Marianne Merten
Large numbers of the Western Cape’s Muslim 150 000-strong population went to the polling booths across the province despite earlier calls on them not to vote. Those who cast their votes were unanimous – it was a Qur’anic duty to vote.
Two weeks ago, the Islamic Unity Convention (IUC) called on Muslims not to vote in protest against, as IUC head Achmat Cassiem put it, the legalisation of abortion, the abolition of the death penalty and the introduction of legal gambling.
In the wake of this call, Islamic scholars like Faried Esack, the imam of the Claremont Mosque, Rashied Omar, the Muslim Youth Movement and its leader, Skeikh Naeem Jeenah, and the African National Congress premier candidate, Ebrahim Rasool, joined forces to persuade Muslim voters in the Cape otherwise.
On voting day, an Athlone businessman, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the address during the midday prayers last Friday at 100 of the Cape’s 125 mosques was a success in setting out the issues.
Yet around the corner from Gatesville mosque, where the lecture was disrupted, graffiti is a reminder of the controversy. “Obey Allah, not ANC,” it says in black paint on a white wall.
A steady flow of voters went through the polling booths at Rylands High School in the predominantely Muslim suburb of Athlone on the Cape Flats. It was there that Minister of Justice Dullah Omar and his family cast their votes. It was a quick in and out for most.
A few streets away at Alexander Sinton High School – identified as a possible security risk – voting proceeded without a hitch after an earlier security alert. Police on guard duty spotted a suspicious car driving up and down outside and alerted the presiding officer. From then on, voters had to queue inside the school as a safety precaution.
>From Athlone to Grassy Park and Mitchells Plain across the Peninsula, Muslims joined the queues at various voting stations in their kaffiyahs and Islamic garb. Said Shamiela: “I’m voting for a better life.”
Her husband Mogamad added: “As a Muslim you should vote. It was just a handful of Muslims who were opposed.”
Sumaya Osman also insisted on her right to make her choice on the ballot paper. “We are voting so we can get something better out of life.”
One Muslim voter at the Catholic church voting station in Manenberg on the Cape Flats simply responded that everyone has the right to vote. “That’s between him and God.”