Mosque vandalism breaks spirit of SA
SOUTH Africa and its people – given our history – are a beacon of hope for racial tolerance. Religious tolerance is no exception to this. Interfaith dialogue and brotherhood are synonymous.
Late President Nelson Mandela, on December 5, 1999, said that Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Jewish religious groups were instrumental in providing him and other young blacks with an education – and later in giving comfort to political prisoners and their families.
He said that: “Religion will have a crucial role to play in guiding and inspiring humanity to meet the enormous challenges we face in the next century.”
The acts of vandalism and desecration of the mosques of the Muslim community of Cape Town and remarks of religious intolerance on social media must be condemned for what they are – despicable acts of religious intolerance, contemptuous and harmful, if not dangerous, against all South Africans who have conjoined to create a nation of unity and, of course, an interfaith community that is in harmony and stands in solidarity with one another.
We express our most sincere sentiments to the Muslim communities of Cape Town who are exposed to and going through this ordeal.
Those responsible for these appalling acts of intolerance and mischief with intent to engender great harm in our communities must be apprehended and brought to book. I AM SURE many Christians feel as my wife, Jean, and I do about the desecrations of the Kalk Bay and Simon’s Town mosques – saddened and appalled. We pray for the healing of those who feel led to commit such acts, and prayerfully embrace our Muslim friends and their communities as they cope with these disgusting incidents.