MJC Meets with Foreign Diplomats

The Muslim Judicial Council hereby wishes to report that the Presidency of the MJC has met with the Egyptian Ambassador to South Africa as well as the Saudi Arabian Ambassador, Mohammed bin Mahmoud bin Ali Al-Ali, who recently attended the opening of Parliament.

Ramzy Baroud Visits South Africa

Moulana Ihsaan Hendricks also welcomed writer Ramzy Baroud, who was in South Africa to launch his latest book “My father was a freedom fighter”. Ramzy Baroud also headed a media seminar on “The media’s coverage of the Gaza war”, which took place at IPSA.

Youth for Al Quds Programme

The Youth for Al Quds programme took place at Darul Islam mosque in Surrey Estate on 12 February 2010. The programme included a presentation on Lessons on the Life of Salahudien.

[Please Click here to view PDF of Lessons on the life of Salahudeen]

The MJC leads prayer for rain in George

The Muslim Judicial Council has sent a senior delegation of Ulema to perform Salaatul Istisqau in drought stricken George. Salaatul Istisqau which took place at 2pm on Sunday 14 February on an open field in George came as a response to an appeal made to the MJC in early February, which called for assistance to help alleviate the worst drought in the area for the past 140 years.

The delegation included the Head of the Fatwa Department, Moulana Yusuf Karaan, Secreatry General,Maulana A.K .E Allie and Senior Council members, Sheikh Omar Gabier, Sheikh Abdul Hamied Gabier and Imam Allie Gierdien. Salatul Istisqau was lead by Sheikh Abdul Hamied Gabier. Sheikh Omar Gabier offered the 250 people who gathered for prayers naseegah on the importance of reconciliation between the community and the importance of living with kindness and compassion.

"Ramzy Baroud's sensitive, thoughtful, searching writing penetrates to the core of moral dilemmas that their intended audiences evade at their peril. Few are spared his perceptive eye, and only the morally callous will fail to respond to his pleas to look into the mirror honestly, to question comforting beliefs that protect us from facing our elementary responsibilities, and to act to remedy the terrible misery and injustice that he exposes to our view, as we surely can."  -- Noam Chomsky.

The Muslim Judicial Council President, Moulana Ighsaan Hendricks welcomed the prolific Palestinian-American journalist, author and former Al-Jazeera producer during his recent visit to South Africa on 12 February 2010. Baroud is in South Africa to launch his latest book titled “My Father was a freedom fighter”.

Ramzy Baroud taught Mass Communication at Australia's Curtin University of Technology, and is Editor-in-Chief of the Palestine Chronicle. Baroud's work has been published in hundreds of newspapers and journals worldwide, including The Washington Post, The International Herald Tribune, The Christian Science Monitor, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Seattle Times, The Miami Herald, The Japan Times, Al-Ahram Weekly, Asia Times and nearly every English language publication throughout the Middle East.

The MJC brings you the February edition of the Al Quds Foundation SA electronic newsletter.

Please click

Al Quds Foundation SA February 2010

for your pdf copy of the newsletter. May Allah grant us the sight of a liberated Al Aqsa in our lifetimes.

Ameen.

The Muslim Judicial Council  (SA) was established on 10^th February 1945, only a few months before the end of the Second World War. Today we are celebrating the 65^th anniversary of the establishment of the MJC as it became known to all. None of the original founding fathers are alive today, but a number of senior members within the organization who had direct links with the original members, are still alive and active in the MJC.

 The Muslim Judicial Council was founded at a meeting held in the Cathedral Hall in Queen Victoria Street in Cape Town. The meeting was described by the Cape Standard newspaper at the time as “A unity conference of Muslim religious leaders of the Western Province.” At the time of its establishment there were 39 mosques active in Cape Town and they were all represented by their Imaams. Out of a total of 68 Shuyoough and Imaams at the time, 62 attended the historic meeting. A 10 point programme was adopted at the meeting focusing on unity and service to the needs of the Muslims at the Cape. An Executive Committee of 18 members were elected with Sheikh Shakier Gamieldien as Chairperson and Hadji Hassiem Edross as Honorary Secretary. The Cape Standard further reported that the Judicial Council held its first Executive meeting on Saturday 17^th February 1945 and a public meeting on 11 March 1945 in the City Hall.