LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Congratulations from Sanzaf
ASSALAAMU Alaikum brother Farid We pray this letter finds you and your team at Muslim Views in the best of health, ameen. On behalf of the Trustees, National Office Bearers, Regional Executive Boards and Staff of the South African National Zakah Fund, I hereby wish to congratulate you and your team on the 30th anniversary of Muslim Views. As an independent communitybased institution, Muslim Views has undoubtedly developed into an indispensable and inseparable part of the community. We acknowledge that Muslim Views continues to play, since its inauguration in 1986, a commendable role as a critical but constructive and courageous voice in South Africa. We take this opportunity to thank the men and women of Muslim Views for their invaluable contribution and consistency in highlighting social justice issues. We humbly beseech Allah to grant Muslim Views to grow into a powerhouse of the media industry in the country and to continue representing the interest of all South Africans, ameen. Mabrook on your milestone anniversary. Shauket Fakie National Chairperson South African National Zakah Fund
MJC: No alcohol at school events THE Muslim Judicial Council (SA) has submitted a complaint following a proposal by the MEC for Education in the Western Cape, Debbie Schafer,
to amend the Western Cape Provincial School Act, 1997, in order to allow principals of schools the right to choose whether they will allow the availability of alcohol at school fundraising events off school premises. According to the Minister of Education’s press release dated August 24, 2016, the current School Act of 1997’s legislation regarding alcohol on school premises is extremely restrictive. She states, ‘The current situation is so restrictive that if a principal wishes to take educators out for an event off school premises where any alcohol is consumed, they are falling foul of the law. In addition, I have had complaints from schools who wish to engage in fundraising activities where alcohol is sold or consumed but this is against the law.’ Following our immediate letter of complaint to the MEC and the Department’s legal team, the MJC informed the General Majlis and held a meeting with the Association of Muslim Schools (AMS) who have informed all stakeholders in education about the proposed changes to the bill and its impact on our learners and community. We also encourage the community to support this call and to forward your complaint. As a community, each and every one of us should make an extra effort to protect and nurture our children by promoting good habits, encouraging good moral behaviour, giving them hope and providing them with a sober, safe and secure environment in which to grow and be educated.
An environment which condones alcohol use and its negative consequences, such as abuse, violence, immoral behaviour, disrespect for elders and themselves should not and cannot be addressed lightly and should not be tolerated.
lobby with stakeholders and make every effort to stop this amendment which will have a disastrous effect on our community which is already disastrously affected by unacceptably high levels of alcohol abuse not only by adults but, sadly, children as well. Nabeweya Malick Media Desk Muslim Judicial Council Cape Town
Education ‘a two-edged sword’ I READ the transcript in Muslim Views (October 2016) of Dr Shuaib Manjra’s khutbah delivered at Claremont Main Rd Mosque. It was very well presented and covered quite a few issues. I have some qualms regarding the whole free tertiary education call, some of which Dr Manjra alluded to in his khutbah. The general public was promised a revised National Health Insurance initiative more than a decade ago. It appears this initiative will remain in limbo for the foreseeable future, partly because of lack of funds. How many sick people, of all ages, have in the interim succumbed to their ailments because of this delay? Amongst them were citizens who have worked for numbers of years, helped the economy, paid their taxes. On the other hand, R2-billion could be scrounged last year to quieten the clamour of the unruly, ill-disciplined youngsters. In other countries, the privilege of tertiary study entails taking out student loans, which take years after graduating to pay off. What is manifestly missing in the debate is the realisation that educa-
tion per se is a two-edged sword. If it is not accompanied by characteristics like humility, honesty, integrity, generosity, and something that is almost totally lacking in this debate, namely ‘grace’, then the future for this country in general looks bleak. Sulaiman Martheze Mitchells Plain
Ahmed Timol AHMED Timol was a gentle soul and wonderful human being. We may never see the like of him again. Ahmed was loyal and kind to his family and friends. He loved them and they loved him. He was a teacher who taught History with passion and with integrity. He little realised that he would be part of that History. He was a courageous cricketer who batted with a straight bat along the straight path. He loved cricket and cricketers and spectators He was a team man who believed that the team was greater than the individual. Ahmed loved Humanity and bravely championed the cause of the oppressed, the hungry and the destitute. ‘Resistance against Tyranny is truest obedience to God.’ (Howard Fast) His untimely death was horrifying and brutal. He died in the very Springtime of his life. He did not live to see Nelson Mandela and the Island prisoners when they walked out of Robben Island as freemen. He did not live to see the Dawn of Democracy in the beloved country. Ahmed Timol belonged to those illustrious men and women who fought and died for their country’s Freedom. Ahmed’s memory lives on. He shall be remembered by generations to come. May Allah grant him Jannatul Firdous.
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We will, therefore, continue to
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Muslim Views . November 2016
A tribute by Yusuf Garda, a friend, cricket team mate and privileged to have taught with Ahmed Timol. Timol was killed in detention by the apartheid police on October 26, 1971. The original inquest in 1972 concluded that Timol had not been maltreated during his detention and had committed suicide. Now, after decades of struggle by the Timol family and human rights activists, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) announced on October 25, 2016, that it would reopen the inquest into the death of Ahmed Timol.
Chronological error I READ your editorial of the September 2016 Muslim Views and am a little confused with the following in the last paragraph: ‘First, on September 29, 1969, as a 15-year-old schoolboy, I followed the bier of Imam Abdullah Haron…’ ‘Eighteen years later, on September 25, 1977, I walked, as a junior reporter…’ Should the latter sentence not have read: ‘Eight years later…’? Noor Khan The Editor replies: Mr Noor Khan is absolutely correct! We apologise for the error.
A matter of fact WE published a poem in our September 2016 edition, Ode to a brother; a tribute to Imam Abdullah Haron, by his sister, Gadija Gamildien. Unfortunately, due to a discrepancy that arose in correspondence between the sender and Muslim Views, the incorrect age was published. Mrs Gamildien is 75-years-old and not 82 as inadvertently stated in our September edition. We apologise for the error.
Letters to the Editor editor@mviews.co.za
Sanzaf Shafaqah Initiative spreads wings of compassion (Left) Ebrahim Patel, Minister of Economic Development, in conversation with Nazeem Esau, a Sanzaf caseworker, at the launch of the Sanzaf Shafaqah Initiative, on October 21, 2016. Photo SANZAF COMMUNICATIONS
SANZAF COMMUNICATIONS IN light of the increasing poverty levels in our country, the South African National Zakah Fund (Sanzaf) was pleased to announce the launch of the Shafaqah Initiative at our fundraising event on Friday, October 21, 2016. The word ‘shafaqah’ is derived from the
Arabic word for compassion. In attendance was Ebrahim Patel, Minister of Economic Development, who gave the keynote speech, Shaikh Abduragmaan Sadien and Shaikh Ebrahim Gabriels, both prominent figures in the Muslim community. This launch is a response to a challenge that the organisation received from Shaikh Ebrahim
Gabriels at the close of Sanzaf’s Operation Ramadan earlier this year. Shaikh Gabriels commented on the phenomenal impact Sanzaf was able to make during the month of Ramadaan through the obligatory charitable payments received from the many loyal supporters and various masajid in its wide network across the Western Cape, Boland and the Garden Route. ‘We believe the launch of Sanzaf’s Shafaqah Initiative will allow Sanzaf to evenly extend our relief efforts throughout the year and give us a more sustainable means of income,’ commented Yasmina Francke, General Manager of Sanzaf Western Cape. If the same generosity were to be practised the rest of the year, it would make a massive difference in the Sanzaf beneficiary’s life. During Ramadaan, Sanzaf’s Operation Fitrah project was able to benefit 23 000 families with an estimate of R3 million distributed. Operation Fitrah is one of Sanzaf’s fundamental annual relief projects. The Shafaqah Initiative is in the form of a monthly commitment of a debit order. The debit order amounts can be from as little as R75 per month to a maximum of what the donor can commit to on a regular basis.
Yasmina Francke, General Manager of Sanzaf Western Cape, delivering her presentation on the high poverty levels in our country at the launch of the Sanzaf Shafaqah Initiative, on October 21, 2016. Photo SANZAF COMMUNICATIONS
Sanzaf’s efforts during Ramadaan are only possible through the generosity and sense of compassion of our communities who have trusted Sanzaf to distribute their compulsory charity.
For more information on the Shafaqah Iinitiative, please contact Shireen Kamaldien or Farahnaz Benjamin at 021 638 0965 or visit the Sanzaf website at the internet url www.sanzaf.org.za Muslim Views