Masjid al-Munowar in Retreat will be hosting its 5th annual summer festival, to be held at the mosque on New Year’s Eve. The event, which starts after Maghrib, is being held in collaboration with the Dar al-Mahamid institute.

The New Year’s Eve event will follow the theme of “Halal Fun”, and will feature interesting talks from a number of prominent scholars. Amongst those scheduled to speak are Sheikh Riyaadh Walls, Maulana Abduragmaan Khan, and Maulana Dawood Sampson. There will also be qasaa-id rendered by the Khuddam al-Islam.

Speaking to VOC’s Afternoon Cruise show, event organiser Shafiq Sedick, said the aim of the event was to provide people with an halal alternative to bringing in the new year.

“The main reason is to give people a choice of what their entertainment for New Year’s Eve will be. We know there are a lot of things going on, but we are trying to make things halal here at Masjid al-Munowar,” he said.

With much of the focus of the event being on the youth, Sedick said they had acquired the expertise of three prominent young scholars, namely Zakariyah Harneker, Maulana Ebrahim Karriem, and Achmat Solomons. They would be delivering short talks to the youth.

“In terms of the youth, our aim is to give them an opportunity to have fun. We have these young and prominent scholars coming up in the community, and they’ve been giving lectures and talks throughout the Western Cape. They will speak to the youth on how to entertain themselves during the holiday season,” he said.

According to Sedick, it was difficult for parents in today’s time to allow their kids to spend New Year’s on their own, particularly with all the dangers currently facing society.

“Parent’s go out on their own and decide the kids can go have their own fun. Unfortunately once the kids are out of your hands and your control, then anything can happen. So what we are trying to do is to have you come along with your children and have fun with them at the mosque,” he said.

Sedick said that different facilities would be made available for both men and woman, with the ladies section in the mosque being completely cordoned off. He noted that this would not in any way restrict the woman from any of the activities.

The event will be open to everyone young and old, and entry will be free of charge. There will also be food stalls set up, that will serve a number of delectable foods including boerewors rolls, chicken platters, steak and chicken rolls, hotdogs, and much more.

The New Year’s Eve event will be held at the Masjid al-Munowar at 34 Concert Boulevard, Retreat. If you would like more information, or would like to make a contribution to the event, contact Shafiq Sedick at 082 967 0867. VOC (Mubeen Banderker)