Our humanity is at stake
There are some people who want Jews to believe that Muslims are their enemies.
The tactic is to create a deep divide so that those who seek conflict, can dominate the historical and future relations between Muslim and Jews. The agenda is calculated to spread and sustain hatred at the expense of ordinary believers. At this time in history, it is working as mutual suspicion exists.
Oddly, the enmity has not existed for long. I will reference one example.
Abdel-Qader Bin Ghabrit, was born in Algeria in1868 and died in Paris in 1954. He was a founder of the Great Mosque in Paris and during World War II Bin Ghabrit saved between 500 and 1500 Jews.
This included the Algerian born, gay Jewish Parisian singer, Salim Halali a committed anti-Zionist. Bin Ghabrit used the staff at the Grand Mosque to grant Jews certificates of Muslim identity. This permitted the vulnerable Jews to avoid arrest, deportation and death at the hands of the Nazi’s.
The Algerian partisans, mainly Muslim workers, initially led Jews to the Paris Mosque for protection. The mission of the Algerian partisans was also to rescue and protect the British paratroopers and find them shelter. The Muslim partisans provided help to Jewish families, by housing them in the mosque, while they wait for required papers to allow them to cross the Mediterranean to safety.
Ghabrit was awarded the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour. He is buried near Mosque of Paris.
There are many examples of mutual bravery of men and woman that have defied historic prejudice to sustain their humanity.
The Corona virus is one such scenario. This virus does not care if you are a Jew, Gentile, Muslim or non-believer. It is coming for anyone that it can take. Doctors, taxi drivers, blacks, whites, rich and poor, we all at risk.
The virus is giving us a chance to rejuvenate our mutual humanity, our lost empathy, our Ubuntu.
Will we use the opportunity or continue with war, exploitation, the abuse of each other and this planet or have we learnt from centuries of collective destruction?
This virus is the Achilles heel of our time, our great Rubicon.
Humans are resilient we will survive.
How will we enter the other side? Every soul must answer for itself. May God help us find our truth.
The writing of this letter was inspired by a conversation I had with a colleague Cllr Kleinschmidt.
Cllr Yagyah Adams
Cape Muslim Congress