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MJC laments Muslim criticism of Hamas

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While opposition from the Zionist lobby to Hamas’ South Africa tour was expected, the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) has expressed its dismay that individuals within the local Muslim community have criticised the long overdue visit. The group, led by the Palestinian political organisation’s leader, Khaled Meshaal were hosted by the ruling African National Congress (ANC) last week, drew condemnation from pro-Zionist organisations which slammed Hamas as a “terrorist group”.

However, it is the criticism from within the Muslim community that has shown firm support towards the Palestinian cause for freedom and self-determination that has sparked the ire of the ulema body.

“That plays directly into the positioning of the Zionist federation and those who are fundamentally opposed to Hamas, and want to maintain the rhetoric of Hamas being a terrorist organisation,” said MJC president, Maulana Ighsaan Hendricks.

Hendricks sought to remind the public that numerous groups and figures from different factions within Palestine have made previous visits to the country, often to overwhelmingly positive receptions from the Muslim community, and the Hamas delegation need be viewed no differently.

Hendricks reminded Capetonians of the ruling party’s close ties with both the Palestine Liberation Organisation and the Palestinian Authority. He said South Africa has a history of engaging with prominent Palestinian figures such as Farouk al-Kaddoumi, Shaykh Kamal Khatib, Shaykh Raed Salah, Dr. Naim Ateek and the iconic leader Yasser Arafat, who have all visited South Africa.

From his point of view, the ANC and the MJC has opened itself to engaging with Palestinian leaders from all different organisations in order to understand and get greater insight into the Palestinian dynamic.

“I think it is in line with the principal outlook that South Africa has taken over a number of years, particularly over the last 20 years of our own freedom and democracy,” he stated.

“What is so different about the initiative of the South African people and the ruling party to agree, in principle, to bring Hamas to South Africa?”

Hendricks said the delegations visit was a decisive moment for the country, in that serious attempts were made in prior years to engage with, and bring the resistance movement to South Africa. However the ANC’s stance in support of Palestine with regards to the Middle East situation meant that such a visit was possible.

“In the Arab World, by the admission of many prominent Palestinian leaders, they clearly remind us that it is not as easy to make a visit to any of the Arab countries (as it is to visit SA),” he noted.

The delegations’ visit coincided with that of representatives of Al-Quds TV, a Palestinian broadcaster described as ‘the official transmitter from Masjid al-Aqsa’. As a result, Hendricks highlighted that programmes hosted with the delegation were successfully broadcast within the occupied territories. VOC (Mubeen Banderker)


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4 comments

  1. I think the MJC needs to spend some time in the Occupied Territories and speak to the normal Palestinian on the ground, asking if they really do support Hamas and how is Hamas working to ensure their freedom.

    Gauranteed, the results will be startling and quite surprising, much to the dismay of the MJC.

  2. mmmm, no mention is made from which quarters the muslim criticism is coming, maybe the criticism is not against hamas but against the mjc "taking credit"

    its interesting that the mjc says "..“I think it is in line with the principal outlook that South Africa has taken over a number of years, particularly over the last 20 years of our own freedom and democracy,” because they themselves really only started to have an active role only since circa 1994 when "things were safe"

    before then they were asked repeatedly to become involved but the answers were always in line with "no politics in islam" , "dont bring your politics into the masajid", "we know the palestinians, weve been there, they drink and dont make salaah", etc etc

    then the mjc decided to be "popular" and sectarian siding with the plo ie pa….even when hamas won the elections and the zionists reinstalled the pa they kept quiet

    what contact has the mjc had with hamas over the last 20 years or more?

    perhaps they kept aloof because hamas was close to hizbullah and iran and syria until the "arab spring"?

    some leaders within hamas then curiously distanced themselves from iran hizbullah and syria thinking their bread would be better buttered but the saudis gulf states etc still sidelined them……now they have "recanted" and are friendly again with their only REAL SUPPORTERS in the area

    oh, and why did the mjc "instruct" through its minions to have supportive hizbullah folk with their t-shirts and flags removed from the hamas rally?

  3. MMMmmmm, no mention is made from which quarters the muslim criticism is coming, maybe the criticism is not against hamas but against the mjc "taking credit"

    its interesting that the mjc says "..“I think it is in line with the principal outlook that South Africa has taken over a number of years, particularly over the last 20 years of our own freedom and democracy,” because they themselves really only started to have an active role only since circa 1994 when "things were safe"

    before then they were asked repeatedly to become involved but the answers were always in line with "no politics in islam" , "dont bring your politics into the masajid", "we know the palestinians, weve been there, they drink and dont make salaah", etc etc

    then the mjc decided to be "popular" and sectarian siding with the plo ie pa….even when hamas won the elections and the zionists reinstalled the pa they kept quiet

    what contact has the mjc had with hamas over the last 20 years or more?

    perhaps they kept aloof because hamas was close to hizbullah and iran and syria until the "arab spring"?

    some leaders within hamas then curiously distanced themselves from iran hizbullah and syria thinking their bread would be better buttered but the saudis gulf states etc still sidelined them……now they have "recanted" and are friendly again with their only REAL SUPPORTERS in the area

    oh, and why did the mjc "instruct" through its minions to have supportive hizbullah folk with their t-shirts and flags removed from the hamas rally?Mmmm

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