As a journalist, a natural disaster – which is defined in the insurance industry as “an act of God” – is always something that catches you by surprise. Due to its unexpected nature, our emotional shield we so often call “objectivity” is momentarily dropped. Our human condition is such a[…]

The other day I was chatting in a shopping mall when my cell-phone rang. “Aren’t you going to answer it?” asked the person. “No,” I replied, “the caller can leave a message.” “But, I don’t mind, you can answer your phone,” he insisted, surprised that I was just letting it[…]

When the news broke that a Great White shark had fatally attacked a human (for the second time in five years) in False Bay at Fish Hoek, I shuddered. But not from the shock. I was more concerned that the subsequent media frenzy would bloody the water. Lloyd Skinner, a[…]

Usually when I go on leave, a huge story breaks. Last year it was Gaza, a few years ago it was the Asian tsunami – so it was quite a relief to see things so relatively calm. But no sooner was I back behind my desk than there was a[…]

For a reflective read, click on the “Surfing Behind the Wall” links’ button on the right…enjoy…

IMAM Abu Hanifah, born Nu’man ibn Thabit ibn Nu’man, came into the world a mere eighty years after the Prophet Muhammad’s (s) death. His grandfather was a Persian revert to Islam. His father was a wealthy silk merchant who died during his childhood. By the time Abu Hanifah had passed[…]

Phew! It’s been a helluva year! Really busy but rewarding. I’ll be taking a break from 24/12/09 to 11/1/10. See you then. Shafiq

I can remember octogenarian Arabs telling me in my travels to the Middle-East how in their distant childhoods mosques in Syria, Jordan and Palestine would be decorated for Christmas.

The other day I tuned into a Q & A, a popular programme on all our South African Muslim radio stations. This is where a titled cleric tackles listeners’ religious questions. Generally speaking, I would say that these programmes serve a useful purpose. A wide range of issues are usually[…]

Animal Farm, the feted novel by George Orwell (the nom-de-plume of Eric Arthur Blair) has been studied by generations of learners. Written by a struggling left-wing journalist, it employs the allegory of a farm to tell a tightly-woven tale of how social revolution can turn on itself. First published in[…]