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Name
Zahrah
- South Africa
Profession
Question
What motivated you as a teenager to participate in the struggle against Apartheid?
Answer
I was born on 12 December 1945, and that means one month after the second World War ended. When I was three years old, the Apartheid government came into power and this meant that only the whites in the country held political, military, and judicial power. This meant that the following law was immediately implemented: the prohibition of mixed marriages act - this meant that no person could marry someone from the white group except for whites. And this was rather odd for people who in fact were the offspring of what was called inter-marriages. Politics therefore became a daily discussion in homes like mine.
In 1950 the Group Areas Act was issued, which meant that specific towns and suburbs were allocated for different race groups. In the same year the Immorality Act was passed; it prohibited sexual relations between white and black. The Population Registration Act was passed in the same year. This classified the entire population into 4 racial groups - that would be whites, colored, blacks and Indians. I was classified as a colored.
In 1953 the Bantu Education Act was passed, setting up separate education systems for separate race groups. The Coloured Affairs Department was in charge of the colored education. Inevitably, therefore, politics became the daily fare of all teachers and students. When I was 10, the Group Areas Act directly affected us when we were evicted from Mowbray, the area where I was born. We moved to District 6. This area was declared a white-group area in 1966. Trafalgar High School, where I did my matric, had a list of teachers all of whom were politically active. They were either members of the Teacher's League of South Africa or the New Unity Movement or both. Some of these teachers were banned like advocate Bennie Kies and Cosmo Petersen, among others.
My politicization was reinforced in my home environment because my father was an assistant Imam at various masajids. Racism was an anathema in all the institutions where I received my education.
It was to combat these injustices that I became politically active.
Name
Zaynab
- France
Profession
Question
Can you tell us about your experience as a prisoner on Robben Island?
Answer
I was 17 years old and completing my matric at trafalgar High School when I was arrested and held under the 90-Day Detention Law, which meant I had no access to lawyers, doctors, or family members and was at total mercy of interrogators, the Special Branch.
After the 90-day detention period, I were formally charged on Nov 2, 1964 and sentenced to hard labor imprisonment on Dec 2n 1964. Coming out of solitary confinement, and taken to Robben Island in handcuffs and leg-irons and being incarcerated with 1800 prisoners was more a relief than anything else. I was accompanied by two other high school students and a teacher from Trafalgar HS, Dr. Sedick Isaacs. The conditions on Robben Island were very harsh; that is why it was called Devil's Island.
Your personal identity was removed and you were given a prison number and never called on your name. My number was 882/64. All personal belongings were confiscated. We were issued with prison clothing which was only changed once a week: short pants, shirts, canvass jacket - no shoes, no socks, no underclothing. Food was standardized along racial lines ranging from what was called A-diet to F-diet. For example, colored men would get a D-diet and black men would get an F-diet. No newspapers, magazines or radio allowed. No television in South Africa at the time. It was an offence to possess a newspaper cutting, however small. Prisoners were allowed to send one letter to their families every six months and these were heavily censored. I was also allowed to receive one visit every six months which lasted 30 minutes. If you discussed anything outside family life, your visit would be stopped immediately. The following punishments were prescribed for offenses: If you did not do enough piece work in the quarry, you could be deprived of 3 meals the following day. More serious offenses could get you a spare diet, that is rice water, and this could last to a maximum of 32 days. One of the most feared punishments was the corporal punishment, e.g. a prisoner was given corporal punishment for refusing to obey what they called a legal command. Another prisoner was given six cuts for spilling his coffee on a warder's uniform. I was given six cuts for smuggling letters out of Robben Island and planning to escape.
Name
John
-
Profession
Question
Mr Cassiem,
South Africa is often made out to be one of the best countries in the world after the demise of apartheid; is this really so? And, is the South African solution really the solution for Palestine as well, since that is one of the "solutions" often pushed?
Answer
We in South Africa were colonized in 1652 and never had a representative nor a democratic government until the democratic election on April 27, 1994. For us, therefore, this was of major significance. Of major importance was the new constitution with a Bill of Rights included. The three major flaws in the constitution are that there is no recognition for political prisoners, you don't have the right to rebel and overthrow an unjust government, and, thirdly, the land that was taken from the African people prior to July 19, 1913 cannot be repossed. This is a great injustice. In 1913 87% of the population were restricted to 7% of the land. To date, only 0.5% of the land has been redistributed. We have 8 million squatters in South Africa; their inhabitants are living in the most horrific, unhygienic, and unsafe conditions.
Because the Judiciary was not completely changed in 1994, its effects are being felt now. In other words, all the prosecutors, magistrates and judges who had implemented the apartheid system from 1948 to 1994 remained in their posts.
South Africa's unemployment figure is 41% and the gap between the rich and the poor is the highest in the world. For example, 50% of the national income is consumed by 10% of the population and 50% of the population eke out a living on 7.5% of the national income.
I would definitely not recommend this as a solution for the Palestinian problem.
Name
Mohammed
- India
Profession
Question
Dear Sir,
Salam alaikum,
How much do you think the Islamic values and teachings of equality helped to end the racism in South Africa?
JazakAllah Khair
Mohammed
Answer
When Jan Van Riebeeck landed at the shores of South Africa on April 6, 1652, there were Muslim stowaway slaves in the hold of the ship. Five years later, more Muslim slaves were brought from the Far East and in the same year placaaten were issued by the Batavian Republic, prohibiting Muslims from practicing Islam in public. This was the start of the underground Islamic movement.
One of the Muslim rebels who was brought from the Far East was Tuan Guru. He and three others were imprisoned on Robben Island in 1781 and Tuan Guru was released in 1793. He is the person who built the first masjid in South Africa held the first jumu'ah in defiance of the laws. These Islamic values played a very crucial role in the country's liberation struggle.
Briefly, this is sobriety from birth to death - anti-racism and fear lessness in pursuing the struggle. I am a product of that particular heritage.
Name
UK
- South Africa
Profession
Question
Tell us about Qiblah.
Answer
On March 21, 1960, the Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania held a peaceful demonstration nationally against the pass laws. At Sharpeville, 69 people were killed, the majority shot in the back, and over 200 injured. At Langa in Cape Town, 21 people were killed. On April 30, 1960, the PAC as well as the ANC were banned. A state of emergency was declared; tens of thousands of people were arrested and beaten. Within a year both organizations decided to pursue an armed struggle. In 1962, the Sabotage Act was passed; that was the Act under which I was first arrested. When I was released from Robben Island on Dec 1, 1969, I served a 5-year banning, which prohibited me from any political activity, attending any educational institution, seeking employment in any factory, or absenting myself from the magisterial district of Cape Town. This banning order expired on Dec 31, 1975 and on June 16, 1976, the Soweto uprising occurred. A new round of repression more vicious than that of 1960 began and the Black Consciousness Movements was banned, some of their leaders assassinated and killed in detention. As-shaheed Imam Abdullah Haron was killed in detention on September 27, 1969 for opposing the apartheid regime. These two events are what actually established the formation of Qibla as an Islamic revolutionary movement.
There are approximately two million plus muslims in South Africa, the majority of whom live in Cape Town.
Qibla was formed in 1977 and it was officially launched in 1982. It had a very clear committment to armed struggle against the Apartheid Terrorist Regime.
Every single bulletin, pamphlet, and newsletter published by Qibla was banned by the government from 1977 to 1993. I was charged in 1986, together with Yusuf Patel, for sending Qibla members to Libya for training and deploying them in South Africa. I was found guilty on the basis of Qur'anic ayat (verses) contained in the bulletins and given a 6-year sentence under the Terrorism Act. Yusuf Patel was sentenced to 5 years and 5 other accused were sentenced from 7 to 17 years. These were members of the armed wing of the PAC.
Name
Fatima
- Turkey
Profession
Question
What was the level of Muslim participation in the struggle against apartheid? Did all Muslims believe that they should be part of that struggle?
Answer
Not all Muslims participated in the struggle because not all of the Ulama and Imams encouraged people to participate in the struggle. Either they were apolitical, which contradicts Islam, or they were cowards, or they were paid by the apartheid terrorist regime to keep the population docile. We have proof that these things happened. Some of the Ulama were even honored by the regime.
Currently, we still have remnants of these leaders amongst us. Many Muslims who participated in the struggle sacrificed their lives, either on the barricades, in detention, or fighting the enemy. For example, Ahmed Timol, Dr. Haffegee, and Imam Haron were killed in detention. Zaki Muhammed was assassinated in exile. Dawood Parker died in exile.
Name
Sarah
- Syria
Profession
Question
We heard that you used to practice da'wah in prison. Can you talk to us about that?
Answer
Da'wah to us literally means the way you live. For a teacher, Islam is first and foremost, a sincere seeker of the truth, a sincere disseminator of the truth, an exemplar and an agent of and for social change. This basically is what interested people. Many of our mujahideen were exceptionally exemplary in detention and especially under torture. And this undoubtedly had an impact on people from political movements. They even said that in their movements, they had members with this caliber.
Name
Shehaam
- South Africa
Profession
Question
Do you think that apartheid is over?
Answer
Even the government admits that the legacy of apartheid is still with us: 8 million squatters, 8 million illeterate adults, 7 million unemployed, an inadequate primary health care system - the highest rate of HIV/AIDS infection in the world and the highest TB infection rate in the world, the highest rate of rapes in the world with only 7% successful prosecution.
Name
Katherine
- United States
Profession
Question
While you were imprisoned, did you find that your faith became stronger or did it waiver? Was faith a large part of other prisoners' lives? I read that many prisoners in British jails are turning more and more to Islam. Did you find that to be true during your incarceration? Thank you.
Answer
Human beings have an innate capacity for faith. This is part of their state of fitrah. A human being without imaan is an incomplete human being. The choice before all of us as prisoners is to decide whether the whole of life is sacred, life is not sacred at all, or part of life is sacred and part is not. When death stares you in the face daily and torture is an everyday occurrence, one has to learn the answers to these questions very quickly. Research done in South Africa has shown that people who had faith came out stronger, their faith reinforced and those who lacked faith were those who suffered the most harm psychologically. In the movement we are taught that every day is a good day to learn and every day is a good day to die.
Name
Jawad
- Canada
Profession
Question
Salam Alekom. May you please give us some practical actions to be done by people in the West and people in Palestine regarding the Palestinian struggle?
Answer
1. It is not our desire or duty to become adjusted to maladjustment.
2. The oppressor cannot define the problem for us.
3. The oppressor cannot tell us who should lead us.
4. The oppressor cannot tell us what methods of struggle to use.
5. The oppressor cannot choose the battlefield for us and or the time of the battle.
6. It does not make sense to make maximum sacrifices for minimum gains.
7. We are non-violent to non-violent people only.
8. Peace emanates from justice and we love justice more than we love peace.
9. The primary objective of all struggles is to establish a just social order.
10. The struggle has been won when we are allowed to live as human beings. Anything less than this is treason against the oppressed people.
