Famous mosque in Durban under guard

By M.S. Prabhakara

CAPE TOWN, SEPT. 24. Following apparent bomb threats, Durban's famous Juma Masjid, the largest mosque in the southern hemisphere, has come under heavy police guard. Last week, arsonists yet to be identified tried to set fire to the offices of the Muslim Judicial Council in Cape Town.

Inescapably, the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in the U.S. as reflected in these stray incidents and rather more luridly in correspondence columns of newspapers and radio talk shows, continues to reflect the still deeply entrenched divides, preconceived notions and prejudices in this country.

The Grey Street mosque, now a much bigger structure than what it was when it was built in 1898, attracts a large number of foreign visitors.

However, mosque officials have decided to close it for all such visits, keeping it open only for its regular five daily prayer meetings. The mosque has an interesting historic linkage to the professional career of Mahatma Gandhi as a young attorney and barrister in South Africa.

The land on which the Grey Street mosque stands was owned by the family of Haji Abdullah Adam of Dada Abdullah, the firm which engaged the services of Gandhi and brought him to South Africa to fight a civil suit involving another business rival.

According to Mr. Hasheem Seedat, a well-known Gandhi scholar who has a copy of the original transfer deed, Gandhi, acting as the lawyer for the owners of the land, was the official conveyancer of the legal process.

The impact of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington continues to be felt in South Africa. Reiterating the official position at the mid-term parliamentary media briefing last week, Mr. Aziz Pahad, the Deputy Foreign Minister, said South Africa remained committed to extending political and diplomatic support ``at the highest level'' to the U.S. in its war against terrorist efforts, while ruling out military support.

Mr. Pahad also said last week that there were no leads that linked the attacks to South Africa. However, there have been reports since then, confirmed by the police, that the U.S. has sought information from South Africa about some 200 individuals who may be linked to the terrorist attacks.

South African immigration and airline records are being checked to see if the identities of these persons match with those of anyone who may have passed through this country.

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Section  : International
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