muslim views, february 2016

Vol. 30 No. 2 JAMAD-UL-AWWAL 1437 l FEBRUARY 2016

MAHMOOD SANGLAY

PEOPLE generally work inorder to earn a living. As arule, a living wage is what

one would expect from one’swork. However, it appears thisdoes not apply to imamsappointed to lead congregationsin mosques.

Employees doing God’s work –when human beings are technical-ly the employers – are confrontedwith a peculiar set of challenges.It is a safe generalisation to makethat members of the clergy inmany parts of the world are notprotected by conventional labourlaw, unless employment contractsare in place. They are, effectively,at the mercy of their congrega-tions or bodies, such as commit-tees, responsible for the manage-ment of these religious institu-tions.

The problem is somewhatnuanced, though, if one considersthe different religious denomina-tions. According to an online arti-cle published by Slate in 2012,rabbis are the best paid clergy inthe US, followed by Christiandenominations. Muslims are typi-cally at the bottom of the pyra-mid.

American Muslims are amongthe wealthiest citizens in the US.South African Muslims, as a reli-gious group, do not broadly sharethe economic prosperity as theirAmerican counterparts. Theworking and living conditions ofimams in South Africa are, gener-ally, to say the least, quitedeplorable.

A cursory enquiry into work-ing and living conditions ofimams in the Western Caperevealed that there are approxi-mately 235 imams (includingassistant imams) employed atabout 180 mosques and jamaatkhanas in the province.

In the absence of reliable data,a crude estimate for an averageimam’s salary is between R5 000and R7 000, excluding benefits.However, it is not uncommon forimams working in poor commu-nities to earn between R2 000 toR3 000 per month.

According to Shaikh Muham-mad West of the Western Capechapter of the Imam Develop-ment Project (IDP), the lowestpaid imams receive salaries of lessthan R1 000 per month.

He adds that imams who sup-plement their regular income withthat from other work, such as

teaching, are able to collectivelyearn R7 000 per month. He cau-tions that although this may be areasonable generalisation thereare also notable exceptions.

Generally, the disparitybetween earnings of imams inmore affluent areas on the CapeFlats and that of the poorer areasis vast.

One mosque in an affluentarea collectively pays R25 000 tothe imam and his assistant. How-ever, direct comparisons in earn-ings between areas and mosquesare potentially misleading.

The reason is that the remuner-ation offered by each mosque is afunction of four key variables.The first is the imam’s jobdescription and the second is thequalification, skills level, compe-tency and experience of the imam.The third is whether he is the soleappointment at the mosque, andthe fourth is his other possiblesources of income.

Ideally, a balanced analysis ofthese combined factors shouldenable one to draw credible con-clusions about the standard of liv-ing of our imams.

While data from research inthis area is currently unavailable,there is broad consensus that theearnings of imams are generallyvery poor.

This is evident from anecdotalevidence, findings and observa-tions of initiatives such as the IDP.For example, it is rare that a sin-gle imam servicing a mosque con-gregation of 600 to 800 members,even if he is paid at the higher endof the scale, copes with the typicalresponsibilities of an imam.

A full-time imam of a 600-800member congregation mosqueleading the five daily prayers,delivering the weekly sermon andteaching madrasah and a numberof other classes per week is usual-ly expected to be on standby forduties at weddings and name-giv-

ings, for counselling and funerals,typically at any time of day ornight.

Shaikh West says a qualifiedgraduate from a renowned darululoom or similar institutionabroad, holding the equivalent ofa four-year degree and with tenyears experience is comparable toa senior high school teacher.

In exceptional cases, he may becomparable to a high school prin-cipal. Hence, says Shaikh West,for fulfilling the above responsi-bilities, such an imam should bepaid at least R15 000.

Unfortunately, this is not thepractice, nor do any objectivestandards for the remuneration ofimams exist.

An imam typically does nothave the benefit of a medical aidand life insurance, and no imambelongs to a trade union.

Few imams own modes oftransport and fewer still ownhomes.

Employment contracts forimams are, however, more com-monplace.

In the absence of empiricaldata, the anecdotal evidenceshared by IDP with Muslim Viewsis particularly poignant.

Shaikh West related the storyof an imam in Mitchells Plainresponsible for distributing fitrahhampers ahead of Eid ul Fitr.

The imam’s standard of livingwas lower than that of many ofthe recipients of the fitrah ham-pers. He was in greater need ofassistance but the risk of indigni-ty precluded him from disclosingthis.

Generally, imams are unable tosend their children to ‘acceptable’schools due to their financial lim-itations.

Few of them possess their ownvehicles. Yet, they are expected tobe on standby at all hours forfunerals, weddings and coun-selling, and be present with theaid of either public transport orby travelling on foot. Little regardis given to the personal and fami-ly time of the imam.

Shaikh West says imams are, insome cases, required to providecleaning services at mosques orserve as receptionists at the busi-nesses of committee members.

There are instances where theyare expected to wash the vehiclesof committee members.

The IDP is a national initiativebut, in the Western Cape, the pro-ject has, over the past year and ahalf, directly assisted twentyimams and two muallimas(women madrasah teachers) whoare currently part of its pro-gramme.

The project essentially involvesa ‘top-up package’ (in addition totheir income at the mosque) ofR2 000 per month as well asaccess to some basic health ser-vices, vocational training andtools, such as a laptop, cellphoneand technical support with theuse of these devices.

In addition, imams who arepart of the project are incentivisedwith rewards for exceptional per-formance, including a fully spon-sored Hajj.

The programme has distrib-uted over R1,2 million in supportto imams since its inception, in2014.

The IDP is funded almostexclusively by donations fromindividuals and businesses. Itreceives no support from local orinternational funding bodies.

Local imams do not earn a living wage

Auwal Mosque, in Dorp Street, Bo-Kaap, the oldest mosque in South Africa has been in existence for 222 years,since 1794. One of the events held to commemorate this milestone was a khatm of the Quran, held on January 31.The first imam of the mosque, Imam Abdullah ibn Qadi Abdus Salaam – also known as Tuan Guru – is said to havehandwritten a few copies of the Quran from memory while being imprisoned on Robben Island. One of these is ondisplay in the mosque, the interior of which has been substantially revamped. An article on the mosque, titled ‘Ashort history of Auwal Mosque’, appears on page 13. Photo TOYER NAKIDIEN

Muslim Views

Muslim Views . February 20162

Muslim Views . February 2016 3

Muslim Views

Our leaders are dangerous

MUCH of President Zuma’s Stateof the Nation address (Sona)focused on the economy. It is

the economic crisis that is forcedupon us so it makes sense that thepresident speaks to this crisis. In thecourse of his address he accomplished a worn political stratagem.This stratagem is that he is actuallyspeaking about the economy. After all, itis our economy and, as citizens, wehave a legitimate expectation of thepresident to address what chiefly ailsthis country. But we also have a responsibility to see through his stockrhetoric.The president uses some choice camouflaging devices in his address. Forone, he speaks of measures to cut backon state expenditure, namely, eliminatingthe duplication and cost of servicing botha legislative and an administrative capital. This intervention has beendebated even before the advent ofdemocratic rule in 1994. Had he beenserious, he would have presented therecommendations of a comprehensivecost-benefit analysis of the move.Experts, even in a cursory analysis, areof the view that such an intervention willbe, at best, ineffectual or, at worst, disastrous. Instead, it appears a cosmetic and ill-considered ploy todeflect attention away from the real economic crisis we’re in. The real crisisis that South Africa is a hair’s breadthaway from junk status on the globalagency ratings. This, together with the spectacular fall of the rand following thedismissal of Finance Minister Nene,unemployment at almost 26 per cent,extreme poverty affecting over 12 millionpeople and inflation heading for 5,7 percent, more substantively describe the

true state of our economy. The presidentchooses to ignore these key indicators inhis address. Poverty in South Africa isaggravated because it remains raciallydefined in character. And economistsagree that poverty should be confrontedby government with a three-pronged regimen of education, service deliveryand grants. So, service delivery to thepoor and education for the poor shouldbe prioritised and integrated with theR155,3 billion spent on 16,4 millionrecipients in 2015. This is not happening.Our educational system is failing ourpeople and our service delivery is characterised by gross mismanagementand corruption at municipal level. (It isworth noting that the word ‘corruption’does not occur in the president’saddress.) Another measure economistsagree on is that the bloated cabinetshould be radically trimmed to effect significant reduction, in the billions, ingovernment expenditure. There was nohint of this type of intervention.The president is also of the view that thesale of state-owned enterprises will alleviate the strain on the fiscus. Evenmoderately liberal economists say therelief thus delivered will be short-lived.Moreover, the privatisation of theseenterprises, especially those that deliveressential services, like Eskom, is athreat to the vast majority of our people.Openly neoliberal politicians like theDemocratic Alliance call for the kind ofprivatisation that has a greater potentialof enriching corporations and furtherimpoverishing the poor. And some withinthe ruling party concur. This crudely pro-capitalist agenda is clearly consistent with the unabashed neoliberaltone of the president’s address. This isevident in his mention that he had ‘heardthe suggestions from the business community’ and that, after a meetingwith the banking sector, he triumphantlydeclares ‘Together we move South Africaforward!’ echoing the tagline of a leadingcommercial bank. The distaste is feltmost by the poor who are witness to agiggling statesman and his comradeswhose popularity is in decline evenamong their own voters. Yet, he holdssway over those whom he has appointedin key positions. And they remain loyal tohis mission of protecting their spoils,even to the Constitutional Court. Theydemonstrate a greater interest in protecting what they have to lose than inexercising responsible stewardship of anation.Richard Nixon famously said, ‘When thepresident does it, that means that it isnot illegal.’ Such perversion of leadershipis dangerous.

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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This newspaper carries Allah’s names, the names of theProphets and sacred verses of the Holy Qur’an.

Please treat it with the respect it deserves.Either keep, circulate or recycle.

Please do not discard.

HENNIE VAN VUUREN

THE consequences of corruption in public procurement for

communities are disastrous.They result in sub-standardhousing, a lack of basic medicine in public sector hospitals, schools textbooksthat ‘disappear’ and so-called‘service providers’ who abusethe rights of social grant beneficiaries.

The government has finallystarted to respond to this prob-lem. In 2013, a chief procure-ment officer was establishedwithin the National Treasury. Acentral supplier database and e-tender portal were created. Theyrequire all levels of governmentto share information.

Other recent reforms includethe Public Administration Act,introduced in 2014 after manyyears of foot-dragging. This pro-vides stiff penalties for state offi-cials doing business with thestate through a private entity.

At one stage, there were tensof thousandsof these indi-viduals. Theauditor-gen-eral said theywere ‘moon-lighting’. Ins o m ei n s t a n c e sthey wereinvolved ina w a r d i n gtenders tocompanies inwhich theyo w n e dshares orheld direc-torships.

However,the act alsohas significant shortcomings. Inparticular, it does not providefor a cooling-off period for pub-lic officials who leave stateemployment to join the privatesector. This does little to addressthe practice of ‘javelin-throw-ing’, where public officialsaward tenders to corporationsand are then rewarded withwell-paid jobs in corporationswhen they leave government.

While most public sector pro-curement is vulnerable to cor-ruption, none is more so thanlarge strategic procurement. It isprotected by a veil of secrecythat uses the language of ‘thenational interest’.

Remember the R70 billionarms deal?

These deals are notoriouslydifficult to investigate becausethe trail of corruption leads tohigh public office and a networkof local and international corpo-rations and middlemen withpolitical connections. The fail-ure of the Seriti Commission ofInquiry to investigate corruptionin the Arms Deal is proof of this.

Another example is the car-tel-like behaviour of large SouthAfrican and international con-

struction companies, which col-luded to fix the price of buildingthe 2010 World Cup stadiums.

Now the government propos-es to spend over R1 trillion onbuilding nuclear power stations.Red flags are already flying,warning of massive corruption.

Private sector the biggest culprit

Much has been said aboutcorrupt public sector officials.But the private sector shouldequally be held to account for itscontribution to corruption.According to the 2014 Pricewa-terhouseCoopers’ Global Eco-nomic Crime Survey, 69 per centof South African businessrespondents indicated that theyhad experienced economiccrime. This is nine percentagepoints higher than in 2011.

The report also shows thatsenior management is now themain perpetrator of economiccrimes committed by insiders.Much of this practice has beenwell documented by the Compe-tition Commission in its investi-

gation intoprice-fixingin sectorssuch asbread andc o n s t r u c -tion.

No sin-gle activityshows bet-ter howcorruptionhas been‘ n o r -m a l i s e d ’within theprivate sec-tor than theissue ofillicit finan-cial flows.

According to the Global Finan-cial Integrity, over R300 billionleft South Africa illegally in2014 – that is over 1 000Nkandla security upgrades.

A network of corporate enti-ties moves money, shields it intax havens and invests andspends it across the globe.

This activity relies on highlevels of corporate secrecy andfraud. This is matched by a pub-lic sector that cannot properlypolice these activities because ofinfighting within anti-corrup-tion agencies or political inter-ference.

None of this should absolvevenal leaders who abuse officefor private gain. But it doesrequire a far more nuancedunderstanding of the highlysecretive networks that shapeour economy and subvert thepublic interest in favour of crim-inal profit.Courtesy: ‘Amandla!’Hennie van Vuuren is aresearch associate at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, currently focusing on transitional justiceand economic crime, and activein the Right2Know Campaign.

Corruption: a networkof profiteers: Part 2

Much has been said

about corrupt public

sector officials. But

the private sector

should equally be

held to account for

its contribution

to corruption.

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr that the Messenger of Allah(SAW) said: The curse of Allah is upon the one who offers a bribeand the one who takes it. (Ibn-Majah and Al-Tirmidhi)

Muslim Views


SHAFIQ MORTONRACISM, a discriminatory anddistasteful fact of human life,lingers unpleasantly in post-apartheid South Africa.Twenty-two years down the line,the social cancer has not beencompletely excised. While itssymptoms can be traced back toan underlying pathology of slavery, colonialism andapartheid, racism is still utterlyrepugnant – despite its psychopathic remnants.

To regard oneself superior toanother person on the basis of aparticular identity is an arrogantfailure of the human spirit. So, toargue, as some boorish politicianscurrently do, that the historicallydisadvantaged cannot ever beracist against whites, is equallyrepugnant.

While some people (such asPenny Sparrow) may not be con-ciliatory citizens in our social tree,their crass ungraciousness can’tever be an excuse for a gener-alised prejudice that all whitesmust be racist. This is ‘reverse’racism, a hate speech that hasmanifested itself in the worstforms of Zionism, where thosewho should be more mindful ofthe Holocaust, have inflicted ter-rible atrocities against Palestini-ans in order to ‘not forget’.

In our Muslim community,particularly in the Western Cape,racism is a rattling skeleton. Evenour politics represents this. TheDemocratic Alliance – despite itsMid-East policies being abhorrentto most Muslims – still gets theMuslim vote because the AfricanNational Congress has come torepresent, in many minds, blackprivilege and coloured disempow-erment.

This sense of disempowerment– which results in what I call ‘sta-tus xenophobia’ – originates fromdisgruntlement on affirmativeaction and perceived threats oflosing privilege. It has to beacknowledged that our forefa-thers, such as the Khoi-San, werethe original inhabitants of theWestern Cape, not the Nguni.

Then there has been divide-and-rule, where, duringapartheid, one clung desperatelyto one’s second-class citizenshipand its paltry privileges over thethird-class.

Again, all of the above – whilestill very much with us psycholog-ically – should never be a vindica-tion for the racially derogatoryplatitudes that pervade our sub-urbs and mosques. The point is:how many black imams do wehave? Can one marry out of one’sclan? And, how do we treat ourMuslim refugees, despite some ofour slave roots being in EastAfrica?

Space prevents further discus-sion of what we’ve discussed sofar but I’m sure the message isclear that our own backyardneeds as much clearing as anyoneelse’s – which leads to the next

point, the little understoodProphetic paradigm with regardsto the burning question of racism.

Many would agree with themetaphor of Iblis, Satan, beingthe first racist when he refused toprostrate to the figure of Adam(AS), his body symbolicallyimbued with the variegated soilsof the earth.

The cursed jinn, made ofsmokeless fire, thought in hisheart that his fiery nature wassuperior to the divine DNA.

However, most of us – whenbesieged by malicious argumentand phobic invective on issues ofrace in Islam – would most likelyresort to the Madinah model, thefirst Islamic society nurtured andeducated by the Prophet (SAW)via Quran and Sunnah, his per-sonal example.

Many like to regard Madinahas some kind of Utopia, a perfectworld. I don’t because, if onelooks closely at the Madinahyears, one soon realises that theperfection was in the Prophet, notin Madinah.

Compared to us, yes, the peo-ple of the city were more elevatedin character and they did developtowering personalities and reach

stupendous heights of spiritualitybut they were still human.

This is not said with any disre-spect but these noble and piousforbears still had to confront theirinherent humanity, their demons,their own weaknesses; they haddifferences of opinion, they expe-rienced marital discord and theysuffered from poverty, bereave-ment, illness and hunger just likeeverybody else.

The point is how they weretaught to deal with these thingsby the Prophet (SAW). That is thebig question – the ‘imperfections’of those in Madinah and howthey dealt with them provide uswith the lessons of today, first bythe Righteous Caliphs, then ImamMalik and the other imams ofknowledge.

One person who admittedlyhad few faults was Bilal – a for-mer black Abyssinian slave freedby Sayyidina Abu Bakr. Bilal’sloud and melodious voice wouldcall the Muslims to prayer. We allknow the instance when Bilal, athin man with bushy hair, wasreferred to as a ‘black crow’ bythree Quraish tribesmen who’djust entered Islam after the con-quest of Makkah.

Through divine means, theProphet (SAW) got to hear of thisdialogue and the famous versesfrom Suratul Hujjarat – ‘We havecreated you into nations andtribes to know each other not todespise each other’ – wererevealed to him by Jibril, theArchangel.

Interestingly, the Propheticmodel of anti-racism (we’ll defineit later) was not the stereotypicalblack-white scenario of today.While Bilal is a shining exampleof how a black person canachieve true human greatness,Madinah was also a multi-racial,multi-cultural locus of being.Suhaib ibn Sinan, the Roman, andSalman, the Persian, who’d joinedthe community, were Compan-ions, too.

Not only did east meet west asprophesied at the noble Messen-ger’s birth but, in modern terms,in the enlightened city of Madi-nah, Arabs, Africans, Europeansand Iranians met each other aswell.

The Prophet’s (SAW) farewellsermon which he delivered duringhis only Hajj tied all of thistogether when he proclaimed onthe Mount of Mercy that therewas ‘no superiority of Arab overnon-Arab, nor black over white’.

However, what we often forgetis that the Prophet (SAW) was notpreaching ‘non-racism’ (whererace is not officially acknowl-edged in the political and socialsense). He was, in fact, being anti-racist (where race is officiallyacknowledged but on firm andequal ground).

This, after all, is the profoundsubtlety of Suratul-Hujjarat – bythe grace of God, we are who weare, and our challenge is to learnhow to live together.

Racism and the art of being anti-racist in the Muslim communityMany would agree with the metaphor of Iblis, Satan,

being the first racist when he refused to prostrate to thefigure of Adam (AS), his body symbolically imbued withthe variegated soils of the earth. The cursed jinn, made

of smokeless fire, thought in his heart that his fiery nature was superior to the divine DNA...


Muslim Views

Muslim Views


MAHMOOD SANGLAYABDUS-shakoor Hurzook, betterknown as Mr A Kays, was theonly surviving founder memberof Muslim News, the precursorto Muslim Views. Kays passedaway on February 2, at the ageof 88.

He, together with GulzarKhan, Sayed Zubair Osmani,Imam Abdullah Haron, BabooMukadam, Kader Paleker andAbdul Aziz (Amla) Gool were thefounders of Muslim News whichcommenced publication in 1960.

Kays was born on November15, 1928, in Kokand, Mumbai.His primary phase schooling wasin an Urdu village school till agetwelve. Thereafter, he accompa-nied his mother to District 6,Cape Town, where his fathermanaged a small grocery shop.

His primary schooling was atthe Muir Street Muslim schooland St Joseph’s English churchschool.

After his father’s demise, whenKays was 15-years-old, hereturned to India where he devel-oped a love for Urdu poetry. In aninterview with Muslim Views, in2006, Kays said, ‘Iqbal was myfoundation,’ referring to AllamaMuhammad Iqbal.

Those years, although markedby the absence of formal school-ing, were remarkably productive.He continued his primary school-ing on returning to South Africaand proceeded to do correspon-dence studies through Union Col-lege.

He returned to Bombay wherehe studied Journalism at Horni-

man College of Journalism whileworking as a cub reporter for thenow defunct Bharat Times. Evenat this time, his interests beyondjournalism extended to Urdupoetry.

After completing his degree injournalism, Mr Kays returned toSouth Africa again and joined theGolden City Post, which was asister publication of Drum maga-zine.

However, in those days,despite their very liberal outlook,these publications practised racialdiscrimination.

As one of the founders of Mus-lim News, Kays also worked aseditor and was paid R45 permonth. The paper supported theANC underground liberationstruggle.

In the early sixties, he under-took a mission for the ANC andleft for India. This is where, withDr Abdul Karim Naik, he metwith Prime Minister Nehru toaddress the ANC’s need for arma-ments in order to continue thestruggle against the apartheidstate.

The Indian government wasreluctant, saying they were a non-violent people but Kays counteredthis argument by pointing out thearmed response of the Indians tothe Portuguese colonialists inGoa, in 1961. He also remindedthe Indian government of ‘aGhandiji trained in South Africa’,indicating that India is underobligation to support the SouthAfrican struggle for liberation.

On his return to South Africa,

Kays was interrogated by thesecurity police who suspected himbut had no evidence of any sub-versive activity on his part. How-ever, Muslim News became thetarget of an apartheid intelligenceoperation. This eventually led tothe arrest of Imam Haron and afive-year banning order wasserved on Kays.

However, it was when RashidSayed left as editor and AbdulQayum Sayed, together with aneditorial board, took over hisposition that Muslim News re-established its revolutionary roleas activist media. ‘The paper tooka bold stand for which he paid aheavy price,’ Kays told MuslimViews in 2006.

In his tribute to Kays, Sayedtold Muslim Views that he wascourageous in his work as jour-nalist for Muslim News. Sayedadded that Kays placed a highvalue on human dignity, that heloved Urdu and was a close friendof poet James Matthews andImam Abdullah Haron. And hewas like a son to Sayed ZubairOsmany.

On a lighter note, says Sayed,Kays worked best while smokinghis favourite Mills cigarettes.

Dr Ali Mahate, a close friendof Kays, told Muslim Views thathe was a talented and selfless manwho dedicated himself to workfor the greater good of others. Acase in point, according toMahate, was the lead Kays took

in establishing the Muslim PrisonBoard. His talent, says Mahate,shone in the work he did withShaikh Abubakr Najaar in editingthe I Am A Muslim series.

He engaged Shaikh Najaar indeep discussions in the writing ofthe text, said Mahate.

Sataar Parker, another closefriend of Kays, recalls the key rolehe played in the establishment ofthe Rylands Cultural Association,in 1971, Bazme Adab soon there-after and the writing and produc-tion of the play Reshmi Kafan.Parker said that what distinguish-es Kays from many other heroicfigures in our community is thediversity of his contribution,ranging through culture, litera-ture, journalism and politics.

Current editor of MuslimViews, Farid Sayed, says Kayswas the last surviving foundermember of Muslim News. Sayedworked with Kays, first as anewsroom runner at the age ofeight, in 1962, and, later, as atrainee proof reader.

However, it was in 1976 whenSayed joined Muslim News asjournalist that Kays exercised agreater influence on him. Much ofSayed’s training under Kays’watch involved the old technicalaspects of newspaper production.

Sayed particularly recalls twoprojects on which he worked withKays. The first was the secondedition of I Am A Muslim and thesecond was the annual RamadaanReport of Hospital Welfare andMuslim Educational Movementin Muslim News.

‘He was meticulous, a sticklerfor perfection,’ Sayed said.

ABDUS-SHAKOOR HURZOOK (1928 – 2016)

We have lost an heir of an era

176 Durban Road, Bellville

Mr Abdus-shakoor Hurzook, betterknown as Mr A Kays, during a visit tothe offices of Muslim Views in January, 2007.

Photo SULAIMAN JACOBS

Muslim Views


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Muslim Views


BASHEER MOOSAGIEWITH the fast evolving andgrowing impact that Islamicfinance has seen, it is necessaryto debunk myths that may be thesource of misunderstandingsabout the industry. This is toensure that Islamic finance ispresented in a fair manner as abona fide ethical institution intended to serve the market.

As a concept, Islamic finance(IF) is a relatively new entrant, asit is only in the last four decadesthat efforts were made to developthis concept.

Does NOT finance terrorismThe biggest misconception

about Islamic Finance is that it isa front for bankrolling terrorism.

Islamic Finance is a legitimateentity which offers shariah-com-pliant financial products as analternative to conventional finan-

cial products.In most jurisdictions, the

financial industry is regulatedover and above other industriesbecause finance can display fail-ures that may have devastatingeffects on the economy.

So, like any other financialentity, Islamic Finance is boundby the same laws, including thosepertaining to terrorism andmoney laundering.

The shariah condemns the ille-gal use of violence, especiallyagainst innocent victims.

As a matter of principle, Islam-ic Finance (IF) prohibits invest-ment in any entity that transactsin the weapons and defenceindustries.

It is NOT exclusively for Muslims

Conventional banking groupslike ABSA, First National Bankand Standard Bank are among thelarger providers of IF services.Also, large prominent multi-nationals such as Nestle and ShellMDS have raised capital throughIF offerings. That said, there isabsolutely no prohibition againstnon-Muslims either consuming IFservices or owning institutionsthat offer IF services. The sanc-tion against the use of interest iscommon to Islam, Christianity,Judaism, Hinduism and Bud-dhism. The moral and ethical val-ues promoted by IF may be val-ued by anyone, regardless offaith. Non-Muslim investors mayalso partake in the ethical restric-tions that forbid Islamic involve-ment in sectors such as alcohol,pornography and gambling.

It is NOT just rebranded conventional finance

It is not difficult to assume thatIF is a replica of conventionalfinance, especially in terms of eco-nomic objectives for its con-

sumers. Because the distinctionbetween IF and conventionalfinance is not obvious, critics dis-regard the differences. Neverthe-less, IF is governed by fundamen-tal principles that are starkly dif-ferent from its counterpart. Inter-est, gambling and excessive risk/ambiguity are some of the ele-ments which are removed from IFproducts, making IF unique in itsoffering.

Though not completelyunscathed, the resilience of Islam-ic finance in surviving the recentfinancial turmoil has attractedinterest in its fundamental princi-ples.

Islamic finance is NOT governed solely by the shariah

When it comes to resolving dis-putes arising from IF contracts,shariah rules do not always apply.Often, the issues in dispute arenot relevant to shariah precepts;they concern civil and commercialrights and obligations as contract-ed by the parties. The interfacebetween the shariah and civil orcommon law systems is bound tooccur, especially in the globalmarket context.

The oil boom did NOT give rise to IF

While the rise in oil prices hasbeen a catalyst for growth, the IFindustry has delivered a steady15-20 per cent growth since itsstart in the 1970s, even beforeglobal oil prices increased. Fac-tors playing a role in IF growth,include: increasing awarenessamong the Muslim population;development of innovative shari-ah-compliant instruments addingan alternative to the market;diversification that caters to dif-ferent market segments. A mythworth mentioning is that IF is thebeginning of an era to replace thecurrent financial system and, ulti-mately, bring about world domi-nance by Islam. The direct oppo-site is quite true; that, in fact, itgoes against the teachings ofIslam to be associated with such amaterial concept as world domi-nation. Islam imparts that thisworld is a mere temporary abodeand that the hereafter is actuallypermanent.

A simple comparison is theHalaal certification that has beenaround for aeons. Today, Halaalcertification has permeated theworld. Until now, no one hasclaimed that Halaal certification’sobjective will see the departure ofnon-halaal food and lay the foun-dation for Islam’s world domina-tion.Basheer Moosagie is a businessdevelopment analyst and volunteers as a consultant atGrow Movement, a UK-basedNGO that helps to unlock thepotential of entrepreneurship inAfrica.

What Islamic finance is notAlthough this article discusses investment infinancial markets, it servesas a primer to the introduction of Islamicfinance. This series willtouch on key aspects ofIslamic finance as well asdiscuss contemporaryissues facing the industry.During the latter stages,the column will attempt todebunk some commonmyths around Islamicfinance, as well as compareIslamic finance with itsconventional counterpart.

Bashier Moosagie. Photo SUPPLIED

The sanction against the use of interest is

common to Islam, Christianity, Judaism,

Hinduism and Buddhism. The moral and

ethical values promoted by IF may be

valued by anyone, regardless of faith.

Muslim Views


ASHREF ISMAILWITH the way technology keepscharging ahead, it will be a sadday when the conventional internal combustion engine (ICE)is replaced by battery electricvehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybridelectric vehicles (PHEVs) or conventional hybrids. But that’sthe way the world is moving.

Advanced technology meansease of use, reduced costs andenvironmental friendliness. Also,no one can deny that, in thefuture, the availability of fossilfuel may be limited so electricpower could be our only feasible,sustainable answer – if we cankeep load-shedding down, that is.

About a decade ago, the onlyreal mainstream hybrid effortfrom the major manufacturerswas the bold Toyota Prius. Whileexperiments with various electricmotors and alternative fuels com-menced almost from the advent ofthe motor car, oil companies wereprobably relieved that no real,viable solution was considered,until recently, that is.

I’m quite sure that they mustbe very concerned that, in thenext decade or sooner, the popu-lation of electric or hybrid electricvehicles would have grown signif-icantly and that the prospect ofmothballing oil fields and refiner-ies, resulting in the laying off ofthousands of workers, will nolonger be a faint, distant possibil-ity.

Yes, folks, to a lesser or greaterdegree of success, besides diesel,we’ve had vehicles running onvarious alternative fuels such asliquid petroleum gas, methanol,ethanol, hydrogen and evenparaffin!

The thing is that all these fuelspowered the internal combustionengine and the reasons why theywere not viable included theavailability of the fuel concerned,the prohibitive costs, the cleanli-ness, the reliability and the overallperformance efficacy.

Needless to say, it’s not like theoil cartels were going to just sitback and allow a multi-trillion

dollar industry to just be sidelinedby some clever fuel alternative!

With the advent of the infor-mation age, the idea of an electricor hybrid electric vehicle startedgaining momentum and, as men-tioned earlier, Toyota showedeveryone the way when, aroundten years ago, they launched theToyota Prius on a lease basisbecause the cost was just too highto see a return on your initialinvestment.

What ‘hybrid electric’ essen-tially means is that there is a com-bination of a petrol and an elec-tric motor but it is important tonote that these vehicles cannot becharged by a plug-in socket.Instead, they are charged throughregenerative braking that con-verts kinetic energy that is nor-mally wasted or lost in conven-tional vehicles, into electricity,making them efficient by signifi-cantly reducing fuel consumption.

One of the highlights of thisapproach is that at town speedsof less than 50 km/h, the car willtravel on electric power, emittingan eerie silence that often takesmany pedestrians by surprise. Gofaster than 50 km/h, out of town,for instance, and the conventionalengine kicks in.

The downside of these electric/hybrid engines is the increasedweight and complexity of havingtwo motors in a car, not to men-tion the additional costs of main-tenance and overall wear and tear.

The initial purchase price is

also quite prohibitive to benefitfrom any reduced consumption.The danger to pedestrians whomight not hear the vehicle silentlyapproaching can also not be ruledout, although no figures exist yetof the number of people injuredor killed by electric cars.

The upside of this type ofmotors is the lowered fuel con-sumption, especially when cover-ing the urban cycle, reducedexhaust emissions and a quieterride at electric speeds.

Of course, everything dependson economies of scale – the moreof anything that is produced, theless the purchase price. So, arepeople going to take to thesetypes of vehicles and, if not, whynot?

Since the Prius, almost everymainstream manufacturer boastsa hybrid or hybrid/ electric vehiclein their product line-up or hasone currently under development.What was most revealing waswhen BMW recently announcedthat, in a few years’ time, their 3Series will consist entirely ofhybrid motors!

Now that’s serious stuff: smallcapacity, high performance andlowered fuel consumption.

Who can resist, especially,since the 3 Series is sold in bucketloads globally and which shouldmean a realistically affordablevehicle.

Electric powered vehicles: energy of the future

Electric vehicles. The way the world is moving as seen through the developmentof the BMW i3 and i8. Photo GOOGLE

Ashref Ismail, who shares monthlymotoring news with Muslim Views’readers. Photo SUPPLIED

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

Muslim Views


BMW also launched twoavant-garde models, the i3 citycar and the futuristic i8 in SouthAfrica to demonstrate just what ispossible by thinking out of thefuel tank!

Early electric designs lookeddreary, sad and lacking character.Performance, too, was so-so andonly Green Peace supporters andself-confessed Hollywood treehuggers were prepared to shellout exorbitant amounts for a‘green’ vehicle.

The Tesla sports car has shownthe motoring world that you can

be environmentally friendly, havea great sporty design and boastunbelievable performance figuresand still not use a drop of petrol.The Chevrolet Volt, sadly notavailable here, is another exampleof a stunning electric/ hybridsedan covered in a gorgeoussedan body.

Nissan launched the Leafwhich, like BMW’s i3 and i8, is aplug-in hybrid electric vehicle(PHEV) meaning they have both,an electric and hybrid motor,

except that the PHEV can becharged by plugging into an out-let.

The main advantage is thatPHEVs can substitute electricityfor fuel which again will meanthat apart from the relatively highinitial purchase price and insur-ance costs, the only cost of run-ning such a car will be the cost ofcharging its batteries.

For now, the biggest draw-backs of the battery electric vehi-cle (BEV) apart from those men-

tioned above are the limited rangeof the battery power and the lackof ‘charging stations’ (placeswhere these vehicles can becharged). Of course, as time goeson, the infrastructure willimprove and expand, making theelectric option much more accept-able because, by then, the costbenefit advantages will becomeobvious as well.

In the not too distant future,diehard motoring enthusiasts willprobably only be able to view big

capacity engines in motoringmuseums, and some of us arereally going to miss the sound andperformance of the turbo V8s ofthe AMGs, RS4s and M3s.

I know a guy who’s so intoengine sounds that he records thehigh revving sounds of variousmotors under acceleration on hisiPad.

Maybe it’s time to release aspecial disc entitled: ‘The Forgot-ten Sounds of Motoring Nir-vana’!

In the not too distant future, diehard motoring enthusiasts will probably only be able to view big capacity engines in motoring museums...

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

Muslim Views


SAADIA KAMISHIN the 1960s, we decided to takeour kids to Durban for the holidays. When we got there, itwas unbearably hot. We drove toIsipingo where the bugs got holdof us.

This was too much and, thefollowing day, we got into ourKombi and drove straight back toCape Town.

On the way back, we had two

blow-outs. First, it was the rightfront tyre. Because it happened atnight, we decided to drive withthe flat tyre, looking for a garagebut then the left front tyre alsoblew. The only thing to do nowwas to get a lift.

My husband got a lift twohours later, and I waited in theKombi with the kids in the dark.

He returned with two brandnew tyres and we arrived homesafely. What an experience!

The Kombi bus became ‘mom’s

taxi’, taking the kids to school.We enjoyed every day with ourKombi.

Later, my husband got aKombi bakkie to use for work.We had great fun because theKombi became our lounge,kitchen and miles and miles ofhappy driving.

The new Kombi is wonderful.One of the things on my wish list

for 2016 is to get one from the J6range.

Well done to the VW company– the best means of travel, com-fort and driving (because I learntto drive on ours). Well done toVW Kombi. My memories are inmy old photo album 1960 to1973.

Thanks and shukran to allthose driving Kombis.

My memories of the good old days in our VW Kombi

Saadia Kamish’s husband, Salie, washing the VW Kombi with which the familytook a trip to Durban. They did not stay for long as the heat and bugs were toomuch for them. The trip home was not without incident as they experienced twoblow-outs on their way back. Salie had to hitch a lift in the dark, leaving his wifeand children behind while he went to look for a place to get the two tyres fixed.Subsequently, the Kombi became Mom’s taxi, ferrying the Kamish children toschool and back. Photo SUPPLIED

Saadia Kamish’s late friend, Janap, and Saadia’s daughter, Sedicka, outside theKamish home, in Mountview Estate, Cape Town. In the background, is the Kombibakkie Salie, the writer’s husband, later bought to use for work. But, over week-ends, the family enjoyed the comfort that the bakkie provided as they would useit as both a lounge and a kitchen whenever they decided to go on a long trip.

Photo SUPPLIED

Muslim Views


Can you tell us a bit moreabout the International Quranic Studies Association (IQSA)?

IQSA is a three-year-old organ-isation founded by a number ofQuran scholars – most of thembased in the global north.

Our headquarters is in Atlanta,in the USA. Other than our Jour-nal of Quranic Studies and theReview of Qur’anic Studies, ourmajor activities are firstly, ourAnnual Meeting which drawssome of the biggest names inQuranic studies.

This meeting coincides withthe Annual Meeting of the Societyfor Biblical Literature, and takesplace in the United States. Sec-ondly, every two years, we hostan international meeting in a pre-dominantly Muslim country. Lastyear we met in Indonesia.

What makes IQSA so unique,if it is that at all?

Well, it is very unique. Untilthe emergence of IQSA, there wasno significant international plat-form where the two majorstreams of Quranic scholarshipmet. The one stream moves fromthe generally Muslim faith

assumption that the Quran wasshaped and completed over aperiod of roughly 23 years, andthe other stream looks at the textfrom a far more critical and his-torical perspective.

The difference may be as hugeas the difference between the ideaof creation, on the one hand, andevolution on the other. In IQSA,we have the widest spectrum ofscholarship on the Quran.

So how did you end up becom-ing the President of IQSA?

Well, the question is best posedto the nominations committeewhich presents the name of thecandidate to the Annual Meeting.For the last year, I served as pres-ident-elect.

It is, of course, a singular hon-our, both to me personally butalso as a South African. SouthAfricans are doing pretty wellinternationally, in the field ofIslamic Studies.

I have published extensively onthe Quran and my work has beentranslated into a number of for-eign languages.

One of the great things aboutscholarship is the more you learn,the more you become aware ofthe vastness of the ocean ofknowledge and, thus, of yourown ignorance. I would be thelast one to claim that my work onthe Quran is consequential. Manyof my peers seem to think so.

In looking at IQSA, which,you say, comprises scholars whodo not work from the beliefassumptions of Muslims, how doyou, as a Muslim, juggle these dif-ferent balls?

Well, the academy is a strangeplace. It is a place of constant ten-sion.

It does not claim to affirm faithnor does it seek to destroy faith. Itis a place of critical thinking andthe pursuit of knowledge and thisis what connects all of us inIQSA.

I think that we have gonebeyond the stage where webelieve that anyone who shows aninterest in Islam and the Qurancan only have one of two motives;either they want to become a

Muslim or they want to learn oursecrets in order to destroy. Thereare numerous scholars who gen-uinely love the Quran and studiesrelated to it, without feeling theneed to become Muslim. As aMuslim, I may feel sad about this;as a scholar though, I get excitedabout all learning.

What has been the focus ofyour work on the Quran?

My most popular work isprobably my Introduction to theQur’an, which has been repub-lished virtually every year since itfirst came out about 14 years agoand which I am currently revising.

My Qur’an, Liberation andPluralism, is considered the semi-nal and, to date, the most perti-nent work on how to read theQuran through the lenses of themarginalised.

It is arguably still the ‘go to’text for Islamic Liberation Theol-ogy. In the last few years, I havecontinued to work and deliverlectures across the globe on theQuran and socio-economic jus-tice. This year, I hope to have mynext book coming out on thissubject.

For many of us you are betterknown as an activist. Abroad youseem to be more known for yourscholarship and academic work.What are you really?

I am not sure, and I am com-fortable with this uncertainty.Sometimes I feel that I am an aca-demic masquerading as an activistand, at other times, I feel that Iam an activist masquerading asan academic. I am a lover of theQuran and I am a lover of socialand economic justice. How gen-uine a lover am I? I leave thatanswer to Allah.

Prof Esack heads world Quranic studies body

Professor Farid Esack, the Head of the Department of Religion Studies at University of Johannesburg, was recently elected President of the InternationalQur’anic Studies Association. Photo CHARLENE LOUW

PROFESSOR Farid Esack,the Head of the Department of ReligionStudies at University ofJohannesburg (UJ), wasrecently elected Presidentof the InternationalQur’anic Studies Association. Muslim Viewsspeaks to him about thishonour and his internationally acclaimedscholarship on the Quran.

Muslim Views

13Muslim Views . February 2016

Dr ESHAAM PALMERWITH a sense of history and

achievement, Auwal Mosque, inDorp Street, Cape Town, cele-brates its 222 years of existence.It has the honour of being the firstmosque established in the south-ern hemisphere.

Auwal Mosque has a rich spir-itual and cultural backgroundand was a pioneer in keepingIslam vibrant and growing in theCape Town area. It is the forerun-ner of the ten mosques in the Bo-Kaap, a predominantly Muslimdormitory town.

Tuan GuruImam Abdullah ibn Qadi

Abdus Salaam, Tuan Guru (misterteacher), was a prince fromTidore, an island which is part ofthe Indonesian archipelago. He isa descendant of the sultan ofMorocco who, in turn, is adescendant of the Prophet (SAW).In 1780, the Dutch authoritiesbanished him to Robben Islandfor 12 years, accusing him of con-spiring to resist the Dutch occu-pation of Indonesia. While onRobben Island, he wrote, byhand, a few full versions of theQuran, one of which is housed inAuwal Mosque. Tuan Guru mar-ried Khadija van de Kaap and hadtwo sons, Abdul Rakiep andAbdul Rauf, both of whombecame important religious lead-ers in the Muslim community.

He also wrote a book onIslamic jurisprudence titled Ma’ri-fah al-Islam wa al-Iman, whichwas the main source of referencefor doctrines like taqdir (predeter-mination), iradah (the Will ofAllah), taqwah (piety), all linkedto qada (judgment of Allah) and

qadar (Decree of Allah). In termsof this doctrine, even a slavecould become an imam as differ-ences between people were not onthe basis of social standing but ondegrees of piety.

First madrasah in South AfricaOn his settlement in Dorp

Street, in 1793, Tuan Guru estab-lished the first madrasah in thesouthern hemisphere, in a ware-house. His request for permissionto establish a mosque was refusedbut, undaunted, he held an open-air jumuah in a disused quarry inChiappini Street. His madrasahdeveloped into a key institutionfor the dissemination of Islamicreligious studies and culture forslaves and free blacks living inCape Town. The madrasah wasopen to all, irrespective of race orsocial standing and the imamsconducted lessons in Afrikaans.Starting with a few students, thenumber grew rapidly and, soon, amosque was needed to serve thegrowing Muslim community.

The teaching method at themadrasah was the rote method,learning by heart, and using akoples boek (book of lessons tobe memorised) in which lessonswere recorded for rote learning athome. The student would receivea new lesson once the last lessonin the koples boek was memo-rised. By 1825, the student popu-lation had increased to 491 due toits influence on slaves and the freeblack community. Tuan Guru’sbook, especially the part dealingwith the sunusiyyah (20 sifaat)was the main source of educationat the madrasah.

Auwal MosqueConstruction on Auwal

Mosque commenced in 1794 onland donated by Saartjie van denKaap, who had inherited theproperty from her mother. Cori-don van Ceylon had purchasedtwo properties in Dorp Street andwas the first Muslim to ownproperties in Cape Town. Afterhis death, his wife, Trijn van de

Kaap, inherited the properties asstated in his will. She eventuallysold the properties to her daugh-ter, Saartjie van den Kaap.

Saartjie van den Kaap donatedthe land for the building of themosque, which increased in sizein 1807. The building of a mihrabaltered the old warehouse into amosque.

After the demise of the firstimam of the mosque, Tuan Guru,in 1807, Saartjie van den Kaap’shusband, Achmad van Bengal,assumed the position of imam.The position of imam was held bya descendent of Tuan Guru until1980, when Gasan Achmat, thelast descendent imam passedaway.

During 1807, there was a dis-pute amongst the mureeds (con-gregants) as to who wouldbecome the next imam, whichwas eventually resolved by agroup of the mureeds establishingPalm Tree Mosque, in LongStreet, from what was originally adwelling. Soebhanallah, Allah(SWT) used a negative situationto result in the founding of a sec-ond mosque in Cape Town.

Many imams, including AbdolBassier, Abdol Barrie and ShaikhSalie Abadi have since held theposition of imam at the mosque,which became a symbol of thestruggle of Muslim slaves and freeblacks to practice Islam in anenvironment which was con-ducive to its growth and develop-ment. By 1842, Islam was the reli-gion of about a third of the inhab-itants of Cape Town. AuwalMosque was the leading light inthe propagation of Islam formany years after its establish-ment. It was founded by a greatleader and educator, Tuan Guru,and for many years kept alive theremembrance of Allah, the teach-ings of the Quran and the Prophet(SAW) and the many culturalpractices prevalent in Cape Town,like rampies sny, doopmal (baby-naming ceremony) and kersop-stiek (lighting of candles on thenight of Nishfi Shabaan).

Under the current imamate ofShaikh Ismail Londt andMoulana Mohammad Carr,Auwal Mosque is once again oneof the leading lights of Islam inCape Town, keeping alive theQuran and Sunnah, with regulardhikr evenings and madrasahclasses, carrying on the traditionof Auwal Mosque, which began222 years ago.

A short history of the 222-year old Auwal Mosque

The interior of Auwal Mosque, the oldest mosque in South Africa, situated inDorp Street, Bo-Kaap, has been substantially revamped and one of the Quranshandwritten, from memory, by Imam Abdullah ibn Qadi Abdus Salaam – alsoknown as Tuan Guru – is on display in a casing built into the wall, on the left inthe photograph. Photo TOYER NAKIDIEN

The mosque name, Auwal Masjid, anddate it was established appearsabove the entrance to the mosque, inDorp Street, Bo-Kaap.

Photo TOYER NAKIDIEN

Muslim Views

14 Muslim Views . February 2016

KHADIJA SHARIFEWE laugh at it now but once, theoverwhelming majority believedthe earth was flat. Perhaps therewere exceptions; people whothought there must be somethingbeyond what the eye can see. Butthe masses were taught and livedas if the edge of the oceanslipped into the end of all things.

Not the Quran. The earth,while ‘spread out’, is ‘rolling’ inmotion and form. The Arabic for‘rolling’ is ‘yakkawir’, derivedfrom ‘kurah’ (ball), denoting arounded shape. But the word forball is never used.

Why not?According to NASA, the near

perfection of the earth’s sphere ismarred slightly by its spinningmotion, creating a slight bulgingat the equator and polar flatten-ing.

The scientific meaning denotedan order or ‘inner truth’ – a mes-sage aimed at every mind, and, inparticular, the scholar, the mar-itime explorer, the oceanographer,past and present – those whosought to learn, to discover, tocreate; and, in that process, ibada(worship) is born in its purestsense.

Far from being the end of theearth, the call to knowledge andreason is not only what separatesthe substance of Islamic faith

from any other but was a drivingforce behind the advancement ofcivilisation for the benefit of allmankind.

But the light has dimmed.These days, the world is us and

them.They are ‘bad’ because they

don’t pray and they eat pork. Weare ‘good’ because we don’t eatpork and we pray. Reason isabsent, mocked, oppressed anddiminished, replaced by ritualsand fear.

Islam is a closed box, frozen intime.

Others have led in knowledgeand risk and reason, for better orworse – better because they arewithout the ignorance that char-acterises the Muslims of today;and worse because the brillianceof the ‘other’ is without reverenceof the cosmos, God’s createdayah.

The community that standsbefore God, prostrating, are butmindless – and yes, dummies ofthe message that we no longerbother to heed, let alone read.

The Quran’s ayah, or writtenverses, cannot be understood

without the natural world – ajourney, whether physical or intel-lectual, marked by reverence.Indeed, the other meaning of‘ayah’ is signs and symbols. Thecreated cosmos is the landscape inwhich the signs of Allah are man-ifested as recorded in the Book.

Much of the problem restswith those defining what isdefined as lawful and unlawful.

We’re commanded to followHalaal, in particular through the‘Halaal stamp’ and yet, from aQuranic perspective, much ofwhat is labelled ‘halaal’ is actual-

ly haraam, specifically the animalflesh that has been produced incruel and toxic environments totheir bodies and souls, and ourown.

Living in their waste, unable tomove, pumped with hormonesand carcinogens, these animalsare considered ‘halaal’ providedsomeone with a beard has slashedtheir necks, using the name ofGod.

What has not been properlyinvestigated or unpacked is theQuranic concept of ‘halaal’. TheQuran tells us, ‘They will ask youas to what is lawful (halaal) tothem. Say: “Lawful to you are allthe good (tayyib) things of life.”’Essentially, what is lawful orhalaal is the equivalent of ‘tayyib’or good and pure.

But ‘tayyib’ is not limited towhat we consume: just as theQuran must be read in contextand with reflection so must‘halaal’ and ‘tayyib’ – rarely men-tioned in a verse in separation. Itis the process from which a thingis produced, created, developedand, in the case of animals,raised. Thus, over and over again,the Quran tells us that the defini-tion of lawful is ‘pure’: ‘Today, allthe good things of life have beenmade lawful to you.’

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But ‘tayyib’ is not limited to what we consume: just as

the Quran must be read in context and with reflection so

must ‘halaal’ and ‘tayyib’ – rarely mentioned in a verse in

separation. It is the process from which a thing is produced,

created, developed and, in the case of animals, raised. Thus,

over and over again, the Quran tells us that the definition

of lawful is ‘pure’: ‘Today, all the good things of life

have been made lawful to you.’

Muslim Views

15Muslim Views . February 2016

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Also made clear is that, ‘thefood of those who have beenvouchsafed before revelation islawful to you,’ provided it is goodand pure, and not specifically for-bidden (carrion, pork and intoxi-cants). Where we have not direct-ly killed the food that is good andpure (tayyib) and therefore lawful(halaal), we are commanded, ‘butmention God’s name over it andremain conscious of God.’

We are directly warned neverto create artificial divisionsascribed to God: ‘Have you everconsidered all the means of suste-nance which God has bestowedupon you from on high, andwhich you thereupon divide into‘things forbidden’ and ‘thingslawful’? Say: “Has God given youleave [to do this] or do you, per-chance, attribute your own guess-work to God?”’ It is, in fact, zabi-ha that refers to the mentioningof God’s name over the animalduring the process of killing, nothalaal which speaks to the broad-er systemic way of living.

We learn, through variousexhortations, of God’s mercy, jus-tice and power, that we are notallowed to betray or transgressthe trust or ‘waqf’ of Allah or hiscreation – the living ayah. ‘Thisshe-camel belonging to God shallbe a token for you: so leave heralone to pasture on God’s earth,and do her no harm, lest grievouschastisement befalls you,’ – thusthe tribe of Thamud and the pow-erful trading city of Petra,fell. The she-camel, of course, is ametaphor, as is the fall, symbolis-ing the arrogance and indifferenceof mankind to the vulnerable, vis-ible only as commodities.

It is no less than a destructionof God’s sacred ayah when weconsume what is neither good nor

pure; when we exploit and bru-talise for our own sustenance –even though consumption of car-cinogen-high flesh increases ourown risk to cancer; when we denyGod’s waqf the right to pastureon God’s earth in the ways thatHe intended before we consume.

If, as Muslims, our reverence ismore than ritual, it is our respon-sibility to consume that which isclosest to tayyib – free-range ani-mal flesh, where we have means,and, where we do not, to abstainentirely to ensure that the sys-tem’s standard is the absolutehighest in mercy and justice; andto drastically decrease our con-sumption of the same, that wemay ‘tread lightly on the earth’.

If we have businesses investedin the production or sale of foodthat is impure and against themercy of God, we must leave thatbusiness behind or transform itand the culture around us. Weknow this is the commandbecause God tells us in no uncer-tain terms that to ‘be just – that isclosest to being God-conscious’.

But, if we fail to do so and con-tinue along the unconscious pathwe are going, we are deniers ofGod’s truth – the essence of theword ‘kufr’, often wrongly inter-preted as ‘unbeliever’.

These days, we have left reflec-tion and knowledge behind for apiece of chicken produced fromprofit-mongering companies,approved by a bearded man ortwo who says it is okay.

And once again, the earth isflat.

This is not Islam – far from it.Khadija Sharife is a researcher

and writer based in South Africa.Her most recent article investigat-ed $11,5 billion in tax avoidance

on the part of Coca-Cola throughintangible capital. She has con-tributed to Forbes, Economist,

London Review of Books, AfricaConfidential and other publica-tions.

These days, we have left reflection and knowledge behind for a piece of chicken produced

from profit-mongering companies, approved by a bearded man or two who says it is okay.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14

On February 5, 2016, Ommiedraai Friends Athletic Club held their annual gala dinner at Barron’s Estate, titled ‘AwardingRunning Excellence’. Ommiedraai runners were awarded prizes and certificates in more than 20 different categories. Fromhumble beginnings just six years ago, Ommiedraai has progressed to a club with 38 new half-marathoners, 23 newmarathoners and 12 Comrades finishers, and Muhammad Kriel, Elite Athlete of the Year. Pictured are Mubashirah andMunthirah Kriel who accepted the award of ‘Elite Athlete of the Year’ on behalf of their father, Muhammad Kriel. He couldnot attend as he was representing WP at the time. Kriel achieved the Elite Athlete of the Year award based on outstandingand consistent performance across distances, representing WP throughout the year and placing third in the recent ASAchampionships. Photo NAZEEM KARIEM

Muslim Views


IN November 1997, PresidentNelson Mandela walked alongside General Suharto, ofIndonesia, one of the past century’s most brutal dictators,and ascended the stony stepsleading to the shrine of ShaikhYusuf of Macassar, outside CapeTown. The two leaders paidhomage to a shared nationalhero.

Just over two months later, inJanuary 1998 – and four monthsbefore Suharto’s dictatorshipended in a bloody revolt – Man-dela addressed a gathering at Eid-ul-Fitr, in Johannesburg. In thisspeech, he recognised ShaikhYusuf as a ‘freedom fighter andleader from the Indonesianisland’.

Mandela’s direct acknowledge-ment of anyone as his source ofinspiration was in his reference toanother figure, Shaikh Matura,whose shrine was a revered pres-ence for the political prisoners onRobben Island.

Shaikh Matura, who died in1740, resisted the enslavementand colonisation of his people.Beginning in the late 1600s, theDutch East India Company(VOC) used Robben Island forthe incarceration of those oppos-ing colonial rule.

Shaikh Yusuf, who died in1699, also resisted the Dutchcolonisers. The two 17th-centuryspiritual leaders share a commonpolitical struggle.

And Mandela had alreadyclaimed Shaikh Yusuf as a forefa-ther of the liberation struggle inSouth Africa.

Similarly, Suharto had alsoalready declared Shaikh YusufTajul Khalwati, a national hero ofIndonesia.

In addition, eight years afterMandela hosted Suharto, Presi-dent Thabo Mbeki, in a visit toIndonesia in 2005, declared thatthe site occupied by ShaikhYusuf’s shrine was being designat-ed a national monument.

Over a decade later, the site isstill not a national monument.Indonesian media, in September2014, reported that the Ambas-sador to Indonesia, PakamisaAugustine Sifuba, announced theerection of the statues of Mandelaand Shaikh Yusuf in Makassar,Indonesia, and in South Africa.This was to commemorate twentyyears of diplomatic relationsbetween the two nations. Nothinghas materialised from thisannouncement either.

The Back to Your Roots tourtook us to Makassar on Decem-ber 26 where we met Makassar’smayor, Moh. Ramdhan Pomanto.Without making any reference tothe announcement of the SouthAfrican ambassador in 2014,Mayor Pomanto proceeded toannounce his intention to under-take a similar project, with quitea notable difference. He wants toadd a third historical figure, thatof Mohandas Gandhi. His visionwas of a triumvirate of humanrights heroes, Shaikh Yusufflanked by Mandela and Gandhi.

The mayor seemed quitechuffed with the idea, and addedthat Gandhi was also inspired byShaikh Yusuf. But when asked forthe source of this information hecould not support the claim. Andhe appeared more reticent aboutGandhi when I intimated thatGandhi’s reputation as humanrights activist is a contested one,both in India and in South Africa.

In India, Gandhi’s efforts toundermine the Dalit’s liberationstruggle against the caste system,a struggle championed by his con-temporary B R Ambedkar, arebrought to light in the writings ofIndian writer and activist Arund-hati Roy.

In South Africa, Gandhi’s repu-tation as an anti-apartheidactivist are debunked by thescholars Ashwin Desai andGoolam Vahed, who uncover adecidedly racist figure, dedicatedto parochial Indian interests asopposed to a broader humanrights agenda.

Roy, Desai and Vahed are pre-sumably well aware of the needfor deconstructing the myth ofGandhi in understanding psycho-logical, cultural or societal truths.In the case of Shaikh Yusuf, thereis no such interrogation of hisstature and reputation.

But the narrative of ShaikhYusuf as a historical figure is keyin the construction of national,cultural and religious identities inIndonesia and South Africa.

Not many South Africansknow there is a shrine of ShaikhYusuf in Makassar, Indonesia.

It houses an actual grave, andraises the question: If ShaikhYusuf died and lies buried inFaure, near Cape Town, SouthAfrica, why is there another tombin Indonesia?

Valuable assistance in answer-ing such questions was offered bySaarah Jappie, a South African-born Ph.D candidate at PrincetonUniversity researching the ‘histo-ry-making’ of Shaikh Yusuf. Jap-pie was also a fellow traveller onthe Back to Your Roots tour.

The answer is that, accordingto Azyumardi Azra in The Ori-gins of Islamic Reformism inSoutheast Asia, published in2004, 17th century VOC sourcesstate that the remains of ShaikhYusuf were repatriated andarrived in Gowa in 1705, alongwith that of his followers.

According to a mythicalaccount, only Shaikh Yusuf’s fin-ger was repatriated and that, dur-ing the journey by sea, the fingergrew until the complete body ofthe shaikh was regenerated.Another, less popular, fabulousaccount is that Shaikh Yusuf’sfather was the Prophet Khidr.

Scholars disagree on whetherShaikh Yusuf returned to Gowa,South Sulawesi or whether he set-tled in Banten.

Azra concurs with SouthAfrican scholar Suleman Dangor(author of Shaykh Yusuf, in 1982)who says it is more plausible hereturned to Banten.

Other scholars disagree.We met several descendants of

Shaikh Yusuf in Banten and inMakassar. Jappie confirms that asilsilah (genealogical record) isheld by various families but saysthese are not independently veri-fied.

There are, however, no reportsof conflicting or contested claimsto the lineage of Shaikh Yusuf.

The essentials about ShaikhYusuf’s legacy as seeker of knowl-edge and as resistance fighteragainst Dutch colonialism remainuncontested.

His scholarly pursuits extendfrom Gowa to India, Yemen,Makkah, Madinah, Damascusand Istanbul for over twodecades, from circa 1644 to 1664.During this period, he acquiredlearning in the religious sciencesas well as spiritual disciplinesfrom several great teachers acrossthese regions.

Although he actively led 4 000guerilla fighters in resistanceagainst the Dutch for less than ayear till December 1683, hisstruggle took on the form ofestablishing a vibrant Muslimcommunity as an exile, first inCeylon, for almost a decade.

His influence there also frus-trated the Dutch who then ban-ished him to the Cape in 1693.He arrived at the Cape on April 2,1694, at the age of 68.

After only five years, he againestablished a vibrant communityof Muslims in Zandvliet, nowknown as Macassar, till his deathin 1699.Muslim Views was sponsored asmedia on the Back to YourRoots tour to Indonesia. Thereports in this series are, however, written independently.

The nuanced narratives inthe legacy of Shaikh YusufThe mention of the inspiration Nelson Mandeladrew from Shaikh Yusufwas almost a refrain atevery meeting. Indonesianpoliticians, academics andbusiness leaders alikejoined the names of thetwo icons in building rapport with the SouthAfricans. In this secondpart of the series on theBack to Your Roots tour toIndonesia, from December16, 2015 to January 1, 2016,MAHMOOD SANGLAYexplores some aspects ofthe narratives of ShaikhYusuf’s legacy.

This image of the grave of Shaikh Yusuf in Makassar, South Sulawesi, was erected after his remains were said to have been repatriated from the Cape toMakassar in 1705. Standing next to it is Hajji Mansyur Daeng Liong, the custodian of the shrine. Photo MAHMOOD SANGLAY

(Below) We were introduced to several descendants of Shaikh Yusuf, in Bantenand Makassar. Saarah Jappie, left, a Ph.D candidate at Princeton Universityresearching the ‘history-making’ of Shaikh Yusuf, is seated next to DjamaluddinAziz Paramma Daeng Djaga, a descendant of Shaikh Yusuf from his wife in Jeddah, Andi Kumala Idjo (recognised as King of Gowa), and Sahib SultanDaeng Nompo, a ninth-generation descendant of Shaikh Yusuf from his wife inCeylon. Photo MAHMOOD SANGLAY

This portrait of Shaikh Yusuf, photographed in the Balla LompoaMuseum, in Makassar, depicts one offew such images, representing anartist’s impression of the shaikh. Thename of the artist and date of the portrait are unknown.

Photo MAHMOOD SANGLAY

(Below) This shrine of Shaikh Yusuf is located in Katangka Village, bordering on the Gowa regency. It is reputedly the mostpopular tomb visited in Gowa. Apart from his legacy as an opponent of Dutch rule, Shaikh Yusuf is also celebrated as areligious reformer in Gowa. Photo MAHMOOD SANGLAY

Muslim Views


MAHMOOD SANGLAYTWO members of the SouthAfrican National Zakah Fund(Sanzaf) attended an international one-day zakaahseminar at University of Sudan,in Khartoum, on January 25.The seminar was attended byrepresentatives from 17 countries.

Moulana Hassiem Cassiemand Moulana Irshad Amod arerepresented on a new organisa-tion called the InternationalZakah Union. Moulana Cassiemwas appointed Executive on theBoard of Trustees and MoulanaAmod is a member of the Boardof Operations.

The purpose of the new body isto create uniform internationalstandards for the calculation,management and distribution ofzakaah, and to ensure that rele-vant scholarly opinion is posited

in instances where there is noprecedent.

Moulana Cassiem told MuslimViews that there is international

interest in Sanzaf’s model ofzakaah collection and distribu-tion and its unique programmes.

In particular, he referred to theSanzaf Education Empowermentand Development (SEED) pro-gramme.

This programme succeeds intransforming people who are aid-dependent into self-sufficient andindependent professionals orentrepreneurs with the means topay zakaah.

Sudan expressed an interest inadopting the SEED programmemodel.

Delegates at the seminar alsoviewed Sanzaf’s governance struc-ture as a model that may informgovernance of zakaah organisa-

tions in other countries.They were particularly inter-

ested in Sanzaf’s success of build-ing, over decades, a culture ofvoluntary zakaah payment in aMuslim-minority environment.

In some Muslim countries, thepayment of zakaah is compelledby law and is enforced.

However, Sanzaf appears to beunique in its successful manage-ment of a voluntary zakaah pay-ment system.

Moulana Cassiem said Sanzaf’sprogramme of zakaah educationthrough workshops and seminarshad created a culture of voluntaryzakaah payment. In 2015, Sanzafhad collected R100 million inzakaah.

Sanzaf appointed to international zakaah body

THE Consul-General (CG) of Indonesia, Abdul RachmanDudung, met with members of the Tana Baru Trust on January30, 2016, at the Hilton Hotel, in Bo-Kaap. According to AbdulMuhaimin Bassier, secretary of the Tana Baru Trust, the CGexpressed an interest in the accurate recording of the historyrelating to the pioneers of Islam at the Cape, particularly that ofTuan Guru, Shaikh Yusuf and Tuan Nuruman, also known asPaay Schaapie. The office of the CG told Muslim Views that theCG called the meeting to discuss the proposed development ofthe burial site as a memorial to Tuan Guru and the other earlypioneers, with the support of the Indonesian government. TheCG undertook to convey the idea of such a development projectto the Indonesian Foreign Ministry and the North Maluku localgovernment, the Indonesian province of which Tuan Guru is adescendant. In addition, the CG’s office said it awaits a formalproposal for the development project from the Tana Baru Trustin order to facilitate such a project before his term of officeends in March this year. Pictured, from left, are the delegateswho were present at the meeting: Fatima Behardien (trustee), DrMohamed Aadil Bassier (chairperson), Moegamat Hartley, AbdulMuhaimin Bassier (secretary), His Excellency Abdul RachmanDudung (CG of Indonesia), Akbar Khalfe (treasurer) and SadiqToffa (trustee). Photo SUPPLIED

Moulana Hassiem Cassiem, pictured left, together with Moulana Irshad Amod,represented Sanzaf at the International Zakah Union, in Khartoum, Sudan. Thetwo ulama were respectively appointed to the union’s Board of Trustees andBoard of Operations. Photo SAKEENA BOCK

Muslim Views


Muslim Views


ADI SETIAIN the wake of the 2007-2009financial and economic meltdown, a lot of intellectualand practical work is being donein the area of monetary and economic reform. In this regard,the work of the UK-based NewEconomics Foundation, forinstance, is exemplary and rigorous, and warrants criticalattention by all concerned; andwe may also cite the work of theglobal Islamic Gift Economy(IGE) network.

To set such constructive reformwork in a larger conceptual con-text or discursive framework, webriefly revisit the meaning of theterm ‘economy’ or ‘economics’,which, I think, has been muchabused and corrupted in the mod-ern, secular and reductionist, andlargely moribund academic disci-pline of economics and finance.

In part one, we looked at econ-omy as household management,economy and ecology as steward-ship of the extended household,and economy as the seeking ofwhat is judicious.

We continue the discussion bylooking at the transcendent pur-pose of economy, and concludeby redefining economy.

Economy and transcendent purpose

Another meaning of the term‘qasd’ is ‘goal, aim, objective andpurpose’, and, morphologically,the term ‘iqtisad’, which is

derived from ‘qasd’, has themeaning of ‘seeking out the pur-pose of something’.

For believers, the idea here isthat there is a transcendentethico-moral purpose (groundedin divine revelation) in anythingthat we do or seek in this tempo-ral life. By ‘transcendent’ is meantthat a worldly, material or physi-cal thing is not sought for its ownsake but in virtue of an ethico-moral and, ultimately, eschatolog-ical objective that transcends itsimmediate temporality and mate-riality.

Therefore, a worldly thing offacility is sought only insofar andto the extent it serves and facili-tates some deeper, transworldlypurpose, and such a positivelypurposive seeking is prudent andjudicious since it pre-emptsexcess, waste and injustice (tooneself or others).

Because the aim, objective,

purpose and end of any economicactivity is well-defined in the lightof the guidance of both soundreason and true revelation, any-thing that belies or defeats thatpurpose will be considered waste-ful and meaningless, even sinful,and thereby, ethically and morallyproscribed.

Hence, consumption, forinstance, cannot be for its ownsake but for provisioning one’sfamily and dependents, and, byextension, the wider communitythrough the recirculation of sur-plus for the common good so asto create that socio-cultural envi-ronment promotive of personaland communal devotion to God.

Thus, al-Ghazali (d. 1111 CE)says, ‘This worldly life is theseedbed of the afterlife,’ for everyworldly deed has everlastingeschatological significance andhence, consequences. We mayalso cite al-Muhasibi (d. 243/857)to further illustrate this clearsense of ethico-moral direction –in which temporal objectives areinseparably and intimatelyembedded into everlasting pur-pose – underlying and guiding theeconomic domain of life:

‘Therefore, when you wish togo to your market or do some-thing for your livelihood or takeup a craft or become an agent orengage in some other vocations inorder to seek the licit and to imi-tate the practice of Allah’s Mes-senger – Allah bless him andgrant him peace – and to seek rec-ompense for yourself and your

dependents, to earn provision forthem, and in order to be indepen-dent of people while showingcompassion to brethren andneighbours, and to pay the oblig-atory alms and discharge everyobligatory right then hold outhope through these efforts thatyou shall meet Allah – glorifiedand exalted be He – while yourcountenance is as the moon onthe night when it is full. (Kitab al-Makasib wa al-War = Book ofLivelihoods and Scrupulousness)

Re-defining the economyWe have defined this ‘purpo-

sive economy’ (which we call theIslamic Gift Economy) as ‘theprovisioning and sharing – bymutual giving and receivingthrough fair social and commer-cial exchange – of natural andcultural abundance for realisingmaterial and spiritual wellbeing’.

This definition takes into con-sideration that the world andhumankind are not only materialor physical in nature but, morefundamentally, they are also spir-itual and have a higher, meta-physical significance.

They serve a cognitive andmoral purpose that transcendstheir immediate physicality, sen-suality and temporality, namely, apurpose which is indicative of ahigher, more encompassing realityfrom which they have originated,on which they are dependent, inwhich they are embedded, and towhich they are responsive andultimately accountable.

We have here both an economyof the world and an economy ofthe soul, an economy of theworldly life and an economy ofthe afterlife – an economy of thematerial in the service of the econ-omy of the spiritual.

ConclusionThe term ‘islah’ in the title of

the classical text Islah al-Mal(Restoration of Wealth) by IbnAbi al-Dunya means ‘rectificationand restoration’, which is to putright what is wrong and to makewhole, productive and purposiveagain what has been fragmented,corrupted and rendered meaning-less.

So, the purpose of the bookand its author – as is so obviousfrom its title – is to restore orreinstate the original holistic,integrative and purposive under-standing of wealth and its eco-nomic (i.e. qasdi = judicious)management and stewardship.

This understanding goes a longway towards redefining and redi-recting the modern science of eco-nomics away from its currentobsession with meaningless, pur-poseless growth and contrived,artificial scarcity towards againshowing true concern for the judi-cious acquisition and dispositionof wealth for material and spiritu-al wellbeing.Adi Setia is Associate Professorat CASIS-UTM, and GeneralCoordinator at Islamic GiftEconomy Academy & Advisory(IGE-AA)

The meaning of ‘economy’ or ‘economics’: Part Two

Muslim Views


I LISTENED intently to President Jacob Zuma’s State ofthe Nation address, on Thursday,February 11, 2016. His speech –themed ‘Following up on ourcommitments to the people’ –was a look back on government’sachievements over the past year.

I sat listening to his address,huddled near a radio in a shackthat I share with my six brothersand sisters. President Zuma reaf-firmed government’s commitmentof investing in our country so thatit becomes a better place for all.As an orphan living in SouthAfrica, that ideal has not yet beenrealised and, as such, I would liketo bring a few pertinent issues toyour attention.

South Africa has one of thehighest orphan rates in the world.According to Unicef, there are anestimated 3,7 million orphans inSouth Africa – close to half ofthem have lost their parents toAids-related diseases, and thereare many more children livingwith sick and bedridden care-givers.

About 150 000 children arebelieved to be living in child-headed households. I am one ofthese children.

Both my mother and grand-mother died due to HIV/Aids-related illnesses, leaving me to

care for my four siblings and mysister’s children.

In our squatter camp, we arefortunate to have access to clean

water. There is a communal tap,shared amongst no less than tenother households. We often haveto queue for hours to get a chance

to fill up our buckets and waterbottles because of the volume ofpeople in need of this basic neces-sity.

Food is a problem for our fam-ily. There were many days andnights when we forced ourselvesto go to bed on an empty stomachbecause we did not have anymoney to buy bread. Althoughour neighbours and some eldersin the community tried to help us,I often felt very guilty acceptingtheir kind gestures because I knewthey too were struggling.

The loss of my parents andgrandmother has been traumatic.I had to grow up very fast becausewe lost our caregivers, our pro-tectors. My siblings had to walkvery far to school on their ownand I feared that they would beabused and exploited.

I could go on for days describ-ing the conditions we are livingin; but I always believed that Godhad a greater plan for us all.

Today, I am working as alifestyle advisor at the OsizweniCentre, in Ennerdale, teachingvulnerable people how to livehealthier lives.

It was through the support oforganisations such as IslamicRelief South Africa (IRSA) that Iwas able to lift my family out ofpoverty. With the guidance andsupport of their trained commu-nity care workers, I found thestrength to complete my educa-tion while caring for my siblings.

Our household is also fortu-nate because the younger childrenare rights holders (beneficiaries)of Islamic Relief’s 1-2-1 Orphan

Sponsorship programme.Through this programme, our

household receives a monthlyfood hamper with the basic essen-tials we need to survive, and thechildren’s school fees are sub-sidised.

President Zuma did not men-tion what government is doing toalleviate the plight of orphanedand vulnerable children in SouthAfrica.

While I understand that we area ‘minority’, I often hear ourcountry’s leadership talk about us– the youth – as the future leadersof this country.

My concern is that if we arenot on the government’s develop-ment agenda then who is trulychampioning our cause?

The media keeps telling us thatracism and inequality are the rootcauses of South Africa’s socialproblems, which we will ‘never’overcome; but I disagree.

My family and I have livedthrough some of the worst experi-ences.

We survived thanks to the helpof organisations like IslamicRelief and their donors who workin communities to bring relief tothose most in need.

I have learnt that we need towork together to achieve ‘truedemocracy and freedom’, idealswhich Madiba so strongly advo-cated. Thanks to Islamic Reliefand its donors, I have my dignityand I pledge to continue workingwith my neighbours so that they,too, can overcome this viciouscycle of poverty.

God bless you!

State of the Nation 2016: An orphan’s perspectiveIn her response to President Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation address, AlinahMabaso decries the fact that he did not mention the plight of orphans in SouthAfrica who, according to Unicef estimates, number 3,7 million. Photo SUPPLIED

Alinah Mabaso is anorphan, living in a ruralcommunity in the south ofJohannesburg. She is oneof millions of ordinarySouth Africans who listened to President JacobZuma’s State of the Nationaddress. This is herresponse.

(Top): Guest speaker Shaikh Fakhruddin Owaisi, pictured here with Moulana Ismail Hoosain Mahateyand the principal of CTIEC, Moulana Sayed Imraan Shah Ziyaee, addressed more than a thousandpeople who attended the Grand Moulood at Masjidul Kareem Centre, in Eagle Park, on Sunday, January 31. Organised by the Cape Town Islamic Educational Centre (CTIEC), the event started with amarch (bottom photo) through Eagle Park, in honour of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Photo CTIEC

Muslim Views


‘This was a man’WE are grateful to Toyer Nakidienfor his article on the late Hajji IsgaakAgherdien (MV, January 2016)where he gave us a few glimpses intohis early life. Rightfully so, the opening paragraph describes him asone of Cape Town’s revered elders.He was probably a little more thanthat.

I first met him in about 1995when, while I was on the organisingcommittee of Radio 786, he wasintroduced to us by none other thanImam Achmad Cassiem who recom-mended him as someone who haddone some broadcasting in Zambia.

He was put in charge of would-bepresenters to tutor them in micro-phone technique, voice training andproper pronunciation. This includedmembers of this committee. It soondawned on everybody that, comingfrom a Shakespearian background, hewas a strict tutor if not a martinet.

He also auditioned new applicantsbut instead of rolling his eyes asrecounted by Nakidien, he had, bynow, developed a withering stare ifthe hapless hopeful spoke in a Capeyaccent instead of the Queen’s English.I remonstrated to him on one occa-sion that we were developing a com-munity radio station not training forthe Old Vic (the Shakespearian the-atre in London).

After this, he mellowed somewhatand his classes became very popularand sought after, and he was soonrecognised as a master in his field ofspeech and drama. Even today, thestandard which he inculcated in theradio is still upheld.

He is also credited with producinga few radio plays, which were largelyhis effort.

He was an erudite and culturedman and appreciated good music aswell.

He was a man who did not brookmediocrity. But beneath the seriousand sometimes witty exterior, he wasa yoga teacher as well which hetaught us also. These lessons werealso eagerly sought after. And all thismade us better and tension-free indi-viduals.

But I would like to come to what,to me, was his most outstanding trait.

Here was a man who was at peacewith himself and his Maker. Mentionwas made of his Hajj. He also madeUmrah on more than one occasion.When one spoke to Hajji Isgaak, onebecame aware of a deep spiritualityand of a heart which overflowed with‘human kindness’.

This was not made more obviousthan when I met him in Mecca on onesuch occasion. The humility and joyon his face was evident. Imagine mypleasant surprise when that Sundaymorning he came over to our hotelwith a dish in his hands. What was init? Hot sugared koesisters, of course.

May Allah grant him Jannah forthat and may Allah comfort his HajjaFatima in the knowledge that ‘thiswas a man’.

Dr Fahmi WilliamsCape Town

‘Condolences tothe Soofie family’IT was with a great sense of shockand sadness that I, and members ofMuslim Vision 2020, learnt on January 18, 2016, of the passingaway in Makkah of Hadhrat SaiedBhai Soofie.

We join the Muslim community ofSouth Africa in expressing our condo-lences to the Soofie family. However,after the initial shock, we soughtsolace in the fact that Saied Bhai wasespecially blessed to breathe his lastand find his resting place among thepious in the holy city of Makkah.

Over several generations, thedescendants of Hadhrat Soofie Sahibhave with singular commitment, car-ried out his mission. This mission isdefined by service to humanity irre-spective of race, colour or creed, in ahumane, passionate, non-judgmental,tolerant manner.

Saied Bhai exemplified these char-acteristics par excellence. His brandof quiet, smiling, leadership andserene demeanour will be sorelymissed not only by the Muslim com-munity but all who had the good for-tune to come into contact with him.

We know that those to whom theresponsibility has now fallen will beinspired by his example to continuethe Soofie tradition and legacy in thesame manner.

May Allah grant him Jannatul Fir-dous and the Soofie family sabr-e-jameel.

Inna Lillahi wa inna Ilaihi raa-jioon.

Ebrahim OsmanMuslim Vision 2020 Chairperson

Sherwood, Durban

We need to fightracismSOUTH Africa is a blessed and beautiful country. I feel privileged tobe a citizen of this country.

I was too young to witness andunderstand the struggles our countryfaced during apartheid but I remem-ber very well the massive celebrationafter the first general elections in1994. People were full of joy andhope.

Yes, we can’t ignore the fact thatour country has achieved a lot since1994. In 2009, I visited Freedom Parkfor the first time. It’s in Pretoria, myhometown. The park aims to give vis-itors a broad perspective of the histo-ry of Mzansi while acknowledging allthe people who struggled and died forhumanity, equality and freedom.

South Africa has 21 years sincefreedom dawned in our country. Westill have challenges and difficultiesjust like any other country. However,what greatly disturbs my peace is thedivision between black and whiteSouth Africans. Racism does exist inour country, and I don’t say this pro-voked by what some South Africansrecently wrote on social networks.

I say racism exists in our countrybecause I have experienced it severaltimes. And there are many otherSouth Africans who also deal with iton a daily basis, especially at work.But they don’t know what to dobecause there are no serious repercus-sions for being racist.

And the government fails to pro-tect us when he says there’s no racismin South Africa; that it’s only prac-tised by a few individuals. The state-ment really insults our common sense.And it also exposes how the govern-ment always chooses to use simplewords instead of innovating a systemthat will bring serious repercussionson perpetrators; it’s like we forgothow many lives were lost in this coun-try due to racism.

I deeply believe that South Africahasn’t completely healed from theapartheid era. We are like a woundthat looks healed from the outside butis not healed within. When thatwound is harshly touched, it bleedsthough it seemed healed.

It’s a disgrace when we keep onreading and hearing white SouthAfricans saying it’s been over twentyyears but black South Africans stillspeak and blame apartheid for theirmisfortune.

I don’t blame white South Africanswho have this mentality because theydidn’t lose their loved ones, they werenot imprisoned, they were notstripped of their dignity, and theywere not economically deprived anyprivileges.

There are still many black SouthAfrican families who haven’t gotanswers about the whereabouts oftheir loved ones.

White South Africans who areracist, to be specific, should changeand stop playing with fire. I don’t nec-essarily mean the fire of facing thelaw, I mean the fire of having to dealwith the anger of unhealed SouthAfricans who carry aching marks ofthe past.

Most white South Africans havemisunderstood and misinterpretedour kindness and forgiveness; theysaw it as weakness instead of human-ity. That’s the reason why they arenever grateful for what black SouthAfricans have done for them and thecountry they live comfortably in.

Up to this day, we call SouthAfrica home because it’s our mother-land but most of us don’t even knowhow its harvest tastes. For peace andreputation’s sake we are quiet andhope tomorrow will be better, whilethose we elected to represent us for-got us and they now represent theirown best interests. They now treatleadership as a career instead of see-ing it as a calling, for a calling comeswith great responsibilities.

I know that there are black SouthAfricans who are also racist. But,truly speaking, it’s just a drop in theocean. If it wasn’t so, South Africacouldn’t have been such a peacefulcountry that white South Africanscontinue to enjoy since 1994.

Political parties in this countryshould stop wasting time on meaning-less things, such as their political par-

ties’ agendas and policies, and startpromoting and representing the bestinterests of all South Africans byagreeing on ideas that will make ourcountry better, irrespective whichparty brought it forth.

South Africa has serious issues tobe redressed. Racism can be astranger in our country once we speakthe same language – the language ofunity, peace, love and economic liber-ation. If all South Africans can havethe same mind then nothing will beimpossible.

I learnt a valuable lesson while Iwas hiking on Table Mountain. All ofus who were hiking, spoke the same‘language’. We encouraged oneanother to push ahead despite howdifficult it was. Everyone, regardlessof skin colour and nationality, wasfriendly, helpful and sharing for thegoal was common to us all – to reachthe top.

If all South Africans can have thebest interests of this beautiful countryat heart then we will be a truly recon-ciled rainbow nation.

Eric ShikobelaPretoria

Logic and long-term thinking isrequiredWHILE we may all want to believethat we are equal, local poverty compared to luxury refutes thenotion. Globally and locally, we arenot equal in the eyes of the law. Ifwe were equal, why is it that the person with the costly lawyer typically gets a lighter sentence compared to the free legal aidlawyer?

If global justice existed then thepeople of Palestine, Syria, Ukraineand all the other hotspots would notbe dying wholesale while politiciansnegotiate for years in air-conditioned,luxury hotels in Europe.

Abrahamic epistemology advisesthat equality is the chance to redeemourselves in the sight of God. Forexample, when a poor man gives10% of his pay to charity it is heldmore worthy when compared to arich man who gives 10% although thesecond 10% is 100 times more thanthe 10% of the poor man.

The Torah, Bible and Quran arefilled with issues of intention and sin-cerity. Thus, those who opt for lead-ership, especially politics, must be sin-cere of intent. This requires relentlessself-analysis as the levels of corrup-tion, wastage and stupidity is growingwithin our socio-political context.

When dishonest people are electedto office, deceit will rise. Those linkedto criminality, the ignorant and thoseseeking riches must not be supported.To attain equality and justice, wemust start at the beginning.

Voters must elect ethical people.Do not vote for parties or personsengaged in corruption or wastage.Those who receive campaign moneyfrom uncertain sources must also beavoided.

As society suffers with crime, solu-tions are required. Sadly, liabilitystops with national government whomanages the police and judicial sys-tem. With rising crime, the belief isthat the state is soft on crime. Ending

the death penalty, release of criminalsand the inability to prosecute areexamples of unwise actions.

Recently, three men stole R17 mil-lion from a South African secret ser-vice agency. A national manhunt wasinitiated and when the men werecaught they were released on bail ofR5 000.

To blame everyday crime onapartheid is unhelpful as the blamegame cannot solve problems thatrequire wise, direct action. Nationalgovernment has ample billions in tax-payers’ funds to stop crime.

Ironically, we know our leadersdisregard victims of crime. Why elsedo we tolerate 16 000 annual mur-ders in South Africa? Voters mustreject politicians who cannot createpositive change. Only when voterselect leaders with skills, ability andsincerity will our nation improve.This is evident when measuredagainst the municipalities, depart-ments and parastatals that cannotachieve clean audits.

When leaders do not listen to thepeople, they undermine social cohe-sion. For example, the local ANCinsists on insulting the middle andupper class and helping the DA bystating that they will build RDP hous-es in Constantia and so on. Theyenjoy attacking those who are betteroff, even when the people workedhard for their belongings.

They are unable to accept that it isthe upper and middle class that sub-sidise the poor by paying more ratesand taxes. Should RDP homes bebuilt in Constantia, will the poor payequitable rates as their neighbours? Ifso, can they be measured poor, if not,are they not doing the bulk of poor adisservice?

Media reports state that ‘Tenantsof the city council’s almost 40 000houses and flats, owe the municipali-ty R596 million. Only 17 000 people,who rent property from the council,paid their rent in December.’

In Khayelitsha and Nyanga, thecollection rate is less than 10%. Usingthese figures, should RDP houses bebuilt in Constantia and they then payat the rate of 10%, less revenue willbe collected, thus there will be lessmoney for housing for other poorpeople.

Political leaders without educationand skills will doom us all.

Cllr Yagyah Adams Cape Muslim Congress

LETTERS TO THE EDITORLETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Write to:[email protected]: 086 516 4772Kindly include fullname and address.

Letters must notexceed 500 words. Theeditor has the right to

shorten letters.

Muslim Views


Dr HAROUN AHMEDARTHRITIS is a common condi-tion that affects most people,especially in their old age. Themost common form of arthritis iscalled osteoarthritis. Osteoarthri-tis is caused by the wearingdown of the joint cartilage withnarrowing of the joint spacesand new bone (osteophyte) for-mation.

Osteoarthritis usually affectsthe weight-bearing joints such asthe hips and knees but may alsobe seen in the spine, hands andother joints. Both males andfemales are affected but olderfemales tend to be affected more,especially in their post-menopausal (over 50) years.

Other forms of arthritis thatare less commonly seen are post-traumatic osteoarthritis (after aninjury to a joint), inflammatoryarthritis, such as rheumatoidarthritis and avascular necrosis ofthe hips with secondaryosteoarthritis.

The symptoms of arthritis arepain, joint stiffness, swelling,deformities, joint instability andloss of function. The most com-mon way of detecting arthritis isby means of a radiograph or X-ray of the affected joint.

An X-ray may reveal a narrow-ing of the joint space, cysts in thebone, spurs on the edge of thebone, areas of bony thickening –called sclerosis – and deformity orincorrect alignment of bones.

Non-operative (withoutsurgery) treatment of osteoarthri-tis focuses on three aspects:l The first aspect is the most cru-

cial, namely pain relief. Painrelief is usually achieved in theform of pain medication andnon-steroidal anti-inflammato-ries (NSAID’s). In certaincases, corticosteroid injectionsmay be administered to theaffected joints.

l Joint fluid replacement in theform of hyaluronic acid injec-tions, which is a newer form oftreatment, may be beneficial;however, this is only currentlyavailable for the knee. Usingsupplements such as chon-droitin and glucosamine sul-fate may also be beneficial inthe early stages of arthritis.

l The second aspect of non-operative treatment focuses on

increasing joint movement andpreventing muscle wasting anddeformity/ contracture. This isachieved through physiothera-py or a non-weight bearingexercise programme toimprove muscle strength, suchas cycling and swimming.

l The third aspect is to reducethe load on the affected joint.This is achieved by weight lossif the patient is obese, using awalking stick to distribute theload, and avoiding unnecessarystress, for example, by stayingaway from activities such asjogging and climbing stairs.If medical or non-operative

treatment fails then surgery maybe necessary.

There are many forms ofsurgery that may be beneficial.These include:l Arthroscopic debridement and

cleaning of the joint cavity, andinjecting synthetic synovialfluid, which is commonlycalled a knee scope.

l Osteotomies, where the limb isrealigned to alter mechanicalaxis (the way the limb moves).

l Arthrodesis/ fusing the joint.This option is taken if stiffnessis acceptable and neighbouringjoints are not likely to beaffected negatively. This is usu-ally done on the smaller jointsor when patients are young.

l Arthroplasty, also known asjoint replacement surgery, isusually done in older patients.Severe hip and knee arthritis

with significant loss of joint spaceand destruction of the cartilage isbest treated surgically by jointreplacement – total hip or kneereplacement.

This operation entails the com-plete removal of the affected joint

and replacing the hip or kneewith an artificial metal joint.

Total hip replacement surgeryis one of the most commonly per-formed and successful operationsin orthopaedics. The main aim isto restore joint mobility and func-tion. Current technology hasimproved dramatically thus theartificial joints last much longer.

The materials from which theartificial joints are now made arefar superior to what was available20 years ago. With respect to hipreplacements, the bearing sur-faces have improved as well andmany more options are available.The conventional metal on poly-ethelene (plastic) bearings can besubstituted with ceramic onceramic bearings that last muchlonger.Dr Haroun Ahmed is a specialistorthopaedic surgeon (FC (Orth)SA) with rooms at MelomedGatesville and Mitchells Plain.

An overview of hip and knee arthritis and its management

Health File

An X-ray image of a normal kneeImage SUPPLIED

An X-ray image of an arthritic kneeImage SUPPLIED

An illustration of an artifical hip inplace. Image SUPPLIED

The most common

way of detecting

arthritis is by

means of a

radiograph

or X-ray of

the affected joint.

Muslim Views


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Dr NASEERA ALLIEPRIOR to the 1960s, mostwomen in South Africa had littlechoice about their pregnancy andlabour. Most deliveries were conducted in homes and thosewith complications were referredto a hospital.

This practice has changed tohospital or clinical deliveries as itis safer for the mother and thebaby.

The process of birth is a beau-tiful and natural occurrence, andthere are options for the birthingprocess.

As such, mothers are oftenfaced with a dilemma of normalbirth vs caesarean section. Awoman can discuss her optionswith her doctor or medicalprovider. It is important to under-stand the pros and cons beforemaking a decision.

Birth is a different experiencefor every woman. Normal (vagi-nal) delivery offers a woman amore natural process.

The advantages include:l faster recovery time;l reduced risk of infections;l shorter hospital stay.

The disadvantages of normalbirth include:l trauma to mother (this

includes perineal tears andincontinence);

l hypoxia to baby while inlabour and delivery (baby doesnot have enough oxygen whenthe mother has a contraction

or during the delivery) – result-ing in hypoxic brain damage;

l trauma to baby at delivery;l cannot schedule delivery;l more stress and anxiety while

in labour;l complications of prolonged

labour e.g. infections.A caesarean section occurs

when the baby is delivered via anabdominal incision. This is a sur-gical procedure and is performedin theatre after the mother hasreceived an anaesthetic.

The main advantages of cae-sarean section:l avoidance of the complications

of labour and delivery – birthinjury to mother and baby;

l scheduled delivery;l less likely to suffer from incon-

tinence.The disadvantages include a

higher rate of maternal morbidityand mortality. This includes:l higher rate of infections in the

mother (wound and kidney);l anaesthetic complications;

l surgical complications: bleed-ing, adhesion formation (mayaffect future abdominalsurgery);

l possibility of delivery beforethe baby is ready;

l increased pain compared tonormal delivery;

l longer hospital stay.Knowing the above, it is

important to discuss your optionswith your caregiver as there arecertain indications for caesareansection where a normal birth

would be dangerous to the moth-er or baby.

A caesarean section should beperformed when the continuationof the pregnancy or labour will beharmful for the mother or baby,and normal birth is not consid-ered safe for one or both of moth-er or baby.

This includes:l bleeding before labour or dur-

ing labour;l high blood pressure and other

medical conditions in themother;

l suspected foetal distress (tiredbaby);

l abnormal presentation –breech, cord, brow;

l multiple pregnancy;l big baby;l failure to progress in labour;l failed induction of labour;l failed forceps or vacuum deliv-

ery.It is important for a mother to

be involved in the decision to per-form a caesarean section or a nor-mal birth, as well as to bedebriefed afterwards.

What is the right choice?The birthing process is a per-

sonal experience that variesamong individuals.

You need to choose the bestoption that suits you.Dr. Naseera. Allie, MBChB(UCT), FCOG (SA), MMed(O&G), is a gynaecologist andobstetrician at MelomedGatesville. Tel: 021 637 4323.Email: [email protected]

Birthing options: normal versus caesarean section. Which is better?

Muslim Views


The Dynamics of Public Speaking from an Islamic Perspective by Edris Khamissaand Adv Mahomed AbdullahVahed, Khamissa Vahed PublicSpeaking Academy, Durban,2015, pp. 202.

THE book is a comprehensiveguide on public speaking inIslam, particularly for the beginner. It focuses on theProphetic model as the ideal andit draws from various standardsources on public speaking whichmay be used by anyone, irrespective of faith.

The unique feature of this pub-lication is therefore its basis of theIslamic faith and its rich relianceon the Quran and Hadith forbuilding the model of publicspeaking. The standard conven-tions of preparations and presen-tation of a speech are detailedalong with relevant supportingverses from the Quran and theHadith.

As such, the text is not only atutorial and guide to publicspeaking but also a source ofmoral advice advocating the mer-its of following the admonish-ments from the Quran and theHadith. A committed Musliminterested in using the text shouldfeel bound by the precepts andinjunctions from these twosources.

Aspects of preparation such asstructure and subject matter, andaspects of presentation such asposture, eye contact and tone areexplored with typical reference tothat of the speeches of theProphet (SAW). The authors haverecorded this down to details suchas the pauses, hand gestures andthe smile of the Prophet (SAW).

References to models outsideof the Islamic tradition are verysparse. Examples are the dedicat-ed preparation of WinstonChurchill, the power of narrativein the story of the brand of Ouma

Rusks and the remarkable generalknowledge, recalled by theauthors, of Moulana Omarjee,who read and could quote sourcessuch as Farmer’s Weekly, Reader’sDigest and The Daily News.

In addition to the basics ofgood public speaking, the book isalso filled with tips and advice formaintaining audience attention,overcoming fear of public speak-ing and what to avoid whenspeaking in public.

An entire chapter is dedicatedto the Jumuah khutbah. Interest-ingly, some of the content in thischapter is directed at the manage-ment of the Jumuah platformwho are often the hosts of thespeaker. An innovative exercise isthe introduction of a survey formin which speakers for Jumuah areevaluated by members of the con-gregation!

In this respect, the accompany-ing 48-page handbook is excellentfor undertaking a self-check forthe preparation and presentationof a speech.

The most instructive linesabout the Jumuah khutbah in thebook are the following: ‘If a per-son receives an invitation toaddress a meeting or give a

Jumu’ah Khutbah and knows thathe will not have the time to makeproper preparation for the occa-sion, he should decline the invita-tion. To accept it would be unfairto the congregation and harmfulto himself and the institution herepresents.’

While the book endorses theuse of rhetorical devices in theway that the Prophet (SAW) hadexemplified, it does not adequate-ly clarify the dangers of rhetoricin public speaking. Noam Chom-sky, the renowned activist, pro-scribes the use of rhetoric. In hisview, this device detracts from thesubstance of a speech and locatessignificance in the form and pre-sentation as opposed to the con-tent.

Politicians get away withdeceiving the masses by abusingrhetoric to achieve political objec-tives. Few are those who undressthe rhetoric of politicians’ speech-es to see the substance for what itis. Fewer still are those whoappreciate speeches for their sub-stance as opposed to theirrhetoric.

The purveyors of the Fridaysermons may not be people ofintegrity who have no hidden

agendas and who use devices suchas figurative language, humour,similitude consistent with that inthe Sunnah.

In this respect, the book doesnot adequately address the possi-ble abuse of these devices.

Another aspect of the Jumuahkhutbah that is ever-relevantglobally but which is not dealtwith in the book, is addressinghard-core political issues in thissacred hour.

Did the Prophet address thepolitical issues of his day or didhe restrict his topics to the exhor-tation of good conduct of andspiritual benefit for his congrega-tion?

One would expect the estab-lishment in dictatorships such asthe Saudi regime to proscribe ser-

mons that criticise the govern-ment. Does the Prophetic modelprovide any guidance in thisrespect? If content from the pulpitcalling for resistance of the unjustSaudi regime is banned in theSaudi kingdom, what about suchcontent in democracies like SouthAfrica?

I wonder if the authors consid-ered this at all or if it seemedsomewhat peripheral to the coreobjective of offering a guide forpublic speaking.

Finally, the authors could haveinvested a little more in profes-sional typesetting, design andproofreading of the book. Thevalue of its content certainly justi-fies it.

Review byMAHMOOD SANGLAY

BOOK-REVIEWBOOK-REVIEW

EBRAHIM BARDIENTHERE are vast numbers of ourfellow countrymen who languishin abject poverty and live in‘wretched’ settlements across ourcountry.

Foodbank SA reports that 12million people go to bed withoutfood. That number cannot be faroff the mark as the Department ofBasic Education provides inexcess of nine million meals perday to learners at school.

What do those learners eatwhen they are not at school?What do the non-school goingpersons from those homes livefrom?

The education of the past wasdesigned to be a source of cheaplabour. The issues of poverty andeducation (and training) are inex-tricably linked. Having said this,the poor and marginalised willnot forever remain quiet and sub-missive. Their children are beingeducated and we are beginning towitness an outright expression ofsubstantial rejection of the statusquo over a broad spectrum ofissues, from service delivery tooutsourcing to #FeesMustFall.And correctly so!

The decrepit and often sub-human living conditions wreakhavoc on the health of our fellowSouth Africans.

The health system will remainstretched and so will social ser-vices. The prevailing conditions inthe densely populated townshipsare an ideal (sic) breeding envi-ronment for diseases like TB, HIVAids etc. Poverty is not only ascourge but a serious health haz-ard and impacts very materiallyon the economy as a whole andthe well-being of the functioningof our society.

Much has been done toaddress the education of our chil-dren but there is much morescope to prepare a better futurefor all.

However, we will remain heav-ily constrained by a capitalist eco-nomic system that has playedhavoc with the future of thepoverty stricken and will continuedoing so unless we come up withA New Thinking for EconomicEmancipation – a long overdueeconomic Codesa.

What we have inherited isunnatural and the consequencesof inhumane thinking and prac-tices. As human beings, it is with-in us to address it and devise pro-grammes and rolling plans to turnthe economy of our country on itshead for the betterment of all.

Capitalism as it has unfoldedin South Africa is a complete mis-fit in our mission to obtain eco-nomic justice and equity in our

country. When interrogating ourcolonial and apartheid past, onecannot and should not ignore theinstitutionalised economic exclu-sion and marginalisation of thosenot classified white by intent and,later, through legislation.

Surely the social mission of ouremancipation must be an aspira-tion to an egalitarian and classlesssociety. However, the gapbetween rich and poor haswidened exponentially with thedevastation of living conditions ofthe poor over the last 21 years.

What South Africa sorelyneeds is not the concentration ofwealth but the circulation thereof.

A critical dimension related tothis shameful concentration ofwealth that has not beenaddressed and assessed at all isthe impact of control of workers’retirement funds and other formsof life savings.

Those funds in varying formsfound their way into financialinstitutions that, in turn, investedit in a variety of forms (loans,debentures, preference shares,ordinary shares etc) into listedand unlisted companies. The verycompanies that exploited labourand denied workers advancementhad the effective use of workers’capital and enriched themselvesvery substantially. All legal! Butwas it moral?

In the bad old days, pre-1994,the very institutions that overseeand manage retirement and lifesavings today, were very comfort-able with prescribed investmentsinto the apartheid governmentand its institutions like Sasol,Iscor, Land Bank, IDC etc. Whywould there be a reluctance todayto re-enact such investmentoptions?

Why has government been sogenerous in permitting substantialoffshore investments while ourcountry is badly in need of capitalto improve and expand our infra-structure?

Why should our utilities bor-row offshore and be exposed tocurrency weaknesses over whichwe have no control?

If the private sector is reluctantto invest in our local economy,why should workers be con-strained to invest their retirementsavings only in such ‘anti-job cre-ation companies’?

Poor quality education militat-ed against advancement in theworkplace, which in turn led tosubsequent generations being ill-informed of opportunities andtotally unaware of life impera-tives such as quality education,healthy lifestyles, proper health-care and economic opportunities.

A conscious effort has to bemade to educate such citizens of

the opportunities, especially thosewho are now parents. If not, theircycles of poverty will be a perma-nent feature of our society.

Furthermore, quality educa-tion should never be sacrificed.The wealthy have long recognisedthis and have hugely financedtheir alma maters.

We have world-class financialand economic legislation and sys-tems but are they conducive tohuman development and econom-ic progress amongst the poor?

It is our responsibility to putpressure on our policy makers toaddress the economic challengesfaced by the large numbers of thepoverty stricken.

Such policies should endeavourto emancipate the poor from theterrible scourge of economicexclusion and the debilitatingsocial and medical diseases thatare the natural consequences ofsystemic deprivation over longperiods of time.

Common sense dictates thatwe cannot go to bed with morethan abundance in our stomachswhile millions of our fellowhuman beings go hungry.Ebrahim Bardien, an accountant,has an interest in socio-economicdevelopment. He is a foundermember of the Cape Townbranch of the Muslim YouthMovement of South Africa.

A new thinking for economic emancipation

Public speaking has a moral imperative‘If a person receives an invitation

to address a meeting or give a

Jumu’ah Khutbah and knows that

he will not have the time to make

proper preparation for the occasion,

he should decline the invitation’

Muslim Views


Muslim Views


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The Sixth Schedule of theIncome Tax Act No. 58 of 1962provides a simplified tax systemthat is available for businessesthat meet certain criteria (micro-businesses). Instead ofpaying normal tax, capital gainstax and dividends tax, a singletax is provided for (turnovertax).

Who qualifies?There are two broad categories

of persons that qualify as a microbusiness, namely a natural personor a company as defined. A busi-ness with a qualifying turnovernot exceeding R1million in anyyear of assessment can elect toregister as a micro business.

Who does not qualify?l Any person who held any

shares or had any interest inthe equity of a company at anytime during the year of assess-ment. (There are certain per-missible interests that the per-son may hold);

l Any person who is a partner ina partnership, is a partner inany other partnership at anytime during the year of assess-ment;

l Where the aggregate incomederived by the company from‘investment income’ and ‘pro-fessional services’ as definedexceeds 20% of the totalreceipts of the business;

l Where the proceeds from thesale of capital assets used

mainly for business purposesexceed an amount of R1,5mil-lion over a period of threeyears. The term ‘mainly forbusiness purposes’ meansassets used more than 50% ofthe time for business purposes,with the exception of immov-able property, where morethan 50% of its floor area isused for business purposes;

l Only companies with a Febru-ary year end qualify;

l Where any of the business’spartners, members or share-holders are not natural personsduring the year of assessment;

l All personal service providersas defined, and labour brokersas defined who have not beenissued a SARS tax exemptioncertificate;

l Public benefit organisations,recreational clubs, associationsand small business fundingentities approved by SARS.

What is qualifying turnover?Qualifying turnover is defined

as the total receipts derived by theperson from carrying on any busi-ness activities, excluding anyamounts of a capital nature

received from conducting busi-ness, for example, the sale of abuilding that was used in thebusiness; and government grantswhich are exempt from incometax. Under normal tax rules,receipts are taxed if they formpart of gross income and are tax-able. Under the turnover tax ruleshowever, it is total receipts thatare taken into account in deter-mining the person’s qualifyingturnover, and whether a receipt istaxable or not is irrelevant.Included in total receipts will alsobe the VAT charged on the supplyof goods or services. Although thequalifying turnover of a microbusiness may be below the R1million qualifying turnoverthreshold at the beginning of ayear of assessment, it is advisablefor a micro business to calculateits qualifying turnover on a regu-lar basis so as to ensure that it iswithin the required threshold atall times. Penalties and interestmay be levied against taxpayersthat account for tax on theturnover tax basis but do notqualify as such. The R1millionthreshold applies to a year ofassessment running from March 1

to February 28/29. If a personcarries on a business for less than12 months, the turnover thresh-old is pro-rated based on theremaining number of monthsuntil the end of that year ofassessment.

Anti avoidance rulesThere are anti-avoidance rules

in place within the Sixth Schedulewhich guards against circum-stances in which the total receiptsis split between connected parties.The total amount received by aconnected party from carrying onbusiness activities must be addedto the qualifying turnover of theparty seeking to be registered as amicro business, where the twobusiness activities of the two par-ties form part of each other.

The tax ratesThere are specific inclusions

and exclusions in taxableturnover but, generally, taxableturnover is the amount, not of acapital nature that is received by amicro business during the year ofassessment from carrying on busi-ness activities.If you would like a specific topicfeatured in the upcoming issues,kindly send your suggestions [email protected]. Thisarticle is intended for information purposes only andshould not be considered as alegal document. Please note thatwhile every effort is made toensure accuracy, Nexia SAB&Tdoes not accept responsibility forany inaccuracies or errors contained herein.

Tax for micro-businessesFocus on Finance

With a challenging economic climate, micro-businessesare fully focused on growth. So, a simplified tax systemcomes as a boon. HASSEN KAJIE, CA (SA), a director ofNEXIA SAB&T, based in the Cape Town office, and AYSHAOSMAN, CA (SA), National Technical Manager for NexiaSAB&T in the Centurion office, explain the tax system forqualifying micro-businesses.

Hassen Kajie Aysha Osman

Muslim Views


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IN this column, I want toreflect on the posts that I readon several WhatsApp groups

to which I belong. It must besaid that it is a very useful forumfor information and quick communication and, occasionally, for entertainment.From time to time, links are alsoprovided which allow us to readdetailed discussions if we areinterested in knowing moreabout the subject.

We receive important informa-tion about various issues. Thisincludes the latest news aboutevents in the Muslim world, suchas the conflict in some countriesand bombings in others. And weget statistics about the number ofpeople killed and injured or maderefugees by the conflicts.

There is great sympathy for theplight of refugees but also angerthat Muslim states (except forTurkey and Jordan) have notadmitted them into their coun-tries. This despite the enormouswealth that some of these statesenjoy.

Racist posts are immediatelycondemned. The tweet by PennySparrow was an ‘opportunity’ todemonstrate our horror thatracism still exists in this day andage. I am not sure if some of those

who criticisedher were notsecretly inagreement withher, judgingfrom comments I hear at socialevents. But that’s pure specula-tion.

On the bright side, there areconstant reminders that Islamdoes not condone racism andpleas that ethnic divides in theMuslim community must bebridged. Though, in my view,most young people no longeridentify with the country or vil-lage that their ancestors hailedfrom, and marriage across the‘divide’ is common, it appearsthat there are ‘pockets of resis-tance’. On some forums there isvisible anger and frustrationexpressed by ‘Black’ Muslimsagainst ‘Indian’ (and sometimes‘Malay’) Muslims for theirracism, exploiting workers,imposing their culture (e.g. dress-ing), creating a culture of depen-dency in the townships, monopo-lising institutions, sendinghumanitarian aid to other coun-tries, lack of consultation etc.

Most of these allegations aretrue, to be honest, though, unfor-tunately, in some cases, commentsagainst ‘Indian’ Muslims take a

distinct racist undertone.However, there are now

attempts to address these issues.Several projects have been initiat-ed essentially to empower Mus-lims in the townships. A specialforum to discuss these matters hasbeen established.

News is sometimes disseminat-ed without verification, whichlater turns out to be absolutelyfalse. Meanwhile, people mayhave forwarded the informationto their contacts and are then putin an embarrassing position toretract the misinformation.

Occasionally, we are fed withnews about an event in a mannerthat implies that it occurredrecently only to discover that itoccurred many months ago so allthe responses to the news becomeredundant. Then we havereporters who do not provide fullinformation, which results in

wrong conclusions being drawnabout the incident or event.

There is a chat group dedicatedto politics. Global events as wellas local events are mentioned andthere are brief discussions onsome local, national and interna-tional issues. Palestine alwaysreceives a great deal of coverageand evokes strong emotions cou-pled with the condemnation ofIsrael and the United States.

The corruption and depen-dence of particularly the wealthyArab states are roundly con-demned. Iran has its supporters aswell as its detractors. Politicaldevelopments in South Africa arediscussed regularly and crime andcorruption are always highlight-ed.

The state of the economy issometimes discussed on a politicalchat group, including the perfor-mance of global and local mar-kets, exchange rate, GDP andlabour laws. But there is a dedi-cated group to discuss economicissues, with which I am not famil-iar.

A forum was set up recently toencourage Muslims to register asvoters in the forthcoming munici-pal elections. Organisations thatendorse the campaign are listed.

From time to time, supportersor opponents of the ruling partytend to voice their opinionsthough campaigning for politicalparties is strictly off limits. Theyusually get a telling off. Theforum will, I presume, be openfor people to express their sup-port for specific parties once theregistration is over.

While the voter registrationcampaign has been conducted in aspirit of patriotism, it will beinteresting to see how campaign-ing for parties will pan out.

There are two forums for gen-eral discussion, where all types oftopics are discussed. On the one,

even Sunni-Shia differences arediscussed. The exchanges are usu-ally cordial though some partici-pants do get a little ‘overheated’at times.

Attempts to introduce thistopic on other forums have beenrejected. It is clear that manywant to stay clear of this contro-versy – which they believe willnot resolve anything – and focuson issues of immediate concern tothe community. The other forumgenerally steers clear of this topic.

Some posts on dedicatedforums are totally irrelevant. Onone forum that deals with eco-nomics, we read about chocolaterecipes and remedies for variousillnesses. On another dealing withpolitics, we read about sectariandifferences.

Then there are those whoadvertise an event on every chatgroup, assuming that it is relevantto at least some persons belongingto the group, which is plausible.

Usually, only a few groupmembers are active. The rest readonly those posts which interestthem and simply ignore the rest.

There is often a healthyexchange of ideas. But then thereare those who cannot tolerateanyone challenging their opinion,providing an alternative view orcorrecting them. They go into atizz and their reaction is charac-terised by allegations, assump-tions and insults.

Then there are the amusingposts, some of which areabsolutely hilarious. Mocking No1 is currently very popular thoughit does get up the noses of thosewho support him.

The post of Obama praying inthe mosque left some people baf-fled and they decided to verify theclaim before realising it was ahoax.

They sounded a bit sheepish tohave believed it in the first place.

DISCUSSIONS WITH DANGORDISCUSSIONS WITH DANGOR

WhatsApp is a very useful forum for information and quick communication and,occasionally, for entertainment, writesEmeritus Professor SULEMAN DANGOR.

What’s up in the WhatsApp groups?Global events as

well as local events arementioned and there are

brief discussions on some local, national

and international issues.Palestine always receivesa great deal of coverage

and evokes strong emotions coupled with the condemnation of

Israel and the United States

Muslim Views


IBRAHIM OKSAS and NAZEEMA AHMED

THE All-Wise Quran dealswith innumerable matters,some of which are

complex, while others mayappear to be ordinary and commonplace.

In his contemporary Quranictafsir, Risale-i Nur, BediuzzamanSaid Nursi discusses the wisdominherent in Allah Almighty men-tioning what may appear to beordinary, for example, an ayah onthe natural state of rocks, inSurah Al-Baqarah.

Bediuzzaman expresses that‘conciseness’ is one foundation ofthe Quran’s miraculousness.Through conciseness, AllahAlmighty shows universal truths,and profound and general princi-ples in familiar and simple formto ordinary people, who form themajority of those whom theQuran addresses.

Bediuzzaman cites in Words,one of the books in the Risale-iNur Collection, the ayah fromSurah Al-Baqarah: ‘And yet, afterall this, your hearts hardened andbecame like rocks or even harder:for, behold, there are rocks fromwhich streams gush forth; and,behold, there are some fromwhich, when they are cleft, waterissues; and there are some thatfall down for awe of Allah. AndAllah is not unmindful of whatyou do.’

Bediuzzaman states that theAll-Wise Quran expresses the fol-lowing in the above ayah: O Chil-

dren of Israel and Sons of Adam!What has happened to you thatyour hearts have become harderand more lifeless than stone? Doyou not see that those extremelyhard, lifeless, huge rocks formedin vast strata under the earth areso obedient before AllahAlmighty’s commands and so softand tractable under the dominicalworks?

And like the way the branchesof trees and plants spread in theair with ease, encountering noobstacles, the delicate veins ofroots spread with the same ease inthe rocks under the earth.

The Quran indicates this andteaches us an extensive truth withthe ayah, and thus, by allusion,says the following to the hard-hearted: O Children of Israel andSons of Adam! What sort of heartdo you bear within your weak-ness and impotence that, with itshardness, it resists the commandof Allah Almighty? Whereas, howperfectly and obediently the hugestrata of hard rocks carry outtheir delicate duties in the dark-ness before His commands?

They display no disobedience.Indeed, those rocks act as treasur-ers for the water of life and othermeans of life of all the living crea-tures above the earth. They actwith such wisdom and justice thatthey are soft like wax or air in thehand of power of the All-WiseOne of Glory; offering no resis-tance, they prostrate before AllahAlmighty’s mighty power.

And, through ‘And, behold,there are some that fall down for

awe of Allah’, the Quran showsthe following truth: like in theevent of ‘Nabi Musa (AS) askingfor the vision of Allah’ and thefamous mountain crumbling atthe divine manifestation, and therocks being scattered; through themanifestations of divine glory inthe form of earthquakes and themountains shaking, most ofwhich are like great structuresformed of solidified liquid, andcertain other geological occur-rences – through such awesomemanifestations of glory, the rocksfall from the high summits of themountains and are broken up.Some of these crumble and, beingtransformed into earth, becomethe source of plants.

Others remain as rocks, and,rolling down to the valleys andplains, they are scattered. Theyserve many purposes in the worksof the earth’s inhabitants – bybeing utilised in their houses, forexample.

Bediuzzaman states that wecan see how valuable these threeparts of the ayah are from thepoint of view of wisdom. Forexample, in the second part of theayah: ‘And, behold, there aresome from which, when they arecleft, water issues,’ teaches thismeaning: O people of Musa (AS),how is it that you do not fearAllah when the mountains, whichare composed of rocks, arecrushed and scattered out of aweof Him?

Although you know that NabiMusa (AS) climbed Mount Sinaiabove you in order to receive theCovenant, and that on his seekingthe vision of Allah, the mountaincrumbled, and you saw it, how isit that you are so bold you do nottremble out of fear of Allah, andyou make your hearts hard andunfeeling?

With reference to the first partof the ayah, ‘For, behold, thereare rocks from which streamsgush forth’: Through recallingwith this part rivers like theblessed Nile, the Tigris andEuphrates, which gush up out ofmountains, the Quran makesunderstood the miraculous fash-ion in which rocks receive the cre-ational commands and are subju-gated to them.

It infers the following meaningto vigilant hearts: it is certainlynot possible that the mountainscould be the actual source of suchmighty rivers. This means that thesprings of these rivers are notsomething ordinary and naturalarising from chance but that the

All-Glorious Creator makes themflow forth from an unseen trea-sury in truly marvellous fashion.

Thus, alluding to this mysteryand stating this meaning, it is nar-rated in a hadith: ‘Each of thosethree rivers is a drop from Jannahwhich continuously issues forthfrom Jannah, as a result of whichthey are sources of abundance.’

And, in another, it is said: ‘Thesource of these three rivers is fromJannah.’ The truth of these narra-tions is this: since physical causesare not capable of producing theirabundant flow, their sources mustbe in an unseen world, and mustarise from a treasury of mercy;the equilibrium between theirincomings and outgoings is main-tained in this way.

Bediuzzaman concludes thatthrough inferring this meaning,the All-Wise Quran gives the fol-lowing instruction: O Children ofIsrael and Sons of Adam! Withyour hardness of heart, unfeeling-ness and heedlessness, you dis-obey and close your eyes to thecommands and light of knowl-edge of Allah Almighty, Whomakes flow forth from themouths of common, lifeless rocksmighty rivers like the blessedNile, which transforms Egypt intoa paradise.

How is it that while someunfeeling, lifeless rocks manifestthe miracles of His power in suchwondrous fashion, you are blindbefore the light of His knowledge,and do not see it?

Insha Allah, may AllahAlmighty soften our hearts.

Light from the Qur’anThe All-Wise Quran: showing the extraordinary within the ordinary

Through conciseness,Allah Almighty showsuniversal truths, and profound and generalprinciples in familiar and simple form to ordinary people,

who form the majority of those whom the Quran addresses.

Muslim Views


JASMINE KHAN

WE know that, in Islam,the parents’ status isvery high. The Holy

Quran has numerous verses inthis regard, for example, ‘YourGod has decreed that you willworship only Him and adoptgood behaviour with (your) parents.’ (Quran 17:23)

However, do we ever considerwhy this exalted position hasbeen bestowed on parents?

With every right comes aresponsibility.

What are the parents’ responsi-bilities? Do parents only haverights over their offspring, andchildren not have any rights overtheir parents?

Rasulullah (SAW) said: ‘Asyour father has a right over you,so does your progeny have a sim-ilar right.’ (Muslim)

He also said: ‘As are the chil-dren disinherited for their disobe-dience so, also, it is possible thatthe parents may be disowned bythe children for not fulfilling theirbonding duties.’ (Muslim)

We are approaching HumanRights Day, when most of thecountry will be speaking out atthe atrocities currently prevalent,and the human rights of peopleare being abused.

This is good because the guiltyones should be aware that theiractions are not going unnoticed.

However, this is also a time todo some reflecting about what ishappening closer to home, and,indeed, in our homes.

As Muslims, we know thatwhen we see something wrong wehave to change it, if we cannot doso physically, we have to speakout against it.

We may not be able to do any-thing about the global scale ofabuse but there is one type ofabuse that we can definitelyaddress. Before we look outward,let us put our own homes inorder.

My late mother (may Allahgrant her Jannah, ameen) believedthat we should first clean ourown doorstep before criticisingour neighbours.

She took this dictum literallyas well; every morning, she wouldsweep her stoep, the path leadingto the gate, and then she sweptthe pavement in front of herhome.

One of the issues that reallyshould be addressed is the way wetreat our children, the way weshout at them and criticise them,sometimes even in public.

Children come from Allah as atrust; every parent has the respon-sibility to ensure that the childwill grow to be an asset to society,and a responsible follower of ourbeloved Rasul (SAW).

It is our responsibility to teachthem good manners and guidethem toward the recognition andobedience of Allah.

To do this, we have to instilAllah-consciousness in the child,from birth.

When we cuddle this preciousbaby and call her ‘Mommy’s littleangel’ or ‘Daddy’s darling’, it is a

good idea to add, ‘who camefrom Allah’. In doing so, aware-ness of Allah is inculcated in thechild.

When we teach children aboutAllah, it is imperative to empha-sise that Allah loves them, andthat we as their parents love thembecause they are gifts from Allah.It then becomes easier to instilgood behaviour and worthy val-ues.

Children need to be constantlyreminded of how much they areloved and respected; this willinstil self-worth and build self-esteem, which in turn will lead toemotional intelligence.

Children growing up in a lov-ing environment where lovebetween parents is visible, feelloved themselves.

Knowing they come from theseparents, they learn to obey. Whenit is made clear to them that theycame from Allah, and that Momand Dad were chosen to bringthem into the world, obedience toAllah becomes an intrinsic part oftheir lives.

Although parents teach theirchildren about Allah from anearly age, very often, Allah’s lovefor them and the necessity forthem to love Allah, is postponeduntil they are older.

Children come into the worldas a blank sheet, and whetherthey turn to life of virtue or vicedepends on the parents. This isthe reality: children learn fromwhat they see and hear, and notnecessarily from what they aretold.

We all know the old saying:‘Do as I say, don’t do as I do.’

Parents have the divine respon-sibility of guiding and steeringtheir children by example so thatthey can be assets to society, andthat they may find reward in thehereafter. These are the parentswho deserve the exalted status ofparenthood, not those who con-sider raising children as a duty ora burden.

The best thing a father can dofor his children is to be a rolemodel, with good manners, kind-ness in his relationship with hiswife and ethical training.

Mothers play a key role in thelives of their children.

The child’s first madrasah isthe lap of the mother.

In view of the high statusaccorded to women in Islam,Rasulullah (SAW) said: ‘Heaven(i.e. Jannah) is under the feet ofone’s mother.’ (Bukhari)

With this elevated status, itmust be obvious that we have towork to earn this privilege.

Mothers can make or break achild. In fact, our beloved Rasul(SAW) said: ‘Lucky is the onewhose foundation of his virtuehas been made in the womb of themother, and unlucky is the onewhose wickedness had its rudi-ments in the mother’s womb aswell.’ (Tirmidhi)

Apart from attending to theeducation and training of the chil-dren, the parents must recognisethat their children are people,albeit ‘little people’.

As human beings and creations

of Allah, they have certain rightsover their parents.

Parents are also answerable tosociety; our children are the citi-zens of tomorrow.

The lessons they learn todaywill be put into practice tomor-row, thereby benefitting theirfamilies and society.

Today’s children are tomor-row’s parents and may be tomor-row’s reformers.

By recognising their obliga-tions towards their children, par-ents can render invaluable serviceto humanity. They can be theinstruments of the reform of soci-ety.

The home is the trainingground for the citizens of thefuture.

If we want our children torespect the rights of others, weneed to start by acknowledgingtheir rights.

Raising a child is the singlemost vital and challenging job,yet no one needs a licence to do it.

As Muslims, we have the pre-scription of how to do it, all weneed to do is go to the pharmacy.When we nurture truthful, piouschildren with due cognisance oftheir humanity, we not only servesociety, we are also banking forour own old age.

Having been respected andhonoured as children, they willrespect and honour us in ourfrailty.

Rasulullah (SAW) said: ‘MayAllah bless the parents whotrained their children to behavejustly with them.’ (Muslim)

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From Consciousness to Contentment

Human rights: children have rights, too

Muslim Views


FOUZIA RYKLIEF

IWILL not be covering all thechapters in the book but dealwith a few that I covered

during a series on The Voice ofthe Cape. There is too much togo into and I encourage readersto buy the book.

I will deal with some pointsfrom Chapter 1 and Chapter 3.

Chapter 1: good parenting:what is it and how

do we begin?Two of the essential ingredi-

ents for good parenting recom-mended by the authors in Chapter1 are:

1. Knowledge and understand-ing of the stages of development:Parents need to understand thatchild development is a long andsophisticated process and that theparents’ role changes with eachstage as the children’s needschange.

2. A balanced parenting style –the authors identify four broadparenting styles. The last one isthe preferred one.

a) Authoritarian (also Aggres-sive): This is a style that says ‘doas I say’ – giving orders anddemanding blind obedience with-out explaining why.

It is focused on punishmentrather than discipline – which isabout teaching. This approachraises children who obey out offear.

‘This domineering practicedoes not help to raise childrenwho are emotionally, psychologi-cally and mentally sound. To raisestrong children, parents need toengage children in participativeconsultation.’

The authors state further:‘When children are raised in astate of fear and oppression, theybecome afraid to take risks andafraid to make decisions.

Eventually, they end up lackinga sense of responsibility andunable to make decisions.’

b) Permissive (Passive): thisstyle allows children to do as theyplease.

There are no limits, no guid-ance and parents give in to chil-dren’s demands.

This kind of parenting oftenresults in children who have no

self-discipline.Children learn that no matter

what they do, right or wrong,they will not be punished.

This can lead to a lifelongrebellion against any type of ruleor structure.

c) Democratic: parents consultwith children on all matters.

d) Authoritative/Assertive: par-ents expect children to be respon-

sive to their expectations, andparents are responsive to theirdemands. Rules and expectationsand reasons for these are clearlyarticulated.

Chapter 3: setting the right goals: the first step in

implementing good parentingThe authors refer to intelligent

parenting and conscious parent-ing, and stress the followingpoints:

a) For a society to be strongand healthy, individuals have tobe strong and healthy. ‘The inter-ests of the individuals have toencompass this life and the here-after, the temporal as well as thespiritual, and the personal as wellas the societal. This should be theoverriding theme and worldviewof parents in raising children.’

The above is a theme that per-meates the book.

b) Parents must have a goal inmind when raising children. Weplan for weddings, careers andholidays, why not plan how weare going to raise our children?

A tool that parents can consid-er using is the ‘good parentinggoal chart’, which covers goalsparents have for their children,values and the means towards theachievement of the goals.

The goals in the chart havebeen taken from the aspirationsof parents summed up in verse25:74 of the Quran: ‘And thosewho say: Our Lord, grant us fromour spouses and our offspring joyand comfort, and make us leadersof the pious.’

The goals also derive from ahadith of Prophet Muhammad(SAW).

The authors maintain that thegoal chart is the pathway to theend product – a righteous child.They emphasise that to achievethe goals for our children, weneed to look at our own charac-

ters and behaviour. Parents needto:l practise what we preach as

much as possible;l make our worldview a holistic

concept in life;l admit our mistakes and apolo-

gise for them without makingexcuses;

l apply an appropriate balanceof discipline, encouragementand empowerment; and

l complement the above withfaith and prayer.I conclude with a question

posed by the authors: ‘Shouldparenting be taught in highschools?’

Their answer is: In earlier gen-erations, grandparents, uncles,aunts and neighbours lived closeby.

Family life has changed andbecome more challenging, withmarital conflict followed bydivorce and single parenting.They say that the ‘natural art oftransmitting good parenting hasfragmented’.

I agree with the authors whenthey say that family life is not ascience – it is about feelings andrelationships, and that learningabout parenting in school is notthe solution.

They continue and stress thatparenting is a lifelong process andparents must not abdicate theirresponsibilities (i.e. leave it toschools to teach children how toparent). Children must learnabout parenting from their par-ents.‘Parent-child relations: a guide toraising children’ is authored byDr Hisham Yahya Altalib, DrAbdulHamid Ahmad AbuSulayman and Dr OmarHisham Altalib.Fouzia Ryklief is a social workerregistered with the South AfricanCouncil for Social Service Professions (SACSSP)

Positive and Effective ParentingNotes from ‘Parent-child relations: a guide to raising children’

Muslim Views


SULEIMAN the Magnificent,born 1494 CE, looked intothe mirror.

One side of his face was soft,gentle as the lyrical odes he wroteto his beloved Ukrainian-bornwife, the beautiful Roxelana(Christian-born, AleksandraLisowska, converted to Islam):‘My sheer delight, my revelry, myfeast, my torch, my sunshine, mysun in heaven… the flaming can-dle that lights up my pavilion.’

More seriously, Suleiman’sfamous verse: ‘The people thinkof wealth and power as the great-est fate,/ but in this world a spellof health is the best state./ Whatmen call sovereignty is a worldlystrife and constant war;/ WorshipGod is the highest throne, thehappiest of all estates.’(Wikipedia)

The literary historian E J WGibb observed that ‘at no time,even in Turkey, was greaterencouragement given to poetrythan during the reign of this sul-tan’. (Wikipedia) He was also agoldsmith, and patron of the artsand architecture.

Suleiman was renowned as alawmaker of note, severe againstcorruption and an advocate ofequality before the law.

He instituted good governancefor the benefit of all his subjectsand prohibited xenophobiaagainst Christians, Jews and otherminorities.

His bold reforms were laudedeven by opposing Western lead-ers.

Suleiman’s murky side was thatof a fearless warrior, a conqueror,disciplined, cruel and dark as thedevil’s tail. Capriciously, to thehorror of his staff, he sometimescasually ordered the execution ofprisoners of war without reasonor remorse. Two famous incidentsblot his reign.

The first incident was person-al. Pargali Ibrahim Pasha was aChristian youth from Parga,forcibly inducted into theOttoman army to be trained forthe elite Janissaries Army Corpsthat protected the sultan. He wasconverted to Islam and became afirm friend of the youngSuleiman.

When Suleiman became sultan,Ibrahim was elevated to higherand higher state positions until hewas appointed Grand Vizier.Ibrahim became rich and influen-

tial. Suleiman promoted him fur-ther to head the armies and over-see the extensive Ottoman powerbases in Europe.

But, Ibrahim, fearing for hislife, begged Suleiman not to givehim such powers. Suleimanassured him that no matter what,his life would be safe. A majordispute between Ibrahim and thefinance secretary, Iskender Celebi,ended with the latter being sen-tenced to death. In his dyingbreath, Iskender accused Ibrahimof trying to overthrow Suleiman.On March 14, 1536, Ibrahim haddinner with Suleiman, his oldfriend and confidant. The follow-ing day, Ibrahim was executed.

The second incident was moreMachiavellian (sinister).

Suleiman’s eldest son, Mustafa,by his first wife, Mahidevran, wasan astute prince, well loved by the

people he served in ManisaProvince. But Mustafa did not geton with his father, who supportedhis sons Mehmet and Selim byHurrem Sultan (Roxelana’s mar-ried name).

Through court intrigue, Roxe-lana, pressurised Suleiman thather sons, Selim and Bayezid, bethe heirs apparent instead of therightful heir, first-born, Mustafa.The grand vizier, Rustum Pasha,son-in-law of Roxelana, spreadrumours that Mustafa was plan-ning to depose Suleiman.

Suleiman summoned Mustafato his tent, assuring that he wouldbe safe from retribution. Instead,the infuriated Suleiman had hisvery own son, Mustafa, strangledwith a bowstring, right in front ofhis eyes.

Suleiman the Magnificent wasan avid builder of infrastructureand mosques. His architect par-excellence, Mimar Sinan, erectedthe grand Suleymanye Mosqueedifice that dominates the skylineof Istanbul.

Construction started in 1550CE and the mosque opened in1558 CE. It is the biggest mosquein Istanbul; a striking skyline bea-con on a hill of the Golden HornPeninsula, overlooking the nar-row Bosphorus straits.

It consisted of the mosque forprayers, four Quran madrasahs, alibrary (still in use) a hospital, acaravanserai-resting place fortravellers from afar, severalhamams (Turkish baths) and apublic kitchen where everyonecould get food, irrespective ofreligion. The mosque has fourornate minarets that signifies thatit was built by a sultan.

The Suleymanye Mosque isregarded as one of Mimar Sinan’smasterpieces even though he saidthat the Edirne Mosque, 200 kilo-metres away, was his favourite.The Suleymanye Mosque has thelargest dome in Istanbul, barringthe Hagia Sofia built duringByzantine rule, in the fourth cen-tury CE.

The Suleymanye Mosque hasmany half domes surrounding themain dome. The interior is quiet-ly understated, with discrete useof decorated Iznik tiles. Beautifulstained glass windows paint thewalls with coloured light, imbu-ing a soft glow to the interior.

An air of tranquillity pervadesthis mosque, an adjuvant to innerreflection and warm spirituality.In this, it scores when comparedwith the flashier Blue Mosque(Sultan Ahmet Mosque), oftendespoiled by rowdy crowds thatflock to devour the more flam-

boyant beauty of its décor.Behind the Suleymanye

Mosque is the Turbe (Tomb) ofSuleiman who died in Hungary,aged 71, during a military expedi-tion. His innards were removedand buried in Hungary. His deathwas kept secret so that his son,Selim, could accede to the thronebefore others could usurp thecaliphate.

His embalmed body wasburied 48 days after his death.His wife, Roxelana, is also buriedin this tomb complex.

As I was writing this, I readthat the lost tomb over his inter-nal organs, buried in Hungary,was recently rediscovered andverified at the precise spot on thebattlefield that he died.

Interestingly, Suleiman’s father,Selim I, was called Selim theGrim. His son, Selim II was calledSelim the Sot (Drunk).

Selim I was fiery, stern buthardworking. He had dethronedhis father, Bayezid and executedhis brothers Ahmet and Korkut aswell as a couple of his nephews toprevent discord in the Ottomancaliphate. Many of his viziers meta similar fate, giving rise to theOttoman curse, ‘May you be thevizier of Selim.’

Selim II, son of Roxelana andSuleiman, was pale and blond.Under his indolent, lascivious ruleof alcohol and orgies, theOttoman power spiralled down-wards with a vengeance. His wife,Cecelia Venier Baffo (NurbanuSultan), became a virtual co-regent.

His sister, Mihrimah Sultan,the most powerful woman in theOttoman Empire, had to lend himlarge amounts of gold to pay histroops. His son, Murad III, start-ed off his reign by having his fouryounger brothers strangled.

Mimar Sinan was buried in ahumble tomb (no access to visi-tors) adjacent to the SuleymanyeMosque; that is what he wanted.But we shall sing his praises later.

Mosques are edifices of stone,sanctuaries of worship, havens ofpersonal introspection and abirthplace of reconciliation withcommunities at large. They havetheir stories but they also comewith the baggage of their makers,good or bad.

It is for us to reflect upon thewalls and the soaring minaretsand ask: how can we fulfil dreamsof peace, tolerance and universalharmony within the hearts of thedivine spaces enclosed by won-derfully decorated walls?

If we don’t, our future could beas black as the devil’s tail.

Suleimanwasrenownedas a lawmakerof note,severeagainst corruption

and an advocate ofequality before the law,writes DR M C D’ARCY.

FOR ALLFOR ALLMagnificent Turkish mosquesand their makers - Offering 1

The striking marble mimbar in the Suleymanye Mosque. Note the stained-glasswindows. Photo: M C D’ARCY

Ornate minaret of the SuleymanyeMosque. Such minarets, usually four,were reserved for mosques specifically built by sultans.

Photo: M C D’ARCY

Tomb of Roxelana, wife of Suleiman the Magnificent, and mother of Sultan SelimII (Selim the Sot). Did she cause all the trouble that sent the Ottoman Empire spiralling down? Photo: M. C. D’ARCY

Muslim Views


Dr MAHMOUD YOUSSEF BAKER

HUMANKIND is not onlyits own worst enemy butis also the worst enemy of

nature and environment.Throughout the history of

Earth, no creature has causedmore destruction and damage toalmost everything around him asman. From outer space, the ozonelayer, air, deep seas, oceans,rivers, forests, natural life and theanimal kingdom, humankind didnot exclude anything.

Growth as an ultimate objec-tive of any economic policy mustbe reconsidered and its cost onenvironment and the quality oflife of people must be taken intoaccount and disclosed to the pub-lic. Economic growth withouthuman development is not theright development model fordeveloping countries.

I wrote the following in anarticle published by the NatalMercury during the COP 17 con-ference held in South Africa, fiveyears ago:

‘China achieves the highestgrowth rate in the world but inthe meanwhile its cities sufferfrom the highest pollution rateand it is also the biggest polluterin the world. China should not beconsidered as the right economicmodel and an example to followby other developing countries asit is not a sustainable model.

‘Any successful and sustainableeconomic model must keep theright balance between economicdevelopment and protecting theenvironment, the health and wel-fare of the people… sustainabilityis the art of survival with quality.’

Now look at what is happen-ing in the Chinese economy andits stock market, let alone the dis-astrous level of pollution its peo-ple are suffering.

Scientists say that the gas emis-sions from human activities arecausing the climate to change toofast and that the temperature ofearth will increase by an estimat-ed two degrees by the end of thiscentury. They also say that manyanimals and plants will not beable to adapt to this fast changeand may become extinct.

The temperature increase hasalso led to the melting of manyicebergs in Antarctica. If the melt-ing is allowed to continue, scien-tists expect the sea levels to riseby about one metre by the end ofthis century, which will result inthe disappearance of many smallislands and cause damage tomany coastal cities and the peoplewho live there.

Last November 2015, repre-sentatives from about 180 coun-

tries had a meeting in Paris –COPE 21 – in a final attempttowards a global arrangement toget commitments from all coun-tries to reduce their emissions ofcarbon dioxide before greenhousegas concentrations reach thepoint after which nothing can bedone to control the destruction ofthe ecosystems of our planetcaused by climate change.

The main outcome of the meet-ing was a very good frameworkto limit the global temperatureincrease to below 2 degrees Cel-sius but, unfortunately, the agree-ment is not legally binding on anycountry. Some scientists believethat this will lead us to anincrease of 2,7 to 3 degree ofwarming.

Accordingly, most of the envi-ronmental activists believe thatthe Paris conference was a failure.

South Africa and climate change

South Africa’s continuedreliance on coal-fired power sta-tions at the expense of other

renewable energy sources is a veryexpensive and destructive policyto the environment.

According to many experts, theR200+ billion allocated by Eskomto its two new coal-powered sta-tions could have been used todevelop clean renewable energyfrom the sun, wind, water in bothrivers and seas and biologicalfuels from wastes of animals,human sewage and householdscrap.

Energy from these naturalresources can be produced forev-er and they produce zero or a verysmall level of carbon emission,therefore, there would be less pol-lution from these sources com-pared to coal smoke and acidwater from coal mines.

South Africa should also con-sider allocating funds to explorefor natural gas, which is a cleaneralternative to coal and fossil fuels.

Just a few months ago, I readin the Financial Times that Israelhas discovered natural gasreserves in its land and regionalwater, sufficient for its local con-

sumption for one century.It is estimated that almost 90

per cent of South Africa’s electric-ity comes from coal, with the restcoming from nuclear energy (5per cent) and hydro-power (5 percent). If we compare this to acountry like Denmark with 25 percent of its electricity coming fromwind power, we will realise thatSouth Africa is not doing enoughin the domain of renewable ener-gy.

2017 is the date scientists haveidentified for when global emis-sions must start to decline to limitthe worst of global warming, sothe world needs to act fast as itwould be impossible to reversethe negative impacts of globalwarming after that.

To win elections and stay inpower, governments and politi-cians usually focus on achievinghigh economic growth rate,reducing unemployment and bud-get deficit, curbing the inflationrate etc, which is good but com-bating pollution and protectingthe environment has never been apriority. Therefore, governmentsare unlikely to commit to ambi-tious emission reduction targetsunless their citizens push them todo so.

What can we do to limit climate change?

The first step to resolving anyproblem is to realise that there isa problem. Unfortunately, manypeople are not convinced that cli-mate change is a serious problemand an imminent threat to us and,more seriously, to future genera-tions.

Going green and acting to pro-tect the environment require a bigculture shift in the way we see theworld and the purpose of ourlives.

The person with good qualitiesis the one who cares and acts mer-cifully towards everything aroundhim whether it is humankind,nature or the environment. Wemust realise that our planet isfragile and that our activities arehaving a devastating impact on allaspects of life on earth.

We must rally against climatechange and do our best to saveour planet.

As I indicated above, govern-ments and politicians are expect-ed to keep avoiding committingthemselves in a meaningful wayto emission reduction that mayaffect their plans to grow theireconomies, irrespective of theimpact on the environment. Theywill only act and reach a legallybinding agreement to cut industri-al emission and set specific targetswhen their citizens apply pressureand drive them to do so.

As individuals, everyone hasan earthly duty; having God allaround us means that we takegood care of what He has blessedus with, not only for us but alsofor future generations.

A simple way to assist inreducing climate change and beclimate friendly is to practice thethree Rs rule: reduce, reuse andrecycle as much as we can athome and at work, and urge oth-ers to do the same.

Needless to say, all of us cando a lot to save electricity by justturning off lights and variousappliances at home and at workwhen we don’t need them. We cansave many trees when we print onboth sides of paper, and printonly when necessary.

We can also do a lot more athome and workplaces to savewater. We need always to remem-ber that water means life.

If we are to care only aboutour well-being, then we are value-less to life and we are not neededin this world.

The role that NGOs can playThe majority of NGOs in

South Africa are doing a good joband they focus on importantissues, such as poverty alleviation,unemployment, HIV/ AIDS pre-vention, education, skills develop-ment, childcare, healthcare, disas-ter relief etc. but we must admitthat the issue of climate changehas never been a priority on ouragendas.

I hope that all NGOs in SouthAfrica will add the challenge ofclimate change to their agendasand mission statements.

NGOs and all civil societyorganisations must start to edu-cate the public about the increas-ing risks and threats of climatechange and how to respond tothis huge and complicated chal-lenge.

NGOs can also raise funds forresearch that aims at mitigatingthe risks of climate change andpromote renewable energy inpartnerships with universities.

NGOs must lead the way tolobby governments and lawmak-ers to adopt and implement pro-grammes, initiatives and publicpolicies to reduce industrial emis-sions and encourage investing inrenewable energy.

We, at various NGOs, need tocoordinate our efforts to makeour voices heard and lead the wayto save our beautiful planet fromgreedy and irresponsible capital-ists.

Earth has enough resources tomeet our needs but not our greed.Dr Mahmoud Youssef Baker isChairman of Iqraa Trust and adirector of Albaraka Bank.

Climate change and NGOs in South Africa

Dr Mahmoud Youssef Baker, Chairman of Iqraa Trust and a director of AlbarakaBank. Photo SUPPLIED

muslim views, february 2016

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