Despite attempts to seek shelter at the Durban Central Police station, they have been met with further aggression from the police, who tried to disperse them with teargas and rubber bullets. After having their legal status verified at the Home Affairs Office in Che Guevara Road (at the request of local Municipal authorities), they have refused to return to their homes and communities out of fear for their lives. Since 21 May, they have opted to live on the pavement outside the very same Home Affairs office which confirmed their legal status. They have been relying on the goodwill of a few local civil society groups to provide them with food, blankets, medication, hygiene products and other essentials required for human survival.

The South Africa Palestine Movement (SAPM) and SAPM Youth Committee, which has been part of a civil society coordinating group providing support to these displaced refugees, expresses its utter shock and disappointment at the response from government officials as well as the broader religious leadership of eThekwini. It is at times like this when people become internally displaced due to either natural disasters or political violence that the authorities and faith-based groups are meant to activate disaster management plans or open up their doors to provide shelter and refuge to those who have lost the comfort and security of their homes both in their countries of origin and here in South Africa. Being left to fend for themselves in a foreign country is certainly not supposed to be a South African trait, much less an African one. Yet it is a trend that is increasingly becoming prevalent in local communities.

The fact that people (with some brave and notable exceptions) have generally been reluctant to help this group, who qualify for humanitarian relief, is most distressing and painful. The fact that they have been allowed to enter the country by the authorities, given documents to prove their asylum/refugee status, then harassed by local vigilante groups and finally abandoned in their time of suffering is, needless to say, nothing less than unethical and criminal.

South Africa has experienced several waves of xenophobic and Afrophobic violence for the last almost two decades. The country has not gained anything from such behaviour by the local population. If anything, South Africa loses its standing in the international community every time, as well as any foreign investments that may have created possible jobs for the locals who continuously (and erroneously) claim that foreign nationals are taking their livelihoods. In addition, travel for South Africans seeking opportunities abroad becomes even more difficult as we will not be welcomed by other nations while we eject their citizens from our shores.

Apart from the group in Che Guevara Road, there have been increasing reports of foreign nationals being chased out of several other communities and forced to seek shelter in other open spaces. This is simply adding fuel to an already growing fire which may result in mass violence if not extinguished immediately.

SAPM calls upon the government of South Africa and broader civil society to come together in this time of crisis to find solutions for both the challenges faced by the local citizenry as well as foreign nationals. Leaving vulnerable human beings (especially women and children) to survive and fend for themselves in an increasingly violent environment or even forcing them to leave the country is not going to miraculously produce the jobs or service delivery that locals are seeking.

We call on those whose job it is to minister and tend to the frail, helpless, hungry, homeless, poor and vulnerable to rediscover your Ubuntu, if it has been lost.

We call on the political leadership and law enforcement authorities of the country to carry out your responsibility to protect, help and serve all those who reside within the borders of our country, while following the laws of the nation (as required by the constitution)

And most importantly, we call on South Africans to remember what it means to be free in the land of your birth (albeit with many economic challenges). The foreign nationals who currently huddle together in fear and uncertainty in pockets around the country, unsure of whether they will live to see another day, did not leave their land of birth to seek shelter in another African country, only to wonder if they are actually still in Africa.

SAPM/SAPM Youth Committee
www.southafricapalestinemovement.org

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On Saturday, 16 May 2026, the Cape Town Ulama Board hosted the first-ever International Sufi Conference in Cape Town, bringing together a vast collective of local and international guests. Yet, outside our venue walls, the world felt progressively fractured. Gaza is burning. A devastating genocide unfolds on our screens in real-time, global geopolitical systems are fracturing, and the drums of wider regional wars beat with terrifying consistency. In the face of such visceral, industrial-scale cruelty, critics might ask how an assembly focused on the purification of the heart and the quietude of the soul can make any tangible difference. Is it not a form of spiritual escapism?

The answer, as articulated by the profound collective of local Ulama and international scholars who graced our platform, is a resounding no. The Sufi Conference 2026 was not an exercise in isolation, nor was it disconnected from the bleeding edges of global reality. Speakers repeatedly brought the plight of Palestine to the forefront of the discourse.

But more fundamentally, the conference sought to re-establish a critical, forgotten truth: Tasawwuf is not an exotic addition, a separate sect, or an alien branch grafted onto the faith—it is Islam. It is the living manifestation of Ihsan (spiritual excellence), the third pillar of our Deen established in the famous Hadith of Jibril alongside Islam (submission) and Iman (faith). 

Throughout the day, the core of our scholarly talks and discussions focused intensely on Purification (Tazkiyah), Uprightness (Istiqaamah), Inner Peace, and Spiritual Growth. We delved deeply into the necessity of continuous Change, seeking an unshakeable Closeness to Allah, and implementing rigorous Spiritual Training (Tarbiyah). In essence, all of these internal disciplines are not meant to keep us passive; they are explicitly designed to cultivate the spiritual stamina required to assist us in standing up against global and systemic injustices.

For South Africans, this understanding is woven into the very soil we walk upon. The preservation, survival, and eventual spread of Islam across our country did not happen in a theological vacuum; it was forged on the spiritual paths of exiled Sufi masters. Consider the trajectory of Shaykh Yusuf of Macassar, a master of multiple Sufi turuq (orders). Shaykh Yusuf did not separate his deep spiritual litanies (adhkar) and inner purification from his commitment to human liberty. His Tasawwuf was his armor. At the farm of Zandvliet, his sanctuary became the foundational node of Islam in South Africa, a refuge for runaway slaves and political exiles.

This was the same path walked by Tuan Guru (Imam Abdullah ibn Qadi Abdus Salaam), a master of the Ba ‘Alawi Sufi tradition, who was imprisoned on Robben Island. It was these Sufi masters who laid down the tarbiyah that kept the light of Islam burning through the dark centuries of slavery, colonialism, and Apartheid. They proved that a heart close to Allah is a heart that cannot be enslaved by man.

By hosting this inaugural conference, the Cape Town Ulama Board aimed to remind attendees that Tasawwuf is the living, breathing heart of the Deen. It is the science that teaches us how to keep our hearts alive when the world around us is drowning in spiritual death.

How does a Sufi conference make a difference while Gaza burns? It makes a difference because it cultivates the exact type of human being capable of standing for Gaza effectively. It trains the soul through Tarbiyah to seek justice not out of a desire for vengeance, but out of a deep, unshakeable devotion to truth, uprightness, and divine balance. It reminds us that peace is not merely the absence of war, but the presence of justice, and justice can only be established by those who have achieved peace within themselves.

True Tasawwuf commands us to witness the suffering of the world, to feel the burns of Gaza in our own chests, and to respond with an unyielding, dignified activism that is anchored in closeness to the Divine. Only when our resistance is purified can it truly begin to heal a broken world.

Sayed Ridhwaan 
Lead Convenor of the Sufi Conference 2026
Cape Town

The post ‘Why a Sufi conference matters while the world burns’ appeared first on Al-Qalam.

This latest act of state-sponsored piracy, occurring hundreds of nautical miles from Israel’s maritime borders, represents a gross violation of international law, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and basic principles of human rights.

By attacking unarmed civilian vessels carrying humanitarian aid for the besieged and war-ravaged people of Gaza, ‘Israel’ has demonstrated its utter contempt for legal norms and its continuing pattern of impunity. The use of drones, communications jamming, armed speedboats, and psychological warfare tactics against 58 civilian boats with over 400 activists from multiple nations is not a security measure; it is an act of military aggression.

The fact that Israeli forces seized seven vessels near Crete, far outside any legitimate zone of control, exposes the faux self-defence narrative as a hollow pretext for thwarting solidarity with a starving and genocided population.

MRN notes with alarm the chilling echo of the 2010 Mavi Marmara massacre, and we fear for the safety of those detained, particularly given documented past abuses against flotilla participants.
We demand the immediate release of all seized vessels and detained civilians, and we call upon all governments, especially those whose citizens are aboard, to uphold their legal duty to protect civilians on the high seas.

Silence in the face of this illegal, militarized hijacking is complicity.

The international community must act decisively to ensure unimpeded access of humanitarian aid to Gaza and to hold Israel accountable for this flagrant maritime crime.

Dr Ahmed Haroon Jazbhay,
Executive Member, Media Review Network,
Johannesburg

The post Israeli attack on humanitarian Flotilla to Gaza, ‘a state-sponsored piracy’ appeared first on Al-Qalam.

He stands out as a legal giant among those whose contributions have served and continue to serve us in our struggle to build a nation out of scattered hopes and lofty aspirations.

South Africa is now bereft of one of its longstanding founding heroes and his passing is a tremendous loss to the national community. We should be assured that while great people will die, death can never kill their names. Judge Achmat Jappie was one of the most courageous and erudite Judges that the African continent has ever produced. We shall surely miss him.

Our obvious consolation is that he has left indelible imprints and footprints on the sands of time for us to continually remember him. His death represents the end of an era of those eminent jurists who presented legal arguments at our courts and made indelible marks in the judiciary.

Judge President Jappie was one of the very few whose legal brilliance shone beyond the nation’s horizon. Achmat was purely a classical, erudite and distinguished jurist. Very eloquent, brilliant and with such jurisprudential sagacity of a rare breed, he was an epitome of judicial uprightness. His contributions to our law and jurisprudence are unrivalled. He provided superb leadership for the legal system, improved the delivery of justice for the people, and earned the admiration of his colleagues throughout the judiciary. He led the judiciary with tremendous skill and wisdom. He honoured his country with a lifetime of service, and this country will honour his memory.

His commitment to the rule of law and justice for all was total. He left us something to emulate, decipher and make marks on in the course of our life experiences to make this country better.

Achmat Jappie’s death is a huge loss to the law profession and, of course, our dear country. He was a great mentor and seemingly fixed like the Northern Star. We thank Almighty Allah for his life and times. May his profound soul rest in perfect peace.

Farouk Araie
Benoni

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At the same time, so-called “Temple groups” have already begun calling their supporters to take part in incursions into Masjid al-Aqsa, alongside announcing extended incursion hours.  

This announcement needs to be understood clearly:

The Masjid is being opened to both Muslims and settlers alike. It was not opened on Wednesday evening, despite the ceasefire announcement, so that Muslims do not experience an exclusive return to Masjid al-Aqsa  

 The timing coincides with the final day of the Hebrew Passover, which will be used to stage scenes presented as “victory” and to escalate violations. Heavy restrictions on worshippers are expected.  

Incursion hours have now been extended to 6:30 am – 11:30 am and 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm.
This marks their longest duration yet, increasing from three hours in 2008 to six and a half hours today in 2026.

This is part of a long-term trajectory. Settler incursions into Masjid al-Aqsa began in 2003, with fixed timings introduced in 2008. Since then, these hours have steadily expanded. The stated aim is clear: to enforce a “time division” where access to Masjid al-Aqsa is split equally between Muslim worshippers and settler incursions.  

The threat of sacrificial offerings has not gone away. In fact, today ( Friday) carries an even greater risk, with likely renewed attempts to bring offerings into the Masjid or as close to it as possible.  

A new reality is being reinforced. Even before Ramadan, incursions would begin at 7:00 am. During Ramadan, this was pushed earlier to 6:30 am. Indications now suggest this earlier timing will be fixed and continued.  

The Israeli “Home Front Command” has declared that activities will resume from 6:00 am, reinforcing a shift where authority over opening and closing Masjid al-Aqsa is being removed from the Islamic Waqf, despite it being the sole legitimate authority responsible for Masjid al-Aqsa.

There will likely be intensified filming and documentation of the incursions, used as propaganda to project “control” and to normalise a dominant settler presence within Masjid al-Aqsa.

So this is an opening designed to expand incursions and impose a new reality on Masjid al-Aqsa.   

This is a new phase of escalation and violation.  

وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن مَّنَعَ مَسَاجِدَ اللَّهِ أَنْ يُذْكَرَ فِيهَا اسْمُهُ وَسَعَىٰ فِي خَرَابِهَا
“And who are more unjust than those who prevent the Name of Allah from being mentioned in His Masjids and strive towards their ruin… [Al-Baqarah]

احْفَظِ اللَّهَ يَحْفَظْكَ
“Guard and preserve what is sacred to Allah, and He will guard and preserve you.” [Sunan at-Tirmidhi]

Palestine Activist

The post The reality behind the reopening of Masjid al-Aqsa appeared first on Al-Qalam.

These movements, from shack dwellers to community advice centres, are not the product of party programmes. They are born of necessity, of lived experience, and of survival. Yet when traditional left parties intervene, they often fall into what can be called a triple entrapment: economism, statism, and partyism. They cling to outdated vanguardist models, assuming revolution is a mechanical outcome of economic contradictions, led by professional cadres under the auspices of a vanguard party. In doing so, they risk suffocating the grassroots energy that keeps resistance alive.

What is needed is a politics that listens. Instead of treating communities as raw material for party agendas, the left must recognise that the subaltern are not passive victims of history but active makers of it. The struggles for land, water, food, and dignity are not simply economic demands—they are acts of reclaiming humanity.

Examples abound. Gauteng Housing Crisis Committee land occupations and grassroots-based socioeconomic development initiatives, the popular education and advocacy work of Zabalaza Pathway Institute, and ILRIG’s counter-hegemonic research show us what grassroots socialism looks like in practice: survival treated as a collective right, not a commodity. These initiatives embody cooperative economics, mutual aid, and participatory democracy. The challenge now is to weave them together into a sustained, strategically informed challenge to capital.

Organisations such as the South African Communist Party, Socialist Party of Azania and Zabalaza Anarchist Socialist Front must redefine their roles. Their task is not to capture movements into party hierarchies but to act as shields, amplifiers, and allies. The ZACF can promote anarchist principles of horizontalism and mutual aid. SOPA can connect Black Consciousness and African communal traditions to modern Marxist Humanism. The SACP, with its nationwide reach, can defend grassroots movements from repression while re-anchoring its programme in local culture and cooperative initiatives.

If the left is to remain relevant, it must abandon the prophet model and embrace the pedagogy of listening. Revolution cannot be imposed from above; it must be cultivated from below, in kitchens, neighbourhoods, and community assemblies.

The focus should not only be on capturing the state but also on building communal, cooperative, and democratic forms of life. South Africa’s grassroots movements are already showing us the way. The question is whether the left will learn to follow.

Mphutlane wa Bofelo

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Fuelled by a combination of deliberate media negative framing of Islam and Muslims, Zionist linked communities are actively promoting Islamophobia in pursuance of a political agenda.

Wherever you turn, you will see negative images of Islam and Muslims being portrayed in the mainstream media, social media, in novels and in movies, etc. These negative images of Islam and Muslims are being driven mainly by Zionists and Christian Zionists.

One of the ways to counter this negative stereotyping and imagery, and as a form of soft dawah, is to invite the media to your local masjid or musalla to witness Iftar and maghrib salaah. 

Let them witness the universal brotherhood, unity and spirit of Iftar and Ramadan, and our salaah, where people across all races and social classes break fast together and pray next to each other – shoulder to shoulder.

Invite all media, but particularly the local community newspapers, the local community radio stations, podcast hosts and influencers, in addition to the usual mainstream media. 

In addition, you could also consider inviting the local religious leaders, the head of the local police station, the principals of local schools where children from the community attend, community leaders and local councillors.

Let one or two musalees be appointed to chaperone the guests and guide them along, doing soft dawah. 

No amount of preaching can substitute the visual effects of seeing people of all races and social classes share Iftar together and perform Salah shoulder to shoulder.

SAMNET encourages everyone to try their best to Google your local reporters, your local newspapers, radio stations, etc., in each of your areas, no matter how small or how large your Masjid or your Musallah is, and invite them to the beauty of Islam. 

Keep it apolitical; just focus on ‘breaking bread together’ – consider the same for Eid salah, whether at Eidgah or musjid.

South African Muslim Network (SAMNET)
Durban

The post Counter Islamophobia – Promote dawah by inviting media for Iftar and Eidgah appeared first on Al-Qalam.

However, Ramadan presents to us an opportunity to draw us closer to Allah and to draw strength from Allah’s infinite power and mercy in order to enable us to face and defeat the ills that have engulfed the world. We are not only called to deprive ourselves of the desires of the flesh, but we are also called to do the necessary internal work to increase our consciousness that will in turn prepare us for a comprehensive battle against ourselves and against those who cause disharmony in the world.

Let us utilise this Ramadan to rededicate ourselves to the cause of eliminating tyranny, hunger and hopelessness. On each day of fasting, let us remember the people of Palestine, Sudan, Kashmir, the Democratic Republic of Congo and many other places in which the daily reality is that of death and destruction.

At a time when it seems easier to throw our collective hands up in resignation and it looks appealing to simply focus on one’s own welfare to the exclusion of all that is happening elsewhere, Ramadan comes to remind us of our connectedness. Giving up hope will strip us of our humanity and it will be a repudiation of our Muslimness.

The Muslim Youth Movement of South Africa wishes all Muslims in South Africa and around the world a blessed and mindful Ramadan.

Thandile Kona
President of MYMSA

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As we enter this blessed month, we pause to reflect on its purpose. At a time when our lives are so filled with social media feeds, with watching war and suffering, with navigating AI and illusions of truth and progress, Ramadaan brings a deeply needed space in which we can step back from technology and reflect, reconnecting with humanity and our Creator. 

Ramadaan is a time when small acts carry immeasurable weight.  A time when we embrace fasting, prayer and charity, re-uniting with the global Ummah.

AMA’s Ramadaan campaign focuses on the provision of suhoor and iftar meals, as well as water, in needy communities across the world.  Every meal shared and every drop of water given, revives a life, uplifts a soul, and draws us closer to the mercy of Allah.

And as we reconnect with our purpose, we also reconnect with the millions of families across the world whose lives are intertwined with ours in ways we may never see.

When a donor gives with sincerity, and a recipient receives with dignity, Allah places unseen barakah in between — transforming an act of giving into an act of worship.

This reconnection is already unfolding across the world, in the remote locations reached by AMA, with your generous donations.  It is seen when a mother prepares suhoor because you cared enough to give a grocery hamper, when a child drinks from a new water well and says ‘Alhamdulillah,’ and when families break their fast at a community iftaar sponsored through your generosity, knowing they were remembered by a stranger far away.

Through iftaar packs, grocery hampers, community iftaars, water wells and orphan sponsorships, your contribution becomes a bridge between hearts, a thread stitching communities back together with hope, dignity, and faith.

We encourage you to give with generosity to countries far away, and also to join us across South Africa as we set iftaar tables in our own neighbourhoods, inviting you to reconnect with your community, serving and sharing in beautiful acts of iba’dah. 

A single plate of food, a drop of water, a simple intention — each becomes a means of mercy. 

This Ramadaan, we are asking you to feel the meaning behind each act of giving. Reconnect with compassion, Reconnect with purpose, Reconnect with the people whose lives your generosity will touch in ways you may never witness, but Allah surely does.

On behalf of AMA, our teams, volunteers, and the millions we serve, we invite you to join us this Ramadaan.  Let us reconnect — with each other and with the Divine — as we strive to bring mercy, dignity, and hope to every home we can reach.

May Allah accept from you and from us.

AMA Media Team

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As the blessed month of Ramadan graces us once again, As-Salaam Educational Institute extends heartfelt Ramadan Mubarak to our learners, parents, staff, alumni and the wider community.

Ramadan is a sacred month of reflection and return, a return to Allah, to the Qur’an, and to the purification of our hearts. Through fasting, salaah and charity, we are nurtured in taqwa and reminded that true success lies not only in knowledge attained, but in faith lived and character refined.

During this blessed month, our school actively embraces the spirit of Ramadan through meaningful programmes and activities. These include collective Qur’an recitation, increased emphasis on salaah, Islamic talks and reminders, charity drives and outreach initiatives, as well as iftaar programmes that bring together learners, staff and members of the community. Through these efforts, Ramadan becomes a living classroom, shaping hearts as much as minds.

Ramadan also plays a vital role in nurturing the character of our young learners. Through fasting, children learn patience, self-control, gratitude and empathy for those who go without. They are taught the importance of sincerity in worship, kindness in speech and action, and the value of giving and sharing with others. These lessons lay a strong foundation for moral development and lifelong Islamic character.

As we observe Ramadan, we remember in our du‘ā those facing hardship, hunger, oppression and displacement across the world. This sacred month calls us to compassion and generosity, reminding us to share our blessings, stand for justice, and uplift those in need wherever they may be.

Within our own community, Ramadan strengthens unity, forgiveness and mutual care. It is a time to reinforce family values, support one another, and guide our children through positive examples and shared responsibility.

We make du‘ā that Allah accepts our fasting, our salaah, our charity and our sincere intentions. May He grant relief to those in distress, protect our learners, bless our community, and allow the lessons of Ramadan to guide us long after the month has passed.

Ramadan Mubarak.

As-Salaam Educational Institute

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