Cnews_ May 2008

Keeping you in contact with your community MAY2008 - Rabi Al-Akhar 1429

21ST EDITION

Inside this issue

Villain or Victim - Did She Kill Taliep? By Sanaa Petersen

W

aheed Hassen’s 15- page handwritten confession revealed that widow Najwa Petersen pulled the trigger. ‘Taliep was an innocent person. I could not pull the trigger. Taliep was as meek as a lamb that would not harm anyone.”

“It’s About Me” PAGE 3

Youth Media Pilot Project’ PAGE 5

Wat Sal Die Nabi Gedoen?

PAGE 8

ISLAMIC MEDIA AGENCY CC CK 2002/001313/23

Editor: Sanaa Petersen Religious Contributors: Dr Abdul Malik Printers: Independent Group Contributors: Mariam Salie, Roshaan Misbach and Nabeweyah Malick 466 Lansdowne Road, Lansdowne 7780 Tel: 021 697 2294 • Fax: 021 697 2304 Email: [email protected] Website: www.islamicmedia.co.za

left arm and said in Afrikaans you must shoot him you must shoot him, hanging on me, I kept my focus on the robbery and walked with her to another room and looked for more valuable items but could not

Hassen is accused number 3 in the murder of Entertainer Taliep Petersen’s executionstyle shooting on the night of December 16 2006.

“Then I saw the woman [Najwa Petersen] was peeking her room she then immediately came out, with me and Jeff still holding him by his arms because he would not submit as we wanted to tie his feet, she [came] to us as if she was willing to guide us through the house and grabbed the man hugging him as if it was the last goodbye, tears flowed from his eyes as he realized that she was in on the whole thing. But

Protestors outside Cape Town High Court

floor the blood came out of his mouth and nose. “But he would not give up moving so I sat with my knees on his back wile Jeff and the woman bind his feet with a kind of lace table cloth that was on the table. After that she grabbed him by the cheeks and she kissed his face... Najwa hugged my

Petrol to Cross the R9 a Litre Mark etrol price will hike up a further 55 cents a litre as of 7 May, according to the Minerals and Energy Department. This is applicable for all grades of petrol while the wholesale price of diesel with a sulphur content of 0.005 percent will increase by 72 cents a litre. The wholesale price for illuminating paraffin also rises by 55 cents a litre, single maximum national retail price for illuminating paraffin by 74 cents a litre. According to the department, the increase

wiped his face and the glove was out of his mouth, All I could hear from him was there is no God but the one and only God, Mohammed is the final messenger from God. He said this repeatedly as I went back to the room to fetch a pink coloured cushion. “I was afraid of him because his faith so much stronger than mine and he was not the man of that caliber that Fahiem had made him out to me and told Najwa do it yourself as I put the gun in the cushion, I actually folded the cushion like you would fold a news paper, but with the guns barrel in the scnter of the cushion. I kept it with both my hands on the outside of the cushion, she was standing on my left hand side about two feet away from her own husband.

These are extracts from his confession admitted as evidence in the Cape High Court on 23 April 2008. They start at the point where he and his friend Jefferson Snyders have entered the Petersen family home and bound Taliep’s hands behind his back. The spelling is as in the original.

P

Mustafa Jonker Alleged Terrorist My Story PAGE 9

what seemed strange to me is that with all the drama that unfolded he headbutted her as if he did not want her close to him, at this point in time Jeff gave him one very [hard] kick and he went to the tiled

is due to the average international product prices of petrol, diesel and illuminating paraffin increase. Snapshot on the past 6 months: December: up by 43 cents a litre January: unchanged at R7.47 inland and R7.33 at the coast February: up by 17 cents, the lowest increase this year March: up by 61 cents a litre April: up by a record 68 cents a litre May: up by another 55c to cross the R9 a litre mark

find anything because she was leading me to Boeta Taliep, May the Almighty Allah make his grave wide and grant him Paradise she begged me in front of him to shoot him.... “At that point in time I saw the Jeff was sitting on his knees before Boeta Taliep and Jeff stroked his hand over his head

“At that time I was looking to my right to see where Jeff is and in a split second I felt her hand between mine, one single shot rang thru my ears she screamed. I sanked so low it was like a scene from a movie, I knew I had to get away now.” His confession was accepted into evidence by the High Court, the case continues.

Government Gets R4bn for Poor Planning T

he huge increase in the electricity price was the result of poor planning and management on the government’s part, so it should not be allowed to get tax income from that, the Business Day reported on Friday. The government would get a R4bn boost in taxes if Eskom was allowed to increase its prices by a nominal 60%, the newspaper said.

newspaper quotes an unnamed director of a listed company as saying: “If the tariff increase is granted it will constitute a steep tax on consumers, due to a situation created by the bad planning of the state. This is ridiculous. SARS should waive the tax.”

If the National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa) grants the hike, Eskom has projected that it would make a pretax profit of R12.7bn. At a tax rate of 28%, the extraordinary tariff hike would generate almost R4bn in tax, which would see the government profiting from its own bad judgment. The

Changed received from a purchase of lip balm at a chemist in Uganda during March 2008. Currency converter. 1 South African Rand = 224.244 Uganda Shilling and 1 Uganda Shilling (UGX) = 0.004459 South African Rand (ZAR)

2

MAY 2008 - Rabi Al-Akhar 1429

NEWS BITES COMPILED BY SANAA PETERSEN

Cosatu - Stayaway Protests on the Cards

ing blackouts. Employers in the mining industry estimate that we may lose up to 30 000 jobs if the rolling blackouts continue. ------------------------------------------MJC Pep Wins Labour Job Creation Trust Best Project Award

Workers protesting against the sharp price increase on food, electricity and petrol outside the office of Local Government: Premier Ebrahim Rasool in Wale street, Cape Town on 24 April 2008. The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) has begun a campaign of mass action against the soaring prices and the electricity crisis by submitting notices to allow it to organise stayaway protests, said Peter Craven spokesperson for Cosatu. “The increases that we negotiated last year may have seemed good enough at the time, but they have been more than cancelled out by rising inflation,” said Craven. In South Africa, the position was even worse as a result of “criminal price-fix-

ing”, which had already been proven in the bread and dairy sectors. “Greedy companies, under cover of the global price rises, are getting together to put up their prices even higher, so they can make even bigger profits at the expense of their consumers.”

-----------------------------------Anticipating that the electricity shortage and oil supply crisis would put jobs at risk, Cosatu said it would not allow workers to pay the price for something not of their own making. “We are worried about the current roll-

The Girl Child Workshop P

EG launched its Girl Child Workshop on Sunday 20th April, at the Savoy Lodge in Rondebosch East. The workshop was attended by a diverse group of young ladies, ranging in age from 13 to 19. One of the exercises required a pairing of the girls, and it was great to see that they could not stop talking to each other. PEG feels very strongly that because of the challenges facing young people, they should be nurtured and encouraged. The girl child will become the woman, and the woman has been blessed with the “Raheem”, the mercy of Allah. No creation of Allah enters the world, except through the womb of a woman. This is how special, how sacred, and how honoured a woman is. The workshop aims:

The project manager of the Agricultural Resource and Information Training Centre (AgRIC), (r-l) Yasier Gabriels, Ms Zanele Mbeki and Nomonde Nofuma, an emerging farmer who is one of the beneficiaries of the MJC Poverty Eradication Project

• To make them aware of how the physical changes in their bodies will affect them emotionally. • To equip them to effectively manage their emotions so that they may develop into women with a healthy sense of selfworth. • To recognize and understand their temperament, and how this will impact on their lives.

Dubai to build museum of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) The government of the booming emirate of Dubai has decided to build the world’s first museum dedi-

cated to the life and legacy of Prophet Muhammad (saw).

Professor Hussein Solomon Sued for Defamation

“In the history of Dubai, this museum will stand as a shining milestone as it will give the world an opportunity to learn about the life and message of Prophet Muhammad,” said Omer bin Suleiman, the managing director of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority. Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed al-Maktoum, also the prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, has asked the Authority, only formed in March, to immediately proceed with the museum plan.

The Association of Islamic Madaris (Lajnatul Madaarisil Islamiyyah) has lodged a defamation suit against Professor Hussein Solomon for claiming that madaris were being used for military training and were a breeding ground for terrorism.

The museum, believed to be the first of its kind in the world, will be dedicated entirely to the life of prophet Muhammad. It will chronicle the life of the prophet and introduce the visitors to the main stops including his marriage, the beginning of God’s revelation, the demise of his wife Khadijah, the incident of Al Isra’a and Al Mi’raj, migration to Madinah, the conquest of Makkah and the prophet’s death. “The project also clearly indicates that Dubai is keen on playing its role not only as a bridge between the East and the West, but also between the Islamic world and the rest of the world.

Professor Hussein Solomon is the director of the Centre for Political Thought at the University of Pretoria and delivered a speech in Israel at an international anti-“terror” conference claiming that Muslims were being prepared psychologically for terrorism and that the local Muslim community was “volatile” and would provide safe-houses and money to potential terrorists. Solomon also said that South Africa was supporting global jihad networks by providing safe houses, moving funds, providing ID`s for terrorists, and allowing paramilitary camps. He added that government maintained an “ideological blindness” which equates the antiapartheid struggle with the global jihadist battle and as such was burying its head in the sand on “terror”.

SA Welcomes Palestinian Parents Of Murdered Children

T

he Human Rights Foundation and Human Rights Activists welcomed Adalah, an independent, non-governmental and non-partisan legal center, registered in Israel to protect human rights and the rights of the Arab minority in particular to Cape Town during April. Adalah (‘Justice’ in Arabic) visit is to appeal to international institutions and forums to pressurize Israel to protect the rights of its citizens and Palestinians. In October 2000 thirteen Palestinian 1948 borders, were killed by Israeli Police Forces, the murdered victims are Emad Farraj Ghanaym, 25years – shot in the head; Walid Abdul-Menem Abu Saleh, 21years –shot in the abdomen; Ramez Abbas Bushnaq, 24years – shot in the head; Mohammad Khamayseh, 19years – shot

in the knee; Omar Mohammad A’kkaw, 42years – shot in the chest; Wissam Yazbak,25years- shot execution style; Mohammed Ahmed Jabreen, 23years- shot in the left eye; Ahmed Ibrahim Siyaam Jabreen, 18years – shot in the buttocks; Rami Khatem Ghara, 21years – shot in the eye; Eyad Sobhi Lawabny, 26years – shot in the chest; Ala Khaled Nassar, 18years – shot in the chest; Asel Hassan Asleh, 17years – shot in the neck from behind. Adalah has earnestly tried to have the killers prosecuted and after eight years the Israeli courts closed the cases, citing insufficient evidence. To assist Adalah and for more information log onto – www.adalah.org

• To provide them with the skills to make responsible choices in relationships, careers and ultimately, a life partner. The programme concluded with lunch during which the girls gave their evaluation of the programme. The feedback was positive and it was agreed that they would all get back together during the June vacation. The workshop will be run on a monthly basis ADALAH lawyers and parents of murdered Palestinian children 1948 borders at a seminar hosted by PSG and District Six Museum on 23 April 2008.

SAXONSEA HARDWARE & GIFTS To speak a kind word and to forgive people’s faults is better than charity followed by hurt. Allah is All-Sufficient, All-Forbearing Clockwise from left: Zulfah Dolley, Maghmuda Abrahams, , Layla Solomon, Mariam Abrahams, Taheera Rahman, Ayesha Bharoochi and Aneekah Mohamed

Cnr Hermes Avenue & Grosvenor roads, Saxonsea, Atlantis, 7349 Tel: 021 572 5466/4560 Fax: 021 572 7189

3

MAY 2008 - Rabi Al-Akhar 1429

SA National Zakaah Fund – Spreading Wings Of Compassion

O

ver three decades of involvement on a community level, SANZAF

was compelled to develop a blue print to reach out and empower communities

“It’s About Me” For Women T

he Islamic Media Agency (IMA) launched a creative writing club titled “It’s About Me” for girls and women on the 12 April at the Country Manor, Schaapkraal.

with the emphasis on children, the aged and families in need of social reconstructive services. Our outreach programmes strives for an infrastructure that would enable SANZAF and other organisations to implement various sustainable projects in areas historically deprived and neglected areas. Additionally, SANZAF responds to disasters with the sole aim of providing hu-

The ‘It’s About Me” launch attracted over 80 women from diverse environments with a common vision of sharing and preserving home-grown stories and real experiences. “The club is about using the tool and skill of writing to develop and support the positive growth of girls and women,” said Sanaa Petersen, founder of the club and CEO of the IMA.

manitarian aid to victims affected by fires and floods. The combination of torrential rain and floods during the winter season proves to be devastating, as many victims experience huge losses when their dwellings and possessions are destroyed. SANZAF responds by providing food, clothing and blankets, and in some cases

In addition to promoting literacy and encouraging writing, its core element is to help women recognize the negative elements including stereotypes, prejudice, conditioning, expectations and fears (external and internal) that inhibit the individual’s true potential.

materials to rebuild the dwellings of the victims. SANZAF workers and volunteers are always ready to morally support and counsel the traumatized victims. Each year planning for operation Fitrah and Fidayh commences two months prior to Ramadhan. During this period, full-time staff and volunteers attend to referrals, interview applicants, conduct home visits, assess needs and update records of families in need. Additional part-time offices are organized for the

Nabuweyah Malick, Public Relations of the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) – Media Desk and co-ordinator of the MJC-Women’s Forum expressed the importance of reading varied publications, “by being exposed to varied situations and difference of opinions, I’ve develop to be an individual thinker, more tolerant, appreciative of expression and much wiser and braver in recognizing and countering propaganda and untruths.”

Guest speaker, Rayhaana Davis, who has written her first book titled, ‘Doldrums that Cultivates’, shared with the participants her relationship with writing. “As an adult, I discovered that whenever I was angry, I was always frantically looking for a pen and paper, from that realization, I just started writing and writing, I am busy writing my second book,” said Rayhaana. But this was not always the case, her past was very different, young Rayhaana, an under-achieving student at school assumed by family and friends to be nothing more than average, excelled through her writing. “When I was young I wrote my first short story and showed it to my sister, she laughed and said noone would read it, it was stupid. After that traumatic experience I threw my short story in the bin, thinking it was stupid,” said Rayhaana. But as growing up, been exposed to a different environment, sometimes challenging, she realized that writing calmed her. She then revitalized her love for writing and has since published her short story in the You magazine and another in a health magazine, with an international publishing house printing her first book and soon a second book. Lauren Bates, a young poet, shared a different style of writing, her poem titled, Daddy Goodbye (see page 10),

left many in tears. Caroline Davids, of the Tibb Institute, implored the women to start caring for themselves, “We are constantly looking after others, but when are we going to start caring for the most important person in our lives and that is us, women?” After all the inspirational speakers, Sanaa Petersen, facilitated the first lesson on the topic, ‘It’s About Me”. She dressed as an astronaut, to help the participants visualize the impact that negative thoughts has on their development and choices in life. After the mental exercises, participants revisited their first writing experience, drawing their story outline with crayons. At the end of the ‘first lesson’ each participant, received a creative writing toolkit, which consisted of an ideas box and creative writing journal with ‘getting started writing tips’ and course outline. The Course outline for the next three months: May 2008 - Deconstructing the self from the environment, using visuals and art materials. June 2008 - developing an outline (road map) which includes your vision, outcomes and purpose of your role (s) - (Envisioning the self in the future, from the past and present), using character sheets - create char-

acter sheets of individuals that influence/impacts on our development and self. July 2008 - start writing first draft from outline August 2008 - focus on usage of words/ terminology to identify stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination etc. within thinking patterns. The duration of each workshop is 1 X 3hour workshop per month at the following venues, starts 14 May 2008 and ends 17 August 2008 IRFSA – Welcome Estate/Heideveld – Wednesday – 7 to 9pm (one Wednesday, per month) MJC Boardroom – Athlone – Saturday – 11 to 1pm (one Saturday, per month) Kalksteenfontein Masjid – Sunday – 11am to 1pm (one Sunday, per month) – for more information contact Sanaa on 021 697 2294 or 074 2274345 or sanaa@islamicmedia. co.za The course ends in a celebration of stories on the 20 August supported by the MJC – Women’s Forum

month of Ramadhan to cope with the caseload of approximately 12,500 families. During the month of Ramadhan SANZAF (Western Cape) must raise at least R1.5million to assist needy families in the Cape Peninsula, Boland, Garden Route and Westcoast areas. The object of Fitrah is to ensure that every Muslim man, woman and child, be free from want on the auspicious day of Id that marks the successful completion of the sacred fast

Sincere gratitude to our visionary sponsors/partners of the “It’s About Me’ creative writing club launch - geared to develop girls and women through sharing and preserving of home-grown stories. AdvocateMuhammad Abderouf cell 083 7319816 MRC Development Consultancy Mickaeel Collier-021 706 0048 Albaraka Bank 42 Corner Klipfontein and Belgravia Roads,Athlone Muslim Hands S & H Centre, No.1 Carnie Road, Rylands Estate, Tel : (021) 637 8800 Tel: 021 633 6413 Amiena Bhayat Muslim Judicial Council Women’s Forum 021 696 5150 Anwa Shabodien 021 531 7037 SA National Zakaah Fund 1 Thornton Road, Athlone, 021 633 1555 Cosy Corner Restaurant and Take-Aways 119 Ottery Road, Wynberg Tibb-Institute SA, Dr Rashid Bhika IRFSA, 5th Avenue, Heideveld Karriem Adams Colorado Park Masjied 021 638 4487 Kwantu Private Game Reserve 083 500 0344/www.kwantu.co.za Washiela Nagiah and Fuad Sonday Trust

of Ramadhan. The well known Hadeeth ‘Poverty breeds disbelief’ strongly motivates the need and purpose of the SANZAF Da’wah and Quran literary programmes to uplift the poor and needy educationally and spiritually. Due to the socio-economic situation and lack of employment opportunities the decline in spirituality has reached critical levels. Our Da’wah and Quran literary programmes have proven that people who are spiritually uplifted, cope better with their problems and have confidence of a better future. SANZAF

Spreading

Wings

Sanaa Petersen, founder of ‘It’s About Me’ club, dress as an astronaut, to assist women with mental exercises in visualizing negative thoughts that stifles growth and new experiences.

Women at the ‘It’s About Me’ launch participating in the mental exercises

Going back to being a child: Women drawing with crayons, this exercise helps in a fun way to identify individuals, events, factors that impacts on a woman’s development.

The girls of the Kalksteenfontein area - Nabuweyah Thorn, Sharifa Donson (15), Galiemah Samsodien (14) Naiela Petersen (15) Sulayla Adendorf (15) and Fadwa Thorn (18) with their “It’s About Me” creative writing toolkit.

of

Compassion Contact SANZAF at: Operations: 22 The Masjid Cornflower Street Bridgetown, 7764 Tel: 021 638 5108 Email: [email protected] Special Projects No 1 Thornton Road, Athlone, 7764 Tel: 021 638 0965 Email: [email protected] Zakah… A Means for Poverty Alleviation, Development and Empowerment

4

MAY 2008 - Rabi Al-Akhar 1429

2007 Matric Results Catastrophic for Learners of ‘Colour’ By James Myburgh

W

hat the 2007 matric results say about the state of our country. The racial breakdown of the 2007 matriculation results, released by the Department of Education last month, provide an important insight into the cause and extent of the crisis currently facing South Africa. The Department points out these statistics "cannot be regarded as completely reliable" based as they are on selfreporting. There are pupils who refuse to classify themselves by race and others who misclassify themselves by mistake. Last year, apparently, numerous Indian and black pupils erroneously classified themselves as ‘Asian.' Last year 591,251 pupils wrote the government matric, 386,051 (65,3%) passed, and 89,838 (15,1%) passed with exemption - the minimum grade needed to progress on to university. In absolute terms more pupils passed, including with exemption, than ever before. However, there was a small decline in both the pass and exemption rates. See Table 3. In assessing the overall state of education one also needs to factor in the 7632 pupils at independent schools who wrote the separate IEB exams: 7283 passed (98,9%) and 5780 (78,5%) passed with exemption. See Table 4. When one breaks these figures down by race, they reveal how little progress has actually been made since the end of apartheid in extending quality education to

disadvantaged Black and Coloured South Africans.

came to power. The pass rate for these pupils has dropped from 82.8% in 1991 to 78% last year. More worryingly, only 15,4% (5367) of the these pupils passed with exemption. This represents a decline of almost a third in the exemption rate from 1991 when it stood at 21,9%.

pupils has increased from 49,5% in 1991 to 55.2% last year. For white pupils it has increased from 41,5% to 52%. This increase is largely a reflection of the softening of standards in the new matric relative to the old one.

Last year 277,941 (60,6%) of black pupils passed matric. This is a doubling of the number who passed in 1991 and it represents a fifty percent increase in the pass While white and Indian pupils are rate. However, when one looks at still able to acthe exemption cess reasonrate this bright ably good edupicture dims concation through siderably. 49,950 the school sysblack pupils tem, as soon passed the govas they leave ernment matric matric they are with exemption faced with a last year, up from wall of state30,389 in 1991. sponsored However, the racial disexemption rate crimination. In (10,9%) is no 2001 the racial different now to composition of what it was then. the population See tables 1 & was estimated 2. The Eastern at 79% black, Cape had the 8,9% Coloured, worst pass rate 9,6% white, and for black pupils Theresa Jackson is 11years old and lives with her grandmother in Kalksteenfontein 2,5% Indian. (54%) as well and attends Montana Primary School. pic Sanaa Petersen The intention as the worst exemption rate (6,9%). This lack of These statistics suggest that, out- of the ANC is that every sphere improvement has been achieved side of Model C and independ- of human activity in South Africa, despite the equalisation of funding ent schools, black and Coloured at every level, should conform to for school children; the integration pupils are being deprived qual- these proportions. Racial discrimiof formerly white, Coloured, and ity education; without which they nation is regarded as necessary Indian schools; and, the end of cannot progress into the profes- and justified until demographic the politically inspired disruption sions or compete with the children representivity has been achieved everywhere. As the party's 2007 of schooling by the ANC and its of the middle classes. Strategy & Tactics states, the need allies. The pass rates for Indian and for such measures will only deThe statistics for the 34,741 white pupils are largely un- cline when "all centres of power Coloured pupils who wrote the changed from 1991, although and influence and other critical government matric suggest that the number of white pupils writ- spheres of social endeavour besomething catastrophic has hap- ing the government matric has come broadly representative of the pened to education in the Col- now declined by over a third. The country's demographics." oured community since the ANC matric exemption rate for Indian

The effect of these measures, ever more strictly applied, is to prevent young Indian and particularly white South Africans from pursuing their ambitions in the land of their birth. What this means is that the country either loses these youth to other countries or refuses to take full advantage of the abilities of those that remain. South Africa thus deprives itself of many of its best and brightest minds. White and Indian pupils made up 9,5% of all those who wrote the government matric in 2007, 14,1% of those who passed it, 33,1% of those who passed with exemption, 42,2% of those who passed with merit, and 77,5% of those who passed with distinction. In the early 1990s it was known that there would be a shortage of at least half a million skilled workers - ‘professional, technical, highly skilled, executive and managerial' - by the end of the decade. The ANC responded to this challenge by creating a truly perverse system. On the one hand it has fostered a dysfunctional school system which prevents most pupils from realising their real potential through education. On the other hand it refuses to utilise the skills and talents of many of those that do manage to gain a decent education because they are of the ‘wrong' colour. It is a system to the benefit of noone but a hyper-privileged ruling elite; which has fixed the rules to ensure that they do not have to compete with individuals from either the racial minorities or the still disadvantaged majority.

Table 1: 1991 matriculation results by race Race

Candidates

Passes

Exemption

Number

Proportion

Number

Proportion

Black

280918

114695

40.8%

30289

10.8%

Coloured

22405

18557

82.8%

4911

21.9%

Indian

14258

13558

95.1%

7062

49.5%

White

65933

63504

96.3%

27356

41.5%

Total

383514

210314

54.8%

69618

18.2%

Source: SAIRR, Race Relations Survey 1992/1993 Table 2: 2007 government matriculation results by race Race

Candidates

Passes

Exemption

Number

Proportion

Number

Proportion

Black

458836

277941

60.6%

49950

10.9%

Coloured

34741

27101

78.0%

5367

15.4%

Indian

13534

12590

93.0%

7475

55.2%

White

42617

41921

98.4%

22145

52.0%

Other/unknown

41523

26498

63.8%

4441

10.7%

TOTAL

591251

386051

65.3%

89378

15.1%

continue on page 6

5

MAY 2008 - Rabi Al-Akhar 1429

Youth Media Pilot Project T

he Islamic Media Agency (IMA) has over the past two years, through its publication, Community News, developed a youth media studies project to support young persons understand the media environment, its functionality and the impacts that it has on their development. Last year the IMA periodically tested the journalistic aspect of the project on the 2007 Matriculants of the Al-Azhar High school in Athlone. The result was a huge success culminating in a one-page ‘school newsletter’ in the Community News, sourced, written and photographed by the students. Two exceptional students were Zachareeyah Panday, 17 years, who submitted throughout the year newsworthy photographs that was published and designed the logo of the IMA. The other student was Wi-ahm Petersen, 16 years, who compiled a matric finale article, interviewing and encouraging five of her peers to submit their comments within the deadline. The second part of developing the youth media studies was to introduce the media including its tools and techniques, to young persons, ages 14-18years, that are not active in mainstream schooling. The Imaam adopted the Ibn Al-Jazariy Hifz Academy, Masjidus Sunni in Kromboom. The Academy’s principal is Sheikh Abd’al Rasheed Brown, whom we are eternally grateful to for providing us this platform. First the students were quite apprehensive about the new lessons and couldn’t link their immediate environment to external existing world which directed the project back to the drawing board. “We had to incorporate a life skills programme, with a strong focus on

the individual’s identity and thinking processes, then slowly incorporate the tools of the media,’ said Sanaa Petersen, Project Developer of the Youth Media Studies project. Instead of using the products of Media like newspapers in stage one, the reading of non-Islamic books, like fantasy, fiction and narratives were incorporated. The class of 20 students were divided into two, the first half was instructed to read a book and present their review, the other half was instructed to research organisations that has an impact on their development, namely SA Government, MJC, OIC, WICS, UN, G8 and present their findings. The outcome of the reviews were to create an awareness of the benefits of reading and researching (asking questions) and to visualize the link between their environment and the ‘external’ factors that impacts on their development. From that understanding the learners were introduced to the factors that make the news and the presentation of the news in the media and the tools used. They have previously only been exposed to the Palestinian issue within the frameworks of the Muslim community and the IMA introduced them to young persons, Muslims and Jews, from Palestine 1948 borders who were guests of the Jewish Maritime League. During their interaction they realized that irrespective of religion, class, race or circumstance, they were all members of one community and that was the community of the Human race. “We all share the same responsibility towards each other,” said Raees Ismail, learner of Ibn Al-Jazariy Academy. The same evening they welcomed the parents of the youth that were killed by the Israeli Military whilst

Learners of the Al Jazariy Hifz Academy and youth from Palestine 1948 borders at the Royal Yatch Club, hosted by Jewish Maritime league living in Palestine 1948 borders. These Palestinians were guests of the Foundation for Human Rights and the Palestinian Solidarity Group. The learners’ debate with respect to the two groups of Palestinians from the 1948 borders with very different stories, opened the flood gates to 1001 questions. Next they met and interacted with author Shaun Johnson and Ryland Fisher. They then ‘reported’ on a protest organized by COSATU in response to the increasing high prices of foodstuffs, petrol and electricity and on Wednesday, they participated in a Mediawise radio programme aired on the Voice of the Cape. All these experiences enabled the learners to understand the techniques of the media and its impacts on their development and their responsibility in consuming it. Next the learners will be exposed to the television and film industry

Interaction with ex-Cape Times editor, Rylands Fisher, at the Centre of the Book in April. (back) Muzaffar Mohamed, Raees Allie, Ryland Fisher and Yusuf Karriem (front) Sanaa Petersen, Zakkiyah Lalla and Miekaeel Adams

Lentegeur, Mitchells Plain Tel: 021 372 1106 Fax: 021 372 1110 ‘Abu Hurairah reported that the Holy Prophet (SAW) said

“Religion is very easy and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremist, but to be near to perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded, and gain strength by offering prayer (salah) in the mornings, afternoon and during the last hours of the nights (reported by Bukhari)

6

MAY 2008 - Rabi Al-Akhar 1429

continue from page 4

Government matric results 1980 - 2007 Year Candidates Pass % With Exemption % 1980 109807 82597 75.2% 34011 31.0% 1981 125291 88639 70.7% 34742 27.7% 1982 139488 95916 68.8% 35289 25.3% 1983 154245 104183 67.5% 37666 24.4% 1984 167842 113852 67.8% 49787 29.7% 1985 164967 110810 67.2% 41164 25.0% 1986 245509 133373 54.3% 48025 19.6% 1987 291349 170856 58.6% 60195 20.7% 1988 316842 199742 63.0% 68700 21.7% 1989 360452 185092 51.3% 61223 17.0% 1990 408468 191249 46.8% 60281 14.8% 1991 448491 221407 49.4% 73054 16.3% 1992 472458 250527 53.0% 75601 16.0% 1993 472458 242310 51.3% 68820 14.6% 1994 495408 287343 58.0% 88497 17.9% 1995 531453 283742 53.4% 78821 14.8% 1996 518225 279487 53.9% 80015 15.4% 1997 559233 264705 47.3% 70127 12.5% 1998 561029 279356 49.8% 71773 12.8% 1999 511159 249831 48.9% 63725 12.5% 2000 489941 283294 57.8% 67707 13.8% 2001 449371 277206 61.7% 68626 15.3% 2002 443821 305774 68.9% 75048 16.9% 2003 440821 322492 73.2% 82010 18.6% 2004 467985 330717 70.7% 85117 18.2% 2005 508363 347184 68.3% 86531 17.0% 2006 528525 351503 66.5% 85830 16.2% 2007 591251 386051 65.3% 89378 15.1% Sources: Department of Education and South African Institute of Race Relations

DNA Testing at Simon’s Town Museum

S

imon’s Town Museum, in conjunction with the Simon’s Town Phoenix Committee, asked Professor Himla Soodyall, Director of the Human Genomic Diversity & Disease Research Unit to undertake DNA testing for members of the Simon’s Town community in November 2007. The study concentrated on persons forcibly removed from Simon’s Town under Apartheid. The study encouraged men to volunteer for testing as DNA testing could be done on the man’s X and Y chromosomes, whereas with the ladies, there are only the X chromosomes to be tested. This means that a man’s father’s line (Y chromosome) as well

as his mother’s line (X chromosome) can be tested, but with the ladies, only their mother’s line (X chromosome) could be investigated. The testing enabled the participants to find out where their earliest ancestors originated namely, whether that is in Africa, Asia, Europe, etc. Former South African president Nelson Mandela participated in the study.

Table 4: IEB matric results 1994-2007 Year

Candidates

Pass

%

With Exemption

%

1994

1305

1225

93.9%

920

70.5%

1995

1371

1306

95.3%

956

69.7%

1996

2994

2913

97.3%

2158

72.1%

1997

4269

4137

96.9%

3052

71.5%

1998

4602

4542

98.7%

3479

75.6%

1999

5550

5478

98.7%

4124

74.3%

2000

5493

5423

98.7%

4157

75.7%

2001

5414

5360

99.0%

4222

78.0%

2002

6052

5961

98.5%

4599

76.0%

2003

6290

6189

98.4%

4906

78.0%

2004

6415

6357

99.1%

5099

79.5%

2005

6763

6635

98.1%

5295

78.3%

2006

7035

6915

98.3%

5544

78.8%

2007

7362

7283

98.9%

5780

78.5%

Sources: SAIRR and IEB

CRAVENBY CASH & CARRY

For the best Wholesale Prices PHONE: 931-9487/932-3717/42 FAX:932-3682

142 BALVENIE ROAD CRAVENBY ESTATE 7490

West Java in Cape Town

Visit the Simon’s Town Museum for more information. The address of museum is ‘The Residency’ Court Road, Simon’s Town – Tel: 021 786 3046

Residents and displaced residents of Simon’s Town participating in the Simon’s Town Museum DNA study held on the 24 November 2007

Displaced resident of Simon’s Town, Ebrahim Manuel, displaying the results of the DNA study

The Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Cape Town and the Tourism and Culture Office of West Java Province hosted ‘A Gala dinner and West Java Cultural Performance’ on the 26 April. Guests were enthralled by the energetic and cultural performances of West Java and captivated by the ‘lesson’ in Angklung, a bamboo musical instrument. Pic Sanaa Petersen

MANUFACTURERS OF SUPER QUALITY COLD MEATS & MEAT PRODUCTS Cnr. Silversands & Merrydale Rd. Portalnds

Tel: 371 6882/Tel: 371 9600/Fax: 371 4315

Nnr. Kimberley Way & Montegue Dr/ Portlands TEL: 392 2565 TEL: 392 7920/FAX: 392 0581

To satisfy the various tastes of our customers we now boast an assortment of new products which include: ★ BBQ CHICKEN ★ SMOKED CHICKEN ★ CHICKENBURGERS ★ CHICKENLOAF ★ ★ CHEESE BURGERS ★ PASTRAMI ★ STEAK LOAVES ★ SMOKED ★ VIENNAS ★ SOSATIES

7

MAY 2008 - Rabi Al-Akhar 1429

The Most Trendiest Restaurant in Wynberg C

osy Corner Restaurant and Take-aways is one of the oldest, most vibrant and now the most trendy Halaal restaurant in Wynberg. This family owned establishment was first opened in 1973 by the late Ismail Hartley and his wife Zuleigha. Today, Cosy Corner Restaurant and Take-Aways is managed by their youngest son Yusri and his wife Tasneem. This young management team has revitalized the décor and menu, serving the

most exciting dishes, with signature basting sauces to tantalize and satisfy any palate (and pocket). The restaurant’s new look with Malaysian Teak furniture and gold and red decor, has been designed by one of Cape Town’s top interior designers, Guy of Interiors at Dean. The restaurant seats 60 and caters for functions. The Take-Aways décor is trendy and has the feel of a traditional American diner style.

Yusri Hartley with his mother Zuleigha. in the newly decorated restaurant, with exotic fish backdrop

Cosy Corner Restaurant and Take-Aways, 119 Ottery Road, Wynberg. Tel: 021 797 2498.

8

MAY 2008 - Rabi Al-Akhar 1429

Wat Sal Die Nabi Gedoen?

The Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) celebrated the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) at the Desmond Tutu Hall, Khayalitsha in March, the Premier of the Western Cape, Ebrahim Rasool gave the following very thought provoking and inspiring talk. Transcribed and edited by Nabuweyah Malick

I

t begins to say that we have a leadership amongst the Ulema who have understood that the Muslims are at a cross roads. The cross roads is very simple, are we in the Cape, forever going to be a Muslim community defined by our Malayness, or are we going to be a Muslim community that will indeed be a Ummah, those who have been touched by the mercy of Prophet Muhammad (saw). This is not a light hearted decision, because when the Muslim Judicial Council decides to spread the wings of mercy to all who want to recite the kalimah, La illaha illalla Muhammadu Rasullulah, with it comes enormous responsibilities because it takes the Ummah out of the comfort zones that we have become used to. It is almost as if over 300 years we have become comfortable being Malays, comfortable in being Indians and we have become reluctant at worst and sometimes patronizing at best in our relationship with Muslims who are of a darker colour, who speak the language of Xhosa and who live in the townships on the outskirts of the Western Cape. There has never been a more important moment to remind us as the Quran does, when Allah (swt): wa ma arsal naqa illah rahmata lill alameen, “I have not sent you Muhammad except as a mercy to all creation”. There is something derelict; there is something wrong if we continue

to deny the mercy that is Muhammad (saw) to all of creation because we are only comfortable in our own comfort zones in the suburbs of the Western Cape.

a day, where let alone a BEE deal, they struggle to find a job, where let alone the petty squabbles that we have, they struggle to be human”.

we mean that we must embrace the challenges that go with it.

And so, this Rabi Al Awwal, this Mawludan Nabi celebrations are very special, And so when today and that is why I am hapin this month of Rabi py that Minister Essop Al Awwal, the month Pahad has flown down of the birth of the to join us from Pretoria Prophet (saw), we so that he can be a witsay we are a mercy ness to it. And hopefully unto all humanity, we can all begin to see unto all of creation. that there is an Ummah I get the impresthat is willing not to wait sion that we say so what government is gowith so much more ing to do about racism sincerity because and xenophobia and The children of Mfuleni sharing in the MJC celebration of the birth of the we are reaching out Prophet Muhammad (saw) at the Desmond Tutu Hall, Khayelitsha in April poverty. But an Ummah beyond our comfort that understands that zones. And the responsibility that And so, what it means is, is that with reaching out the rahmah that is goes with it is that when we embrace this leadership that has brought the encapsulated in the life of Muhamthe entire community we also em- Mawlud celebrations into Khayelit- mad (saw) comes the responsibility brace the challenges that go with it. sha, is a leadership that will under- to be in the forefront even ahead of stand what the responsibilities are the government by giving food and It is no longer good enough to dis- now against the fight against poverty sustenance to people, removing raccuss in the suburbs of the Ummah so that we unleash the potential of ism from communities and stopping the construction industry, the BEE this Muslim community to be in the xenophobia in its tracks. deals that we are busy with, what forefront of the struggle against povwe ate last night, what happened erty, the struggle against unemploy- We have seen the statistics of growat that wedding, how nice the food ment, in the struggle against hunger ing Muslim wealth in the suburb secwas, hoe lekker het die mense ge- and homelessness, the struggle tion of the community. People who sajjie, the lovely barakat that we took against crime and drugs and all ten years ago were artisans, today home. That has been the comfort those negative things. We will then are sub contractors, from contraczone that we have been caught up in find that the problems are more than tors to shareholders of big compaand when we make this change we the problems of Malays, the prob- ny’s, from shopkeepers today are now have to say, “What is the condi- lems are more than the problems of industrialists. I wonder if we are tion of those amongst us who live in Indians, they are human problems. growing as we are, why is our zakah the townships when let alone a bar- When we say “rahmatulil allamin” - not making the impact that it should akat, they struggle to find one meal a mercy unto all of creation. Then be making to the poorest of the poor.

Is it because we only give to those we know, whose degree of poverty may not match some of what we will see as we shift more and more into Khayelitsha, Phillippi, Mfuleni and Gugulethu. Those are the challenges that we now face. It is one thing to shift into an area and it is another to do our duty to that area. We have so many teaches coming out of the ranks of the Ummah. Doctors, scientists, engineers, nurses, etc. if only 10% of them contribute their services on a Saturday, followed up on this Mawlud programme in a hall like this to teach maths, science and history will we not create the potential for a major upliftments out of poverty, illiteracy, ignorance. Is that not the meaning of “rahmatulil alameen”a mercy unto all creation. Maybe we are held back by our own issues, sometimes Malay issues, sometimes Indian issues, sometimes we are held back by our own entrapment in the world. Sometimes the wedding that is a month away keeps us busy for an entire month. We have to do our duty to all of humanity. The biggest test that a Muslim can commit to, on the occasion of Mawludun Nabi, is always in every issue when confronted with a situation is to always ask ourselves this question, “What would Rasulullah (saw) do in this situation at this time? Wat sal die Nabi gedoen het?

Mawlid in Uganda T

he World Islamic Call Society (WICS) with its leader Muammar Ghaddafi invited Muslims from around the world to commemorate the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) and witness the opening of the Muammar Ghadafi Masjid in Old Kampala, Uganda during March 2008.

Over 30 000 Muslims attended the celebration – a plethora of cultures and dialects captivated Uganda including representatives from South Africa - from the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) was Sheikh Achmat Sedick, Moulana Khaliq Allie and his wife Khadija, Mogammad Groenewald and Asief Essop from the Muslim Youth Movement and Sanaa

On the 19 March 2008, over 30000 Muslims from around the world gathered in Old Kampala, Uganda to celebrate the birth of Prophet Muhammad (saw)

Petersen. Amidst, past corruption and conflict between the Ugandans, Muammar Ghaddafi finally handed over the three-storey masjid with a capacity to accommodate 15000 musallees, a state of the art, fully equipped, conference centre, Renaissance Quranic Memorisation class and an IT training centre.

Libiyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi leads Thur solaah to the over 30 000 Muslims in Old Kampala, Uganda on 19 March 2008

9

MAY 2008 - Rabi Al-Akhar 1429

Mustafa Jonker ‘Alleged Terrorist’- My Story By Khadija Abdul Qahaar | Jihad Unspun (JUS)

O

n January 25, sixteen police officers, including bomb squad members, some with firearms and a man who appeared to be an Israeli national, raided the outbuilding where Mustafa Jonker, an Arabic/ English translator and law student, lives with his parent’s in Muizenberg. The raid was conducted on the suspicion that Mustafa and three others were involved in “terror” activities. Mustafa, who studied Islamic Law in Saudi Arabia, awoke to a loud bang at about 5.30am and discovered some sixteen people in his house along with an explosives unit in his backyard. After a lengthy search, in the end the authorities seized a bottle of liquid pool cleaner, a bottle of paint remover and a bottle of hair bleach, all items that could be found in any household. Now, Mustafa and two of his relatives are fighting back. They have issued an urgent application in the Cape Town High Court to set aside the search and seizure warrant that facilitated the raid. As his high profile court case is heard, JUS sat down with Brother Mustafa, to learn more about his personal struggle to fight the stereotype of a “terrorist” and violation of civil liberties. Here is the interview. We remind our readers that the opinions and points of view expressed in this statement are those of the author, Mustafa Jonker, and shall not be deemed to mean that they are necessarily those of JUS and the Islamic Media Agency, the publisher, editor, writers, contributors or staff. JUS: Can you please tell our readers a little bit about your background and how you came to be the target of authorities and suspected of socalled “terrorism”? Mustafa:. I was born Mustafa Ghalib Jonker in Bo-Kaap, Cape Town in the year 1979 as a Muslim. After the oppression of the unjust apartheid regime became unbearable, combined with the oppression we faced by the disbelieving Qadiani/Ahmadi sect, my father immigrated with us to the Arabian peninsula in 1986. I grew up and finished my studies in Hijaz and spent 16 years of my life living in the cities of Makkah, Jeddah and Madinah. I, like thousands of Muslims like me am concerned at the plight of the oppressed in general and of the Muslim Ummah in particular which over the last century has witnessed an unprecedented onslaught from global disbelief. We returned to South Africa in 1999 and I soon realized that while the racist apartheid regime had been removed, this new “democracy” had come about by the African National Congress selling South Africa to multi-national corporations. The

ANC has a history of concern for only the middle and upper class blacks. Today South Africa has the biggest gap between rich and poor in the world; a direct result of the governments neo-liberal capitalist policies. A wealthy elite own South Africa’s wealth while 30 million people suffer from poverty. Resulting from this poverty is crime of which South Africa has the highest statistics in the world as well. As far as this word ‘terrorist’ goes, it is a label placed on anyone challenging the greedy bloodthirsty agenda of the West and I therefore take pride in it. JUS: What were the immediate circumstances that lead up to raid? Mustafa: Positive steps have been taken over the last few years to alert our Muslim brothers and sisters to evils and dangers of this new American led imperialism. We reminded the youth of the Cape flats that the Qur’an is our constitution and that in complete submission to Allah alone and rejection of everything besides Him can this nation face its enemies. We gave advice to the Muslim Judicial Council through several communiqués encouraging them to distance themselves from the ANC and reminding them that democracy is a religion other than Islam and that it spoils faith like vinegar spoils honey. We advised the students of religion studying abroad that the purpose of knowledge is not accumulation but implementation and that the essence of knowledge is Allah’s oneness and all that this testimony holds of implications. We also engaged South African socialists, in particular the Anarchist movement in talks and debates in the hopes of reaching a common ground in our mutual animosity towards the states unjust economic system. Our actions were due to the pain we felt with the poor, downtrodden and oppressed. This is a bit of the circumstances leading to the raid. JUS: I understand that authorities raided your home in the early morning of January 25, 2008. Can you please tell us about the raid itself? Mustafa: My parent’s house, my sister’s house next door, and two other family homes along with a house related to two of the brothers mentioned in the search warrant were all raided at the same time. Explosive unit members were present as well as police officers armed with semi-automatic pistols and Uzi submachine guns. I heard that a police officer pointed a pistol in the face of a young boy in the house related to the two brothers. Some other details of the raid were mentioned in the media but what was not mentioned is that the South African police has committed an act of great stupidity by repeatedly targeting Muslims. JUS: How did your family react and how has this incident affected

them? Mustafa: They were obviously distressed especially since most the houses raided had small children in them. JUS: The press is reporting that authorities confiscated a bottle of liquid pool cleaner, a bottle of paint

Mustafa Jonker

remover and a bottle of hair bleach from your home. Did they take anything else? Is this what they are considering as evidence? Mustafa: They also took all my books, documents, computer harddrive, cell phone, I.D., passport and drivers license. JUS: There was an Israeli national in the raid. What was he doing there and what do you think this signifies? Mustafa: I say that whether there was an Israeli in the raid makes no difference as it is a fact that the Jews around the world using the Crusaders are the main benefactors of this global campaign against Islam. JUS: You are challenging the warrant that lead to the search and seize to begin with. On what grounds are you asking the courts to set the warrant aside? Mustafa: The police have offered no proof for the charges upon which they found a need to raid my house nor did they find anything during the raids to arrest me. JUS: If you are unsuccessful in convincing the courts to set aside the warrant, are you expecting to be charged with some “terrorismrelated” offense? Mustafa: This is a possibility as

this is the nature of the suspicions mentioned in the search warrant. JUS: Why do you think that you were singled out for this raid? Mustafa: They say that I am leading an organization planning to overthrow the government. JUS: One of the startling aspects of this story is the fact that it occurred in South Africa which is viewed as a liberal democratic country and not viewed as having “terrorism” problems. Is this an isolated incident or reflective of tightening laws designed to conform Muslims to western thinking? Mustafa: This is not an isolated incident. South Africa has a history of compliance with America. In 1999 South Africa co-operated with the FBI in arresting and extraditing our brother Khalfan Khamis Muhammad to America, even though South Africa’s law forbids it from extraditing anyone to a country that practices the death penalty. Just over two years ago Sheikh Khalid Rashid, a respected Sheikh from Pakistan who was known to speak the truth without fear, was kidnapped and during a night raid in Durban by the South African intelligence, taken to a military base and put on a C.I.A plane out of the country. For months nobody knew the location of this respected scholar. A pre-condition to South Africa hosting the 2010 world cup was that it passes America’s “anti-terrorism bill”. The reason behind this subservience became clear when we were told by a respected scholar from Cape Town who attended a meeting discussing

the concerns regarding the passing of the “anti-terrorism bill” that a member of government said in the meeting: “Nobody can oppose America because America is not a superpower it is a “hyper-power” JUS: How you are coping with the pressures of this struggle? Mustafa: Whilst matters like this do cause us financial and social hardship, we are comforted by the fact that our fate has already been written by Allah. JUS: Are you getting any support at all from the Muslim community locally? What are your current needs? Mustafa: Praise be unto Allah we have received some good support especially from individuals and families who have a history of bravery in confronting oppression. As far as my needs are concerned, Allah is sufficient, but I say that South Africa’s women and children need brave freemen to protect them and to ward off the overcast of this dual religious/ economic onslaught. The Muslims need from their scholars in the MJC to distance themselves from the injustices of the system and its root causes, and to remember that truth does not lie in numbers but in principles and to know that the families of the victims of the crimes around the country and the millions of poor in the townships are waiting for you in earnest to raise the word of : “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger.” (Curtesy of Mustafa Jonker, full-version on www.jihadunspun.com)

Palestinians turn to SA for help

April 2008 - Human rights activist, Susan, sharing the experiences of the Trojan Horse Massacre in Athlone, SA – 15 October 1985 with Palestinian parents who’s children were targeted and murdered by the Israeli Military. The Palestinian parents, living in Palestine 1948 borders, had through the Israeli Justice System accused the soldiers of murder, after 8 years, the Israeli Courts closed the cases citing ‘lack of evidence’. The Palestinians are hoping to learn from SA past and support in asserting International pressure on Israel to re-open their cases and act justly.

10

MAY 2008 - Rabi Al-Akhar 1429

MAIL BAG – LETTERS, EMAIL AND SMS [email protected] • fax 021 697 2304 sms 074 227 4345

Daddy Goodbye Daddy, why did you leave mommy? Sweetie, here’s a menu. What would you like? You can have anything I know you used to fight a lot, but there good days. I don’t understand? Have you decided what you’d like my angel?

I miss you o much and I need you, otherwise I might have to find daddies else where, and they might not be good to me. Mmmm, chicken nuggets, good choice. I remember you used to like those poppet. I wish you remembered more about me daddy. Sometimes I feel like I’m slipping from your mind. Oooh, here’s our food, smells good my precious, enjoy. I enjoy being with you, daddy, why can’t I see you everyday, why only on Saturday’s? Lovie, why are you eating so slowly. Don’t you want pudding? I want more of your time daddy, can’t you see I’m desperate.

Oh, here’s the bill. Wasn’t that lovely my girl. I won’t always be your girl daddy, one day I’ll be a woman and I’ll need you more than ever. Ah ha! Her we are at your house. It was good to see you my darling. See you next Saturday. I love you Daddy, goodbye. By Lauren Bates

FATWA – Quranic ringtones haraam Saudi council of Muftis have given an unanimous Fatwa that ring tones on QURAN AAYAT are haraam because the AAYAT are not complete when we pick the phone and meanings of AAYAT changes when they

Title: I Can Wear Hijab Anywhere Author: Yasmin Ibrahim Publication: Islamic Foundation By: Layla Misbach

email your review and photograph to info@islamicmedia. co.za or fax 021 697 2304 – We would love to hear from you.

Zivia Sallie

Please help, they playing games as,aleykum?my name is mahmuod mohammed, I shall be glad if u shall assist me in this matter please. I used to work for a security company,westpoint for almost two years,actually I did resign on 30/06/2006,I as usual I did compete my termination forms and handed them at NBCI in c/town branch.since that time I have been waiting for them to pay my provident funds,last time I did phoned them they gave me

my reference no.XXXXX. but till this moment I haven’t receive my funds.last week I phone them they say they are offline and they don’t know till when.honestly I just feel like they are playing games with me,could u kindly help me kanalla on this as I have been to labour ,but they say they don’t deal with this matter.may allah[s. w]give you power to assist me on this shukran. Dear Mahmuod, We tried contacting you with respect to your query, but have not received a response from you. One of our labour brokers has volunteered to assist you in this matter. Please contact our offices 021 697 22494 or email: [email protected]

SAVOURY RICE

Book Reviews

My name is Layla Misbach and I am 10 years old full-time at the Imam Hafs Academy in Rondebosch. My writes for the Community News and has many book parties. especially enjoyed this book very much. The book tells me about Hijab and that I can wear it in lots of places. The book is filled with such pretty pictures of beautiful girls in hijab. When I saw these pictures I realized that I don’t have to feel embarrassed to where my scarf at all. It does not matter how old I am , how I wear it or even where I am. What is important is that it is beautiful and I choose to wear my hijab because it pleases Allah.

are not complete. QURAN is for Hidayat and not for ring tones, Please inform others

The Shaikhs Exotics Way

and studying hifz mommy, Roshaan, I love to read and I

Ingredients • 2 cups Basmati rice • 1 onion sliced finely • 2tblsp butter or oil • 1 ripe tomato chopped • 1 red pepper cut in cubes • 1 yellow pepper cut in cubes • ½ punnet of mushrooms, washed and sliced • ½ cup peas • 1tsp salt • 1 tsp crushed garlic or paste • few strands of Shaikhs Exotic Saffron ( pour boiling water over saffron and allow to steep till needed ) • 10ml Shaikhs Exotic Malay/ Thai spice • 2.5ml Shaikhs Exotic mixed herbs • ¼ bunch of fresh coriander / dhanya (washed and chopped)

Shaikhs Exotics Blomvlei Road Lansdowne

Method 1. Boil rice in 6 cups of water and 1tsp of salt. Drain and set aside. 2. Heat butter and add onions. Braise until golden brown. 3. Add tomatoes, garlic salt, saffron, Malay/ Thai spice and herbs and cook for 5 minutes 4. Add peppers, mushrooms and peas. Cook for few minutes. 5. Add cooked rice and chopped coriander / dhanya. Mix well and steam for a few minutes untill all flavours have blended into rice.

11

MAY 2008 - Rabi Al-Akhar 1429

My Father Died Alone in Gaza By RAMZY BAROUD I still vividly remember my father’s face - wrinkled, apprehensive, warm - as he last wished me farewell fourteen years ago. He stood outside the rusty door of my family’s home in a Gaza refugee camp wearing old yellow pyjamas and a seemingly ancient robe. As I hauled my one small suitcase into a taxi that would take me to an Israeli airport an hour away, my father stood still. I wished he would go back inside; it was cold and the soldiers could pop up at any moment. As my car moved on, my father eventually faded into the distance, along with the graveyard, the water tower and the camp. It never occurred to me that I would never see him again. I think of my father now as he was that day. His tears and his frantic last words: “Do you have your money? Your passport? A jacket? Call me the moment you get there. Are you sure you have your passport? Just check,one last time” My father was a man who always defied the notion that one can only be the outcome of his circumstance. Expelled from his village at the age of 10, running barefoot behind his parents, he was instantly transferred from the son of a landowning farmer to a penniless refugee in a blue tent provided by the United Nations in Gaza. Thus, his life of hunger, pain, homelessness, freedom-fighting, love, marriage and loss commenced. The fact that he was the one chosen to quit school to help his father pro-

vide for his now tent- dwelling family was a huge source of stress for him. In a strange, unfamiliar land, his new role was going into neighboring villages and refugee camps to sell gum, aspirin and other small items. His legs were a testament to the many dog bites he btained during these daily journeys. Later scars were from the shrapnel he acquired through war. As a young man and soldier in the Palestinian unit of the Egyptian army, he spent years of his life marching through the Sinai desert. When the Israeli army took over Gaza following the Arab defeat in 1967, the Israeli commander met with those who served as police officers under Egyptian rule and offered them the chance to continue their services under Israeli rule. Proudly and willingly, my young father chose abject poverty over working under the occupier’s flag. And for that, predictably, he paid a heavy price. His two-yearold son died soon after. My oldest brother is buried in the same graveyard that bordered my father’s house in the camp. My father, who couldn’t cope with the thought that his only son died because he couldn’t afford to buy medicine or food,would be found asleep near the tiny grave all night, or placing coins and candy in and around it.

My father’s reputation as an intellectual, his passion for Russian literature, and his endless support of fellow refugees brought him untold trouble with the Israeli authorities, who retaliated by denying him the right to leave Gaza. His severe asthma, which he developed as a teenager was compounded by lack of adequate medical facilities. Yet, despite daily coughing streaks and constantly gasping for breath, he relentlessly negotiated his way through life for the sake of

his family. On one hand, he refused to work as a cheap laborer in Israel. “Life itself is not worth a shred of one’s dignity,” he insisted. On the other, with all borders sealed except that with Israel, he still needed a way to bring in an income. He would buy cheap clothes, shoes, used TVs, and other miscellaneous goods, and find a way to transport and sell them in the camp. He invested everything he made to ensure that his sons and daughter could receive a

good education, an arduous mission in a place like Gaza.

I promised that I would find a way. I failed.

But when the Palestinian uprising of 1987 exploded, and our camp became a battleground between stone-throwers and the Israeli army, mere survival became Dad’s overriding concern. Our house was the closest to the Red Square, arbitrarily named for the blood spilled there, and also bordered the ‘Martyrs’ Graveyard’. How can a father adequately protect his family in such surroundings? Israeli soldiers stormed our house hundreds of times; it was always him who somehow held them back, begging for his children’s safety, as we huddled in a dark room awaiting our fate. “You will understand when you have your own children,” he told my older brothers as they protested his allowing the soldiers to slap his face. Our ‘freedom-fighting’ dad struggled to explain how love for his children could surpass his own pride. He grew in my eyes that day.

Since the siege on Gaza, my father’s life became impossible. His ailments were not ‘serious’ enough for hospitals crowded with limbless youth. During the most recent Israeli onslaught, most hospital spaces were converted to surgery wards, and there was no place for an old man like my dad. All attempts to transfer him to the better equipped West Bank hospitals failed as Israeli authorities repeatedly denied him the required permit.

It’s been fourteen years since I last saw my father. As none of his children had access to isolated Gaza, he was left alone to fend for himself. We tried to help as much as we could, but what use is money without access to medicine? In our last talk he said he feared he would die before seeing my children, but

“I am sick, son, I am sick,” my father cried when I spoke to him two days before his death. He died alone on March 18, waiting to be reunited with my brothers in the West Bank. He died a refugee, but a proud man nonetheless. My father’s struggle began 60 years ago, and it ended a few days ago. Thousands of people descended to his funeral from throughout Gaza, oppressed people that shared his plight, hopes and struggles, accompanying him to the graveyard where he was laid to rest. Even a resilient fighter deserves a moment of peace. Ramzy Baroud teaches mass communication at Curtin University of Technology and is the author of The Second Palestinian Intifada: A Chronicle of a People’s Struggle.He is also the editor-in-chief of PalestineChronicle.com.

Pressure Not Placation is Needed to Finally Effect Change In Zimbabwe The interesting thing about the recent elections in Zimbabwe is not that Zanu-PF and Robert Mugabe lost the vote (which has happened before) but that they seem to have lost the count as well. In the March 2002 presidential poll the Movement for Democratic Change leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, won a substantial majority of votes cast. However, the count was fixed to give Mugabe victory. The International Herald Tribune reported at the time that all results had been channelled through a Zanu-PF command centre in Harare headed by two Mugabe loyalists. Zanu-PF certainly had the power to something similar this time around, as the Zimbabwean Electoral Commission is completely under its control. According to The Guardian (UK) Mugabe met with his intelligence and military

chiefs on Sunday evening to discuss their response to Tsvangirai’s apparent victory in the presidential poll. The article quoted a diplomatic source as saying that one option was for Mugabe to simply “declare victory. Cooler heads prevailed. It was decided to use the [election commission] process of drip, drip where you release results over a long period, giving the opposition gains at first but as time wears on ZanuPF pulls ahead.” This may have been a fatal mistake. Because the count was posted at each polling station - as well as sent through to the ZEC - the MDC and independent monitors were able to collect these results, publish them, and thereby pre-empt any Zanufication of the results. The regime was forced into conceding through The Herald, firstly, that

Mugabe had not won a majority of votes cast; and, secondly, that Zanu-PF had lost its majority in the lower house of parliament. The Zuma factor It is notable that Robert Mugabe retained his grip on power for longer than Thabo Mbeki did, but not much longer. It is only now that Mbeki is finished politically that Mugabe’s hold on power has begun to slip. In the last three stolen elections Zanu-PF could always safely rely upon Mbeki to go to great lengths to legitimise the results. Could it be that one reason for Zanu-PF’s prevarication last Sunday was that they were now suddenly unsure of the ANC’s continued support? Whatever his earlier complicity in keeping Zanu-PF in power, Jacob Zuma certainly owes a moral and political debt to the anti-Mugabe forces Zimbabwe.

As noted before, Aristotle observed in Politics, “it is not easy for a person to do any great harm when his tenure of office is short, whereas long possession begets tyranny in oligarchies and democracies.” By keeping Mugabe in power, and allowing him to bring ruin to Zimbabwe, Mbeki provided the ANC with an object lesson in the danger of allowing a leader to extend his term of office. The metaphor by which the delegates at Polokwane justified their rejection of “Thabo Mugabeki” was that they didn’t want “another Zimbabwe” in South Africa. Diplomatic Virodene The West can always be relied upon to do the wrong thing in Africa. The Times reports that Western diplomats are involved in brokering a deal whereby Mugabe will - in return for accept-

ing his loss in the elections - get immunity from prosecution and the right to retain his ill-gotten property. Zanu-PF will meanwhile continue in power through a government of national unity. The article quotes a Western diplomat as explaining way the moral squalor of this proposal by describing it as “African solution to an African problem.” The ANC, to its great credit, did not buy into this kind of Afrononsense when it came to jettisoning its own leader. It voted Mbeki and his cronies out of office and they just had to accept it. There was no “African solution” there, just a perfectly normal democratic one to a problem of a leader who had outstayed his welcome. (Moneyweb-edited by Sanaa Petersen)

12

MAY 2008 - Rabi Al-Akhar 1429

When deciding on Divorce ish reasons such as greed, power or lust

fer can dramatically affect later on in life.

but more so because it is in the interest of

Children look up to their parents to be their

oneself, the children and the spouse col-

mentors and their safety net.

lectively only because the relationship is destructive.

I

of the abuse.

The applicant can go to the court in the area which he/she, or the abusive partner lives

Protection orders offers various forms of

or works or where the abuse took place.

relief. It could order the respondent (per-

In addition if physical abuse took place, the

Islam does not reject Talaq

For those who feel the need (for whatever

son committing an act of domestic vio-

complainant is then entitled to report a crim-

(divorce) but provides that it is the most

reason) to remain in an abusive relation-

lence) to pay emergency monetary relief,

inal charge of assault regardless of whether

hated legal thing!

ship, it is not the end of the world. There

to be prohibited from verbally, emotionally

there is an interdict in place or not.

is hope and they can continue to work on

or physically abusing the applicant, from

A woman often fears that if she leaves her

the marriage and hope but over and above

threatening to prevent applicant and/or

Interdicts should however not be taken

husband, she will not be able to exist inde-

that they can make conscious decisions

children from entering or remaining at the

lightly nor should it be misused as it has

pendently from him and they tend to be of

whether or not to approach help in order to

common home (regardless if the home is

serious consequences.

the opinion that as a result the children will

force the abusive partner to behave and to

rented or owned by the respondent and

person who commits perjury (tells lies) un-

suffer, when in fact at times, by staying on

treat them with dignity.

even paid by respondent).

der oath in order to obtain an interdict can

One should first try approaching relatives

It could also order the respondent not to

or religious figures in the community to

slander, humiliate, stalk or harass the applicant, etc.

ndividuals should assess the degree

in the marriage, parent’s causes the chil-

and effect of abuse they are subjected

dren more harm.

to and the impact that it has on their re-

For example a

be fined up to R2, 000.00 or imprisoned for up to 2 years.

spective children. If they are feel that they

Women possess many untapped qualities

address issues in the marriage and if all

are not emotionally capable as well as in

and once they are faced with challenges

else fails then approach a court of law for

a position to objectively assess their own

or emergencies, they are amazed at their

a protection order at the domestic violence

The Domestic Violence Act provides that

situation, then it is advisable to seek as-

skills, talent and strength and their ability to

court. Such an interdict as it is commonly

anyone who is in a domestic relationship

If you would like to more information

sistance from professionals.

cross any hurdle.

called will order the abuser to refrain from

with someone who or is subjected to abuse

or to share your experiences or have a

committing any act of domestic violence.

by his/her partner may approach the court

general legal question please contact

for a protection order. The only cost to be

us on [email protected] or fax 021 697 2304

Until next time Salaams Nurjahan Khan

If it turns out that there is no alternative

Many parents tend to think that staying in

and all genuine attempts to save the mar-

the marriage is better for the sake of their

Should the abuser breach the interdict

paid is the sheriff’s fee for service of ap-

riage has failed then it is better to end

children but this is not always the case

he may be arrested or ordered to ap-

proximately R70.00

such a marriage. Not for one’s own self-

since the psychological harm they suf-

pear in court depending on the severity

Defining Our Legacy part 2 Masjidul Ishraaq

5th Avenue, Lotus River

Brief History 1980 - Land acquired 1984 - Construction commenced 1989 - Construction completed 1986 - First jamaah salaah performed Major renovations undertaken in 1999 Committee members their roles and contact numbers • Sedick Gamiet (Chairperson) Tel.797-1574, 072 6243517 • Thaabit Sambo (Vice Chair) Tel.706-9303 • Ismail Adams (Secretary) • Achmat Adams (Treasurer) • Ebrahim Sambo (Fundraising) • Mansoor Sasman (Building/Maintenance) • Ridwaan Sambo (Social Welfare) • Ebrahim Abrahams (Trustee) • Moosa Appels (Trustee) • Abdullah Slamang (Trustee)

Previous Imaam Sheikh Ahmed Ismaeel Samaai (1997) Current Imam Asst Imam Mogammad Allie Bassier (1986- present) Sheikh Shaheen Abrahams (1998-present) 24hr Contact Waseela Tel.705-5471, 082 2186704

Activities 1. Educare classes, Mon-Thurs from 7.00am-5.30pm 2. Madressa classes, Mon- Thurs afternoons. 3. Ladies classes : Monday evening and Tues & Thurs mornings. 4. Fiqh classes : Monday evenings. 5. Hajj class on Tuesday evenings. 6. Arabic language on Wednesday evenings. 7. Tableegh programme on Tuesday after Magrib. 8. Raatibul Gaddaad on Thurs after Magrib. 9. Ladies Tableegh on first Tues morning of every month. 10. Tahajjud salaah one Sunday a month, an hour before Fajr. 11. Ghatamal Quran once a month on Sunday after Magrib.

The ladies committee of Masjidul Ishraaq in Lotus River commemorated the birth of the holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) with their sisters of Saydina Bilal Masjid, Makazar, South Khayalitsha. The women shared their traditions and stories of the life of the Prophet.

Kindly sponsored by :

4 Avenue, Grassy Park Tel: 021-706 1974

Buck Rd, Lotus River Tel: 021-703 0177

Bank Details First National Bank Grassy Park Branch A/c No.54820736080

Saudi Teachers College Hands “Cape Town the City of Bondage” Over Qurans to Hifz Academies Dr Abdul Rahaman Madkhali, Human Development Official Trainer, for the Jazan Teachers’ College in Saudi Arabia handed over Qurans to the Muslim Judicial Council Quranic Affairs on the 15 April 2008 at their new offices in Little street, Athlone. This symbolic gesture will pave the way in developing a uniform methodology in memorizing and teaching the Holy Quran - internationally. (l) Dr Abdul Rahaman Madkhali handing over the Qurans to Hifz Academies with Moulana Ihsaan Hendricks observing the hand-over.

The official launch of book titled,”Cape Town the City of Bondage” by Mogamat Ganief Kamedien, a renowned South African Slave researcher at Wynberg High school on the 16th February 2008 under auspices of Cape Family Historical Society. (L-R) Mahdie Mohamed, researcher Mogamat Ganief Kamedien and Mogamad Hartley