times. It was a madrassah in Ummayadtimes, a stable during the Crusades and then again part of the masjid during the Ottoman era. It was restored in the 1990s to the chagrin of theIsraelis, who wanted to grab it. Photo SHAFIQ MORTON

Dome of the Rock, which housesthe rock of the Mi’raj, a cave inwhich prophets are said to haveprayed and the Well of the Souls,where the soul rests before jannah. Photo SHAFIQ MORTON

Masjid-al-Aqsa, second oldestplace of worship on earth, original structure built by Shith(AS) son of Adam 40 years afterthe first earthly Kaabah.

Photo SHAFIQ MORTON

A closer view of theentrance of Masjid-al-Aqsa, also referred toas Al Masjid Al Qiblito distinguish it fromthe wider sanctuary,Al-Aqsa Haram al-Sharif.

PhotoSHAFIQ MORTON

Muslim Views


FRANK VAN DER HORST

Destructive class-based education

THE South African educationsystem is ranked, globally, at 146(third last) out of all 148 coun-tries in general education, and148 (last) out of 148 in mathe-matics and science.

This disaster is the result of thedeep class divided society with therich enjoying the best equippedschools and support.

The poor suffers under adestructive system of class dis-criminatory public education, lateor non-delivery of textbooks,often badly neglected buildings,inadequate toilets, water or elec-tricity, with no halls, libraries norlaboratories.

The situation is worsened bythe huge drop-out rate of studentsfrom Grade one to Grade 12,poor teacher training, vast cor-ruption, the building of high costSchools for Profits (a greedy busi-ness) and the destructive closureof community schools of the poor.

The situation is inflamed byhuge unemployment, social orincome inequalities, serious hous-ing shortages, drugs or social(gang) problems and grindingpoverty.

The future of our students isbeing ruined by a decaying societyand destructive unequal educa-tion.

Public education is designed toprovide cheap labour for hugeprofits for a thin greedy layer ofrich elites who own most of thecountry’s wealth.

Combined organisations initiative

These crippling handicaps and

government closure of the schoolsof the poor prompted a highschool leadership initiative.

The leadership initiative aimsto build future, well-informedstudent leaders, promote unitingsocial values and principles ofhumanity, awareness of the envi-ronment, constructive socialchange, critical thinking andanalysis, stimulate the desire forknowledge and demands for afree, equal, compulsory, worldclass, quality education systemwith no class discrimination.

The Schools EnvironmentalEducation Project (SEEP) andConcerned Education Forum(CEF) ran three very successfulhigh school leadership camps dur-ing the September or June schoolholidays as part of the 2013 and2014 academic calendar.

The South African Constitu-tional Literacy and Service Initia-tive (CLASI) joined the leadershipinitiative at the last leadershipworkshop.

The high school principal or adedicated teacher would selectserious, responsible students withleadership potential to attend theleadership camp, with their par-ents’ permission.

The Sunbird Park facility in themountains, managed by the SouthAfrican National Parks (San-parks), is a fully equipped weath-er-proof building with kitchen,dining hall, separate bedroomsequipped with bunks, toilets andshowers.

It can accommodate about 44high school students and sixsupervising adults.

Electricity or lighting at campis by limited solar power.

Supportive power or lighting isby generator, torches or gaslamps.

Small firms sponsor items likethe venue hiring costs, bus trans-port, halaal food, nutritiousmeals or donate meat, fruit, veg-etables, drinks, generator, lampsor projectors.

A small voluntary student con-tribution is requested to cover ris-ing costs but no poor student willbe refused attendance.

Fun and deep learning experience

The leadership camp is a funand deep learning experience forstudent leaders coming asstrangers from different highschools.

Leaders are randomly coupled,given 20 minutes to do instantresearch on their partner’s inter-ests, ambitions, social back-ground or career plans.

Each student then presents ashort talk on the partner to pro-mote public speaking with correctpoise and body language, confi-dence building, making quickfriends and getting to know everystudent in the camp.

Strangers became instantfriends through small group dis-cussions, group tasks and socialinteractive events.

The students formulate theirown, strict, camp rules.

Camp discussions and activitiesCamp discussions are held on

leadership skills that involve prin-ciples of leadership, issues ofmotivation, inspiring people,building self-confidence, compe-tent public speaking, organisa-tional skills, effective communi-cation, sound social behaviourskills, constructive inter-personalrelations, moral integrity, goodpersonal character, gender equityand self-discipline.

Leadership camps hold inter-active informative talks on vitalsocial and global issues, mediaskills, social responsibility, socialjustice with small team group dis-cussions.

Students debate, form personalopinions, and write final, individ-ual as well as present groupreports.

The programme includes rele-vant film shows, mini-hikes by anexpert mountain guide to thenearby Peer’s Cave (early localhuman cave settlement) and to apristine natural waterfall to enjoyour rugged mountains and appre-ciate the beauty of nature.

Team work, accountability,unity for a new just societyStudent leaders are actively

involved in team-work, task-based activities, camp cleanliness,responsible duties and effectiveself-management.

The student leadership campspromote skilled decision-making,learning from past experiences,accountability, with the aim ofbuilding well-rounded, informed,highly skilled leaders that strivefor excellence.

The final evening is an inspira-tional, social cultural event host-ed by Emile Jansen on creativity,Khoisan and cradle of Africa his-tory, spoken language origins andequality, reading critically, writ-ing books, dancing skills, buildingmeaningful human team statuesand student participation.

This usually unites all thethemes of social change towardsbuilding a new, equal, humanitar-ian society with social justice, anew, class-free, quality, educa-tional system with best globalpractices.

The leadership camp promotes

the striving for a better future anda new, equal society that certainlyis possible.

School networksHigh school leadership net-

works are being built to addresshighly important issues such asthe deep crisis facing the future ofour youth, our country and theworld.

At leadership camps, studentsmeet new youth leaders fromother schools, build new friend-ships, share experiences orknowledge, unite on commonsound principles, and buildorganisations nation-wide.

The introduction of inter-school sport (restart organisedschool sport), knowledge quizzesand student art shows consistingof student produced plays, poetry,song (individual or choir), art orsculpture exhibitions, dancing,ballet, yoga, karate or other artis-tic or cultural displays can pro-mote principled unity, excellentcultural education for a broaderhumanity.

The aim is to build a new,changed society, promoting car-ing human values, equal sharingof the country’s wealth, no socialinjustices, corruption, greed,social discrimination nor classoppression, and a free compulso-ry, quality education to best glob-al standards.

Contacts

Leadership camps and discussionmeetings are becoming very pop-ular and many will be held thisyear. Contact Willie Leith ([email protected]; cell 071-6750941) or Frank Van DerHorst ([email protected];phone 021-4473580) for furtherdetails.

The successful high school student leadership camp initiative


Muslim Views

Muslim Views


MAHMOOD SANGLAYTHE popular, annual, 10km BigWalk made a major announcement regarding its titlesponsorship at the media launchof the Big Walk on January 21 atthe Alhambra Restaurant, inLansdowne.

The Willowton Group has sup-ported the Big Walk since 2012,via one of its brands, Sunshine D.The 2015 Big Walk will nowincorporate its leading nationalbrand in the title of the event andwill henceforth be known as theSunfoil 10km Big Walk.

The presenting sponsor of theBig Walk is Polar Ice Cream.

The title sponsorship of the BigWalk has for over 15 years beennegotiated by a variety of spon-sors.

It is the first time that an exist-ing national sporting team spon-sor’s brand is accorded to the BigWalk.

Moreover, it is not commonthat sponsors’ brands in nationalsport also support communitysport at grassroots level.

Cricket South Africa (CSA)and the Willowton Group con-cluded a sponsorship deal whichsaw Sunfoil partner as the TitleEvent Sponsor of the 2011/ 2012Cricket Test Match Series.

Apart from the Test CricketSeries, the Willowton Group hasalso sponsored the Four DayDomestic Cricket series, the KZNDolphins, a development cricketprogramme and the SchoolsNight League in Durban andPietermaritzburg.

Dawood Esack, chairperson ofthe Big Walk Exco, says, ‘The BigWalk has always been sponsoredby companies in our own com-

munity.‘This has never changed

because the Willowton Groupcontinues to have its roots inSouth African communities.

‘However, as a company thathas shown remarkable growthand success, it has attainednational reach with its brandswhilst maintaining its connectionwith local communities.

‘This is truly progressive andtransformational business prac-tice and it should be commended.’

Esack adds that it is also anindication that the Big Walk as asuccessful community event hasgained the confidence of the spon-sor.

This is why they are now thesole title sponsor of the Big Walkand why their brand associatedwith the Proteas now also incor-porates the Big Walk.

Following its memorable 15thanniversary celebrations in 2014,dedicated to the legacy of NelsonMandela, the Big Walk Exco islooking forward to the develop-ment of the event that will addvalue to the local community, tothe participants and its beneficia-ries.

Red Cross Children’s Hospitalis a major beneficiary of the eventand received a cumulative total ofover R1 million in 2009.

The organisers also announced

that the next Big Walk is on Sun-day March 1, 2015, at GreenPoint Track, in Cape Town.

As always, it will continue thetradition of charity, fun and goodhealth for all in the community,and the City of Cape Townremains the event’s official strate-gic partner.

The city’s Tourism Departmenthas recognised the Big Walk as aniconic event and is closelyinvolved in its planning and logis-tics, including the provision oftraffic services, catering, solidwaste services and the venue.

The official television broad-casters for the 16th event are iTVand Cape Town TV.

The entry fee this year is R30,which is modest in relation to thefees for similar events in the city.

The 10km walk starts at 7.30 am at the Forecourt at CapeTown Stadium and the route isalong Beach Road, the Sea PointPromenade to the end of the SeaPoint Pavilion parking area,before returning to the finish atGreen Point Athletics Track, nearthe stadium.

The Big Walk supports open-ness and social cohesion by wel-coming all people to participatefor charity and by adopting a pol-icy of inclusivity in its procure-ment and beneficiation.

The Big Walk has always hadthe support of community leaderslike executive mayors and pre-miers, local councillors to churchand mosque leaders who haveappeared as keynote speakers atthe start and the prize giving thatconcludes the event. This wasachieved with co-operation acrossall divides.

The Big Walk has yielded phe-nomenal success, not only due tothe generous support of its spon-sors over many years but also dueto a dedicated and professionalexco and organising committee.In addition, scores of volunteersannually assist in logistics beforeand on the day of the walk.Further information about the10km Big Walk is obtainablefrom the Big Walk Office Manager, Saaid Waggie, at021 637 1607 or by email [email protected]

Big Walk title sponsorship adopts national brandThe 15th anniversary Big Walk onMarch 2, 2014 attracted 20 000 participants in aid of Red Cross Children’s Hospital and IslamicLibrary. This event was specially dedicated to the legacy of NelsonMandela. Photo J LUCAS

Muslim Views


Muslim Views


MAHMOOD SANGLAYTHE majority of young peoplein South Africa are the productsof an education system that, invarious ways, is challenged tomeet the needs of the nation.

In 2013, the Sanzaf Education,Empowerment and Development(SEED) programme allocatedR11,6 million that benefited 870students. Of this, bursaries fortertiary education in the 2013academic year were allocated to776 students.

The results of these allocationsreflect that 688 candidates(88,6%) had passed their exami-nations.

Muslim Views spoke to threeexceptional candidates in 2014with a view to exploring theirbackgrounds, subject choices,prospective careers and aspira-tions.

Niyaaz Petersen, 21, grew upin Sherwood Park and matriculat-ed at Manenberg High School, in2010. He is the eldest of five sib-lings in his home.

In the absence of a father, thechildren had been dependants oftheir mother. However, Niyaazhad gradually adopted theresponsibility of a father figure inthe household.

Following the advice of one ofhis teachers at school, Niyaazmade the decision, while school-ing, to study chemical engineeringafter matric.

He registered for a three-yeardiploma course in chemical engi-neering at Cape Peninsula Univer-sity of Technology (CPUT). How-ever, having no means of afford-ing study fees, he applied to San-zaf for financial support. His hard

work over three years paid off.Niyaaz is graduating this year

although he has already com-menced an internship in the prod-uct treatment division at ChevronOil Refinery, in Milnerton. Hisvision is to grow from his currentposition to a supervisory one orto apply for a similar post in theoil industry at refineries in Dubai.

There are opportunities for

young graduates and qualifiedengineers from disadvantagedbackgrounds at Arab-ownedplants in the Middle East, saysNiyaaz.

Sabiegha Jaffer, 21, is the sec-ond youngest of four children andthe only one in the householdwho has enrolled at university.She attended Belhar Islamic Pri-mary and Iqra Academy where

she learned Arabic. In 2010, shematriculated at Cravenby SeniorSecondary School.

Although she was not confi-dent about her ability to passMathematics, she was advised bythe vice-principal not to abandonthe subject. She followed thisadvice and eventually passedmathematics in matric.

Sabiegha has a talent for

qaseedas and naaths and is a stu-dent of Shaikh Tahir Mohamed.

In 2010, as a member of thelatter’s class, she had the opportu-nity to perform Umrah.

This experience affirmed herrealisation of the importance oflearning Arabic as a spoken lan-guage and as a career option.

Model bursary recipients commended

Three exceptional achievers of Sanzaf’s bursary programme shared their personal experiences in their efforts to build thefoundation of their future careers. They are, from left, Kouthar Sambo, Niyaaz Petersen and Sabiegha Jaffer. Sanzaf’s Marketing Manager, Sakeena Bock, seated, calls on the private sector to support deserving young graduates by means ofinternships and job opportunities. Photo MAHMOOD SANGLAY

CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

Muslim Views


Her major subjects for the BAdegree at UWC were English andArabic. This, despite the fact thatshe was also eligible to registerfor a B.Comm degree. Her bur-sary from Sanzaf was for onesemester in the second year of theBA degree and the two-year hon-ours programme at UWC.

The honours programmefocused on translation. Her qual-ification in English and Arabicplaces her in an ideal position toteach, which is where her interestslie, and to explore other possibleoptions.

Due to the support she gaveher undergraduate peers in previ-ous years, the Arabic Departmentasked her take up the position oftutor for undergraduates.

Sabiegha was on the dean’smerit list twice in her undergrad-uate years of study and once inher first postgraduate year. She iscurrently registered to completeher second and final year for anhonours degree in Arabic.

Both Sabiegha’s parents areunemployed and her father wasdiagnosed with cancer in May,2014. Her brother, Irfaan, who

had then been the family bread-winner died in a car accidentearly in August, 2014.

Despite these challenges, shepersevered and succeeded inobtaining support from Sanzaf.Sabiegha says many other bursarsdeclined to support her because ofher choice of Arabic as a major.

Kouthar Sambo, 22, has apoignant story to tell of triumphover adversity. She is the youngestsibling of three brothers in thefamily. Kouthar and her brotherswere effectively raised by theirmother since she was seven yearsof age.

While this challenge alone mayprove insurmountable to some,Kouthar faced the prospect ofprolonged indolence after failingmatric in 2010, due to her havingdifficulty with Mathematics andPhysical Science.

However, she rewrote thematric examinations in February2011 and just managed a pass.But the prospect of a lost year

while her peers were at tertiaryinstitutions was devastating andcaused her to remain idle for therest of that year. Emotionally,Kouthar was at the lowest ebb inher life.

In 2012, she fought back and,with her mother’s support, tookcontrol of her life. She resolved tostudy what she loves and to focuson her strengths in English andwriting.

With financial support fromher mother and siblings in thefirst two years, and Sanzaf in thefinal year, she completed a diplo-ma in journalism at Damelin CityCampus, with distinctions eachyear.

She excelled at her internshipwith Cape Talk and KFM andsecured another six-month intern-ship in the communicationsdepartment at Sanzaf.

Kouthar is contemplatinganother six months of in-servicetraining at Media24. The collec-tive experience has enabled her to

explore the vast opportunities inthe convergence of digital and tra-ditional media as well as theemerging possibilities in newmedia. However, she also has aninterest in teaching journalism.

Kouthar’s determination tomake a difference in her lifedespite her challenges is bearingvery promising fruit and she isexcited about her future. Her planis to gain as much experience thisyear and then to complete aB.Tech degree at CPUT in 2016.

Thereafter, she may considerpost-graduate studies in mediaand journalism.

Niyaaz, Sabiegha and Koutharhave all proven that despiteexceptional and challenging per-sonal circumstances, it is possibleto build the foundations of a suc-cessful career and future withsheer determination and hardwork.

They also encourage learnersat school, and undergraduates, toexercise self-discipline and work

hard in order to earn their worthfor the support they receive frombursars.

In expressing their gratitude toSanzaf, they vowed to reciprocateby contributing to the fund whenthey are able to, in order to assistother deserving candidates infuture.

Sanzaf bursaries are non-repayable grants. Contributionsfrom beneficiaries when theycommence working and earningan income remains voluntary buthighly commended.

Sakeena Bock, MarketingManager of Sanzaf, calls ondonors to support the growth ofthe fund in order to reach agreater number of candidates.

She also calls on the privatesector to open their doors for theemployment of young graduateslike Niyaaz, Sabiegha andKouthar so that they may growpersonally and make a vital con-tribution to our country’s econo-my.

In 2012, she fought back and, with her mother’s support, took control of her life. She resolved to study what she loves and to focus on

her strengths in English and writing.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

Muslim Views


‘…and to Allah is the final goal(of all).’ (Quran 24:42)MY name is Ferhana. I am 64-years-old and I live in CapeTown. I am a wife, a mother anda grandmother. I am also abreast cancer survivor, Alhumdulillah.This is my story.

In November 2008, I receiveda frantic call from my sister-in-law, Amy, who lives in Durban.She had just been for a routinemammogram and was diagnosedwith breast cancer.

I was in shock! I couldn’tbelieve it! This cannot be happen-ing I thought. Amy, like me, hadbeen going to gym at least fourtimes a week for the last tenyears.

We were both very particularabout our diet – we had our dailyintake of fruits and veggies, wecounted our calories, we dranklots of water and never smoked ordrank alcohol. In fact, we actual-ly counted our berries just tomake sure that we got our shareof antioxidants. We were surethat we were doing all the ‘rightthings’.

I reassured Amy and flew outto Durban so that I could takecare of her. When I got there, weboth had a good cry and I tried tocomfort her. I couldn’t make eyecontact with her as I actually feltguilty that she was going throughall this and I was so well.

To cut a long story short, Istayed with Amy for a few daysand had to return to Cape Townbecause I too had an appointmentfor my annual mammogram. I

promised Amy that I would beback in a few days and that Iwould stay with her for as long asshe needed me.

I was not at all concernedabout my mammogram – I wentfor them annually ever since Iturned forty. I had my yearlyphysicals, pap smears and bonedensity tests. Everything was incontrol and things would be fine,as always.

Anyway, I had my mammo-gram and the radiographer toldme that the radiologist wanted todo an ultrasound. I thought,that’s okay, I’ve had it before andthere’s nothing to be worriedabout.

After the ultrasound, the radi-ologist suggested that I have abiopsy. I was so confident that Iwas going to be okay that I was-n’t afraid even at that moment.

Two days later, I went for mybiopsy and there it was – it wasconfirmed that I too had breastcancer. I couldn’t believe it! Thiswas too much, too soon. Ithought, this can’t be true! Howcan this be happening to me sosoon after Amy?

As I was driving home to sharethe news with my family I kept onreciting the duah of the Prophet(SAW): ‘Allah hummah akhrijni fimusibati wa akhlif li khairun

minha.’ (O Allah, remove fromme my difficulty and convert itinto goodness for me.)

My husband and my childrenwere just as shocked as I waswhen I shared the news with thembut, Alhumdulillah, with Allah’shelp and their support, I knewthat I would be able to getthrough this.

I had my lumpectomy twodays later. I knew then, that thiswas just the beginning of a longand difficult journey.

Three weeks later, I had myfirst chemotherapy. I spent thenight before, tossing and turningin anticipation of what was tocome. One never hears any goodstories about chemo and I wasanxious and worried.

I was also afraid – I wentthrough the same emotions overand over again: how will it allend? Will it end or will it be theend of me?

I spent many nights like this –anxious, worried, afraid.

The next morning, I felt like aschoolgirl going to write herexam; I had knots in my tummyand I had to take a deep breathwhen I entered the chemo room.

The staff were very caring.They helped to calm me and mademe feel as comfortable as theycould. I had no idea what to

expect but after six hours it wasfinally over. (I had 6 x 3 weeklyand 9 x weekly cycles of chemoand 6 weeks of daily radiationfrom January to August 2009.)

When I got home, I felt reallysick. I was nauseous, I threw upand I felt that I could not go on.When I told this to my son, hesaid, ‘Mum you are climbing MtEverest. You are at base camp;don’t worry about the weather atthe summit. Just take one day at atime.’

One night, as I was goingthrough all the usual emotions, Iremembered some ayahs fromSurah Baqara (2:155-157):

‘And surely We will try youwith something of fear andhunger, and loss of wealth andlives and crops; but give glad tid-ings to the steadfast who saywhen a misfortune strikes them:to Allah we belong and to Himwill we return. Such are they onwhom are blessings from theirLord and mercy. Such are therightly guided.’

This gave me so much strengthas I thought: ‘If this is what I haveto go through to earn Allah’sblessings and mercy then it will beworth it.’

I immediately prayed, ‘OAllah, give me the strength tobear whatever you have put out

for me and don’t ever let me com-plain about anything.’

The week after my secondchemo session, my doctorinformed me that my hair wouldnow start falling out. She saidthat it was good to be preparedand that maybe I should cut it asshort as I could so that it wouldbe easy for me to manage.

We talked about the fact that Iwear hijab so it might not be tootraumatic for me as I always lookthe same when my head is cov-ered. I thought, ‘She’s right – Iwill look the same whether I haveblack hair or blue hair or whetherI have no hair!’

How wrong I was! I was reallyaffected by my bald head. When Ilooked at the mirror for the firsttime, it was as if there was some-one else looking back at me. Thetears came rolling down and thenthe reality of having cancer hitme.

It became difficult for me tolook at myself in the mirror and itwas not until my daughter andgrandchildren came to visit methat I got my answer.

I came out of my room onemorning, not realising that two ofmy grandsons were in the kitchen.When Ihsaan (4-years-old) lookedat me he said, ‘Nani, go rightback in and fetch your hair! Idon’t like you like this!’

His older brother, Muhammad(7-years-old) said, ‘Don’t worryIhsaan, Nani is still the same inthe inside.’

The story of a breast cancer survivorHealth File

CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

I was also afraid – I went through the same emotions over andover again: how will it all end? Will it end or will it be the endof me? I spent many nights like this – anxious, worried, afraid.

Muslim Views


I was touched and said tomyself that I may have changedphysically but I am still the sameon the inside.

The power of duah is amazing!As family and friends came toknow about my illness, theyeither visited or called just to letme know that I was in theirduahs.

Amazingly, I reconnected withfriends with whom I had losttouch for over thirty years.

Believe me, I felt as if I couldfeel their duahs pouring over me.

It is said that the duah of amother is most powerful. Oneday, just after chemo, I lay on thebed almost passed out.

My mother was reciting and Icould feel her making duah forme.

Life can be summed up in twowords: challenge and struggle.

Every living creature has itsown share of challenge and strug-gle and we are no exception.

It’s how you deal with it that’simportant. And Allah has shownus how – with sabr (persistentperseverance, acceptance andnever giving up).

My biggest challenge was tocome to terms with my illness,and my biggest struggle was thechemo, the radiation and the daysbetween them.

Through all of this, I never letmy cancer get me down. I alwaysremained positive and saw thechemo and radiation as being partof the cure and not part of the ill-ness because I truly believe thatthese are bounties from Allah,and not having them would be asign of ingratitude.

It’s been three years now sincemy diagnosis and I can’t say thatit was easy. There were some badmoments and some very badmoments. There were days when Ifelt like I could not go on butthroughout my journey I neverfelt alone.

My faith in Allah and the sup-port that I received from myfriends and family helped meovercome whatever obstacles thatcame my way.

Any crisis that a person goesthrough is life-changing and anillness like cancer is no exception.It makes us reassess our lives andreprioritise it.

When you are sitting in thechemo room strapped to a chairfor four to six hours, you havelots of time for reflection and,believe me, I did a lot of it:

I learnt not to sweat over thesmall stuff – life is too short forthat;

I learnt to live each day as itcomes and to accept it with grati-tude;

I learnt to relax and to go withthe flow;

I learnt that no matter howdepressed I feel, there is alwayssomeone out there who is worseoff than me;

I learnt that life is a preciousgift and it has to be appreciated;

I learnt to be grateful to Allahthat at least I am alive;

I learnt to live life despite the

challenges;I learnt not to take things for

granted anymore.I learnt to accept whatever

Allah has ordained for me, with-out question;

I learnt to accept the thingsthat I cannot control.

My advice to the women outthere is:

Please go for your annualmammograms. Being afraid won’tmake it go away.

Know your body. This comeswith regular self-examination sothat if there is a change you willbe the first to know.

Take responsibility for yourown health. Don’t wait for yourdoctor’s rooms to remind youthat it is time for your check-up.Make a note in your calendar andschedule the appointment your-self.

A good way of doing this is toappoint a month each year whenyou go for your mammos, pap

smears, physicals etc.Get a Mammo Buddy. Having

your mammogram when yourfriend is having hers makes it eas-ier.

I believe that Allah has givenme a second chance and I amsharing my story with you toencourage you to take care ofyour bodies.

They are an amaanah fromAllah and we will all be answer-able for them.

To those who are ill, I hope togive you a message of hope.Never give up hope for Allah isalways near: ‘Who listens to thesoul distressed when it calls onHim, and Who relieves its suffer-ing.’ Surah An Nahl (27:62)

I truly believe that Allahaccepted everyone’s duahs, andmade my journey easy by chang-ing my difficulties into ease.

‘So verily, with every difficultycomes ease, verily, with every dif-ficulty comes ease.’ (94:5-6)

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Take responsibility for your own health. Don’t wait for your doctor’srooms to remind you that it is time for your check-up. Make a note

in your calendar and schedule the appointment yourself.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

Muslim Views


Muslim Views

13Muslim Views . January 2015

Islamia’s first Springbok: Ikraam Essop (second from right) at the unveiling of theplaque to honour his selection as Islamia College’s first Springbok.

He will represent South Africa at the TouchRugby World Cup to be held in Australia fromApril 29 to May 3.

He is flanked by his parents, Igsaan andNajwah. On the left is Ziyad Sectaar, SportsAdministrator at Islamia College.

Paying tribute to Ikraam at the IslamiaSports Awards evening held at the AcademiaCentre, Mr Sectaar described him as ‘an exem-plary student, disciplined, a model of goodbehaviour with outstanding sporting ability’.

Over the past three years – with the provi-sion of more sports facilities such as a fullydeveloped sports ground, Astroturf, practicenets and multi-purpose sports court – sport atIslamia has been taken to a higher level.

Last year, the school produced over 40 maleand female Western Province players in eightsporting codes, namely, athletics, basketball,cricket, gymnastics, ice hockey, karate, soccerand touch rugby.

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Muslim Views

14 Muslim Views . January 2015

MAHMOOD SANGLAY‘YES, another world is possible,’was the cry concluding the finaldeclaration at the sixth WorldSocial Forum on Migration,which took place from December5 to 8, 2014, at ConstitutionHill, in Johannesburg.

It is significant that the forumwas followed, at the turn of thenew year, by the controversialannouncement by the SouthAfrican Department of HomeAffairs of a new visa rule.

In terms of this rule, about 250000 Zimbabweans are required toreturn to their home country inorder to apply for an extension oftheir permits. It appears that theenforcement of the new rule maylead to a mass deportation ofZimbabweans from South Africa.

Professor Andre Mbata Manguof the College of Law, at Univer-sity of South Africa (UNISA), saidat the opening of the World SocialForum on Migration (WSFM)that a greater number of Africansmigrate within the continent asopposed to migration to countriesoutside the continent.

It is ironic, he said, that theirtreatment by African govern-ments is generally worse than thatreceived by governments outsidethe continent.

Apart from recent instances ofmass deportations from Tanzania,Burundi and the Congo, theSouth African government’s newvisa rules make it more difficultfor other Africans to enter andlive in the country.

This point was made at theWSFM in contradistinction to thesupport many African statesoffered the ANC during the yearsof resistance aginst apartheid.

Mangu added that during thestruggle against apartheid, SouthAfricans were received as broth-ers and sisters in other Africancountries that supported theirstruggle. A number of ANC lead-ers lived in other African coun-tries and were treated as citizensof those countries.

‘For many Africans, it is moredifficult to migrate to SouthAfrica, and life was much betterfor foreign immigrants underapartheid than in democraticSouth Africa,’ he said.

Africa’s migrant population isabout 51 million, almost the sizeof the population of South Africa.

European, African and Indianimmigrants make up the bulk ofSouth Africa’s migrants. SouthAfricans looking for greener pas-tures elsewhere have typicallymigrated to Australia, Britain andCanada.

However, as our experiencewith xenophobia and the latestnews on Zimbabwean migrantsindicate, South Africans have yetto resolve crucial issues aroundmigrants, who are routinely stig-matised and victimised.

It is against this backgroundthat the WSFM called for allsocial movements and actors toreinforce mobilisation, to ‘contin-ue the struggle for their rights anddignity and for an alternative gov-ernance of migration’.

According to the WSFM,Africa is the origin of all migrato-ry movements.

The forum was dedicated toNelson Mandela, coinciding withthe first anniversary of his death.

The theme of the conferencewas ‘Migration in the Heart ofour Humanity: Defending ourFreedom and Re-thinking Migra-

tion, Mobility and Globalization’,and it focused on four key issuesrelevant to the interests ofmigrants.

These issues are asylum seek-ers, refugees and forced migra-tion; migration, social cohesionand integration; migration, glob-alisation and crisis; and humanrights and citizenship.

The proceedings of the confer-ence, in its various sessions,broadly noted that Africa, in par-ticular, is subjected to wars, crisesand environmental degradationimposed by capitalism, displacingmillions of migrants.

The social movements presentcalled on all governments con-cerned to provide migrants withsustainable protection.

The WSFM also reaffirmed itssupport for the struggle of thePalestinian refugees to return tothe homes from which they wereexpelled in 1948, in accordancewith UN General Assembly Reso-lution 194.

The forum expressed its soli-darity with the Palestinian peoplein their struggle against Israeliapartheid.

In addition, the forum calledfor the strengthening of move-ments resisting the destructiveeffects of neo-liberal globalisa-tion. The rights of millions ofmigrants are routinely violated,resulting in thousands of deathsand disappearances.

The forum called for universalcitizenship as a means to address-ing this problem.

WSFM 2014 also expressed itssolidarity with migrants in Pales-tine, Mexico, Kashmir, Europeand elsewhere. It called forremoval of the walls of separationin these regions as well as road-blocks, checkpoints and othermechanisms of exclusion.

It identified, in particular,multinational security corpora-tions such as G4S, and maximumsecurity prisons such as Guan-tanamo as part of a prison indus-trial complex used as instrumentsof oppression.

Mangu, in his welcomingaddress, called for a world with-out borders where people shouldbe able to migrate freely andwhere ‘being a human should beconsidered the only valid passportor visa’.

He said that the generally neg-

ative bias against immigration isbased on assumptions like ‘immi-gration is a mass phenomenonthat grows exponentially andbuilds on itself unless duly con-trolled’.

He said that these are‘extremely resistant myths andstereotypes that run against allhistorical evidence and economicliterature’.

Advocates of migration arguethat nation states cannot containor impose immigration controlmeasures on destructive naturalphenomena such as earthquakes,tornadoes or tsunamis. Hence, nosuch controls should be exercisedover humans.

He further argued that immi-gration controls have their originin racism or xenophobia and thatthey aim at protecting ‘us’ against‘them’.

Mangu said that the notionthat immigration causes poverty,underdevelopment, diseases, vio-lence or crimes and other wrongs,and that it has a negative impacton the economy of the host coun-try is based on simplistic politicaland socioeconomic analysis, noton evidence.

WSFM 2014 expects to see abetter organisation of its struc-tures to build a stronger networkof civil society organisations topromote its agenda.

This includes having their voic-es heard by international organi-sations like the United Nations,the International Organizationfor Migration, and the EuropeanUnion.

The forum was also addressedby Zwelinzima Vavi, General Sec-retary of the Confederation ofSouth African Trade Unions(Cosatu), Prosper LadislasAgbessi, Chairperson of the PanAfrican Business Forum, JayNaidoo and Essop Pahad, bothformer South African governmentministers.

Keynote addressVavi quoted Marx and Engels

who wrote, ‘Workers of theworld, Unite! You have nothingto lose but your chains,’ in TheCommunist Manifesto.

He argued that the world econ-omy and labour market in the21st century had become bothglobalised and mobilised, partlydue to the movement of multina-

tional monopolies that locatetheir production operationswhere physical resources andmarkets are. Labour usually fol-lows.

Unfortunately, this dynamic,said Vavi, benefits the capitalistsand not the workers. Migrantworkers are often ruthlesslyexploitation by employers and areusually subjected to racism, xeno-phobia, sexism and other formsof unfair discrimination.

He cited Africa as a classic caseof worker migration manipulatedin the interests of the slave trade,forced labour, colonialism andwarfare.

‘Our continent was carved upby colonial powers, with noregard to existing ethnic or cul-tural community boundaries,with the sole aim of exploitingour natural resources and cheaplabour,’ said Vavi.

He also cited the example ofthe Gulf state of Qatar, whichemploys 94% migrant labour andwhere basic rights are denied,wages are exploitative and occu-pational health and safety risksare extreme.

In European countries likeFrance, Britain and Italy, migrantlabour has led to the rise of right-wing racist parties which arepushing policies to curb immigra-tion and stirring up divisive racialconflict by blaming ‘foreigners’for workers’ genuine problemsaround jobs and public services.

Similarly, xenophobia hasbecome a real problem in SouthAfrica.

Vavi said that the causes are‘the appalling levels of unemploy-ment, poverty and inequality hereand around the world, madeworse by employers who callous-ly get rid of jobs in one part of theworld while they seek out thecheapest labour elsewhere.’

This compels labour to movewithin and across borders, lead-ing to tensions between migrantand native workers.

He called for migration poli-cies that will combat and eradi-cate xenophobia and racism,combined with socio-economicpolicies that will close the gapbetween rich and poor.

He said that internationalmigration policy in Africa, there-fore, must be part of a broader,

comprehensive developmentplan for the continent which alle-viates pressure on workers tomigrate.

He proposed ten principles toguide international migration pol-icy. These include equality in

wages and working conditions,fair control measures, interna-tional agreements that are fair toworkers and that include penal-ties for breaches of the agree-ments by workers and employers,and measures and programmes toprevent and combat xenophobia.

Above all, he said, povertyshould not be blamed on fellowAfrican workers but on the capi-talist system of production, distri-bution and exchange.

The action Vavi proposedincludes recruiting and organisingcross-border migrant workers,educational programmes to xeno-phobia, racism and bigotry, opendiscourse on migration withincommunities, creating capacityfor conflict resolution and media-tion, and raising the problem ofxenophobia on the political agen-da.

At least eight Palestinian dele-gates attended the event, some ofwhom represented Aidoun, anindependent advocacy group forthe right of return of Palestinianrefugees. The interests of Pales-tinians were also highly represent-ed on the forum agenda.

DisappointingIt is the first WSFM held in

Africa since it was established in2005 and following the previouseditions in Brazil, Ecuador, Philip-pines and twice in Spain. ButWSFM 2014 was fraught withlogistical problems and disap-pointed many.

According to the organisers,the event was attended by repre-sentatives of 186 social move-ments, non-governmental organi-sations, associations of migrants,trade unions, refugees, asylumseekers, displaced persons,activists and academics from 57countries. However, an estimated250 delegates attended the open-ing inside a tent.

It was clear that the LocalOrganising Committee (LOC) ofthe forum was in crisis modewhen it announced, a few daysbefore the event, that the venuehad changed from the SowetoCampus of University of Johan-nesburg (UJ), and that the CapeTown office and the original web-site of the event had becomedefunct.

Support for media representa-tives and international delegateswas poor and registration of dele-gates was chaotic. The keynoteaddress was delayed for at leastthree hours on the opening day.

Above all, the City of Johan-nesburg withdrew its sponsor-ship, citing the forum’s failureto ensure that it was organised inan ‘inclusive and representativemanner’ and ‘concerns over legaland fiscal compliance’.

Muslim Views made severalattempts to question the LOC onthese problems. However, theforum did not respond to anyquestions, even questions relatingto registration and final atten-dance figures.

It also appears that the LOCcould not cope with even thediversity of the few who didattend.

There were many interestgroups on the forum, some overt-ly political, some categoricallyapolitical and others with inter-ests ranging from exclusively reli-gious to exclusively for children.This led to conflicting positionsand discontent, such as concernsthat Palestinians dominated theagenda.

Global forum resolves to continuechampioning the rights of migrants

Professor Rabab Ibrahim Abdulhadi was part of a large Palestinian delegation atthe World Social Forum, on December 6, 2014. She and Essop Pahad, seatedleft, addressed the delegates on the topic of Migration, Social Cohesion andIntegration. Photo MAHMOOD SANGLAY

Zwelinzima Vavi told the delegates atthe forum on December 5 that workers must resist attempts to shiftthe blame for poverty and unemployment on South Africanworkers and, instead, expose the capitalist system for its role in xenophobia and racism.

Photo MAHMOOD SANGLAY

Muslim Views

15Muslim Views . January 2015

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DR SALIE ABRAHAMSTHE human being is a miracle ofcreation. Being human has to dowith belief, spirituality, goodcharacter, good behaviour,potential and promise.

All human beings, especiallythe youth, are blessed with oppor-tunity, possibility and potential.Some of the essential ingredientsessential for the youth to unleashtheir full potential are knowledge,confidence and high self-esteem.

The more we are educated, thegreater our confidence levels, themore likely we are to maximizeour opportunities and achieve ourpotential.

If we provide nurturing envi-ronments and develop positiveattitudes, we enable the youth tobe confident and thus boundless.

One of the greatest obstacles tothe youth achieving their fullpotential is the fear of failure, anattitude which cripples us into thebelief that we cannot, and thatthings are impossible.

From a psychological point ofview, I suggest nine characteristicswhich the Muslim youth musthave to avoid despair and enablethem to think big, unleashingtheir full potential with hope andoptimism:

Believe in Allah and makeduah. Duah often reflects ourvision for a desired state of being.Remember and believe thatprayers come true.

Overcome the fear of failure.Do not be afraid to fail. Failure ispart of the foundation of success.The fear of failure has kept manytalented persons from achievingtheir full potential.

Let your confidence soar. Ideasare meant to be boundless, not

constrained. Have an ‘I can’ atti-tude.

Do not let ‘small’ people get inthe way of your big ideas. Impor-tant innovative ideas are putdown by people with negativesmall-mindedness.

Get into the habit of takingaction. Do not wait or procrasti-nate too long. Many great inno-vations have been left by the way-side because of inaction.

Think outside the box or getrid of the box altogether! Stimu-late creativity by discoveringpaths that are less travelled.

Constantly experiment. Con-stantly try and experiment withdifferent ways and ideas.

Practice improves performanceand superior performance oftenleads to superior outcomes.

Enjoy the adventure and thejourney. The more you enjoy anactivity, the more you becomesuccessful at it.

Have dreams. Having a goal,an ambition and even a dreammake the outcome more possible.It is important to visualise whereyou want to be, to conceptualisewhere you are going.

Having those visions makeyour goals more attainable, moreprobable.

The more nurturing the envi-ronment is, the faster and deeperthe development and growth ofthe youth.

A modern psychologicalapproach to the youth allows usto see them as changing systems,dependent on biology, psychologyand spirituality, and constantlysubject to the effects of experienceand learning from the environ-ment.

Education should provide theyouth with teaching strategies

and the skills and intellectualtools that will enable them togrow. The future of the Muslimyouth can be assured througheducation.

In a groundbreaking treatiseon education, contemporaryMalaysian scholar Naquib Al-Attas defines the concept of edu-cation in Islam as ‘the recognitionand acknowledgement progres-sively instilled into man, of theproper places of things in theorder of creation, such that itleads to the recognition and theproper place of God in the orderof being and existence’.

Education, for Al-Attas, ‘is thediscipline that assures the recog-nition of body, mind and soul; thediscipline that assures the recog-nition and acknowledgement ofone’s proper place in relation toone’s physical, intellectual andspiritual capacities and poten-tials’.

The concepts of wisdom(hikmah) and justice (adl) enablethe actualisation of education.Therefore, seeking knowledgethrough education inculcatesgoodness in mankind. Accordingto Al-Attas, the end of educationin Islam is to produce a goodman, a good person, a goodhuman being.

The famous Turkish scholar ofthe previous century, Said Nursi’slife is an example of aspiration toexcellence as he called humanityto strive for distinction. The onlypath to excellence, according toSaid Nursi, is to follow the pathof Islam.

People who aspire to excel-lence, and who show extraordi-nary success in their lives, oftendisplay particular characteristicssuch as receptiveness for common

sense, an interest in innovationand an inclination towards lead-ership.

Despite the fact that humanbeings have achieved spectacularmoments of near excellence, westrive for excellence but excel-lence is seldom achieved; excel-lence becomes an aspiration butnever an achievement.

In his now famous DamascusSermon of 1911, Said Nursi fore-casts that the civilisation of thefuture is the civilisation of Islam.For this to take place, we need toensure that six psychologicaltraits of humanity come to thefore, these traits are:

Hope must triumph overdespair; truth must triumph overdeceit; love must triumph overenmity; social cohesion must tri-umph over individuality; democ-racy must triumph over despo-tism; group consciousness musttriumph over personal benefits.

Said Nursi, through his under-standing of Islam, and havingmade his prognosis, prescribesthese six human characteristics asthe necessary antidotes for the illsof not only his but also for futuregenerations.

Because generational change isso rapid and technological changeso manifest, these characteristics,in particular, must be taught tothe youth by the concerned teach-ers and educators of the future.

Given the difficulties Islamfaced during that time, and is fac-ing now, Nursi’s message of hopeis one of redemption, liberatingthe mind to the possibilities of thefuture.

Major changes in our societyon all fronts have resulted in dis-location and disturbance in thefabric of our society.

The youth, unable to compre-hend social life are faced withdespair.

As Nursi indicates, deceit anduntruthfulness are widespread.Hostility, as practised by power-ful nations over the weak or pow-erful individuals over the poor, isthe order of the day. These pow-erful protagonists become rolemodels for our youth.

Antagonism and aggression arepreferred to love and compassion.Individualism and individualpower are characteristics that oursociety encourages whereas mutu-al consultation, consensus andharmony are discouraged.

Said Nursi warns against thisinverted world and predicts thatthings may get worse before theyget better.

We need to teach Islamic val-ues that will rescue the youthfrom the pitfalls of modern soci-ety. Modern man ‘has perceivedthat his greatest need is for moraland spiritual strength, solace andfortitude’.

In this way, Nursi brings usback to the basic teaching of theQuran. We have to change andmove away from the immoral val-ues that dominate. We have toteach the youth the positive alter-native that is offered by Islam.

We have to become morecivilised: ‘If man’s endeavour islimited to himself, he is not ahuman being for human beingsare by nature civilised. Man iscompelled to consider his fellowhumans. His personal life contin-ues through social life.’ This is theintelligence, insight and under-standing of Said Nursi.Dr Salie Abrahams is the Director of Madina Institute,Cape Town.

Unleashing the potential of the youth:Reflections on the writings of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi and the path to excellence

Muslim Views


Muslim Views


A walking ziyarah from Masjid Nabawi

OVER the past five years, Muslim Views and Al-Anwar Hajj and Umrah have given readers ataste of the many riches to be found in Madinah,

the City of the Prophet (SAW).Through the pen of Salim Parker, we were taken on a historical and spiritual journey to many of the places thatare of significance to those who yearn to get closer toNabi Muhammad (SAW), his noble family and the Sahabiwho would give their lives for Islam and Allah’s Final Messenger (SAW).We have travelled the route taken by Nabi Muhammad(SAW) as he undertook the hijrah from Makkah to Madinah. We have witnessed the battles that our belovedProphet had to wage in defence of the deen of Islam andsuffered the pain of having to bury the martyrs who sacrificed their lives so that those who came after couldlive in peace.We have witnessed the erection of numerous masajid, theclosure and destruction of others, and their historical significance in the development of Islam. Yet, through allof this, we have but scratched the surface of what is theglorious way of life decreed by the Most High, Allah SWT.In closing this chapter of Stories from the Hijaz, we present some of the places of ziyarah pilgrims can go toafter paying their respects to the Most Beloved of AllahSWT, Nabi Muhammad Salallahu alaihi was salaam.

The illustration shows some of the places of ziyarah that are within walking distance ofMasjid Nabawi. Unfortunately, most of the masajid are usually closed but they are still of historical interest. Saqeefah Bani Sa’idah is usually open after about 8:30 in the morning. Itis not always possible to get into Jannatul Baqee but it is open immediately after Asr.

Illustration SAAID RAHBEENI

It is claimed that Masjid Ali is located where Sayyidina Ali (RA) led Salatul Jamaat after Nabi Muhammad’s (SAW)demise. As can be seen on the map, the masjid is close to Masjid Nabawi, near Masjid Ghamama and Masjid AbuBabr. There is another, smaller masjid also named Masjid Ali located at Khandaq, where the Battle of the Trenchtook place. Photo SALIM PARKER

(Far left) Jannatul Baqee, situatedeast of Masjid Nabawi, is wheremost of the family of Nabi Muhammad (SAW) lie buried. Thousands of Sahabi are alsoburied there.

Photo SALIM PARKER

(Left) Masjid Ejaba is situated northof Masjid Nabawi, not far from Jannatul Baqee. Here Nabi Muhammad (SAW) made duah andasked Allah SWT for three things:protecting the ummah from famine,protecting them from drowning andprotecting them from differences ofopinion. Allah SWT granted the firsttwo requests but not the third.According to some, this is also theplace where the Prophet (SAW)appeared with only his daughterFatima, her husband Ali, and theirtwo sons, Hassan and Husain, inresponse to a challenge by someChristians that the Creator cursethe group that is wrong (mubahalah). The Christians with-drew the challenge and to this day,the masjid is a popular place ofziyarah for the Shia.

Photo SALIM PARKER

Masjid Abu Bakr was first built when Umar ibn Abdul Aziz was governor of Madinah (87-93 AH). It is located atthe south-western side of the Prophet’s Mosque, about 300 metres beyond its boundary. It is narrated thatNabi Muhammad (SAW) performed Salaatul Eid in this area, as did Sayyidina Abu Bakr after him, so themasjid was named after him. Photo SALIM PARKER

Masjid Ghamama is also called Masjid Eid because the Prophet (SAW) performed Eid Salaah(Salaatul Eid) in this area. It is related that during a drought, Nabi Muhammad (SAW) oncealso prayed for rain here (Salatul Istisqa). Photo SALIM PARKER

Masjid Umar was built in 850AH. Scholars say that during his caliphate, Sayyidina Umar performed Salaatul Eid there. It is also said that Nabi Muhammad (SAW) performed salaahthere on the death of AnNajashi, the king of Abyssinia. And it was here that the Prophetwould make special supplication in appreciation of once more entering Madinah after returning from the south. Photo SALIM PARKER

Masjid Al-Mustarahis located 2,5 kilometres north-west of theProphet’s Mosqueand acquired itsname because NabiMuhammad (SAW)rested and prayedat this place on hisreturn from the Battle of Uhud.‘Mustarah’ means‘to rest’ in Arabic.The masjid wasbuilt during thetime of the Prophetand Madinah historians say theProphet prayed inthe masjid.

PhotoSALIM PARKER

Masjid Bukhari issituated north ofMasjid Nabawi. Themasjid was built onthe site that housedthe room whereImam Bukhari compiled his workon Hadith.

PhotoSALIM PARKER

Salim Parker’smother, Fatima, ispictured inSakeefah Bani Sa’idah, the gardenwhere the successor to NabiMuhammad (SAW)was chosen. Afterthe Prophet’sdemise some of theSahabi got togetherand discussed this matter. After a longdiscussion, Sayyidina Abu Bakrwas chosen. Thisdiscussion tookplace in theabsence of Sayyidina Ali whowas preparing NabiMuhammad’s(SAW) burial.

PhotoSALIM PARKER

Muslim Views


Part 4The ‘is’ and the ‘ought’

A KEY characteristic of Westernthought since the Middle Ages isthe increasing gap between what‘is’ and what ‘ought’ to be.Another way of putting this is tonote the widening chasmbetween fact (‘is’) and value(‘ought’).

Why is this significant?In premodern Europe, the

world was not simply there. Itwas not a brute fact. In otherwords, it was not just an ‘is’.Rather, the world was seen aspart of a larger cosmic order andhad a fundamental moral pur-pose. And so the purpose of anindividual’s life was also a moralone.

The individual strove tobecome a virtuous person know-ing that this was required of himor her in the cosmic order ofthings. This order dictated theway things ‘ought’ to be, and theindividual and society constantlysought to realise this ‘ought’.

Their lives were directed byvalues, not by facts. However, theonset of modernity saw a break-down of this order. The humanbeing and nature are not seen aspart of the same order anymore.

The rise of a mechanistic scien-tific worldview took God, whowas crucial to any belief in a cos-mic order and a meaningful valuesystem, out of the picture. It wasnow just the human being andnature.

Nature just ‘is’ – simply a fact,

brute and inert – and it needed tobe controlled and dominated.And it was to be dominated bythe now ‘autonomous’ humanbeing – a human being that wasno longer accountable to any cos-mic authority.

The new human being wassolely guided by his or her reason,was free to use nature in the waythey saw fit. And ‘the way theysaw fit’ inevitably involved usingnature for their immediate needsand satisfaction and in terms of a‘worldly’ evaluation of happiness.

After all, there was no largercosmic order to which one wasaccountable. It is not hard to seehow such a perspective facilitatesa consumerist, ‘get it while youcan’ approach to life.

This perspective is fundamen-

tally based on the modern viewthat sees knowledge as power.Nature needs to be controlled,dominated and utilised. In fact, itis this view of knowledge aspower that conceives of nature asa ‘natural resource’.

Nature, in other words, iswithout value in itself and cansimply be taken by human beingsin a utilitarian way, in a way thatis seen as immediately useful, andwithout regard to long-term con-sequences or a bigger cosmic pic-ture.

And, if it is without any innatevalue, it can be treated as anobject, as a brute fact, to be stud-ied in an ‘objective, detached’manner that makes no moraldemands on us.

This separation of the ‘is’ ofnature from any moral ‘ought’allowed for the emergence of an‘objective, detached’ science andacademic disciplines in general,which are then used in the serviceof power.

And since the modern state iscentrally concerned with power, itis little surprise that it activelynourishes these disciplines. Theview of knowledge as power is afar cry from the premodern viewwhere knowledge was seen as aprecondition for the acquisitionof virtue.

But it is not only within sciencewhere the ‘is’ and the ‘ought’ areseparated. Since the will of thestate is sovereign, the law of thestate, no matter how immoral itmay be, remains valid law. Afterall, it is the will of the state that

by its nature must prevail sinceonly it can legislate.

Law ought to be moral, but itis what it is. There is no necessaryconnection between the two. Andit is this separation that hasallowed the ‘legal’ to emerge assuch a prominent domain in themodern state.

The same applies with evenmore force to politics. Politics,like the legal, emerged when ‘is’was divorced from the ‘ought’.Politics was not to be encumberedby any moral-cosmic considera-tions. It is exclusively concernedwith what ‘is’ and sees the worldas a brute fact that needs to bedealt with.

By its nature, it pits one set ofinterestsS against others, dividingthe world into friends and ene-mies. In the political perspective,the ultimate arbiter of things ispower, not the moral domain.Power – earthly, political power –is now the new god.

Needless to say, like in pre-modern Europe, Islam’s focus ison the ‘ought’, on values. We,humans and non-humans, are allpart of the cosmic order createdby Allah. The purpose of thisorder is to test those of us whoare best in conduct. And we willcertainly return to Allah and be

judged on the basis of that con-duct.

And so, all fields that humanbeings engage in, whether it is‘legal’, ‘political’ or ‘scientific’ aresubservient to this broader ethicalpurpose. There is no real divisionbetween these fields and themoral domain, between the ‘is’and the ‘ought’.

Again, Hallaq’s analysis raisestroubling questions for those whoadvocate an Islamic state.

Given that it is the nature ofthe modern state to actively culti-vate the separation between the‘is’ and the ‘ought’, between factand value – and remembering thatthe state is on the side of the ‘is’,on the side of the fact againstvalue – how ‘Islamic’ can such astate be?Reference: Wael Hallaq, TheImpossible State, Columbia Uni-versity Press, New York, 2013.In part five, Dr AuwaisRafudeen examines how Hallaqgrapples with the concept of the‘ideal person’, pointing out thatthere is no common groundbetween a state’s expectations ofa citizen and what Islam expects.Dr Rafudeen is Senior Lecturerin the Department of ReligiousStudies and Arabic at Universityof South Africa.

Perspectives

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

Nature, in other words, is without value in itself and can simply be taken from by human beings in a utilitarian way …

Muslim Views


IWAS blessed. I somehow wasgifted to perform anotherHajj, and I’ll be eternally

grateful for that. Because I couldonly go for two weeks as Iobtained my visa very, very late,I went straight to Makkah,unlike previous years when I visited Madinah first.

Visiting Madinah is not part ofHajj. We all know that. We arealways told that Hajj is Arafahand every other ritual performedto absolute perfection cannotcompensate for the absence onArafah. Visiting Madinah is noteven related to any aspect of Hajj.

I have been to the City ofPeace, annually, for more than fif-teen years. The blessing of thatvisit, that honour of entering theCity of Light, is not bestowedupon the majority of the world’sMuslims even once in their life-time.

I stood on the plain of Arafahin ihraam, rested in Musdalifah,pelted the jamaraats in Mina, per-formed tawaaf and sa’ee inMakkah. Then why, oh why, do Ifeel so incomplete, so lost? Whythis longing and desire to attemptto, somehow, get to the final rest-ing place of our Prophet (SAW)?

There is always a breeze onArafah. And there is always timeon Arafah; there’s never enoughtime to do everything that ismeticulously planned nor per-form all intended prayers butalways time to be alone.

The marvel of the diversity ofeach soul shrouded by the massuniformity of ihraam alwaysamazes me and, at some time,even if but for a mere moment, Ifind myself all alone.

The preceding nine days werenow a distant past; whirlwinddays of seeing patients, punctuat-ed with visits to the Haram. Now,suddenly, there were no frenziedcrowds, no mass movement.There was enough place for eachperson to be alone in the presenceof his or her Creator.

In the distance, I could seeJabal Rahmah, the Mount ofMercy. Despite the oppressiveheat, the mountain was packedwith pilgrims.

‘That is where the Prophet(SAW) gave his farewell talk,’ Iheard someone say as he pointedin the direction of the mountain. Ilooked and tried to cast my imag-ination back all those centurieswhen hundreds of thousandsflocked from all over to accompa-ny Nabi Muhammad (SAW) onhis farewell pilgrimage.

‘I was not in Madinah to bidfarewell greetings to the Prophet(SAW),’ I thought. The frenetic

activities of the past few weeksprobably clouded my mind aboutvisiting the City of the Prophet,and now the intense desire wasawakened to somehow get there.

‘You are on Hajj now, youhave a duty to perform as a doc-tor and as a pilgrim,’ I tried toinstruct myself. Yet, Islam and theProphet (SAW) are as synony-mous as Madinah and Muham-mad (SAW).

During previous journeys I,somehow, always managed to getto the oasis housing the Prophet’sMosque. There were years when Ireached Madinah in the eveningand immediately went to visit theqabr of Nabi Muhammad (SAW)and conveyed salaams to him andhis companions.

I somehow always managed tospend an hour or so in RoudatulJannah as well. The next morn-ing, after Fajr, I would visit Jan-natul Baqee, and hail a taxi totake me to Quba, Khandaq,Masjidul Qiblatain and Uhud.

By Dhuhr I would be back inthe Prophet’s Mosque and wouldbid farewell salaam to him andhis companions and, after Asr, Iwould be at Dhul Hulaifa (BirAli) to don my ihraam, ready tojourney to Makkah to performUmrah.

I would be in Madinah for lessthan 24 hours but I would havememories lasting an eternity.

Madinah is the City of Tran-quility, it is the City of Serenity.

When the tribes of Makkahrejected, prosecuted and trauma-tised Nabi Muhammad (SAW),Madinah accepted and welcomedhim when he had nothing exceptthe word of Allah. It embraces thesoul with its dignified atmos-phere. It gently hugs all visitorswith the warmth and love of areligion that spreads peace, for-giveness and harmony.

Nowhere does the saying‘Allah’s capacity to forgiveexceeds man’s capacity to sin’ feelso true and so real. It is also thecity that somehow energises andmakes all subsequent journeysfrom and to there really worth it.

Whether you are there for lessthan a day or for a few weeks,Madinah, every time, humbles yetexcites, brings you down to earthyet expands horizons, soothesyou into gentle slumber andawakens you with the harsh real-

ities of how sleep-deprived itsinhabitants were when the citywas under siege.

It is the city of the final restingplace of Nabi Muhammad(SAW); it is the city where theheart is home.

While standing on Arafah andthinking about Madinah, I startedmaking plans to somehow getthere.

The next few days made merealise that it would be at theinconvenience of many others. Itwould have meant block airlinebookings being messed up, free-ing my passport from the author-ities and engaging them to allowme to travel alone on a veryrestrictive visa, as well as rear-ranging group leaders.

‘I was on Hajj; I must beextremely grateful for that,’ Itried to console myself. But nomatter how I tried to reason, itwas clear that the heart, this time,had not been home.

A few months later, a gentle-man whom I had met before con-sulted me for his vaccinations in

South Africa. He was going forUmrah, the minor pilgrimage.

We talked about our journeysand, somehow, I started talkingabout the Hajj that had just past,and mentioned that I had not vis-ited Madinah.

He looked at me intensely. Hecould probably detect the sadnessand longing in my voice.

‘Is there anything I can do foryou, Doc?’ he asked.

For some reason, I unhesitant-ly said that he could. I never, as arule, ask any pilgrim for anyfavours but, somehow, I felt com-fortable. ‘Will you convey mysalaams to our Prophet (SAW)and his companions?’

He smiled. ‘I consider that anamanat and a trust,’ he said. ‘Ofcourse I’ll do it. I’ll inform youwhen I have accomplished it.’ Weexchanged greetings and he left.

I felt immensely relieved. Ialways maintain that visitingMadinah is not part of Hajj, visit-ing Madinah is part of life.

For some of us Madinah ishome to our hearts. Even thoughI could not complete my usualgreetings, I knew that it would becompleted on my behalf.

I normally pelt for others atMina or push wheelchair-boundpilgrims when they perform theirtawaaf or sa’ee. It felt strange yetheart-warming now that I was onthe receiving end of someoneelse’s generosity.

I’ll wait for that call to come. Iknow that I’ll probably be able tovisit Madinah in the next year ortwo. But I also want each journeyto be complete, just like eachchapter in a book would be prop-erly concluded. So, I’ll await thecall; the call that will confirm thatmy greetings has been conveyed.

It would feel like I was there,that I was present in the City ofPeace myself, that I had set foot inthe Prophet’s Mosque. Then I willbe content that my heart washome.

Home of the heart

I would be in Madinah forless than 24 hours but Iwould have memories lasting an eternity, writesDoctor SALIM PARKER.

Madinah is the city of the final resting place of Nabi Muhammad (SAW). And to many, it is the city where the heart findspeace; it is the city where the heart is home. Photo SALIM PARKER

Hajj is Arafah. Even if all other Hajjrituals are performed perfectly, theycannot compensate for the personnot being on Arafah. Visiting Madinahis unrelated to Hajj yet, for many hujjaaj, not visiting Madinah leavesan inexplicable, uncomfortable void.

Photo SALIM PARKER

Muslim Views


THASNEEM BUCKUSGOOD health is the most powerful tool we have for moving forward with our aspirations.

It is much too easy to forgethow vital good health is for com-munities to be able to prosper.Being free from sickness and dis-ease allows children to attendschool, learn and grow into edu-cated, strong adults.

With medical care, a country’sworkforce is strengthened asadults are fit, healthy and strongenough to work full, productivedays.

If the main breadwinners haveto stay at home through illness,they are not able to earn to pro-vide for their families.

Not only does the family fallinto financial hardship but, also,work is left undone and the econ-omy slows down and suffers.

Poor health holds communitiesback and, in many cases, causesthem to stay trapped in the cycleof poverty.

That is why we at MuslimHands believe good health shouldbe treated as one of the biggestpriorities for the world’s poor.

The sad reality, however, isthat affordable and effectivehealth care is an elusive hope inmany parts of the world.

Even where health services areavailable, they are often dilapi-dated and lacking the resources tocater for the community’s needs.This means illnesses are pro-

longed, infections are not con-tained and many preventable dis-eases become a cause of long-termillness and, often, death.

Muslim Hands runs projects toaddress the most prevalent andwidespread diseases.

Many of the biggest killers arealso those which are easily treatedwith targeted medical care.

As part of our medical pro-jects, Muslim Hands recently car-ried out Project 4 Sight.

Project 4 Sight allows us togive back to the community, espe-cially to our elderly, by offering afree eye test and fitment of spec-tacles.

Muslim Hands and Specs forAfrica came together to make thisproject possible.

Project 4 Sight was advertisedon our local radio stations, Radio786 and Voice of the Cape.

The advertising was twofold.Firstly, donors were requested tosponsor a pair of spectacles to aneedy recipient for only R400and, secondly, asking all those inneed, especially pensioners,unemployed and students in direneed, who could not afford spec-tacles, to call our offices.

Within a couple of hours of theadvertisement being flighted, ourquota of 60 recipients for thisproject was reached.

Muslim Hands then had ascreening process to ensure thatall recipients were truly deserving.After the screening process wascomplete, we then split the 60

recipients between Specs forAfrica, Vangate Mall, and Specsfor Africa, Golden Acre.

Each set of recipients wereallocated a date for their eye tests(December 10 and 11) and thenfor the fitment of spectacles(December 22 and 23).

There were a lot of mixed emo-tions as recipients came in fortheir eye tests and then for the fit-ment of their spectacles.

Recipients could not thankMuslim Hands and Specs forAfrica enough for their gift ofsight.

The youngest recipient was a21-year-old student and the eldestwas a 94-year-old pensioner.

Some of our recipients had thisto say: Fatima Meyer: ‘Shukran

so much for making my life easi-er. Now I can read.’

Janap Hendricks: ‘I am a singlemom and I’m unemployed. I’mvery grateful and appreciative forthe excellent work Muslim Handshas done for me. May MuslimHands go from strength tostrength Insha Allah, ameen.’

For further information onProject 4 Sight, contact MuslimHands on 021 633 6413 or visitmuslimhands.org.za.

- ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE -

Muslim Hands Project 4 Sight

Muslim Views


w.d

WHILE many of us make financial resolutions throughoutthe year, it seems many peoplefind it easier to make a resolution list at the beginning ofthe year because the start of anew year is symbolic of a freshstart. Accordingly, with Januaryupon us, we have created a listof great financial tips to helpstart your new year off with afiscal bang!

Reduce your reliance on credit cards

While credit cards can providea safety net for people who needto make purchases or pay bills in-between paydays, they can alsobecome your liaison to procrasti-nation and financial debt.

The more you use your creditcard and put off paying your bill,the longer your minimum pay-ment will go toward interest only.Reducing your reliance on creditcards in the new year can assistyou as you attempt to pay offyour credit card debt and eventu-ally free you of your credit carddependence altogether.

Document all your purchasesIt’s hard to pinpoint your bad

spending habits if you do notrecord all your purchases.

Starting in January, create adetailed list of each purchase youmake. After one month, take

another look at the list and dividethe purchases into two separatecolumns, one for ‘need-based’purchases and one for ‘wants’.

This list will not only illustrateyour frivolous spending habits, itwill also provide you with a per-sonal financial catalogue of yourallowable income tax credits anddeductions so you won’t have toscramble for receipts during taxseason.

This list will provide the infra-structure to gather the necessaryinformation to take better controlof your finances in the new year.Knowing, viewing and modifyingyour spending habits will helpyou budget your money better.

Don’t just make a budget, stick to it

Now that all your purchaseshave been documented, it’s timeto set a budget. Budgets are usedfor setting and obtaining spend-ing and saving goals.

No matter how much moneyyou make, budgeting is an impor-tant financial attribute that willkeep you from reverting to yourfrivolous spending habits.

Through financial planning,your financial goals may be closerthan you think. When the extrazeros and commas present them-selves in your bank accounts, thenext step to a promising financial

year is to invest. Do not spendmore than what you earn.

Make an investmentThere are many ways to invest

your money. You can start bymaking a simple retirementinvestment via your payrolldeduction. Investing your moneyis not a guaranteed profit but itsure beats throwing pennies into awishing well with an accompany-ing financial wish.

Start your new year off with afiscal bang and get your finances

in order today. You may findyourself eliminating the need for afinancial advisor while beginningto give out financial advice your-self.This article is intended for information purposes only andshould not be considered as alegal document. If you are indoubt about any information inthis article or require any adviceon the topical matter, please donot hesitate to contact any NexiaSAB&T office nationally.www.nexiasabt.co.za

Finance tips to start off 2015Focus on Finance

HASSEN KAJIE, CA (SA), a director of NEXIA SAB&T, based in the Cape Town office, andAysha Osman CA (SA), National Technical Manager for Nexia SAB&T in the Centurionoffice, provide some useful budget tips.

Hassen Kajie is a Director, based inthe Cape Town office of Nexia SAB&T.

Aysha Osman, National Technical Manager in the Centurion office ofNexia SAB&T.

Starting in January, create a detailed list of each purchase you make. After one month, take another look at the list and divide the purchases into two

separate columns, one for ‘need-based’ purchases and one for ‘wants’. This list will not only illustrate your

frivolous spending habits, it will also provide you with a personal financial catalogue of your

allowable income tax credits and deductions so youwon’t have to scramble for receipts during tax season.

Muslim Views


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THIS letter aims to inform thepublic of an error made byBoorhaanol Islam Movement(BIM) as the publisher of theautobiography of Imam Abdurahman Bassier, Born toServe concerning an inaccuracyin its accompanying publisher’snote or addendum, which featured in the December 2014edition of Muslim Views.

The late Imam AbdurahmanBassier incorrectly labelled mybeloved grandfather, OesmanRhoda, an ‘arch Ahmadiah’ in hisbook, on page 74. The Rhodafamily approached the MuslimJudicial Council (MJC), as thesupreme authority in Islamic mat-ters in the Western Cape, to refutethis slanderous claim.

BIM, the Bassier and theRhoda families, all agreed toaccept the MJC as the finalhakeem or judge in this matter.

Evidence submitted includedwritten proof that OesmanRhoda (Osman Rhode) was not amember of any Ahmadiyah move-ment, confirmation by the assis-tant to the then secretary of theMJC – who dealt with all Ahma-diah cases during the 1960s and70s – that Oesman Rhoda wasnever required to appear beforethe MJC to clear his name ofbeing an Ahmadiah, and the factthat Oesman Rhoda’s salatuljanazah was performed by theformer MJC president, respectedShaikh Shakir Gamieldien, whoopposed Ahmadiahs vehemently.

Based on the evidence submit-ted by all three parties, the MJCadjudicated, (1) ‘that OesmanRhoda was not an arch Ahmadi-ah’ and (2) ‘that Oesman Rhodawas a born Muslim, lived hisentire life as a Muslim; died andwas buried as a Muslim’.

The MJC instructed the Rhodafamily and BIM – another hat ofthe Bassier family – to come to anagreement on the content of thepublisher’s note.

Despite numerous exchangesof emails, no consensus wasreached, mainly because BIM didnot want to accept any sentencesthat concurred with clause (2) ofthe MJC’s adjudication, whichresulted in a deadlock.

To break the deadlock, the

MJC intervened and decided –after receiving the approval of thethree parties – to issue the text forthe publisher’s note.

It should be emphasised thatall three parties agreed fully toaccept the outcome of the MJC’sverdict, including the text for thepublisher’s note. However, in theDecember edition of MuslimViews, BIM placed a publisher’snote whose text differed fromthat issued by the MJC.

The text issued by the MJCappears below.

‘With reference to OsmanRhode [Oesman Rhoda] on page74, as an “arch Ahmadiah”, wehereby note that Oesman Rhodawas born a Muslim, never had torevert to Islam during his lifetimeand was buried a Muslim in1996. The Muslim Judicial Coun-cil SA (MJC) hereby confirms thatOesman Rhoda lived his entirelife as a Muslim and died as aMuslim. May Allah grant him ahigh place in Jannah, ameen.’

BIM inexplicably placed apublisher’s note, which containedthe following text:

‘According to the Rhoda fami-ly, “Osman Rhode”, whom theauthor refers to on page 74, isOesman Rhoda of the Strand.The Rhoda family further assertsthat Oesman Rhoda was born aMuslim and never had reason torevert to Islam.

‘Although Oesman Rhodaassociated with Ahmadis duringthe sixties and seventies, the cur-rent MJC is of the opinion that hewas not an ‘arch Ahmadi’ andlived his entire life as a Muslimand died as a Muslim.’

This letter proves indisputablythat Boorhaanol Islam Movementdefied the authority of the Mus-lim Judicial Council, despitebeing a signatory to the process inthis matter.

The wording issued by theMJC and reflected above shouldappear in the publisher’s note thatmust be inserted in all futureprints and in all unsold copies ofBorn to Serve.

Adiel Ismail(grandson of Oesman Rhoda)

Mount ViewCape Town

LETTERS TO THE EDITORLETTERS TO THE EDITORBoorhaanol ‘defied’ MJC directive on publisher’s note

IN a chapter of his book Born toServe, Imam AbduraghmaanBassier relates his experiencewith Mavia Davids of 203 Long-market Street, Bo-Kaap, in the context of the Ahmadi issue atthe time.

Most regrettably and deeplydisturbing, readers of this chapterare left with the false impressionthat Mavia Davids was an Ahma-di or a sympathiser and that he‘reverted’ to Islam on his deathbed. This has created much dam-age to the legacy of MaviaDavids, who was never an Ahma-di.

It is well-known in family his-

tory that Mavia Davids washafidh at the age of eight, andwas well schooled in all aspects ofIslam, with the Quran as hisfocus. A very good tailor bytrade, he was not materialisticallyinclined but was generous, open-ing his home to all.

He advised his youngest son,Achmat Davids, to becomeinvolved in the affairs ofBoorhanol Masjid. Indeed, hiswhole family assisted with themasjid activities, their homebecoming the ‘outside leg’ of themasjid, as correctly stated byImam Bassier.

But Mavia Davids was in no

way afraid to question and speakout against the status quo. Hewas of the opinion that Muslimsin Cape Town were too passive inseeking understanding of theirdeen and that they tended to fol-low shaikhs and imams blindly.

He was vocal in his opinionthat many of those in authoritykept knowledge to themselvesinstead of sharing it with peoplein order to empower them, andthat this, therefore, kept them inundeserved authority over thepeople, who were too afraid toquestion them.

Mavia Davids was perceived tobe a controversial character by

some because of this and becausehe was willing to debate issuesthat many understood to be outof the fold of mainstream Islam.

He entertained many opinions,and was never afraid to discusssensitive or contentious issues,using the Quran as his basis.

It was common knowledgethat many community figures vis-ited him to share in his knowl-edge of the Quran, to learn fromhim and to engage in discussionon various topics.

Such visitors included peoplefrom all walks of life and fromvarious religious persuasions,including imams, shaikhs, priestsand rabbis, some of whom havesince become well-known schol-

ars and community leaders.Importantly, all of Mavia’s

opinions, arguments and debateswere based solely on the Quran.

To suspect or imply that Maviawas an Ahmadi or a sympathiseris baseless. His grandson was wit-ness to an incident in which anAhmadi debated with Mavia.When the man left, Mavia saidthat this man would never comeback there again because he(Mavia) had given him prooffrom the Quran that Ahmadismcould not be accepted.

Mavia Davids not an Ahmadi

CONTINUED ON PAGE 23

Muslim Views


During Mavia’s illness, whenhe decided to recite the kalimahsin front of Imam Bassier, this forhim was not an act equivalent toa confession of having left thefold of Islam and now re-enteringit.

His closest family who knewhim well believe that he did itonly because his family was con-cerned that he may be denied aMuslim burial due to certain peo-ple’s incorrect perceptions of hisbeliefs.

It is indeed offensive that thechapter in Imam Bassier’s bookends on a note that condemnsMavia Davids to be thought of asan ‘Ahmadi martyr’, simplybecause a self-confessed Ahmadicalled him that. This person waseither ignorant or opportunisticfor he had no basis for sayingwhat he did.

It is disturbing how easily one’sreputation and character can besmeared and distorted.

The chapter in Imam Bassier’sbook has sadly created a skewedperception of Mavia Davids.

In an effort to set things right,the publishers of the book have

issued a verbal and written apolo-gy to the Davids family.

They have also agreed to insertin all remaining unsold copies ofthe book, as at August 2014, apublisher’s note to the effect thatMavia Davids was not an Ahma-di, and to publish this same notein Muslim Views.

At the time of going to print,the Davids family had receivednotification that the publishers’note would appear in the Decem-ber 2014 issue of Muslim Viewsbut the publisher’s note has notyet been inserted in unsold copies.

May Allah in His infinitemercy bestow jannatul firdous on

Mavia Davids, Imam Abduragh-maan Bassier and AchmatDavids, all of whom, throughAllah’s qudrat, have benefited thecommunity immensely.

M SlamangCape Town

Calling allMoroccans livingin South AfricaI AM a Moroccan university student completing my three-yearMasters dissertation on the topic‘Migration of Moroccans toSouth Africa’.

I need the assistance of Moroc-can people living in South Africato complete my questionnaire inArabic, which I have prepared.Please send me your email addressand I will send you the question-

naire via return email.Your cooperation and assis-

tance will be much appreciated.Shukran.

Muslimah Fadna OubannayMaiter

Ibn Zohr University, Agadir,Morocco.

Email address:[email protected]

LETTERS TO THE EDITORLETTERS TO THE EDITORCONTINUED FROM PAGE 22

Write to The Editore-mail: [email protected] •fax: 086 516 4772PO Box 442 Athlone 7760Please keep your letters asbrief as possible. Kindly include full name andaddress details.

Muslim Views


Enter online: www.topevents.co.za

Sunday 1 March 2015

PRESENTED BY

Forecourt Cape Town Stadium

Muslim Views


DR CHEVAAN HENDRICKSECORONARY artery disease is aglobal epidemic and is related tourbanisation and contemporarylifestyle practices such as smoking, inactivity and poordiet.

Cardiovascular risk factorsinteract, resulting in damagingeffects on certain organ functionsvia damage to blood vessels.Important organs related to bloodvessels include the heart, brainand kidneys.

All biological tissues are sup-plied by blood vessels, acting asthe conduits for energy and excre-tion at the cellular level.

When the blood supply isinterrupted, as in the event of aheart attack, the organ suppliedby that blood vessel undergoes aprocess called ischaemia and tis-sue death.

Cardiac pain is typified by adull, central, crushing feeling overthe central and left side of thechest area. This pain, oftenaccompanied by nausea andsweating, spreads to the left sideof the chest and left arm.

The pain may last for severalminutes. If prolonged, thesesymptoms may represent thebeginning of a ‘heart attack’. Thissymptom is known as angina.

In the event of a heart attack, ifthe blood vessel (coronary artery)is opened up and recannalisedpromptly, the organ may be savedand normal function may contin-ue.

The field of cardiovascularmedicine relates to the treatmentof diseases of the heart and bloodvessels.

As a cardiologist, the treatmentof ‘blocked’ arteries is a coreaspect of my daily work.

Operating on coronary arteriesvia the artery itself, in a minimal-ly invasive manner, is called per-cutaneous coronary intervention.

This procedure usually followsa coronary angiogram thatinvolves the injection of dye orcontrasts into an artery, followedby the acquisition of x-ray imagesto define the coronary vessel andthe culprit arterial blockage caus-ing patients’ symptoms.

This procedure is not withoutrisk to the patient, hence, prior toany cardiovascular intervention, acareful discussion is initiatedbetween the doctor and patient.This is called ‘consent’.

A consent form is signedbetween doctor and patient aftera comprehensive discussion aboutthe benefits and potential dangersof coronary angiography andintervention.

The risks of coronary angiog-raphy and intervention via theartery, usually the femoral arterybut increasingly via the radialartery, are briefly listed below:

Significant, unavoidable or frequently occurring risks:

Bleeding, bruising, infectionand pain.

Uncommon but more serious risks:

Myocardial infarction (heartattack), stroke, damage to bloodvessels supplying the heart, dan-gerous heart rhythms or death.Limb ischaemia may occur rarely.

Uncommon possible laterissues include: Sensitivity to the

contrast agents, impairment ofkidney function (usuallyreversible), major bleeding(including retroperitoneal bleed)requiring urgent operation andcompartment syndrome.

Complications at some time orother are inevitable and increasewith the frequency of proceduresperformed. The most importantmanner in treating complicationsis avoiding them in the first place.

The benefits of coronary inter-vention, if performed for the cor-rect indication, are obvious.Symptom improvement is ofteninstantaneous in the acute setting,as will be reported by the majori-ty of heart attack survivors.

Percutaneous coronary inter-vention as noted above, pertainsto the treatment of narrowed orblocked coronary arteries (bloodvessels that supply the heart mus-cle). This may also include theinsertion of a stent (a metal, meshtube).

This procedure is performedvia a puncture through an arteryin the groin and, more recently,via the radial (arm) artery.

This more recent developmentin terms of blood vessel access isconvenient for patients withrespect to early mobilisation aftertheir procedure, and may be asso-ciated with fewer post-operativecomplications, such as bleeding.

The area of blood vessel accessis anaesthetised with local anaes-thetic. Patients seldom undergogeneral anaesthesia for coronaryangiography.

Once the area is ‘numbed’, afine needle is advanced into theartery. This is performed underdirect vision or with the help of

an x-ray beam. Once the needle isin place, a fine vascular sheath isput in place, guided by a wireadvanced into the artery via theneedle.

Once the sheath is in place.Fine, plastic/ rubberised cathetersare inserted into the artery andguided to the heart, via the aorta,to just above the aortic valve.

The catheter is seated at themouth (ostium) of the left or rightcoronary artery and contrast isinjected very gently. The cardiolo-gist is surrounded by a networkof monitors and devices pertain-ing to blood pressure and haemo-dynamic conditions of thepatient.

During angiography, the lightsmay dim when the x-ray is beingtaken by the cardiologist.

At the time of contrast injec-tion, some patients describe awarm feeling being present intheir chest. If a major blockage isseen, a treatment plan is devisedand the patient informed of theappropriate therapy.

In the event of percutaneouscoronary intervention, a balloonis inflated into the area of thecoronary narrowing.

During inflation (blowing up),the artery is dilated and the dis-eased segment stretched. Thisresults in small tears in the bloodvessel in the process. This is acontrolled process that may resultin some degree of chest discom-fort.

This is an important period inthe test and patients are encour-aged to lie still. Once the balloonis deflated, more dye is injected toassess the response to the balloondilation.

If sufficient dilation hasoccurred, a metallic meshed stentis inserted via a similar techniqueinvolving a balloon lined with thisparticular mesh device (stent).

The stent is deployed aftercareful lesion preparation and siz-ing assessments.

A final injection is performedto assess procedural success andto exclude the presence of a bloodvessel tear or occlusion.

Following cardiac stenting, thepatient is sent back to the inten-sive care unit on blood thinningagent and optimal medical thera-py.

The blood vessel access sight ismonitored and the renal functionchecked soon afterwards.

Diabetic patients are at risk ofdeveloping kidney impairment ifan abundance of contrast agenthas been used during the proce-dure hence intravenous fluids aregiven to flush out the kidneys.

Coronary angiography wasfirst introduced in human subjectsin the mid 1960s.

We have progressed signifi-cantly since then and are able totreat most coronary artery lesionssuccessfully, without referring forcoronary bypass surgery.

The rationale for the variousrevascularisation managementoptions is based on vigorousresearch and guideline data.

Rapid advancements in theworld of interventional cardiolo-gy have made this field one of themost interesting fields in modernmedicine.Doctor Chevaan Hendrickse is aConsultant Cardiologist atMelomed Private Hospital, Bellville, Western Cape.

The actual experience of undergoing coronary angiography and intervention

443 Albert Road Salt River 7925 Cape TownTel: +27 21 448 1816, Fax: +27 21 448 6491

[email protected] • www.ghmh.co.za

Muslim Views


FRIDAY, November 14, 2014,was a highlight in the history ofSouth African National ZakahFund (SANZAF) when it commemorated its 40th anniversary at the NMJ Hall, inDurban.

Simultaneously, a historicalpublication entitled South AfricanNational Zakah Fund: A Histori-cal Appraisal (1974-2013), writ-ten by Dr Rahim Ebrahim (PublicRelations and Research Officer-SANZAF, Durban), waslaunched.

Mr Shauket Fakie, an indepen-dent Director of the Absa Groupand the National Vice-Chairmanof SANZAF, in welcoming theguests, provided a review of SAN-ZAF’S financial status.

He complimented SANZAF onthe following:l Collection and effective distri-

bution of zakaah.l Empowerment programmes

instituted by SANZAF.l Transparency and accountabil-

ity of SANZAF’s finances.Well renowned dignitaries elo-

quently addressed the guests onaspects pertaining to social wel-fare, education and religiousissues.

Shaikh Faaiq Gamieldien,founder member and trustee ofSANZAF, provided a synopsis ofthe origin and development ofSANZAF.

In addition, he applaudedSANZAF on their sterling workand the theme that resonated inhis discourse was the execution ofhuman rights as propounded inthe Quran and the teachings of

the Prophet Muhammad (SAW).Moulana Suliman Ravat, cur-

rently the station manager andmorning show presenter at RadioIslam International as well as pre-senter of programmes on iTVemphasised the significance ofhuman dignity from the perspec-tive of the Quran and theProphetic model.

He impressed upon the gueststhat individuals cannot surviveindependently but should assistone another at a humanitarianlevel.

The National Deputy Ministerof Basic Education, MohamedEnver Surty, aligned to SANZAFsince inception, focused on educa-tion and the socio-economic chal-lenges faced by South Africans.

He commended SANZAF on

their initiatives in improving thelot of the underprivileged andneedy.

In addition, the NationalDeputy Minister of Basic Educa-tion expressed concerns aboutrecession, poverty and the highunemployment rates.

He implored NGOs to workclosely with government struc-tures in enhancing the quality oflife of all South Africans.

The well organised dinner,which attended by more than 900guests, inevitably resulted in theoverwhelming success of the func-tion.

- ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE -SANZAF 40th anniversary commemorative dinner

Back (left to right): Shaikh Faaiq Gamieldien (SANZAF Trustee), Husein EssopAsmal (Administrator SANZAF Durban), Mohamed Bayat (SANZAF KZN Chairman), Shauket Fakie (National Vice Chairman SANZAF)Front (left to right): Hajee Ebrahim Bux, A S Moola (Trustee: SANZAF) IqbalSabat (Trustee: SANZAF), Iqbal Vyadally (Administrator SANZAF Pietermaritzburg) Mohamed Riaaz Fakie (SANZAF Durban) Photo SUPPLIED

(Above) Paarl SANZAF Quiz winners (left to right): Religious teacher from Al-Azhar Institute, Haafidh Moegtaar Abrahams, with his students Hamza AbshirAhmed Dhison (3rd prize) and Fatima Abshir Ahmed Dhison (2nd prize). Firstprize winner, Iman Saban, is with religious teacher, Shehaam Abrahams fromMadrasatunnur who is flanked by Head of Tarbiyah of the South African NationalZakah Fund (SANZAF) Mualimah Yasmine Abdurazaaq. Photo SUPPLIED

(Above right) SANZAF hosts its unified jalsa that aims to celebrate the achievements of various dawah training groups from a range of areas in theWestern Cape. Seen here are members of the SANZAF Bridgetown Dawah Class,who were among some 343 graduates, at the Muizenberg Civic Centre onNovember 23, 2014. Photo SUPPLIED

Potato sack race: Children fromManenberg and neighbouring areashop their way to victory as they holdthe sack up and jump inside the bag.

Photo SUPPLIED

Muslim Views


BURSARY APPLICATIONS FOR 2015 CLOSING DATE NOTICE

-

The State of Islam: Culture andCold War Politics in Pakistan.Author: Saadia Toor. London:Pluto Press, 2011. ISBN-13:9780745329901.

IN the context of the current discourse on Pakistan, which forthe most part depicts Pakistan asa lawless failed state overrun byextremists and violence andwhich has no cultural foundations, Saadia Toor’s bookis a welcome contribution to thecontemporary scholarship onPakistan.

Given the centrality of Pak-istan in the dubious and morallyfraught war on terror and thecontinued drone attacks on itsterritory, Toor’s book offers analternative perspective on thepolitical, social and cultural histo-ry of this troubled South Asiannation.

The aim of The State of Islam,according to its author, is to fur-nish an alternative account ofPakistani history by highlightingthe complexity of Pakistan’s his-tory, including both its domesticand international dimensions,and focusing on and viewing thiscomplex history from the per-spective of the importance of thestruggles of the people.

Toor’s goal is to ‘resurrect theimportant role played by the Pak-istani Left from the very inceptionof the nation-state in challengingboth the establishment and thereligious right’, and connected to

this project to ‘[highlight] the factthat “Islam” is far from being amonolith, even within the specificcontext of Pakistan’.

Toor terms the efforts andstruggles of the people, usuallythe poor, the religious minorities,women and the Left, as ‘progres-sive’.

The argument put forward isthat in addition to, and perhapsmore important than, the ethnicand/ or religious motivation forthe creation of Pakistan as a Mus-lim state for the subcontinent’sMuslim population, was the pro-gressive notion of a post-colonialPakistani state based on egalitari-anism.

In this regard, the progressivemovement had an undeniableimpact on Pakistan’s culture, pol-itics and society.

The book takes a somewhatchronological look at Pakistan’shistory through the prism of itsvarious political phases since par-tition, concentrating on theimpact of the struggles of the pro-gressive movement and itsengagement with political, reli-gious and class power.

Toor’s work ingeniouslyweaves together Pakistan’s politi-cal milestones, its cultural pro-duction and struggles, anddemonstrates the intersections ofpolitics, religion, society, classand culture and how these coa-lesce and diverge, creating adynamic environment that cannotsimply be explained through only

one of these elements exclusively.The introductory chapter sets

out the aim of the book and dis-cusses the history of Muslimnationalism and the partition ofthe Indian subcontinent in 1947.

Chapter two deals with theissue of East Pakistan or EastBengal, which came to symbolisethe problems around nationalidentity and belonging after Parti-tion. The chapter concentrates onthe demands from East Pakistanto elevate the Bengali language tothe same status as Urdu, and theundemocratic machinations ofthe elites of West Pakistan underthe auspices of the MuslimLeague to articulate a Pakistaniand Muslim identity exclusivelyon the points of language and ter-ritory.

Chapter three focuses on ‘liter-ary politics’ and pays attention tothe impact and influence writersand poets had on the politics andsociety of Pakistan and on theimagination of what constitutedPakistan. Toor discusses the pro-gressive writers of the time suchas Faiz Ahmad Faiz (1911 –1984) and the engagements andconfrontations between progres-sive organisations such as the Pro-gressive Writers Association ver-sus establishment writers in sup-port of the dominant politicalpowers, and the relationshipbetween these literary politics andthe larger cold-war environment.

Chapter four discusses AyubKhan’s (1907 – 1974) ‘decade of

development’ from 1958 to 1968and the virulent anti-communismstance and control of state andcultural institutions whichmarked his administration.

During this period, the Leftunited politically under the aus-pices of the National AwamiParty, and the debate on thecoherence of Islam and socialismand/ or communism came to thefore with intellectuals and poetsfrom the Left and the anti-social-ist camp entering stating theircases.

The chapter ends with ananalysis of the opposition to theAyub regime and the invasion ofEast Pakistan.

The next two chapters dealwith Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s (1928– 1979) rise to power and the mil-itary regime of Zia ul-Haq (1924– 1988). Bhutto came to poweron the strength of his socialistagenda promising reform andsocio-economic betterment forPakistan’s poor.

Bhutto also made attempts toalienate Pakistan from the US andBritish sphere of influence. How-ever, for all the rhetoric, Bhutto’sattempts at reform were shallowand no significant changes to theclass status quo were achieved.

Zia ul-Haq came to powerthrough a coup which unseatedthe civilian government. Toor isparticularly damning of theeleven years of Zia ul-Haq’s mili-tary regime, from 1977 to 1988,describing it as Pakistan’s longestand most brutal military dictator-ship.

Toor discusses and analyses thetight cultural, political and eco-nomic control effected by the mil-itary regime and the ‘Islamiza-

tion’ of Pakistan’s politics andculture which targeted non-Mus-lim minorities, women and mar-ginal religious groups such as theAhmadis.

The extent of Zia ul-Haq’s pro-gramme of Islamisation and hisclose allegiance with groups onthe religious right, Toor contends,has had lasting negative effects onPakistan’s political and legalframework, its culture and societyand both the private and publiclives of individuals.

In the final two chapters, Tooranalyses the series of civilian gov-ernments in the 1990s underBenazir Bhutto (1953 – 2007) andNawaz Sharif (1949 –) and thelingering effects of Zia ul-Haq’slegacy on Pakistan which hasmade Pakistan more violent, andfurther marginalised women andminorities.

In these chapters, Toor alsoprovides an account of move-ments and organisations, includ-ing recent examples, challengingpolitical power, military controland class status.

Toor’s work is undoubtedly animportant contribution to thescholarship on Pakistan, Islam,Muslims and culture politics inSouth Asia.

The State of Islam provides anuanced look at the history ofPakistan from its inception to thecontemporary period from theperspective of cultural politicsexplaining the struggles of avibrant Left and its counterparts.Review by NADEEMMAHOMEDNadeem Mahomed is a PhD candidate in the department ofReligion Studies at University ofJohannesburg.

BOOK-REVIEWBOOK-REVIEWThe Study of Islam @ UJ Book Review

Toor’s goal is to ‘resurrect the important role played by the

Pakistani Left from the very inception of the nation-state...

Muslim Views


Muslim Views


MAHMOOD SANGLAYTHE Islamia Cares Foundation(ICF), in Lansdowne, haslaunched an innovative, eco-friendly project in support ofpoor and needy communities inthe Western Cape.

The inter-faith foundation isdistributing 1 000 units of a gel-fuelled gas stove to deservinghomes in the province.

Each unit consists of a two-

plate burner using an ethanol-based gel compound derived fromsugar cane and other renewableagricultural sources.

The stove is a viable alternativeto electricity, paraffin, methylatedspirits, liquid petroleum, gas andwood energy fuel sources.

Its primary merit is its cost-effectiveness.

The gel-fuel, which is con-tained in a two-litre bottle, costsonly R12 each and may be used

for as long as six months.It is also a safe alternative as

any force that alters the horizon-tal orientation of the stove willcut off the gel supply and extin-guish the flame.

The gel is also clean, odourless,carbon dioxide neutral and,therefore, eco-friendly.

Given the present crisis in elec-trical energy supply in SouthAfrica, the stove is an ideal solu-tion for the poor who are com-

pelled to face challenges of bothaccess and affordability of energyfor cooking.

The Islamia Cares Foundationsupports broad social welfare ini-tiatives for deserving people, irre-spective of faith or creed. Thefoundation promotes toleranceand respect for all by means ofprojects based on care, compas-sion and co-operation.

Since its founding in 2012, ICFhas undertaken projects, such as

serving 20 000 hot meals on fes-tive occasions to the distributionof food parcels, clothing hampersand feeding schemes throughoutthe year.

The growth of the foundationis due to the generous financialsupport and commitment of busi-nesses and private sponsors.

Anyone interested in support-ing the work of ICF in any waymay contact Radiyah VanDamien at 078 447 5761.

Local school supports innovativeeco-friendly energy for the needy

Muslim Views


JASMINE KHAN

DO you start your day witha smile for your family ordo you dread the thought

of what the day will bring?You have so many things to

do, and being all smiles with yourpartner or children is just toomuch effort.

The proverb, ‘Charity beginsat home’ was first recorded as‘charity should begin at himself’in John Wycliffe’s Of Prelates,(circa 1380), meaning that familymembers should be the focus ofkindness.

According to an entry in Wisewords and wives tales by Stuartand Doris Flexner, the proverbcan be found in the Bible, as wellas dating back to Roman times,and is attributed to a playwrightcalled Terence, (190-159BC).

This book also cites anotherreference to the phrase and attrib-utes it to our own Rasul (SAW):‘A man’s first charity should be tohis own family.’ Clearly, it is uni-versally accepted that one’s fami-ly comes before any other respon-sibilities.

Our community is well knownfor the work we do for those lessfortunate, and Islam teaches us togive part of what Allah hasblessed us with to those less for-tunate. It is known as sadaqa, anArabic word meaning ‘righteous-ness’, and this is derived from theword meaning ‘to be truthful’.

Allah states in the Holy Quran:‘Give to the near of kin his due,and also to the needy and thewayfarer’ (17:26). Rasulullah(SAW) said: ‘To give to the poorman brings one reward while giv-ing the same to a needy relationbrings two; one for charity andthe other for respecting familyties.’

The Islamic concept of charitycan be divided into two main cat-egories. The first category con-sists of the acts of goodness andkindness that are done towardsother human beings. Thisincludes acts as mentioned byRasulullah (SAW).

‘Your smiling at your brotheris a charitable act for you. Yourordering good and eradicatingevil is a charitable act. Your guid-ing a man in a land wherein he islost is a charitable act. Your help-ing a man with bad eyesight to seeis a charitable act. Your removinga stone, thorn or bone from theroad is a charitable act. Youremptying your cup into the cup ofyour brother is a charitable act.’(Tirmidhi)

The second category which isavailable to everyone is to refrainfrom harming others. Abu Dharronce asked Rasulullah (SAW)what he should do if he was notable to perform some of the gooddeeds. He was told: ‘Keep yourevil away from the people andthat will be a charitable act fromyourself upon yourself.’ (Muslim;Bukhari)

In view of the fact that a smileis an act of charity, and refrainingfrom harming others is also char-

ity, one cannot help but wonderat what is currently happening inour community.

On the one hand we have peo-ple devoting their time to feedthose in need, working tirelesslyto raise funds to help those lessfortunate but, in the process, fam-ilies are being neglected.

Some of them are so busy see-ing to the needs of others that theneeds of their own children arenot being met. Rasulullah (SAW)taught that even small acts of

kindness and money spent onfamily are charitable acts.

Working yourself to a frazzlefor others is of no benefit if youcome home tired and irritable andthen shout at your children. Simi-larly, men who give large dona-tions as sadaqah, and then ill-treat their wives will not findAllah’s pleasure.

Every year we have a pro-gramme called ‘16 days ofActivism Against Gender Vio-lence’.

This is now a worldwide pro-gramme, intended to stop the vio-lence against women and chil-dren, and there is great hype sur-rounding it – but only for theduration of the 16 days.

It has yet to be proved thatafter the end of this period thereis a significant drop in cases ofabuse. Right now, here in ourcommunity, there is a rising inci-dence of men leaving their wives,some after only months or a cou-ple of years into the marriage.

During the 90s, there was averitable tidal wave of womenwho left their homes and familiesin order to ‘find themselves’.

We are now experiencing theflip side to this phenomenon:young men are telling their wives,‘I am unhappy, I do not feel a con-nection to you any longer,’ andmany of them are leaving themarital home, choosing to go liveon their own in order to ‘find outwho I am’.

As a creation of Allah, everywife has the potential to become asource of true pleasure.

For his own benefit and that ofhis family, it is the husband’sresponsibility to unlock thispotential.

When one is given somethingof value it must be cared for, pro-tected and nurtured so that itsvalue does not diminish.

Since a wife is the greatest ofall treasures, especially regardedso highly by Allah, this principlewill apply. Disrespect and abuseof this treasure will result indevaluing the good in this trea-sure, and whoever does it isaccountable to Allah.

Allah says ‘…Live with themon a footing of kindness and equi-ty. If you take dislike to them itmay be that you dislike a thingand Allah brings about through agreat deal of good.’ (Quran 4:19)

The global theme forannouncement for 16 days ofActivism for 2014 is ‘From peacein the home to peace in the world.Let’s challenge militarism and endGender Based Violence’.

We like to comment and agi-tate about the violence in theworld; perhaps, if we take theabove slogan to heart and workto bring peace, kindness andrespect within our families, it will,hopefully, spill over into theworld. Ameen.

From Consciousness to Contentment

Charity begins at home, with a smile

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Rasulullah (SAW) taught that even small acts of kindness and money spent on family are charitable acts

Muslim Views


HAVE you ever held a jewelbeyond price in yourhand? Did you feel the

trembling of your fingers as yourheart pounded with delight?

Was the bauble a stonesparkling bright as a flawlesswhite diamond cut into a myriadbrilliant facets?

Perhaps it was a pigeon-bloodred ruby disembowelled from theearth of yesterday’s Burma andtoday’s Myanmar?

Could the gem have been suf-fused with green fire as in aColombian emerald of the finesthue?

My hands quivered when theyheld a treasure of another kind –a living cache of paper embroi-dered with love, sweat and tears;a book that had traversed fourcenturies and eight decades, bat-tered but still breathing religion,erudition and art, hand-craftedcalligraphic messages and floriat-ed décor melting symbioticallyover its pages.

I was holding a handwrittenQuran with exquisite poetic cal-ligraphy and marvellous gold dec-oration – a gem in any languageand in any artistic philosophy.

It was shown to me under con-ditions of anonymity; I still feltprivileged for the honour of see-ing such a masterpiece.

Many books on Islamic artcontain varied pictures of superbcalligraphy and ornamentationthat impress but when you havesuch a piece of art right in front ofyour eyes, it overwhelms.

I have seen giant Qurans inCairo, tiny ones in minisculebrass caskets worn as necklacesthat were brought back by Hajjpilgrims from Makkah as goodluck charms, and old ones fromthe nascent years of Islam housedin the British Museum in Londonand Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace butthis one really amazed.

The copy of the Quran in myhands was somewhat small, novelsize but endowed with almost pic-ture perfect writing.

When you follow the inflec-tions of a particular letter throughmany pages, they match to anexactitude that is absolutelyastounding. The lines are flaw-lessly spaced.

You wonder: is this from thehand of a master calligrapher oris it machine printed? Yet, fromthe minor deviations in the scriptand a few errors corrected on thesides of the pages, one has toadmire this as an artisanal gem,genuinely handwritten.

The brownish sepia-colouredink and its permeation throughthe paper is another giveaway ofits veracity and origin. Printed

writing normally does not do thatto any extent, unless the qualityof the printing ink is substandard.

Here we see a master crafts-man at work in his finest hour.

Perfection is not for man. Andso it is for the work from hishand. The writing in the Quranwas perfect but, here and there, afew faults are highlighted as sidecorrections.

Scripted notes on the sides ofthe pages mar its pristine purity.And, sadly, its original cover wasreplaced by a hack restorer whoused inferior cardboard.

Strangely, and conceivably anartistic-wise criminal, the restoreralso used printed newspaper toflesh out the cover. Perhaps therewas originally some leather cush-ion embossing of the cover andthe restorer wished to emulate theoriginal design but grabbed any-thing at hand.

And he could not have doneanything worse. Modern-daynewspaper has an inbuilt bio-degradable decomposition factor.That is why newspapers printedon acidic newsprint become quiteyellow and fragile within a fewmonths or years. Its acid contentcan damage precious historic doc-uments, particularly those writtenon early paper made with cottonor ‘rags’ devoid of acid content.

Incidentally, important or pre-cious paper documents and pho-tographs should not be stored inplastic envelopes or albums.According to an archivist I’veconsulted they should also neverbe laminated.

It is advised that they be con-served in acid free cardboardboxes or in plastics certified forpreservation of documents.

Precious books and documentsshould also be stored under cool,dry and dark conditions. In theCape Archives there are miles ofshelves in fire-rooms with con-stantly monitored temperaturesand humidity.

Fire needs oxygen to burn.So, should there be a fire, the

rooms would instantly be floodedwith carbon dioxide gas whichwill douse any fire without dam-aging the material as water orfoam would.

It is important to know thateven torn or damaged documentsor artefacts can be of immensehistoric and artistic value. Often,such damaged material can berestored.

Sameer Sirkoth, whose careerand art were covered in a recentarticle, is an artist and a noted artrestorer. Of course, it is importantto note that self-restoration ofprecious art is generally a no-no.

More harm can be done byamateur restorers, as was the casewith the Quran referred to above,where the cover was rather badlyhandled.

Restoration does not meanapplying some Sellotape orinstant glue.

A conundrum that piques theart world is: should one clean andrestore masterpieces of art? Howfar should one go in the restora-tion? Should one remove the richpatina (shiny appearance thatcomes with age and repeated pol-ishing) on furniture and woodenart?

A few years ago, the SistineChapel in the Vatican was cleanedand restored.

The result was an outrage forthe well-loved and revered

appearance of the art suddenlytook on a horrid, clean, plasticappearance.

The huge painting ofMichelangelo’s The Day of Judge-ment I saw in the same chapel hada bright electric-blue background,quite out of character with theambience of the dark final judge-mental theme at the gates of hell.Perhaps less is better than more.

Pottery, porcelain, crockeryand ceramics are often restored sowell that the repair is virtuallyinvisible. The down side is that itinvolves a fair amount of costs,for it is a tedious and skilledprocess.

Fine bone china originated inChina. For a long time, the man-ufacture of the precious semi-transparent porcelain was a tradesecret. Secrets usually have ashort life, and with inter-conti-nental trade and colonialism, itwas revealed that the fine chinawas manufactured from milled updried animal bones.

Later, pure fine white kaolinpowder became the vogue.

In recent times, Cape Townhad some kaolin mines at Noord-hoek. When the South-Easterraged across the Peninsula, a finemist of kaolin choked the sur-rounding inhabitants who com-plained vociferously about thedamage to their lungs.

Kaolin is also used in cosmeticsand in anti-diarrhoea medicines.

Furniture of value, be it artisticor rare woods, need to be handledwith particular care.

Hacks have no place in theirrestoration.

Rather save for it to be proper-ly managed than to have onlyfire-wood left after a mangledrestoration with weevil-ladenwood and rusty nails.

We learn from experience andmistakes. Some mistakes can beameliorated or patched; othersend up as artistic and financialdisasters.

Education in this direction isone of the keys in the preserva-tion of our cultures, arts and his-tory. These are invariably ignoredin our education systems.

The only alternative, therefore,resides in the parents and familiesto actively encourage the cominggenerations to preserve what isgood and fulfilling.

We can only build a rich futureif we do not destroy what theancestors have left behind.

Current regimes the worldover neglect and impoverish theirpopulaces and heritages for wars,pestilence and death.

Are you one of them? You areif you swill and leave only a nameon a blank stone when you departthis earth.

The copy ofthe Quranin myhands wassomewhatsmall, novelsize butendowedwith almost

picture perfect writing,writes Doctor M C D’ARCY.

FOR ALLFOR ALLA Quranic gem,half a millennium old

(Above and below) Pages from handwritten Quran. Note the calligraphy and the surrounding gold and coloured décor with annotations in the margin.

Photso M C D’ARCY

(Above) Torn cover of Quran revealing newspaper under front cover.Photo M C D’ARCY

Muslim Views


OVER the years,Ommiedraai friends havelost members and loved

ones in the fight against cancer.The sadness of losing a life-

partner to cancer is real and ever-present.

Shanawaaz lost her husband tocancer when he was only 35. Tha-biet lost his wife to cancer whenshe was only 36.

Shanawaaz runs because she

feels the need to stay fit andhealthy to ensure she is able totake care of her children for manyyears to come.

For Thabiet, running was anavenue to channel his energiesand a space to think, or not think,in the months after his wifepassed on, leaving him and theirthree young daughters to face lifewithout her. Friends introducedThabiet to Ommiedraai Friends

AC and, some time later, toShanawaaz.

Thabiet and Shanawaaz arenow happily married. Togetherthey take care of their five chil-dren and share a passion for run-ning.

At some point or other in ourlives we may all be affected bycancer – we may lose someone tocancer, know someone living withcancer or possibly have cancerourselves.

Fairuz Arend remembers withgratitude the support receivedfrom OFAC when her husband,Nasser, battled cancer. So toodoes Shariefa Ismail, who recallsthat her husband, Fadiel, ran thePeninsula Half Marathon in Feb-ruary 2011 and was diagnosed

with lung cancer in May thatsame year.

In the past, patients sufferingfrom chronic illness were advisedby doctors to rest. Research inrecent years, however, indicatesthat exercise is not only safe andpossible during cancer treatmentbut it can improve physical func-tioning and quality of life.

While too much rest can leadto poor circulation, loss of bodyfunction, muscle weakness, andreduced range of motion, exerciseincreases blood flow, cardio fit-ness and, above all else, mentalfitness.

Women who exercise three ormore hours each week can report-edly reduce their risk of breastcancer by 20% to 40%.

Rayghanah Cassiem knowsthis. In fact, she learnt this afterbeing diagnosed with breast can-cer in 2005. Since then, Rayghanahas often been heard saying, ‘I’mnot sick, I have cancer.’

Not only does Ray run, hikeand paddle, she also takes part inCancervive – a team of bikerswho tour the country educatingpeople about cancer.

Ray loves hiking because shebelieves that there are healingpowers in the mountains andbeing one with nature heals yoursoul. With every trail she hikesand peak she reaches, Ray feels asense of achievement, similar towhen she crosses the finishing linein a race. She runs because ‘it ishealing’ and to surround herselfwith positive people. ‘It sets mefree; free of dis-ease!’

Ommiedraai Friends AC isproud of, and inspired by our‘Ray of Sunshine’ and her ever-positive attitude, always inspiringothers to live life to the fullest.

The benefits of regular exercisefor those undergoing cancer

treatment include

l keeping or improving yourphysical abilities (how wellyou can use your body to dothings);

l improving balance thus lower-ing the risk of falls and brokenbones;

l keeping muscles from wastingdue to inactivity;

l lowering the risk of heart dis-ease;

l lessening the risk of osteoporo-sis (weak bones that are morelikely to break);

l improving blood flow to yourlegs and lowering the risk ofblood clots;

l making you less dependent onothers for help with normalactivities of daily living;

l improving your self-esteem;l lowering the risk of being anx-

ious and depressed;l lessening nausea;l improving your ability to keep

social contacts;l lessening symptoms of tired-

ness (fatigue);

l helping you control yourweight; and

l improving your quality of life.It is never too early or too late

to start running.Personally, I run purely

because I have no excuse not to. Ihave a fit and healthy body that Ineed to make good use of.

I run because I will not allowmyself to become fat, overweight,succumb to cholesterol and dia-betes and any of the other com-mon ailments in our community.

I run because I’m raising adaughter and want her to learnthat you have the power to tackleany challenge you set your mindto.

I run because I appreciate thehealthy body I’ve been given.

I run for Ommiedraai FriendsAthletic Club because I want tobe part of the good that they do.

Ommiedraai Friends AthleticClub continues its efforts in sup-porting those with cancer andpromoting cancer awareness inmemory of Ommiedraai Friendslike Fadiel and Nasser, andbecause of fighters like Rayghana.

Fairuz Arend related howOmmiedraai Friends hikers andrunners started the OHFER CAN(Ommiedraai Hiking FriendsCaring for Abdul Nasser) Cam-paign after her husband’s cancerdiagnosis.

Both Fairuz and ShariefaIsmail talk about the bedsidedhikrs held regularly by clubmembers and of the emotionaland financial support received.

Two initiatives OFAC runswith throughout the year arepamper packs for newly diag-nosed cancer patients at GrooteSchuur Hospital, and assistingwith Project Flamingo awarenesscampaigns.

Project Flamingo was startedby a group of paddling breastcancer survivors and a young doc-tor who desperately wanted tohelp those battling breast cancerby initiating ‘Catch-up Surgeries’at Groote Schuur Hospital.

These surgeries, on weekendsand public holidays, have reducedthe waiting time for a lifesavingmastectomy from three months totwo weeks.

If you would like to donate incash or kind towards pamperpacks for newly diagnosed cancerpatients at Groote Schuur Hospi-tal, feel free to contactOmmiedraai Friends’s headcoach, Moesharafa Majiet onmobile number 082 063 8287.

To learn more about ProjectFlamingo and how you can assist,visit Project Flamingo’s websitehttp://projectflamingo.co.za orcontact Doctor Liana Roodt on082 324 3694 and via email [email protected] Kleinsmidt, in her ownwords, ‘just runs’ forOmmiedraai Friends AthleticClub.

SPORTS-TALKSPORTS-TALK

Running fora better lifeAs part of Cancer Awareness Month, RUSHDA KLEINSMIDT shares with us some of the stories ofheartache, courage and, yes, even the joy, of those amongus living with cancer. In doing so, she encourages all ofus, but especially women, to consider running as a positive and fun way of embracing healthier lifestyles.

Rayghanah Cassiem (far left) was diagnosed with cancer in 2005, and adopts a vibrant outlook on life, which includes running as ‘it is healing’. Also on the photo are (fourth and fifth from left) couple Shanawaaz and Thabiet, whose lives, andtheir children’s, have been transformed by cancer. Photo MOEGSIEN EBRAHIM

Documents

Muslim Views, January 2015