Keeping you in contact with your community
26th EDITION
The dirty business of human
organ trafficking
SANAA PETERSEN
Journalist, Donald Boström shocked
the world with his article titled, "Our
sons plundered for their organs",
which appeared in the Swedish daily
Aftonbladet on the 17 August 2009.
It's an unimaginable horrific story of
exploitation centred in Israel with a
New York rabbi, Levy Rosenbaum,
who has allegedly been working as a
black market organ broker for the
past ten years, in a network that
includes 5 rabbis and 3 New Jersey
mayors. The article alleges that the
Israeli Defence Force (IDF) are
instrumental in the success of organ
trafficking by providing the human
trafficking syndicate with organs
from Palestinian victims. The author
further highlights the case of a young
Palestinian, Bilal Achmed Ghanan,
who was murdered by the IDF and
organs, removed. (original story fol-
lows)
This is the first documented case of
human donor organ trafficking in the
United States and it surprisingly
receives very little (humanitarian)
media coverage except of course for
Israel's public relations retorts
demanding Swedish Foreign Minister
Carl Bildt to officially condemn the
newspaper article. The Israeli Deputy
Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon
termed the article 'a blood libel and
the worst type of anti-Semitism.'
Ayalon called on the Swedish gov-
ernment to 'condemn the accusa-
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OCTOBER 2009 SHAWWAL 1430
tions,' and said, 'we see a correlation
PICTURES: Sourced
between the government public state-
ments, which are extremely critical
of Israel, and anti-Semitism in the
press.' Bildt rejected the claims that
Sweden harbours on anti-Semitic
feelings and added that freedom of
expression is the cornerstone of
democracy.
The article further enraged Israeli
officials, with Foreign Minister
Avigdor Lieberman, quoted in the
Jerusalem Post, 'It is a shame that the
Swedish Foreign Ministry does not
get involved when speaking about
blood libels against Jews, something
that is reminiscent of Sweden's posi-
tion during World War II when it also
did not intervene,' Liberman said.
Israel incensed by the article alleged-
ly garnered support from Italy's for-
eign minister , Franco Frattini, as
quoted: the accusations made in the
Aftonbladet article are 'terrible con-
clusions, lying and hurtful, and they
have the power to assist all those who
seek to incite against Jews or who
oppose the existence of the State of
Israel.' However, Frattini defended
Sweden's position to refuse to con-
demn either the article or the newspa-
per, 'The state cannot intervene in the
work of the press. The journalists are
the ones who must set limits for
themselves and must find the right CAUGHT: New York, Rabbi Levy Rosenbaum arrested by the FBI for
balance within the framework of the allegedly trafficking in human organs
journalistic code of behaviour,' said
Frattini. 'real 'reason the article was published justification for opening a closed
Jan Helin, Editor-in-Chief of the - To highlight human organ traffick- case. He added that the family can
Swedish paper published a report ing is, as quoted in the French Press exhume the body to perform forensic
stating, "I am not anti-Semite, not a Agency, Israeli Foreign Ministry tests on it, and can file an official
Nazi, but I had to allow the report to
be published because it had convinc-
spokesperson, Yigal Palmir, stated
that he does not know specifics about
request with the Israeli authorities to
give a copy of the forensic report.
ing arguments". this case (Bilal Achmed Ghanan), and
And, finally Israel's response to the added that he believes that there is no CONTINUED TO PAGE 3
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2 October 2009 - Shawwal 1430

ISLAMIC MEDIA AGENCY CC
Editorial
Editor
Sanaa Petersen
sanaa@islamicmedia.co.za
Deputy Editor
Firdows Badroodien
info@islamicmedia.co.za
Youth Media Editorial
Al Shabaab Team - Almarkaz
Al Islami
Doublom Street,
Kalksteenfontein
Ayesha Nakidien
Ighsaan Solomons
Al Shams -Darul Karaar
Park Road Wynberg
Uzair Ramjam
Al-Azhar/Colorado Park
Masjid - Mitchell`s Plain
Cnr Rosewood &
Weltervreden, Colorado Park
Shakierah De Vries
Abdurosheed Emandien
NEWS BITES
98 arrested for mall
robberies
Ninety-eight people have
been arrested for mall rob-
beries around the country,
police commissioner Bheki
Cele said on 10 September.
"We vowed that these
deviant acts are deplorable
and had to be dealt with
accordingly," Cele said in a
statement.
Police were also following
"promising leads".
Stores at several shopping
malls across the country, but
mainly in Gauteng, were
recently robbed.
"Through hard work and
meticulously planned opera-
tions of the police, the threat
of robberies in question have
been dealt a blow from con-
tinuing unabated."
As part of "proactive plan-
ning" detectives were put on
high alert in provinces that
had not yet been affected by
mall robberies. There had
also been more police
patrols at malls that could be
potential targets and
"scores" of suspected rob-
bers had been caught.
"These successes can be
attributed to active involve-
ment of the general public,
including the business com-
munity. The police will
remain vigilant for as long
as the threat exists", Cele
said.
Taxi driver with 51 out-
standing traffic warrants
arrested
Metro Police officers on
duty in Victoria Road,
Camps Bay, arrested a taxi
driver who had 51 warrants
of arrests against his name.
The taxi parked illegally in a
bus stop zone and the driver
was fined accordingly. It
was also noticed that his
number plate did not corre-
spond with the vehicles'
license disc. He explained
that he bought the vehicle
two weeks ago and regis-
tered it in his name but,
failed to renew the number
plates. He was then told that
he cannot operate with the
vehicle and was requested to
leave the area. After dis-
obeying the officer's instruc-
tion, he was then asked to
accompany them to the
Gallows Hill Traffic
Department.
When the database of out-
standing warrants of arrest
was checked, it was found
that he had 51 outstanding
warrants of arrests for traffic
offences, ranging from fail-
ing to wear a safety belt to
disobeying road traffic signs
as well as numerous parking
offences. The monetary
value of all the warrants
amounts to R38 400.
Deputy Chief Yolanda Faro
said, "The driver was arrest-
ed, detained at the Central
Police Station and appeared
in court where he was denied
bail and appeared again in
court on 8 September 2009."
Somerset Muslims needs
your help in establishing
a salaah khana
Mushfiq Hopkins the
National Spokesperson of
the Friends of Discover
Islam Centre has been bat-
tling for the past eleven
months to establish a salaah
facility at the Somerset West
Mall. He has been communi-
cating with the General
Manager and has received no
substantial response, as yet.
Below are excerpts from
email communiqué:
General Manager email of
the 10 July 2009, 'The pro-
posed Prayer room at
Somerset Mall is still under
discussion with the co-own-
ers. Once I have final
approval, I will be in touch
with you.'
28 July 2009 - The proposed
prayer room is still under
discussion. We have just
received Market Research
Results and we are currently
analysing the
information. As soon as I
have co-owner approval of
the Prayer Room, I will
advise accordingly.
Mushfiq Hopkins email of
the 20 August 2009, 'I have
even advised that we have
accessed all the necessary
raw materials - plumbing,
carpentry, flooring & etc. In
our initial discussion you
said it was not feasible as
research
showed. We requested a
copy of this information -
never availed to us. I then
approached your office in
person this year - where
your receptionist told me
that the Mall was looking at
possible sites. At this junc-
ture I advised that we are
able to assist as the place-
ment of such facility has cer-
tain requirements - my assis-
tance was not accepted.
Soon after that your corre-
spondence via this forum,
you said that it is still under
discussion with the manage-
ment owners. So what feasi-
bility study did you present
and why do we not receive
an audience with owners to
at least have a meaningful
discussion.' We would like
to hear from you sms on
33093 (sms cost R1.50, no
free minutes apply) or email
info@islamicmedia.co.za
YOUTH LINE – I just wan2 say! SMS
‘YEF’ followed by your
comment to 3390
(sms charged at R1.50, no free minutes apply)

Husami Go-Getters, Husami

masjid, Cravenby
Young Muslims sharing the joyous spirit of Eid
Kauthar Langry
RAEES ISMAIL
Helping Hands, Connecting The blessed month of Ramadaan is a
Hearts unique, moral and spiritual month that
Masjidus Sunni , 11 Ayshire develops piety and obedience towards
Road, Kromboom Allah (SWT). Fasting helps the faithful
Raees Ismail, develop a strong personality and charac-
ter. Amongst its many virtues it helps
Miekaeel Adams,
develop the compassion and affection
Yaseen Ebrahim towards the poor and distressed, as one
can easily remember the pangs of hunger
S.T.E.P.S/Iqra and thirst during the fast.
Academy/Owwal masjid The YEF (Youth Engineering the Future)
Jasmyn Street, Belhar Trust, SANZAF-students and MJC Youth
Fathima Naidoo Affairs hosted a Youth Boeka on 15
Ramadhaan/5 September at Three
Junaid Mullajee
Anchor Bay, Sea Point to nurture and
strengthen the young Muslims` affection
Publishers: towards those who are less privileged.
ISLAMIC MEDIA AGENCY CC The theme of the Youth Boeka was
Ck2002/001313/23 'Sharing is growing… Sharing is com-
Address :466 Lansdowne passion… Sharing is love… Sharing is
Islam'. This theme encouraged over 100
Road, Lansdowne, 7780 young Muslims to collect non-perishable
Tel: 021 6972294 foodstuffs, soap, face cloths, toothpaste,
Fax: 021 6972304 toothbrushes, toys, sweets, chips and
Email: chocolates and gift wrap into a 1000 per-
info@islamicmedia.co.za sonalised Eid gifts. ' We not only wanted
to collect and distribute much needed
www.islamicmedia.co.za essentials for the distressed and less
privileged children, but really wanted all
Designer: children to feel special and blessed, irre-
Nazleah Hartley spective of their race or religion', said
the Project Co-ordinator, Sanaa
Petersen.
The gift wrapping of Eid gifts included
a special note from the Muslims of Cape
Town. Youth were encouraged to insert
Banking Details: their names on gift tags to heighten the
Islamic Media Agency cc spirituality of sharing. Moulana
FNB, Sandton City, Branch Code: Reidewaan, a SA National Zakaah Fund
254-605 (SANZAF) representative, explained to
Account Number: 62033040007 youth the adaab of sharing, 'Never look
at poor people as the other, they are your
brothers, when you donate anything,
always ask yourself if the shoe was on some team for their support, guidance
the other foot, how would you like to be and all the toiletries, AWQAF, VOC
treated?' said Moulana Reidewaan. radio, Khalil Amod - Islamic Mirror
Deputy President of the Muslim Judicial CTV and the most amazing young
Council (MJC), Sheikh Achmat Sedick, Muslims and their parents, who sacri-
introduced the young Muslims to a ficed their time to collect and gift wrap
young hufaath from Libya, Abdurahman Eid gifts for the children of Cape Town.
Mahmoud, who rendered a melodi-
PICTURES: Raees Ismail
ous Quranic recital and qasida.
Sheikh Achmat reminded the young
Muslims on the importance of main-
taining and building positive family
relations and friendships, 'its impor-
tant to choose friends who will
encourage you to do good.' He
applauded their dedication and com-
mitment in sharing in the spirit of
Islam as the event was organized,
co-ordinated and managed by young
Muslims. The athaans were rendered
by Zubair Rushdien, 17years (Iqra
Academy/YEF-STEPS), Iqaamah by
Junaid Mullaggee, 17 years (Iqra SHARING: Muslim youth wrapping Eid gifts for the
Academy/YEF-STEPS), Thur and less privileged children of Cape Town at the YEF
Asr salaah lead by Raees Ismail, Youth Boeka held on 5 September 2009 at Three
19years ( Ibn al-Jazary Anchor Bay, Sea Point
Academy/YEF-Kromboom) and for
a first time an all youth taraweeg co- PICTURES: Zakareeya Panday
ordinated and lead by Raees Ismail
and supported by students from Ibn
al-Jazary Academy/YEF-Kromboom
namely, Miekaeel Adams, 16 years,
Uzair Achmat, 14 years and Irshaad
Ahmed, 15 years and Imraan Jappie,
17 years from Iqra Academy.
The day would not have been suc-
cessful without the kindness of a
wonderful family in Worcestor, who
served soup, boeber and akni for
iftaar, Adeeb Abrahams, manager of
Albaraka bank, Igsaan Veenendaal
from Superior Brokers, Sheikh
Achmat Sedick and the MJC for the PRAYER: The first youth taraweegh lead by Raees
beautiful marquee, CEO of SAN- Ismail (19), Uzair Achmat (14), Miekaeel Adams
ZAF, Amien Jacobs and his awe- (17), Irshad Ahmed (16) and Imran Jappie (17)
 October 2009 - Shawwal 1430
Cast her in a different light
IAN MACDONALD
Caster Semenya's powerful run on
Wednesday night should have been
celebrated on a similar level as Usain
Bolt's heroics this week. Instead the
world was fixated on allegations and
questions about her gender. She made
the headlines alright, but for all the
wrong reasons.
Media reports spoke about booing
from sections of the Berlin crowd
after her stunning win and instead of
being able to bask in the glory of her
victory, Semenya was quickly
removed from the arena and was
absent from the obligatory post-race
press interviews, as if she were the
accused being hustled out the back
entrance of a courtroom.
Even today she is front page news.
And it is still for all the wrong rea-
sons.
We can only imagine what it must be
like for a teenager from a village near
Polokwane to be subjected to this
level of international humiliation and
scrutiny. We can only imagine how
The dirty business of human organ trafficking
FROM PAGE 1
Here is the original article pub-
lished in the Aftonbladet - source
http://www.tlaxcala.es/pp.asp?refer-
ence=8390&lg=en
"Our sons plundered for their organs"
You could call me a "matchmaker,"
said Levy Izhak Rosenbaum, from
Brooklyn, USA, in a secret recording
with an FBI-agent whom he believed
to be a client. Ten days later, at the
end of July this year, Rosenbaum was
arrested and a vast, Sopranos-like,
imbroglio of money-laundering and
illegal organ-trade was revealed.
Rosenbaum's matchmaking had noth-
ing to do with romance. It was all
about buying and selling kidneys
from Israel on the black market.
Rosenbaum says that he buys the kid-
neys for $10,000, from poor people.
He then proceeds to sell the organs to
desperate patients in the States for
$160,000. The accusations have
shaken the American transplantation
business. If they are true it means
that organ trafficking is documented
for the first time in the US, experts
tell the New Jersey Real-Time News.
On the question of how many organs
he has sold Rosenbaum replies:
"Quite a lot. And I have never
failed," he boasts. The business has
been running for quite some time.
Francis Delmonici, professor of
transplant surgery at Harvard and
member of the National Kidney
Foundation's Board of Directors, tells
the same newspaper that organ-traf-
ficking, similar to the one reported
from Israel, is carried out in other
places of the world as well. 5-6,000
operations a year, about ten per cent
of the world's kidney transplants are
carried out illegally, according to
Delmonici.
Countries suspected of these activi-
ties are Pakistan, the Philippines and
China, where the organs are alleged-
ly taken from executed prisoners. But
Palestinians also harbor strong suspi-
cions against Israel for seizing young
men and having them serve as the
country's organ reserve - a very seri-
ous accusation, with enough question
horrific it must be for her proud par-
ents.
As Antonia Senior said in the UK's
Times Online, "At the horribly vul-
nerable age of 18, the young South
African athlete has been subject to
vitriol and innuendo, and held up as
an object of derision. She has com-
mitted an age-old transgression; she's
too masculine in her appearance, too
aggressive in her pursuit of her goal.
She has committed the crime of not
being pretty enough or girly enough
for public consumption."
The media should be ashamed for
giving the matter of Semenya's gen-
der so much attention and promi-
nence, especially when it is based on
unsubstantiated allegations. But the
media aren't solely to blame for this
assassination of dignity. Yes, they are
the ones who ferret out the gory
details and invade people's privacy,
but they are only feeding the mob,
the consumers of what passes for
news these days. Our insatiable
appetite for the sensational, the
freakish, the different is ultimately to
SHEER TERROR DEPICTED:
Bilal_Achmed_ghanan, 19 was shot and
abducted by Israeli soldiers
marks to motivate the International
Court of Justice (ICJ) to start an
investigation about possible war
crimes.
Israel has repeatedly been under fire
for its unethical ways of dealing with
organs and transplants. France was
among the countries that ceased
organ collaboration with Israel in the
nineties. Jerusalem Post wrote that
"the rest of the European countries
are expected to follow France's
example shortly."
Half of the kidneys transplanted to
Israelis since the beginning of the
2000s have been bought illegally
from Turkey, Eastern Europe or Latin
America. Israeli health authorities
have full knowledge of this business
but do nothing to stop it. At a confer-
ence in 2003 it was shown that Israel
is the only western country with a
medical profession that doesn't con-
demn the illegal organ trade. The
country takes no legal measures
against doctors participating in the
illegal business - on the contrary,
chief medical officers of Israel's big
hospitals are involved in most of the
illegal transplants, according to
Dagens Nyheter (December 5, 2003).
In the summer of 1992, Ehud Olmert,
then minister of health, tried to
address the issue of organ shortage
by launching a big campaign aimed at
having the Israeli public register for
post mortem organ donation. Half a
million pamphlets were spread in
local newspapers. Ehud Olmert him
self was the first person to sign up. A
couple of weeks later the Jerusalem
blame.
Whatever happened to 'innocent until
proven guilty'? It has been a trial by
the media and by public opinion of
the most odious kind.
But as is often the case, sometimes it
takes the worst of human nature for
the best of it to emerge. The
groundswell of support for Semenya,
particularly in South Africa, offers us
our best chance of redemption.
South Africans have leapt to her
defence on radio talk shows and on
social media platforms, such as
Facebook and Twitter. We have taken
the insult to one of our own as an
insult to us all. For one of those brief,
rare, beautiful moments, we are unit-
ed.
Through it all, Semenya has conduct-
ed herself with unbelievable dignity
and poise, especially for someone so
young. She should not have to suffer
the indignity of a battery of degrad-
ing tests to determine what she
already knows. She should tell the
bungling IAAF where exactly they
can stick their medal. Nothing is
AUTHOR: Donald Bostrom
Post reported that the campaign was
a success. No fewer than 35,000
people had signed up. Prior to the
campaign it would have been 500 in a
normal month. In the same article,
however, Judy Siegel, the reporter,
wrote that the gap between supply
and demand was still large. 500 peo-
ple were in line for a kidney trans-
plant, but only 124 transplants could
be performed. Of 45 people in need
of a new liver, only three could be
operated on in Israel.
While the campaign was running,
young Palestinian men started to dis-
appear from villages in the West
Bank and Gaza. After five days
Israeli soldiers would bring them
back dead, with their bodies ripped
open.
Talk of the bodies terrified the popu-
lation of the occupied territories.
There were rumors of a dramatic
increase of young men disappearing,
with ensuing nightly funerals of
autopsied bodies.
I was in the area at the time, working
on a book. On several occasions I
was approached by UN staff con-
cerned about the developments. The
persons contacting me said that organ
theft definitely occurred but that they
were prevented from doing anything
about it. On an assignment from a
broadcasting network I then travelled
around interviewing a great number
of Palestinian families in the West
Bank and Gaza - meeting parents who
told of how their sons had been
deprived of organs before being
killed. One example that I encoun-
tered on this eerie trip was the young
3
PICTURES: Sourced
WINNER: Caster Semenya the athlete that
made the headlines because of her gen-
der
worth this kind of treatment.
We are proud of you, Mokgadi
"Caster" Semenya. Thank you, you
beautiful woman, you exceptional
athlete, not just for your world-beat-
ing exploits, but for bringing us
together and for making us proud to
be South African.
You are our golden girl, and we hope
that you ultimately get the recogni-
tion and the respect you deserve. We
hope that you receive a hero's wel-
come when you return home, far
away from the wolves and into the
arms of Africa.
– www.sagoodnews.co.za
stone-thrower Bilal Achmed Ghanan.
It was close to midnight when the
motor roar from an Israeli military
column sounded from the outskirts
of Imatin, a small village in the
northern parts of the West Bank. The
two thousand inhabitants were
awake. They were still, waiting, like
silent shadows in the dark, some
lying upon roofs, others hiding
behind curtains, walls, or trees that
provided protection during the cur-
few but still offered a full view
toward what would become the
grave for the first martyr of the vil-
lage. The military had interrupted the
electricity and the area was now a
closed-off military zone - not even a
cat could move outdoors without
risking its life. The overpowering
silence of the dark night was only
interrupted by quiet sobbing. I don't
remember if our shivering was due to
the cold or to the tension. Five days
earlier, on May 13, 1992, an Israeli
special force had used the village's
carpentry workshop for an ambush.
The person they were assigned to put
out of action was Bilal Achmed
Ghanan, one of the stone-throwing
Palestinian youngsters who made life
difficult for the Israeli soldiers.
As one of the leading stone-throwers
Bilal Ghanan had been wanted by the
military for a couple of years.
Together with other stone-throwing
boys he hid in the Nablus mountains,
with no roof over his head. Getting
caught meant torture and death for
these boys - they had to stay in the
mountains at all costs.
On May 13 Bilal made an exception,
when for some reason, he walked
unprotected past the carpentry work-
shop. Not even Talal, his older broth-
er, knows why he took this risk.
Maybe the boys were out of food and
needed to restock.
Everything went according to plan
for the Israeli special force. The sol-
diers stubbed their cigarettes, put
away their cans of Coca-Cola, and
calmly aimed through the broken
window.
CONTINUED TO PAGE 4
 4 October 2009 - Shawwal 1430

Emerging 'Ulama Development Programme hosted in Cape Town

STAFF REPORTER
Thirty seven young men currently
studying in the Middle East in order
to become 'Ulama (Islamic religious
scholars) spent a weekend together in
an orientation programme focusing
on "The Imam in the South African
Context". The students who are cur-
rently enrolled at Islamic
Universities and religious seminaries
in countries such as, Saudi Arabia
(10), Egypt (13), Syria (2), Libya (1)
and Indonesia (2) were on summer
vacation in Cape Town.
The programme which took place at
the Cape Suites Hotel in District Six
from 24-26 July, was jointly funded
and hosted by the Muslim Youth
Movement of South Africa and the
Boorhaanol Islam Movement under
the theme "towards developing a
highly effective leadership.
Speakers at the programme included
Shaykh Ahmad Sedick of the Muslim
Judicial Council, Imam Hashim Salie
and Imam Dr. A. Rashied Omar, a
former South African Human Rights
Commission advocate, Ashraf
Mohamed, and former Premier of the
Western Cape, Ebrahim Rasool. The
students were given lectures on
"Developing a Contextual Expression
of Islam", "Citizenship and Identity:
Muslims in a Minority Context",
"Muslim Personal Law: Prospects
and Challenges", "Challenges Facing
Imam and Shaykhs in South Africa",
as well as practical skills such as
public speaking, conflict manage-
ment and career guidance. These ses-
sions were facilitated by
Abduraghmaan Adams, Achmat
Adams and Salim Samodien.
The programme was developed with a
balance between soft skills and intel-
lectual ideological issues. The aims
of the programme were to develop a
core group of future 'ulama that can
lead the Muslim community in every
aspect of community development
being political or social. To enhance
them with the necessary skills to bet-
ter serve their community and to
assert themselves as dynamic leaders,
who will pioneer social change and
strive towards a better Islamically
responsible community. According to
the organizers judging from the posi-
tive student evaluations the pro-
gramme was a resounding success
and needs to be an annual event.

MJC supports International Hijab Solidarity Day
FIRDOWS BADROODIEN
The Muslim Judicial Council
joined the world wide call on
the 4th of September for
International Hijab Solidarity
Day, which seeks the right of
women to be allowed an edu-
cation, freedom of expression
and basic human rights and
civil liberties whilst choosing
to wear hijab.
Hijab is a commandment of
Allah (God) Almighty and
should not be misunderstood
as a sign of degradation, on
the contrary it gives women
the right to own their body by
keeping it protected and pri-
vate. Islam teaches that the
human body is sacred, and
places extra special protec-
tive and precautionary meas-
ures to safeguard the femi-
nine gender which contains
the sacred womb worthy of
the highest of respect as the
seat and origin of the human
physical form. Allah (God)
MUSLIMS HONOUR MANDELA ACHIEVEMENTS
It is with this understanding SA Muslim Network (SAMNET) and the ‘Ulama (reli-
of the status of women that gious leaders) has awarded the former president Nelson
Mandela with a lifetime achievement award for his
Muslim women choose cloth- service to humanity with two sets of specially commis-
ing which will identify her as sioned artworks which incorporate ayaah covering the
a believer who chooses to topics of justice, perseverance and humility.
bow to the will of Allah
(God) Almighty and not
mankind.
We also share in the hope that
we as a nation could join
hands to stop the horrific and
brutal violent crimes commit-
ted against women through
ignorance of their status and
value. As statistics of vio-
lence against women in South
Africa continues to reflect
poor values as a people, we
urge society to restore the
Almighty advises mankind to
dignity of women so that we SAMNET Mandela Muslim Leaders:
"and Revere the womb that
may be known as a nation (from left to right) Dr Faisal Suliman (SAMNET -
bore you, for God is ever
which understands that the Chairman) Brother Thandile Kona (Muslim Youth
watchful over you" (Chapter
success of a people is judged Movement - President) Brother Mohammed Aslam Ismail
4, verse 1) which encourages
mankind to be conscious and
by the way it values its (SAMNET - Vice Chairman) Mr Nelson Mandela Moulana
appreciate the high status of
women. May we continue to Ebrahim Bham (Jamiatul Ulama South Africa - Secretary
women with full understand-
live by the word of Allah General) Moulana Mohamed Yusuf Gaffar (Sunni
ing of her true value as the
(God) Almighty for the bene- Jamiatul Ulama - President) Sheikh Achmat Sedick
mothers of mankind.
fit of our and our future gen- (Muslim Judicial Council - Vice President)
eration.

The dirty business of human organ trafficking

FROM PAGE 3
When Bilal was close enough they
needed only to pull the triggers. The
first shot hit him in the chest.
According to villagers who witnessed
the incident he was subsequently shot
with one bullet in each leg. Two sol-
diers then ran down from the carpen-
try workshop and shot Bilal once in
the stomach. Finally, they grabbed
him by his feet and dragged him up
the twenty stone steps of the work-
shop stair. Villagers say that people
from both the UN and the Red
Crescent were close by, heard the dis-
charge and came to look for wounded
people in need of care. Some arguing
took place as to who should take care
of the victim. Discussions ended with
Israeli soldiers loading the badly
wounded Bilal in a jeep and driving
him to the outskirts of the village,
where a military helicopter waited.
The boy was flown to a destination
unknown to his family. Five days
later he came back, dead and wrapped
in green hospital fabric.
A villager recognized Captain Yahya,
the leader of the military column who
had transported Bilal from the post-
mortem center Abu Kabir, outside of
Tel Aviv, to the place for his final
rest. "Captain Yahya is the worst of
them all," the villager whispered in
my ear. After Yahya had unloaded the
body and changed the green fabric
for a light cotton one, some male rel-
atives of the victim were chosen by
the soldiers to do the job of digging
and mixing cement.
Together with the sharp noises from
the shovels we could hear laughter
from the soldiers who, as they waited
to go home, exchanged some jokes.
As Bilal was put in the grave his
chest was uncovered. Suddenly it
became clear to the few people pres-
ent just what kind of abuse the boy
had been exposed to. Bilal was not by
far the first young Palestinian to be
buried with a slit from his abdomen
up to his chin.
The families in the West Bank and in
Gaza felt that they knew exactly what
had happened: "Our sons are used as
involuntary organ donors," relatives
of Khaled from Nablus told me, as
did the mother of Raed from Jenin
and the uncles of Machmod and
Nafes from Gaza, who had all disap-
peared for a number of days only to
return at night, dead and autopsied.
"Why are they keeping the bodies for
up to five days before they let us bury
them? What happened to the bodies
during that time? Why are they per-
forming autopsy, against our will,
when the cause of death is obvious?
Why are the bodies returned at night?
Why is it done with a military escort?
Why is the area closed off during the
funeral? Why is the electricity inter-
rupted?" Nafe's uncle was upset and
he had a lot of questions.
The relatives of the dead Palestinians
no longer harbored any doubts as to
the reasons for the killings, but the
spokesperson for the Israeli army
claimed that the allegations of organ
theft were lies. All the Palestinian
victims go through autopsy on a rou-
tine basis, he said. Bilal Achmed
Ghanem was one of 133 Palestinians
killed in various ways that year.
According to the Palestinian statis-
tics the causes of death were: shot in
the street, explosion, tear gas, delib-
erately run over, hanged in prison,
shot in school, killed at home
etcetera. The 133 people killed were
between four months to 88 years old.
Only half of them, 69 victims, went
through postmortem examination.
The routine autopsy of killed
Palestinians - of which the army
spokesperson was talking - has no
bearing on the reality in the occupied
territories. The questions remain.
We know that Israel has a great need
for organs, that there is a vast and
illegal trade of organs which has
been running for many years now,
that the authorities are aware of it
and that doctors in managing posi-
tions at the big hospitals participate,
as well as civil servants at various
levels. We also know that young
Palestinian men disappeared, that
they were brought back after five
days, at night, under tremendous
secrecy, stitched back together after
having been cut from abdomen to
chin.
It's time to bring clarity to this
macabre business, to shed light on
what is going on and what has taken
place in the territories occupied by
Israel since the Intifada began.
Boström, Donald; Boström, Lars
(2001), Inshallah : konflikten mellan
Israel och Palestina, Stockholm:
Ordfront, ISBN 91-7324-860-6 (also
photographer and editor) which deals
with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
and reportedly included the allega-
tions of organ harvesting.
We would like to hear from you.
Please sms us your comment on
33093, email:
info@islamicmedia.co.za. Please
note: sms charged R1.50. No free
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HAVE YOUR SAY SMS ‘CNEWS’ followed
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 October 2009 - Shawwal 1430
Youth Pre-R
Ramadaan Sleepover
TEAMWORK: Baking bread activity as part of the Pre-Ramadaan spiritual
programme
RAEES ISMAIL
The Youth Engineering the Future
(YEF) Trust, Ibn alJazary
Academy and Masjidus Sunni
hosted a Pre-Ramadaan spiritual
sleep-over for 13-20 year olds to
prepare them for the glorious
month ahead.
Thirty young Muslims made
niyyah for I'tikaaf, with the first
part of the programme facilitated
by Sanaa Petersen of the Islamic
Media Agency and YEF. Sanaa
used the tools and techniques of
media and it applications to eluci-
date the present 'reality' and envi-
ronment of young Muslims. 'We
learned to identify our distractions
and blind spots,' said 16 year old
Miekaeel Adams. After the
Mahrib salaah participants were
grouped into teams with each team
unpacking the meaning of
Ramadaan. 'Each time we would
present our understanding, Sanaa,
would dismiss it with a negative
retort like 'rhetoric', 'semantic', -
she really grilled us. But that exer-
cise made us think and question
our understanding of spirituality,
the reasons why we fasted, the
merits, the challenges,' said 19
year old Ayesha Nakidien.
After Esha'a Sheikh Abd' al
Rashied Brown spoke on the
importance of 'Releasing old bag-
gage' before Ramdaan and seeking
Youth on The MOVE
PICTURE: Zakareeya Panday
forgiveness from friends or family
that we might have hurt. 'This
exercise help me realize the
importance of planning to attain
Allah's pleasure', said 14 year old
Mushfieqah Lodewyk. The lights
were dimmed in the masjid and
Sheikh asked the participants to
close their eyes, whilst he recited
melodiously from the holy Quran.
'When I listened to the Quran
intently I felt a shudder and
wished he would continue recit-
ing, ' said 17 year old Zuraan
Boltman.
Guest speaker, Dr Chabad de
Jeuger, spoke on the importance of
looking after one's health during
Ramadaan, trying to find the bal-
ance and eating the correct foods
to sustain energies.
The fun element of the programme
was when each team were given a
bread recipe and asked to bake
bread. This was hilarious, but the
outcomes was that (1) success lays
in adhering to the tried and tested
recipe, (2) teamwork, (3) diversity
(4) conscientiousness and hard
work - lessons that would enable
youth to develop positively. The
following morning, after the
Qiyamul Layle and Fajr prayers
the young participants enjoyed
their bread at the breakfast table
before their 'urban' hike to
Rondebosch Common.
Achmat Hassiem plans to compete against
abled-bbodied swimmers
SANAA PETERSEN
Three years ago, Achmat
Hassiem, a 27 year old
swimmer and former
lifesaver, lost his leg in a
near fatal encounter with
a Great White shark, he
cautioned the young
learners at Islamia
College not to wait for a
Great White shark to
realize their dreams.
Islamia College invited
Achmat Hassiem to
share his experience
with their young learn-
ers. 'He is such an inspi-
rational and motivational
person,' said Sakeena
Elloker, Deputy
Principal.
An unbelievably, true
life story of Achmat, that
just three years prior
battled against a 4.2m
Great White shark and
today has attained seven-
teen gold medals and one
P a r a l y m p i c s .
'Sometimes, I need to
pinch myself to make
sure I'm not dreaming,'
said Achmat.
His rehabilitation was
not easy, 'when I went
back to Muizenberg
beach, I cried at the
water's edge before tak-
ing a dip in the shark-
free tidal pool, fearful of
swimming in a circle
INSPIRING: Achmat Hassiem motivating the young learners of Islamia College in
Lansdowne
with only one foot.'
Although, his proud of
his bionic X-men leg,
phantom pains reminds
him that he hasn't lost a
leg.
He recalls whilst busy
with life-training exer-
cise at Surfer's Corner
near Muizenberg, he saw
a dorsal fin slicing
through the water
towards his younger
brother, Taariq. 'I shout-
ed, Taariq! Shark! then
went wild, splashing to
attract the shark.' The
shark made a beeline for
him. 'I was face to face
with the shark, his head
was so big, he could've
swallowed my head and
shoulders comfortably,
instead I tried to jump on
the back of the shark,
and that was when it
caught my foot and
dragged me under.' He
fought back, boxing the
shark on its nose, till he
had no skin on his
knuckles, and while
fighting he moved fur-
ther and further away
from the shark, until he
heard a snap, not realiz-
ing it was his ankle that
had snapped. Choking on
sea water, Achmat sur-
faced and got hauled up
by his brother who man-
aged to clamber aboard a
5
rescue boat. After cir-
cling and ramming the
vessel repeatedly, the
shark disappeared. 'If we
were not five people in
the rescue boat, the boat
would've overturned.'
Coming to terms with
the loss of his leg was
not easy as he lead an
active lifestyle, running
triathlons,
playing soccer and
swimming. 'In hospital I
was brave, but boy - did
reality kick in when I got
home. Going to the bath-
room was epic, the pain
in my amputated limb
was unbearable and hor-
rific nightmares made
me sleep between my
parents at night.'
He recently returned
from Beijing participat-
ing in the 2008
Paralympics and missed
setting the World Record
by 0.07 of a second, 'the
tip of your nail on your
little finger'. Achmat
plans to compete with
abled-bodied swimmers.
'I realized that I had to
lose my leg to truly
become the man I was
meant to be, but you
shouldn't wait to lose
something before you
realize your dreams,'
said Achmat to the learn-
ers.
PICTURE: Sanaa Petersen

Mr Price apologises to Muslim employee Imam Abdullah Haron Commemoration programme

STAFF REPORTER could certainly have
been handled more
Clothing giant Mr sensitively."
Price has apologised Mr Price chief execu-
to one of its Muslim tive, Alastair
employees after she McArthur said,
was told by a manager "Being a public facing
to remove her head- enterprise, the compa-
scarf during the holy ny's dress code
month of Ramadaan. requires associates to
S h a h e e d a present themselves in
Groenmeyer, 40, who a particular manner
works at Mr Price and wear a uniform.
Home in Kuils River, "We do however per-
was told to remove mit our associates to
her burka-type head- wear appropriate reli-
scarf by a visiting gious attire."
senior manager last Groenmeyer said she
week. had been visited by
Mr Price Home the company's region-
spokeswoman Taryn al manager, and after a
Clark said, "We are meeting had accepted
prepared to (formally the apology. "He was
apologise) as the inci- so sweet, so really
dent did happen and it nice," she said.
In commemorating 40 group of other Islamic
years since the killing activists working on
in detention of Imam different international
Abdullah Haron we are and national projects.
honoured to share the IHRC is a campaign,
occasion with the research and advocacy
Chairperson of the organization based in
Islamic Human Rights London, UK.
Commission, Br. Shadjareh currently
Massoud Shadjareh. chairs the organisation.
Shadjareh is a veteran He also sits on the
human rights campaign- Home Office Stop and
er, who began his Search Review commu-
activism on campus at nity panel, which is
UCAL Berkley during addressing the dispro-
the anti-Vietnam protest portionality of stops
movement in the late against minorities. He
1960s. He came to the has authored several
UK in 1971 and has papers and reports on
worked in the voluntary Islamophobia and
sector for some 15 human rights, includ-
years. In 1997 he ing, The Oldham Riots,
helped to set up the Muslim Profiling,
Islamic Human Rights Islamophobia: The New
Commission with a Crusade and Whose
Rights Are They
Anyway?, published by
the British Council.
Shadjareh has complet-
ed postgraduate studies
in Cambridge and
London in International
Relations. He lives in
London with his wife
and four children.
He will be speaking at
the following events;
Thursday 24th September:
Maitland Masjid
Topic: Torture and Detention
Friday 25th September:
Masjidul Quds Pre-Khutba
talk
Topic: Martyrdom
Saturday 26th September:
Talk at Stegman Road
Masjid
Topic: Brotherhood and
Unity
Sunday 27th September:
College of Cape Town
Crawford Campus
Topic: Role of Martyrs in
Implementing and
Defending Human Rights
Tuesday 29th September:
Talk with Masjidul Quds
Ladies Group
Topic: Role of Mothers in
raising conscious adults
NB!! On Sunday a special
programme is planned to
commemorate 40 years
since the martyrdom of
Imam Abdullah Haron in
detention by the Apartheid
Government of South Africa.
The programme starts at
14H00 and ends with sup-
per. Please direct any
enquiries to the PRO of the
Islamic Unity Convention,
Magboeba Davids on 021
3933 869.
 6 Octoberber 2009 - Shawwal 1430

Eskom boss
gets 27%
pay increase
STAFF REPORTER
Amidst the recession, rolling
black-outs and 34% increase
in electricity prices, Eskom
chief executive Jacob Maroga
is to get 26.7 percent pay
increase. According to
Eskom's 2008 annual report
Moroga's basic salary
increased from R3.914 million
in 2008 to R4.96 million this
year.
Meanwhile, Eskom employees
settled last month for a 10.55
percent salary increase instead
of a 14 percent after a ruling
by the Commission for
Conciliation, Mediation and
Arbitration averted a strike at
the last minute. 'When we
argued for a wage increase
they said the company had no
money. This is really an indi-
cation of the greed that top
executives in this country
have,' said Union spokesper-
son Lesiba Seshoka.
means, but the ultimate aim is
to build a generation of adults
dedicated to the balance of
true giving and receiving. The
young child at play for the
benefit of the blind is a
supremely exemplary case in
point.
Sudanese woman jailed
for wearing trousers
A Sudanese woman jailed for wearing
trousers deemed indecent in a land-
mark court case was freed in August
after the country's journalist union
paid a $209 fine on her behalf, the
head of the media body said.
Lubna Hussein was convicted on inde-
cency charges on Monday in a case
that has attracted a worldwide outcry,
and was ordered to pay a fine or face a
month in jail, but was spared a penalty
of 40 lashes.
Hussein, arrested at a Khartoum party
in July along with 12 other women,
had told Reuters after the verdict that
she would refuse to pay the fine, pre-
ferring to go to jail instead as a means
of challenging the law's legitimacy.
"They just came to me in the prison
minutes ago and told me I have to go.
I have no idea why. I am not happy. I
told all my friends and family not to
pay the fine," she told Reuters. "But I
have been freed.
"I am also not happy because there are
more than 700 women still in the
prison who have got no one to pay for
them."
Mohieddin Titawi, chair of the jour-
nalist union, did not explain why his
group had paid the fine. His organiza-
tion is seen by many journalists as
having links to the government.
Hussein's case was seen as a test of
PICTURE: Sourced
WEARING TROUSERS: Lubna
Husseina former journalist & UN pres-
sofficer
Sudan's decency regulations, which
many women activists say are vague
and give individual police officers
undue latitude to determine what is
acceptable clothing for women. Her
lawyer has said he planned to appeal
against her sentence.
Hussein had faced the possibility of 40
lashes for wearing trousers deemed
indecent. Ten of the women arrested
alongside her were flogged in July, she
has said.
A former reporter working for the
United Nations at the time of her
arrest, Hussein has publicized her
case, posing in loose trousers for pho-
tos and calling for media support.
Women have often been convicted of
similar offences under Sudan's Islamic
decency regulations in recent years
and sentenced to beatings, Hussein's
supporters say. They say she is the
first to challenge such treatment.
Hussein has said she resigned from her
UN job to give up any legal immunity
so she could continue with the case,
prove her innocence and challenge the
decency law.
UN officials have said the United
Nations told Sudan that Hussein was
immune from legal proceedings as she
was a UN employee at the time of her
arrest. But the case was allowed to
proceed after Sudan's foreign ministry
advised the court that Hussein was not
immune from prosecution.
– Reuters
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Hide the pretty women Nando’s

FARHANA ISMAIL
There's an amazing story
about a gentle creature that
we hope still lives in the
muddy waters of China’s
Yangtze River.
It is the story of an endan-
gered dolphin with bad eye-
sight. But it has highly
evolved radar to compen-
sate. I first heard this story
about 10 years ago. Since
then, because of over-fish-
ing and noise interference
from too many ships,
China’s Baiji dolphin was
declared extinct -- until
recently, when one was
spotted.
I had never thought about a
species becoming extinct in
my lifetime. Instead,
“endangered” is today’s
catchphrase. “Extinct”
applies to dodos, but surely
not to dolphins? I also never
thought I’d wish for the
extinction of any creature --
until now.
A creature that says it can
see, but is limited in its
vision. I’m talking about the
person who regards
women’s presence in
mosques as an anomaly. The
person who says it is
makrooh (highly disliked)
for women to attend mosque
and places the responsibility
of fitna (corruption) square-
ly on their shoulders.
An imam in a Johannesburg
mosque angered many men
and women this Ramadaan
by making remarks that dis-
couraged young, attractive
women who have reached
maturity from attending the
night prayers lest “they”
cause fitna. The imam’s X-
ray vision into the com-
pletely secluded women’s
section is truly astonishing -
- as, too, is his analysis that
the cause of fitna is pretty
women.
The message was simple --
ugly women can rest
assured. They are welcome.
Good-for-nothing men can
also relax -- good-looking
women are to be blamed for
your moral lapses. And what
of the women themselves?
Centuries of cultural condi-
tioning and exclusion have
ensured that for many, even
limited and discouraged
access to the mosque is a
new and exciting experience
-- and an empowering one.
But it wasn’t always so.
In early Islam, this access
was taken for granted. It
was one of the many free-
doms Muslim women exer-
cised without a second
thought. It was acknowl-
edged, protected and pro-
moted by the Prophet
Muhammad and his com-
panions.
It was a freedom derived
from an active taqwa (true
submission) to the one god
that is rooted in action and
attitude over mere passive
belief and ritual. It was a
freedom that, when exer-
cised, was like the Baiji dol-
phins’ sophisticated radar.
It helped Muslim women to
navigate the muddy waters
of a post-jahiliyyah (age of
ignorance) society on the
brink of greatness. And with
this radar, women chal-
lenged authority figures and
set forth arguments and
opinions within the realm of
not just public space, but
also the sacred space of the
mosque.
It also compelled women in
Johannesburg, more than 15
years ago, to be unwavering
in their struggle to access
the sacred space. Even in
the face of death threats,
guntoting men and complic-
it men of religion, Muslim
women in Johannesburg
continued the struggle.
I remember the days when
we were locked out of the
mosque because, we were
told, the imam had lost the
key to the upstairs section.
Women and their young
children continued their
prayers in the outside court-
yard while it rained.
I recall pamphlet campaigns
that culminated in the
biggest-ever gathering in
Johannesburg of Muslim
men and women praying
side by side on the festival
of Eid. I mostly recall how
women took their arguments
to the men of religion.
Even today, they continue to
engage with classical and
religious texts and their
arguments are clear and log-
ical. As for the
Johannesburg mosque in
question, it is adjacent to a
café that has been used as a
meeting point for drug deal-
ing.
Some young Muslim men
attending the night prayers
have been known to loiter
outside.
It begs the question: would
the imam say it is now
makrooh for young men
who may be buying drugs to
attend the mosque?
Some of us women are
weary of the endless battle
around our space, our bod-
ies and our freedoms.
The muddy waters we now
wish to navigate are the new
challenges of our rapidly
changing world: the chal-
lenges of social and eco-
nomic justice and a discon-
nected youth.
It appears that, in the early
days of Islam, a woman’s
freedom to challenge
authority figures, speak out
loudly in the mosque and
participate in all its activi-
ties was as simple as swim-
ming is to a dolphin. But
those were the days when
dodos were heading towards
extinction and Baiji dol-
phins still roamed freely.
– www.mg.com
Statement:
Withdrawal of
Halaal certificate
(Upper Long St store)
15 September 2009
Nando’s wishes to
inform all our Muslim
customers that Nando’s
Upper Long Street is no
longer certified by the
Muslim Judiciary
Council (MJC) Halaal
Trust although the
chicken served there is
still Halaal compliant.
This is in response to
the store being granted
a liquor license to
serve beer and wine on
the premises earlier
this year.
Gary Matz, the region-
al Manger from
Nando’s commented:
“We would like to
ensure our valued
Muslim customers that
we always have, and
will continue to, sell
only Halaal chicken at
the Upper Long street
and all other restau-
rants in the Western
Cape.”
 October 2009 - Shawwal 1430
Enough, It's time
for a boycott
NAOMI KLEIN
It's time. Long past time. The best
strategy to end the increasingly
bloody occupation is for Israel to
become the target of the kind of glob-
al movement that put an end to
apartheid in South Africa. In July
2005 a huge coalition of Palestinian
groups laid out plans to do just that.
They called on "people of conscience
all over the world to impose broad
boycotts and implement divestment
initiatives against Israel similar to
those applied to South Africa in the
apartheid era". The campaign
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions
was born.
Every day that Israel pounds Gaza
brings more converts to the BDS
cause - even among Israeli Jews. In
the midst of the assault roughly 500
Israelis, dozens of them well-known
artists and scholars, sent a letter to
foreign ambassadors in Israel. It calls
for "the adoption of immediate
restrictive measures and sanctions"
and draws a clear parallel with the
anti-apartheid struggle. "The boycott
on South Africa was effective, but
Israel is handled with kid gloves ...
This international backing must stop."
Yet even in the face of these clear
calls, many of us still can't go there.
The reasons are complex, emotional
and understandable. But they simply
aren't good enough. Economic sanc-
tions are the most effective tool in the
non-violent arsenal: surrendering
them verges on active complicity.
Here are the top four objections to the
BDS strategy, followed by counter-
arguments.
Punitive measures will alienate rather
than persuade Israelis.
The world has tried what used to be
called "constructive engagement". It
has failed utterly. Since 2006 Israel
has been steadily escalating its crimi-
nality: expanding settlements, launch-
ing an outrageous war against
Lebanon, and imposing collective
punishment on Gaza through the bru-
tal blockade. Despite this escalation,
Israel has not faced punitive measures
- quite the opposite. The weapons and
$3bn in annual aid the US sends Israel
are only the beginning. Throughout
this key period, Israel has enjoyed a
dramatic improvement in its diplo-
matic, cultural and trade relations
with a variety of other allies. For
instance, in 2007 Israel became the
first country outside Latin America to
sign a free-trade deal with the
Mercosur bloc. In the first nine
months of 2008, Israeli exports to
Canada went up 45%. A new deal with
the EU is set to double Israel's exports
of processed food. And in December
European ministers "upgraded" the
EU-Israel association agreement, a
reward long sought by Jerusalem.
It is in this context that Israeli leaders
started their latest war: confident they
would face no meaningful costs. It is
remarkable that over seven days of
wartime trading, the Tel Aviv Stock
Exchange's flagship index actually
went up 10.7%. When carrots don't
work, sticks are needed.
Israel is not South Africa.
Of course it isn't. The relevance of the
South African model is that it proves
BDS tactics can be effective when
weaker measures (protests, petitions,
backroom lobbying) fail. And there
7
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‘CNEWS’ followed by your
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are deeply distressing echoes of
apartheid in the occupied territories:
the colour-coded IDs and travel per-
mits, the bulldozed homes and forced
displacement, the settler-only roads.
Ronnie Kasrils, a prominent South
African politician, said the architec-
ture of segregation he saw in the West
Bank and Gaza was "infinitely worse
than apartheid". That was in 2007,
before Israel began its full-scale war
against the open-air prison that is
Gaza.
Why single out Israel when the US,
Britain and other western countries do
the same things in Iraq and
Afghanistan?
Boycott is not a dogma; it is a tactic.
The reason the strategy should be
tried is practical: in a country so small
and trade-dependent, it could actually
work.
Boycotts sever communication; we
need more dialogue, not less.
This one I'll answer with a personal
story. For eight years, my books have
been published in Israel by a commer-
cial house called Babel. But when I
published The Shock Doctrine, I
wanted to respect the boycott. On the
advice of BDS activists, including the
wonderful writer John Berger, I con-
tacted a small publisher called
Andalus. Andalus is an activist press,
deeply involved in the anti-occupa-
tion movement and the only Israeli
publisher devoted exclusively to
translating Arabic writing into
Hebrew. We drafted a contract that
guarantees that all proceeds go to
Andalus's work, and none to me. I am
boycotting the Israeli economy but
not Israelis.
Our modest publishing plan required
dozens of phone calls, emails and
instant messages, stretching between
Tel Aviv, Ramallah, Paris, Toronto
and Gaza City. My point is this: as
soon as you start a boycott strategy,
dialogue grows dramatically. The
argument that boycotts will cut us off
from one another is particularly spe-
cious given the array of cheap infor-
mation technologies at our fingertips.
We are drowning in ways to rant at
each other across national boundaries.
No boycott can stop us.
Just about now, many a proud Zionist
is gearing up for major point-scoring:
don't I know that many of these very
hi-tech toys come from Israeli
research parks, world leaders in
infotech? True enough, but not all of
them. Several days into Israel's Gaza
assault, Richard Ramsey, managing
director of a British telecom specialis-
ing in voice-over-internet services,
sent an email to the Israeli tech firm
MobileMax: "As a result of the Israeli
government action in the last few days
we will no longer be in a position to
consider doing business with yourself
or any other Israeli company."
Ramsey says his decision wasn't polit-
ical; he just didn't want to lose cus-
tomers. "We can't afford to lose any of
our clients," he explains, "so it was
purely commercially defensive."
It was this kind of cold business cal-
culation that led many companies to
pull out of South Africa two decades
ago. And it's precisely the kind of cal-
culation that is our most realistic hope
of bringing justice, so long denied, to
Palestine.
– naomiklein.org
 8 October 2009 - Shawwal 1430

Sharing is growing, Sharing is compassion,

Sharing is love, Sharing is Islam
RAEES ISMAIL YOUTH LINE – I just wan2 say! SMS PICTURES: Sanaa Petersen PICTURES: Raees Ismail
‘YEF’ followed by your SHARING:
The Youth comment to 3390 Eid gifts
Engineering the (sms charged at R1.50, no free minutes apply) delivered
Future (YEF) Trust, to Aunty
SANZAF-Students and rebuild their lives, Gigi of
MJC- Youth Affairs amidst their challenged Hanover
partnered to host a mass environments. Park by
YEF ,
youth boeka (iftaar) on By sharing our
Miekaeel
Ramadaan experiences
the 5 September 2009 at Adams
Three Anchor Bay, Sea we discovered that three
Point. The theme of the boys fasted the entire
boeka was to create an month of Ramadaan. We
understanding of the then started talking
fundamental of sharing about Eid and the boys FRIENDSHIP: YEF Miekaeel and Raees making friends
in Islam. Under the remarked that they had with youth at Bonnytoun reformatory
guidance of a SANZAF nothing special planned, SHARING:
representative, Moulana so the YEF arranged to Eid gifts
Reidewaan, this theme surprise them the delivered
was elucidated through Monday with their to children
the collection and gift favourite foods - cala- living in
wrapping of Eid gifts mari gatsby and KFC. human set-
tlements
for the less privileged The YEF was one of the in Athlone
and distressed youth of first Muslim youth
Cape Town. organizations to share
Over a 1000 Eid gifts the Ramadaan and Eid
were wrapped and dis- festivities with the
tributed to children youth of Bonnytoun and
throughout Cape Town we intend to do so each
by the YEF. Of all the year. We thank SHARING: Eid gifts delivered to children living in
distribution points the Moulana Azeem human settlements in Athlone
most profound moment Khatieb, Galeema
was meeting the youth Zaindeen, Soraya SHARING:
Abrahams, Barbara, Eid gifts
at the Bonnytoun refor- delivered
matory in Wynberg on Farouk and all the love- to children
the 18 September. ly youth and staff at living in
Initially, it was quite sad Bonnytoun. the Blue
to see so many youth in Wa t e r s
a reformatory, but you HAVE YOUR SAY SMS safe camp
can't help feel inspired ‘CNEWS’ followed by your
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by the way in which, (sms charged at R1.50, no free
they are trying to cope minutes apply)
within the system to SHARING: Eid gifts delivered to children
who fasted for the first time in Houtbay

Muslim Youth trash Clifton beach

YOUTH: Muslim youth having iftaar on Clifton
STAFF REPORTER
The organiser Zunaid
Bulbulia who initiated the
Mass Youth Boeka on the
12 September to 'Uplift
the Muslim community
and show how the Islamic
faith brings upon unity,'
event permit was declined
on the eleventh hour
because of previous com-
plaints lodged at the City
of Cape Town. Bulbulia
duly cancelled the event
but young Muslims not
receiving the notification
trashed - bottles,
packets, food car-
tons, chip packets
and food containers
were strewn every-
where. The mess was
too terrible. I can
assure you that when
they arrived the
beach was clean.
Graffiti was
scrawled on walls
and pavements,"
Paddy Walker of the
Clifton Bungalow
Owners Association
wrote in his com-
plaint.
Walker said he for-
warded the com-
plaint to VOC
or adamant of having "because I do not want to
Boeka on Clifton, decided take this anti-social
otherwise with the resi- behaviour to a wider audi-
dents of Clifton officially ence. It does not project a
lodging a complaint with good image of the Muslim
the Muslim community community and I am sure
for allege damage caused this can be best dealt with
to broken furniture and by community leaders."
lamps. He called on the Muslim
"A table was removed community leaders to do
(stolen) from a bungalow something to stop such
patio and taken to the behaviour and are seeking
beach. It was broken in reparation for the dam-
the process and graffiti ages and an apology after
written on it. A lamp was about 100 Muslim youths
ripped from a wall and made iftar on 4th Beach,
broken. The beach was Clifton.