Former Moulana speaks to community after Pollsmoor Prison release
Moulana Mogamat Farouk Rylands has thanked everyone for their support.
Image: screenshot
Following his release from Pollsmoor Prison on Thursday, Moulana Mogamat Farouk Rylands, the former imam of the Waterloo Road Mosque in Kenwyn, Cape Town, addressed the community.
He had been detained for allegedly contempt of a court order issued in December 2023, after serving as the mosque's imam for approximately 20 years.
The Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) announced, “We have received confirmation from Moulana Farouk Rylands' legal representatives that he will be released today.
Hours later, Rylands was released.
In a video, Rylands thanked the muslim community of Kenwyn, the broader Muslim community of the Western Cape and surroundings for their support.
“I just want to express my deepest gratitude. A heartfelt thanks to each and every Muslim that came out in their droves to support the challenge that I had to undergo. To support me to overcome the challenge. To come out in their droves for Allah SWT to fight the unfairness and injustices,” he said.
While he was detained, Rylands said he was not aware of anything happening, but he heard his name mentioned on the radio.
The Waterloo Road Mosque in Kenwyn.
Image: masjieds.co.za
“I felt a real sense of gratitude for people who really want to come out to support. Really, inside me, I felt warmth. I felt supported. It really helped me a lot. Prison, in my short experience, is not a place for any person. We are not used to that type of life; we were not brought up in that type of life. But, it was Allah’s plan that I had to shortly experience what I had. I want to say shukran to everyone,” Rylands said.
While he did not have a good experience, Rylands said he learnt a lot while incarcerated.
“Words are not enough to thank you all. It is your duas, your sincerity, that Allah SWT has utilised me to pull through in Pollsmoor Prison. It was not a good experience, even if I did learn many things while I was there for the short while,” he said.
This dismissal of Rylands made headlines in 2023, when the Ashrafiah Trust, the group that oversees the mosque, took him to court after he refused to vacate his position.
Despite the surrounding community of the mosque signing a petition in favour of Rylands, on December 5, 2023, the Labour Court granted an interdict against Rylands.
After a community meeting, the Kenwyn Islamic Society (KIS) have confirmed that a vote of no confidence is underway regarding the Trust.
A document is currently circulating on social media for residents to sign if they support the vote of no confidence.