The government’s insistence on securing credible evidence for the listing of terrorists before acting against its citizens was lent support by a group of the country’s Muslim leaders on Tuesday.
“We support the stance of the South African government in its insistence on securing credible evidence for such listings and for subscribing to the principle of administrative justice before acting against any of its citizens,” said a statement representing 15 South African Muslim organisations.
Last month, the United States listed Junaid Dockrat, a Johannesburg dentist, and his cousin, Pretoria cleric Farhad Ahmed Dockrat, as suspected terrorists with links to al-Qaeda and the Taliban. The South African government asked the United Nations to refrain from putting them on its list of terror suspects.
The South African Muslim leaders held a media briefing in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
Na’eem Jeenah, of the Muslim Youth Movement, said the leaders’ meeting followed three recent events: the naming of the Dockrats as terror suspects; a statement by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad regarding increasing reports of South Africans — and particularly Muslims — being deported from abroad; and reports that more South Africans were going to be added to US terror lists.
“We needed to make a statement to say that South Africans will not take lying down [its] citizens targeted in this kind of way,” Jeenah said.
Moulana Ebrahim Bham of the Jamiatul Ulama, the council of Muslim theologians, said the decision to support the government’s stance came after serious thought was given to the issue by all the groups involved.
Other interested parties included the Cape Town-based Muslim Judicial Council, the KwaZulu-Natal Islamic Forum and the Union of Muslim Students’ Association.
Their joint statement condemned the administration of US President George Bush for listing the Dockrats as terrorists and for threatening to list others “without due process” and consideration of “substantial and credible evidence”.
No communication
Jeenah said the group supports the manner in which the South African government is dealing with the terror-list issue. However, he added that there will be no communication between the Muslim leaders and the US government about obtaining the “credible evidence” the US says it possesses.
“We don’t think there is a need for [communication with the US embassy] at this point. They probably have their own timetable of when they will release the information … [but] we have ongoing communication with the South African government,” Jeenah said.
He said none of the 15 organisations has any desire to work with the US government in its so-called war on terror, adding that they will not permanently monitor the Muslim community or be “spies”.
“It is not our job to police the Muslim community. If Muslims cheat on their taxes, it is up to Sars [the South African Revenue Service]; if they speed, it is up to the metro cops,” he added, saying that the organisations cannot be responsible for ensuring Muslims stay free of links to terrorist groups.
Law ‘must take its course’
However, in its statement, the group said it is “opposed to all acts of injustice and acts of indiscriminate violence against innocent civilians perpetrated by individuals, organisations or states”.
It said there are too many “cracks” in the war on terror, but added that if credible evidence is produced to prove the US’s claims against people like the Dockrats, then “the law must take its course”.
Jeenah said that prior to the publicity around the terror list, South African Muslims “regarded the American war as somewhat of a distance away from us”. Recent events were a “wake-up call” that made people aware that the “war of terror” affects them as well.
One member of the group said that the greatest casualty after the events of 9/11 were the civil liberties of people all around the world. Talking about the “onslaught against Muslim civil society every day”, he said the perception of “terrorism mushrooming here is a false notion … South African Muslims are committed to civil society and the growth of the country.”
The group also criticised the indefinite detention of prisoners of war in places like Guantánamo Bay; travel restrictions placed by the Bush administration and allies on South African religious and community leaders, academics and activists; and the US’s attempt to coerce the international community into supporting its views on terrorism.