The Open Mosque in Wynberg is a non-sectarian, gender-equal and Qur’an-centric mosque. Picture: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
by Taj Hargey
Ten years ago, South Africa’s most progressive and pluralistic Muslim House of Worship opened its doors.
On September 19, 2014, the trailblazing Open Mosque in Wynberg emerged as the only Qur’an-centric, gender-equal and non-sectarian place of prayer in the country.
A decade later – despite relentless clergy persecution – this trendsetting institution marks its 10th anniversary with a week of prayers, functions and public activities. Everyone, irrespective of belief or background, is welcome.
These celebrations culminate with a novel interfaith conference in Greyton on September 27 – 29 to debate the role of religion and climate change.
The launch of the Open Mosque was the result of concerted research and objective study for a viable scriptural-based alternative to the myopic orthodox faith in the Western Cape.
Islam in South Africa is based mainly upon mindless rituals, superstitious legends, cultural mythology and a sexist contamination of pristine tenets. These and other populist falsehoods do not stem from the Holy Qur’an, but from suspect subsidiary sources. With little or no recourse to the sacred scripture, most Muslims sadly succumb to a concocted creed.
These invented, virulent misconceptions have in recent times gained greater ascendancy with the proliferation of extremist Wahhabi/ Salafi/Shi’ah/Tablighi ideologies and other sectarian distortions of Islam’s transcendent text. This toxic warping of original Islam is the prime reason for growing Muslim disaffection with contemporary religion. It is blind belief and robotic ritualism – rather than reason and logic as required by the Qur’an – that are the unfortunate hallmarks of Islam in South Africa.
Most mosques in the Western Cape are affiliated with the discredited Muslim Judicial Council (MJC). This self-appointed, unaccountable and non-transparent body of often poorly trained clerics controls the lives of the Muslim masses.
In this despotic clerical environment, there is no safe haven for thinking Muslims fed-up with a fictionalised and “fairy-tale” faith. Since this segment of Muslim society had no effective spiritual sanctuary, the cutting-edge Open Mosque was created to redress this situation.
From the beginning, this pioneering place of Islamic worship, unlike other mosques, is distinguished by five foundational principles: First, the Open Mosque is Qur’an-centric and not beholden to manufactured supplemental literature; second, it is gender-equal and does not sanction patriarchy or gender apartheid; third, the Open Mosque is non-sectarian, welcoming all Muslim denominations; fourth, it is avowedly inter-cultural (not multicultural) bringing people of all races and religions together; fifth, the Open Mosque is independent without affiliation to any prevailing theological consortium. In summary, the Open Mosque champions an erudite, enlightened and egalitarian Islam in accordance with incontrovertible Qur’anic precepts.
Aside from its uncompromising dedication to exclusive Qur’anic Islam, the Open Mosque is prominently advancing interfaith dialogue and cross-community cohesion. It has restored Qur’anic primacy and revived the twin R’s of Islam – reason and revelation – to counteract unthinking ritualism through promoting a rational religion that is rooted in and relevant to 21st century South Africa.
Unlike the dictatorial MJC that routinely usurps divine authority by excommunicating free-thinking Muslims and denouncing dissidents as heretics, the Open Mosque opposes this theological tyranny and ideological intolerance. For righteous adherents of Islam, it is axiomatic that people cannot declare fellow Muslims, regardless of their perspectives, to be outside the fold of Islam. Contrary to what the traditional clergy claims, that is God’s exclusive domain and no one, let alone any dubious priestly organisation, can misappropriate the Lord’s heavenly prerogative.
So, why has the Islamic hierarchy reacted so negatively to the establishment of the forward-looking Open Mosque? For the first time in South Africa, there is a bona fide Muslim institution that publicly challenges conventional norms and traditional views by offering a feasible alternative to mediocre religious leadership.
The Open Mosque defies the clergy’s rapacious behaviour, their doctrinal distortions and their halaal certification racket (that pockets hundreds of millions of rand annually).
The Open Mosque questions the oppressive priesthood by arming Muslims with relevant information to reject Wahhabi-Salafi disinformation and un-Qur’anic tribalism. Independent-minded Muslims are emboldened to jettison the toxic brainwashing of the self-serving Islamic establishment while pious Muslims attain true religious emancipation and genuine theological self-empowerment by adhering to logical Qur’anic Islam.
To crush what it considered to be an existential threat to their unfettered theological monopoly, the fearful
MJC and its cabal of shameless clerics and opportunistic Muslim politicians targeted the Open Mosque. Without providing any evidence, they spewed repeated lies that the Open Mosque is homosexual, heretical and foreign. All these spurious allegations are baseless.
What is the truth? First, the Open Mosque is not a gay institution – none of its members are homosexual, lesbian, bisexual, trans, etc. Everyone is welcome into this House of God that does not discriminate on the grounds of race, gender, nationality, orientation, disability, etc. It is simply open to all. Second, the Open Mosque is not linked with any heretical tendency. It is not associated with Ahmadis, Deobandis, Salafis, Saudis, Shi’ahs, Qadianis, Tablighis, Wahhabis or other sects.
Indeed, the Open Mosque is proudly inter-denominational and non-sectarian. Third, the Open Mosque is not an overseas imposition but an indigenous initiative. It is not financed by foreigners and publicly rejects Western colonialism and Chinese neo-imperialism.
The Open Mosque’s funding comes from membership donations giving it autonomy to combat spiritual rigidity and secular looting.
* Dr Taj Hargey is the founder, and president of the Open Mosque.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
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