PRESS RELEASE
ATT: ALL MEDIA
AL JAMA-AH CALLS FOR SENSITIVITY FROM BOTH SIDES
26 APRIL 2020
AL JAMA-AH strongly condemns the behaviour of members of the South African Police Services during the arrests of several worshippers who contravened the Covid-19 Disaster Management Lockdown Regulations in relation to the prohibition of gatherings. The Party further welcomes the apology of the Minister of Police General Bheki Cele.
The Party also criticised the worshippers for contravening the Lockdown Regulations and that they should face the full might of the Law. However, we are of the view that the members of Saps involved in the arrests have overstepped their Code of Conduct. As much as we are disturbed by the worshippers’ lack of will to obey the Lockdown Regulations, we remain concern about the behaviour of some members of Saps while carrying out their duties. The worshippers attended a prayer gathering at a mosque in the Mbuzni are in Mpumalanga on Saturday.
Al Jama-ah is referring to a video circulating on social media in which one can clearly hear a Saps member referring to Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessing Upon Him) in reference to the Lockdown Regulations declared by President Cyril Ramaphosa. We call on Saps to act with sensitivity and to refrain from making references to any religious beliefs or symbols while carrying out their duties. It can also be heard on the video clip how the Saps members are shouting in a place of worship, an act of disrespect. We question members of Saps high-handedness used to arrest the worshippers but at the same time they fail to act against others walking in the streets and clearly disobeying the Lockdown Regulation.
Al Jama-ah will write to the Minister of Police to request that members of Saps act with sensitivity restraint and respect when confronting worshippers contravening the Lockdown Regulations. Al Jama-ah also welcomes the Minister’s undertaking that the police member who made the comment on Prophet Muhammad be disciplined and trust he will be dealt with speedily so all South Africans can be assured that their complaints on police behaviour do not fall on deaf ears. This confidence in the police will help keep the fight against infections and deaths down. The specific policeman must also offer a public apology to the Muslim community. It is enough to give up some of our freedoms by giving the police and army the powers they have. But when they violate constitutional religious freedoms there is now a need for a special court similar to what the country had during the 2010 Soccer World Cup, so they can answer their disrespect of our Constitution.
Al Jama-ah calls on the Muslim community to respect the Lockdown Regulations and to remember that locial distancing is a Prophetic command: “Run away from the leper (the one with contagious ailment) as you would run away from a lion.” (Bukhari Volume 7, Book 71, Number 608); “Those with contagious disease should be kept away from those who are healthy.” Bukhaari (6771) and Muslim (2221); .
The Party also warned Muslims against disobeying the Lockdown Regulations as it will fuel insults against Islam and our beloved Prophet (PBUH). If we continue to harm one another through this pandemic, we will only be Insulting Islam and the Prophetic sayings of the Prophet (PBUH). We must also ask ourselves if we have done enough to educate the masses to understand the meaning of Islam.
Issued by
Hon Ganief Hendricks (Al Jama-ah Leader in Parliament)
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