A row is brewing between residents and trustees of a Mosque on the one side and trustees of the Homeowners Association (HOA) on the other side, of an elite security estate in Raslouw.
This follows an apparent order by the HOA of Raslouw Gardens for the trustees of the Mosque (Musallah) at the estate to turn down the external sound of the Adhaan (call to prayer). According to reports received, it is alleged that a handful of Muslim residents from the estate objected to the Adhaan being prayed loudly through the sound system. The quiet estate of Raslouw Gardens now finds itself in the throes of communal discord following the decision to silence the traditional Islamic Adhaan (call to prayer), a resolution that has deeply divided the predominantly Muslim community.
The directive which apparently came from the HOA Board Chairman at the behest of a small but influential faction within the estate, has led to an uproar among residents, 95% of whom follow the Muslim faith. In a community where the Adhaan has been a presence 5 times daily, its abrupt cessation has sparked a widespread outcry.
Sadly, a petition initiated by the residents to protest the decision to silence the Adhaan, was met with a shocking act of defiance when it was destroyed allegedly by a Muslim resident, a certain Imraan Hyder, who apparently burnt the petition in the Mosque without being reprimanded by any of the trustees of the HOA.
According to information received by the Laudium Sun, the decision to silence the Adhaan was influenced by a group of founding members of the estate. These individuals, long-standing pillars of the community, have allegedly employed a certain individual as a proxy in their quest to silence the call to prayer. “This isn’t just about the Adhaan. It’s about control,” a resident said. Ironically, it is believed that a non-Muslim living in the estate, who originally also objected to the Adhaan being prayed loudly, has since withdrawn his objection, yet the trustees of the HOA saw it fit to silence the Adhaan.
Response
The Laudium Sun was given a number of names apparently of trustees of the HOA or the Mosque Committee at Raslouw Gardens.
We then contacted Basheer Motala, who responded by saying that he was not a trustee and he did not stop the Adhaan, but referred us to Shabir Joosub (J&E), the Chairman of the HOA.
We then contacted Naeem Mohamed, as a trustee of the Mosque. who referred us to Zubair Ebrahim to comment.
The Laudium Sun then contacted Abdul Kadir Mahomed (AK), known to be a trustee of the Mosque, concerning the silencing of the Adhaan. He said, “Basheer Motala (Chairman of the HOA of Raslouw Gardens at the time) gave strict instructions to stop the Adhaan. We as the Raslouw Gardens Musallah had to unfortunately abide by the instruction or face penalties by the HOA. For further information, please contact Zubair Ebrahim who is the Chairman of the Musallah.”
The Laudium Sun then contacted Feizul NM Ayob, who is alleged to be one of the initiators of the objection to the Adhaan being prayed loudly. Faizul said, “Initially it is important to note that there was no opposition to the recitation of the Azaan. A few of us simply said that it might be considerate to inquire with our non-Muslim residents if they will be comfortable with the Azaan being broadcast over the speaker system. Following our request, we did not recieve any further communication from the committee. As of now, everything seems to be peaceful on this matter.”
At the time of going to press, the Laudium Sun received a joint email from Shabir Joosub on behalf of Raslouw Gardens HOA and Zubair Ebrahim on behalf of Raslouw Gardens Musallah. In summary, it stated:
- “The Musallah and its comittee members have always advocated for the Azaan to be prayed audibly via loudspeaker. Hence, any allegation to the contrary is false.”
- “Since we are a diverse community made up of individuals from different backgrounds, ethnicities and religions, it was the suggestion of some community members that the Musallah take this into consideration.”
- “In terms of the allegations made against the HOA, a complaint was previously received from residents regarding the Azaan being projected via loudspeaker. The HOA then reminded the Musallah Committee that the loud projecting of the Azaan would need to be put on hold until Council approval is granted and due process followed. Individual members of the HOA and the HOA as a whole do not act based on their personal views or act under duress.”
- “In an attempt to review the process set out by the City, the Musallah Committee formulated a consent/petition form for residents to sign. This would have formed part of the formal process to follow. At no point did the HOA oppose this, but rather welcomed the fact that due process was being followed in this regard. Due to the many differing views from various residents, no petition or consent form was ever handed over, either to the HOA or the City of Tshwane and the matter has been addressed since then.”
Strangely, in their response the HOA did not mention the burning of the petition by their member or former member, one Imraan Hyder.
*The Laudium Sun spoke to a Councillor on this matter, who stated that as far as he was concerned, a private estate did not need permission from the Council for the loud praying of the Adhaan and that the Council would only act if complaints were received from residents in the area. Thus he did not understand why the HOA saw it fit to ask the Council for permission to give the Adhaan on a private property.
Attempts to get hold of Imraan Hyder for comment were unsuccessful.
