SOUTH AFRICAN ULEMA WANTS TO STUDY ABOUT ISLAM IN INDONESIA

The Ulema from South Africa, Syeikh Maulana Muhammed Azeem Khatieb (MINA)

Jakarta, 25 Dzulhijjah 1436/9 October, 2015 (MINA) – The Ulema from South Africa, Syeikh Maulana Muhammed Azeem Khatieb stated his eagerness to study more about Islam in Indonesia.

He said on the meeting with the steering commettee of Indonesian Al-Fatah Foundation, Syeikh Yakhsyallah Mansur in Jakarta, Friday (9/10).

“I’m so happy to see you and I want to study about Islam more and more from Indonesian Muslims,” said the Excecutive Member of African Muslim Prison Board.

The Ulema who’s also the Coordinator of Muslim Yudicial Council in Cape Town added, “I’m interest in the Muslim unity in Indonesia. Indonesia is well known as a peace country and its citizens live peacefully whereas they have various religions,” said the Ulema who live in Cape Town.

Meanwhile, the Ambassador of Al-Quds Yakhsyallah Mansur said, the relation between Indonesian Muslims and African have been existing long time ago. It was proved by many ulema from Indonesia went to Africa to extend dakwah.

Khatieb plans to stay in Indonesia for three months. Al-Fatah is one of his goal. It has more than 25 branches around the archipelago.

Islam in South Africa is a minority religion, practiced by less than 1.5% of the total population. Islam in South Africa has grown in three phases. The first phase brought the earliest Muslims as part of the involuntary migration of slaves, political prisoners and political exiles from Africa and Asia (mainly from the Indonesian archipelago) that lasted from about 1652 to the mid-1800s.

The second phase was the arrival of Indians as indentured laborers to work in the sugar-cane fields in Natal between 1860 and 1868, and again from 1874 to 1911. Of the approximately 176,000 Indians of all faiths who were transported to the Natal province, almost 7-10% of the first shipment were Muslims.

The third phase has been marked- post apartheid – by the wave of African Muslims that have arrived on the shores and borders of South Africa. Recent figures put the number at approximately at 75-100 000. Added to this are a considerable number of Muslims from the Indo-Pak subcontinent that have arrived as economic migrants. (L/P008/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)