Recently in South Africa Category

Apparently members of the Somali jihad group al-Shabaab have followed Ethiopian Christians to South Africa and murdered them there. "Terror group targeting local Christians: Bishop," by Genevieve Serra for IOL News, July 13 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

Elite cops are investigating claims that terror group al-Shabaab is behind the murders of 14 Christians in the Western Cape.

The killings occurred within a 10-month period across the province, from Mossel Bay to Philippi, Macassar and Paarl.

All of the victims were Ethiopian Christians living here and the murders were initially thought to be random xenophobic attacks on foreigners.

The latest of these is a shop owner who was gunned down in Philippi last Friday.

But police are now investigating new evidence that the killings have been carried out by Somalia-based Al-Shabaab.

It is the first time there has been any suggestion that Al-Shabaab – which has links to Al-Qaeda – is operating in South Africa.

Authorities were made aware of the link to the Cape killings when a Christian bishop, also a former police inspector, noticed a distinct pattern in the murders.

The bishop – who does not want to be identified out of fear that he may be targeted – has sent three letters to President Jacob Zuma highlighting his concerns.

In one letter – seen by the Daily Voice – the bishop states: “Since September, seven of my Ethiopian Community have been shot, of which two have died and five seriously wounded… these are in fact acts of members of Al-Shabaab.

“Al Qaeda affiliates operating undercover by Somalis pretending to be normal refugees… the motive appears to be to try and drive out Ethiopian shop owners.”

A response from the President Jacob Zuma’s office addressed to the bishop advised him to take his findings to the “private secretary to the Minister of Police… the department placed to engage with you”.

In an interview with the Daily Voice, the bishop reveals he is currently in close contact with a special task force intelligence officer who has been assigned to the case.

The bishop – who is the head of a 4 000-strong congregation – fears more of his flock will be targeted by the terrorists.

“We want authorities to do something because we know this is the work of al-Shabaab,” he says.

“If nothing is done, the Ethiopian population will be depleted.

“The presidency’s office said I should apply to the Minister of Police.

“After that a special task force police officer was assigned.

“As a bishop, I feel responsible for my congregation.”...

"All we wanted was to be free to practice our own religions and not be forced to follow Islam, but now we have been punished by being deprived of safe accommodation." Imagine the outcry that would ensue if they had been kicked out of the dorms for refusing Christianity. But no one will take particular notice of this.

Islamic Tolerance Alert: "Protesting students kicked out of dorms," by Bongani Hans for The Mercury, May 31 (thanks to all who sent this in):

A row over the observance of Islamic customs and rules has left about 70 students without a roof over thier [sic] heads.

More than 70 further education and training students on the South Coast have been left without a roof over their heads after they were kicked out of the institution’s dormitories following a row over the observance of Islamic customs and rules.

The Coastal KZN As-Salaam campus in Braemar near Umzinto suspended lessons two weeks ago after students protested that those staying in the college dormitories were being forced to follow the religion.

About 500 students study at the college premises.

The campus was reopened on Tuesday, but more than 70 students who had been living in the dormitories, were told to find their own accommodation outside the institution.

Those living in dormitories were funded by the Department of Higher Education’s national student financial aid scheme, which was believed to be paying about R16 000 a student a year towards meals and accommodation. The beneficiaries said they could not afford to pay for their accommodation and meals because they were from poor families.

“Now that we have been kicked out of the dormitories, our parents have been forced to pay for rent outside the college. I’m paying R300 a month and I’m sharing the room with 11 other students, and I still have to buy groceries. In the dormitories, I was sharing the room with four people, and the meals were provided by the college,” student Zanele Mgedezi said....

The students went on strike after campus management allegedly compelled them to study the Qur’an and wear Muslim clothes.

They said they were not allowed to carry Bibles inside the premises.

The campus belongs to the Department of Higher Education, which rents the premises to the As-Salaam Institution, which promotes Islamic education and religion.

“All we wanted was to be free to practice our own religions and not be forced to follow Islam, but now we have been punished by being deprived of safe accommodation,” said Mofokeng.....

"So it is made out, George Bush-style, that you are either for freedom of expression or against it!" Yep.

"Zapiro: Drawing the Line: Zubair Bayat," from Dispatch Online, May 29:

[...] Two things are wrong with Zapiro's cartoon. Firstly, any attempt to depict him in illustration is an attempt to depict the sacrosanct, which is not allowed. Secondly, the nature of cartoons is to satirise and trivialise. This is clearly not acceptable in the case of a personality who is held in the highest esteem by over a billion people globally.

In this particular cartoon, the insinuation is that the Holy Prophet (pbuh) is in need of psychiatric help, an idea which prejudiced and hostile Orientalists have always attempted to project in their works. This dimension of the cartoon adds insult to injury and serves to rub the proverbial salt deeper into the wound.

When Muslims object, the stock response is that they do not appreciate freedom of expression. The media and others view this as an infringement of the right of freedom of speech. So it is made out, George Bush-style, that you are either for freedom of expression or against it! However, one aspect often overlooked is that no right is absolute; there are inherent limitations. Every right is counterbalanced against other rights. Every right comes with responsibility. And responsibility was certainly not displayed by the publishers of this cartoon.

But who decides what is "responsible" free speech and what isn't? That person is the one who holds all the power that matters. To set up such an arbiter is to embark upon the road to tyranny.

Irrespective of the motive for publishing the cartoon - whether it was a cheap publicity stunt, a gimmick to boost waning sales, deliberate provocation, or sheer ignorance - it was grossly offensive and highly insensitive. The worldwide anger and protests following the publication of the Danish cartoons of the Prophet (pbuh) made it amply clear that Muslims would not accept his depiction as a caricature or a cartoon figure.

Note the veiled threat: he is saying that Motoons should not be published because Muslims will react with the violent irrationality that greeted the publication of the first Motoons (after the OIC stirred the pot, that is).

The media have a duty to act responsibly in respect of sensitive issues and not to push the right to freedom of expression to ridiculous levels, where the lines of distinction between the profound and the profane are virtually obliterated. Sensible leaders around the world, including the Pope, issued strong statements condemning the inflammatory Danish cartoons when they appeared.

A spokesman for the US state department, Kurtis Cooper, was equally strong in his condemnation: "These cartoons are indeed offensive to the belief of Muslims. We all fully recognise and respect freedom of the press and expression, but it must be coupled with press responsibility. Inciting religious or ethnic hatreds in this manner is not acceptable."

It is important to remember that when Kurtis Cooper talks about "inciting religious or ethnic hatreds," he is talking about cartoons. In a world with an ounce of sanity left, he would be explaining how the freedom of speech is an essential safeguard against authoritarian government, and calling upon the Islamic world to show some maturity and restraint, and not kill innocents or issue violent threats, or, for that matter, attempt to impose its laws and mores upon the free West, over some drawings.

Muslims, for their part, accept the principle of wholesome and constructive freedom of expression, but not the freedom to wantonly insult, which is sometimes deviously and deceptively masqueraded as freedom of expression. True freedom of expression is freedom from insult, not freedom to insult. Freedom to insult has ultimately resulted in hatred, bigotry and even destruction. Studies indicate that reckless use (or rather abuse) of freedom of expression contributed to a great extent to the genocide in Rwanda, as an example, leaving over a million dead.

Who decides what is insulting and what isn't? I'm insulted by Islamic supremacist attempts to restrict free speech. Why is my feeling of insult worth less than a Muslim's?

Muslim outrage is often simplistically misconstrued as a lack of humour and over- sensitivity....

Yep.

Amid all of this uproar, three simple words bear repeating: It's. A. Cartoon. Indeed, imagine if this level of indignation were directed by Muslims at those who commit atrocities at the urging of Islamic scriptures?

Note also the sense of entitlement to special treatment. "Muslims urged to react," from iAfrica, May 22 (thanks to Twostellas):

A Zapiro cartoon published in the Mail & Guardian has angered Muslims countrywide and the SA Muslim Judicial Council on Saturday called on its followers to express their condemnation and disapproval of it.

"The Muslim community takes this opportunity to express the deep hurt it feels at the caricaturing of the Prophet Muhammad in the M&G," the council's website said.

'Express condemnation'

"The Muslim leadership appeals to all Muslims to express their condemnation and disapproval of this latest insult on the Muslim community in a responsible and dignified manner."

The controversial cartoon depicts Muhammad lying on a couch and complaining to a psychologist that "other prophets have followers with a sense of humour".

"Muslims in South Africa have struggled and sacrificed side by side with its fellow citizens to work for a free and democratic society based on the values of human dignity and honour to its entire people," the website said.

Values that Sharia law would obliterate, mind you.

M&G accused of 'complete disregard'

"It is therefore extremely disappointing that the Mail & Guardian adopts this deplorable policy of complete disregard for the religious sensibilities of Muslims, a significant faith community of our country and likely a sizeable segment of the readership of the paper."...

"South Africa's government embraces Iran's mullahs while turning a blind eye to terrorist groups within its own borders." From Josh Lefkowitz at FrontPage:

On July 25, following a twelve-hour shootout, two South African Al Qaeda operatives were nabbed in Pakistan, along with Africa Embassy bombing suspect Ahmed Ghailani. According to reports, the pair was plotting attacks against a number of targets in South Africa, including the Johannnesburg Stock Exchange and the National Parliament in Cape Town.

These arrests highlight the growing threat posed by radical Islamists in South Africa. In addition to Al Qaeda's increased presence within the country, South Africa's government has closely allied itself with Iran and has largely ignored the spread of Islamic extremism within its borders.

Two months before the Pakistan arrests, the South African government revealed that security forces had thwarted an Al Qaeda plot to disrupt the country's presidential election. South African terror suspects have even attempted to make their way into the U.S.

Just last week, a South African with suspicious travel documents was arrested in Mexico near the U.S. border. His links to Al Qaeda are currently being investigated. And on July 19, customs agents in Texas arrested Farida Goolam Mohamed Ahmed, a South African woman with a doctored passport. Like the man arrested last week, she is also being probed for possible Al Qaeda ties. In addition, immigration officials have been on the lookout for suspicious persons with South African travel documents ever since British authorities discovered hundreds of genuine blank South African passports during an anti-terrorism raid in London earlier this year.

While these developments underscore South Africa's importance as a key node in the War on Terror, in fact, radical Islam has held a foothold in South Africa since at least the 1980's.

Christmas as a national holiday is a legacy of apartheid? The CIA World Factbook on South Africa says that Christians make up 68% percent of the South African population; Muslims make up two percent. If Christmas is cancelled to avoid offending that two percent, it will become a legacy not of apartheid but of dhimmitude. From South Africa's Sunday Times, with thanks to Ali Dashti:

SOUTH Africa's 14 public holidays are up for review and "not one will be regarded as sacred".

This warning was given yesterday by Rufus Malatjie, chief director of legal services at the Department of Home Affairs, who heads a government task team evaluating the number of public holidays.

He said Christmas Day, Easter and Youth Day, on which the June 16 1976 Soweto uprising is commemorated, were also not exempt.

"I cannot guarantee that we will still have the Christmas Day holiday. At this stage anything is possible. There is no holiday that is regarded as being sacred. They are all being looked at," he said.

The team was appointed by Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the former Minister of Home Affairs, last November after complaints from the public that the South African calendar discriminated against religious groups and certain sectors of the population....

Sheikh Achmat Sedick, secretary-general of the Muslim Judicial Council, said his group had made a submission and would expect to be involved in further consideration of holidays.

He said Christmas, Easter and other religious holidays were legacies of apartheid and mainly reflected the priorities of the Dutch Reformed Church, to which most white leaders had belonged.

"Christmas and Easter were always there. If you want to retain them, then at least give us some consideration as well as all the other religions, which will be a logistical nightmare," he said.

"Maybe they just have to squash this whole idea of making the existing Christmas a national holiday, but I don't know... How are they going to accommodate the Jews, the Hindus, the Buddhists, the Rastafarians?"

Obviously that would be a logistical nightmare. Why must these populations be accomodated with national holidays at all? Why can't the majority reflect its culture in its observances? Why must this be considered an affront to others there?

Uzair Dockrat, wearing his suicide bomber jacket, and his dad (Shayne Robinson, Sapa)

LGF has posted a couple of revealing articles about a South Africa boy who wants to grow up to be a suicide bomber. First, from AllAfrica.com:

This six-year-old boy, dressed as a Palestinian suicide bomber, complete with a belt of fake explosives strapped to his body, says he wants to go to heaven - and his father says his child wants to be a martyr.

Uzair Dockrat was taken by his father Mohammad to yesterday's march in Pretoria, organised by the Muslim community to voice anger at the killing of Hamas founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin in Gaza City last week. ...

After prompting from his father, Uzair swore revenge on Israel for the killing. According to his father, Uzair expressed a wish to become a martyr.

"Martyrs are heroes ... they go to heaven," Uzair said.

"They (Israel) kill our people with tanks and helicopters. We can blow them up," he said.

Mohammad Dockrat said his son's costume was a "symbolic act of self-defence" against Israeli aggression.

"We are violent towards those who are violent towards us, and in this case, Israel is the aggressor," he said.

Dockrat defended Uzair's costume, arguing it was not intended to encourage violence, but "is a statement against the unlawful Israeli occupation of Palestine".

According to Dockrat, little Uzair would prefer to strive for victory through justice rather than violence.

"He understands the status of a martyr, but will rather see justice instead," he said.

Mmm-hmm. Onlookers seem to have missed these nuances:

Uzair was told by an unidentified adult protester: "You will be a martyr one day."

Note also the Left's cooperation with Islamic radicalism:

A few hundred protesters gathered in Lynnwood, Pretoria, before marching to the Israeli embassy.

The march was supported by the SA Communist Party, the Pan Africanist Congress and the Muslim Youth Movement.

Meanwhile, another story reveals that Uzair's father is not a desperately poor, oppressed individual with no other recourse but suicide bombing. On the contrary, he is a "university lecturer."

Mohammed Dockrat, a university lecturer, said: "Muslim children in South Africa have been aware of the attack on Islam since the war in Afghanistan.

"They saw other children being killed and maimed and are very aware of who the enemy is."

The academic said his son, Uzair, decided to wear the jacket to a protest march in Pretoria attended by about 300 Muslims.

Yet while encouraging this attitude in his son, Mohammed Dockrat shows a keen awareness of how to speak to Western reporters:

"I don't think we should make too much of the jacket. As an adult, he will have a better understanding.

"To me, the fact that he wore it symbolises that one can kill one generation, but there will always be a next generation to continue the struggle."

Dockrat said he didn't want his sons to be pacifists and he wanted them to be able to defend themselves.

He agreed there could be negative feelings towards Jewish friends in South Africa.

"But if you see what is happening in Jewish communities here, how they send their children for military training in Israel, then it seems to me that our children should be the ones to be afraid and not the other way around."

And despite his encouraging his son to glorify those who murder civilians, he has the gall to claim the moral high ground and repeat Al-Jazeera's wild claim that the Israelis fabricated the recent story about a teenage would-be suicide bomber:

Dockrat claims the recent case of a Palestinian teenager, wearing a suicide jacket, being arrested at an Israeli checkpoint, was an Israeli set-up.

"The Hamas group never uses children in suicide-bomb attacks and it occurs mostly on buses where there is a civilian target.

"We do not use children in the struggle, this is a principal of Jihad (holy war)."

Al-Bawaba reports (with thanks to "Allah") that Nelson Mandela has just wrapped up a state visit to the Wahhabi kingdom:

Former South African President Nelson Mandela left the Saudi capital of Riyadh Wednesday, according to SPA news agency.

At the King Khaled International Airport, he was seen off by the kingdom's Minister of Health Dr. Hamad bin Abdullah Al-Manei and South Africa's ambassador to the Kingdom Abdul-Hameed Khabir, the agency added.

I trust that while he was there he rocked the House of Saud with his trademark eloquent, ringing denunciations of injustice and inequality of rights among peoples. He probably took them apart for their religious discrimination (chiefly against Jews and Christians), slavery, and much more.

What's that? He didn't say a word about any of that? Hmm. Why not, Nelson?

"South African Muslim groups have called on the government to scrap a proposed anti-terrorism bill saying it threatened to undermine the nation's hard-won civil liberties. 'We urge our government not to take us back to the dark days of fear, suspicion and injustice,' a host of Muslim organisations said in a joint statement, referring to the country's apartheid past."

These groups assert that "many countries . . . had used anti-terrorism legislation, especially in the United States and Britain, to 'trample on the civil liberties of innocent people, most of them Muslim'."

I oppose any element of the Patriot Act that is legitimately determined to deny anyone rights that are constitutionally guaranteed. But here and in South Africa, Muslim advocacy groups that protest anti-terrorist measures would have a much stronger case if they were, with all respect for civil rights and religious freedom, actively cooperating with anti-terror efforts. When CAIR puts up instructions at its website on how to report terrorist activity that moderate Muslims may witness in their mosques, I'll take their protests more seriously.