Al-Qalam 
Islamic scholar Shaikh Rafeek Hassen says he would quit an interfaith group unless it condemns the Gaza genocide. Last week, Dr A.V. Mahomed, head of the Juma Masjid, resigned for the same reason, Ismail Suder reports.
In a dramatic turn, another prominent Muslim personality, Shaikh Rafeek Hassen, has warned that he was ready to quit the KZN Interfaith Council should it not publicly condemn the genocide in Gaza.
Last week, Dr A.V. Mahomed, the head of the Juma Masjid Trust, resigned from the Durban-based interfaith group because he claimed its executives continue to “remain silent” against Israeli genocide that has decimated close to 60,000 Palestinians, mainly women and children.
In an exclusive interview with Al-Qalam, Shaikh Hassen said he was co-opted to join the KZN Interfaith Council about three weeks ago. He joined because he believed his expertise in the field of interfaith dialogue would make a difference in local communities.
However, during his first meeting on July 6, Shaik Hassen said he was taken by surprise by Mohamed’s announcement that he was resigning from the KZN Interfaith Council because, he claimed, the religious body plainly refuses to condemn the genocide in Gaza.
In a searing letter to the Council, Mahomed said he and the Juma Masjid, as an entity, were resigning from the inter-faith body because of the inability of the executive members to publicly condemn the genocide and mass starvation of 2.2million people in Gaza.
Mohammed told Al-Qalam that despite engagements with the council to condemn the mass killings of some 60,000, mostly women and children, the Council remained unmoved.
Mahomed served for four years as a senior member of the KZN Inter-Religious Council, a body representing the Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Bahai, Hindu and other faiths.
Explaining his decision to resign, Mahomed said: “I simply could not accept the non-committal stance adopted by the Council members in the face of an ongoing genocide. As a humanitarian, my conscience would not allow me to stay on and I decided ‘enough was enough’.”
“As head of the largest mosque in the southern hemisphere, how would I have explained my participation in the Council which was unwilling to move on its rigid position, ” he asked.
In a statement, Mahomed said: “It is shameful that an institution claiming to represent religious leadership can remain silent in the face of such blatant inhumanity. How can we purport to uphold divine values while ignoring the suffering of our fellow human beings? This is not just a failure of leadership but a betrayal of faith itself.”
According to the minutes of the meeting of July 6, the Council said it acknowledges Mohamed’s pain pertaining to the Gaza “tragedy”. However, it pointed out that “singling one tragedy instead of acknowledging and calling for just peace in all areas of conflict is the approach that doesn’t isolate anyone.”
Hailey Fudu, the general secretary of the KZN interfaith council, said the council regrets the resignation of Mahomed.
She added: “We affirm our collective concern for the global humanitarian crisis, including the ongoing conflict in Gaza, and advocate for peace, the protection of human life, release of those held in captivity and the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid. Though our approaches may differ, our shared values compel us to stand for justice, compassion, and unity”.
Meanwhile, Shaikh Hassen said he was hoping the KZN Interfaith Council would make a public statement to condemn Israel’s genocide in Gaza. If not, he would have no option but to also resign from the KZN Interfaith Council.
“I was co-opted onto the KZN IRC a week before the first meeting on 26 June 2025. No issue about the genocide in Gaza was discussed or raised at this meeting. A few days later, I learnt that A.V. Mohammed had sent his letter of resignation. Everyone, including myself, was taken aback. In discussion with the Exco of KZN IRC, I made it clear that should the IRC go contrary to my personal position of condemning Israel for the genocide, starvation in Gaza and Occupation of Palestine, I will have no option but to quit KZN IRC. This is because, as religious people, we value all human life as sacred, and what Israel is doing is going against all norms of humanity – and as people of God, we have to condemn it.
“I have been working in the inter-faith arena for over three decades. Post democracy I formed my institute iiFRi – Islamic Interfaith Research Institute – to work with other faiths to provide the moral balance to the secular agenda unfolding in our new democracy. There is a lot of goodwill among the various faiths in our country and together we can promote the common moral values to prevent our country from spiritual and moral decay.”
