By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The delegation of Muslim leaders and scholars from across the globe are in South Africa on a thanksgiving mission to acknowledge the African National Congress (ANC) and the people of South Africa for their solidarity with the people of Palestine.
ANC hosted a delegation of Muslim leaders and scholars from across the globe at the party’s Luthuli House headquarters in Johannesburg.
Local Muslim leader Sheik Ebrahim Gabriels said South Africa was the best place for his kind to live thanks to the ANC.
“It is an honour for me to stand here on behalf of the Muslim community in South Africa. We are so proud to be Muslims of South Africa, we are the most free Muslims in the world because of the ruling party, the ANC, over the last 30 years. We are also very thankful for their solidarity.”
Gabriels expressed his gratitude for the ANC-led government’s call for a ceasefire in the Gaza strip.
“I travel all over the world. At the last international conference I attended in Qatar, people were shocked to hear that I’m from South Africa. They would stop me and express gratitude, saying no one in the world has done what South Africa did — standing up for Palestine like that.”
He was joined by a delegation of Muslim leaders and scholars from across the globe on Monday, including secretary-general of the US council of Muslim Organisations, Ousama Jamal and Shaykh Yusuf Abdoulaye, representing the East African Muslim community in North America.
They expressed gratitude for South Africa’s bold stance taken at the International Court of Justice, where the country charged Israel with acts of genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said, the ANC remained committed towards building a just world, underpinned by equality, peace and prosperity for all and the values amplified by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
“We welcome this act of solidarity as part of defending the gains of our freedom and an endorsement of our stance that South Africa cannot afford to be an island of success in a sea of poverty, neither can we attain peace and justice in a world of war and injustice.”
Mbalula said his party was inspired by this support at a time when South African sovereignty had come under threat because of the government’s stance against Israel and international injustice.
The United States and other countries, as well as top United Nations officials, have warned that a full-out assault on Rafah could have a disastrous impact on the refugees driven there by fighting elsewhere in Gaza, many of them living in desperate conditions.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has raised concerns about the possibility of a full-scale Israeli assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
“We continue to be disturbed that the State of Israel, through its defence force, continues its attacks against Palestinian people, now having led to almost 40 000 people dead, most of them being women and children.
“And now we are deeply concerned that their attack in Rafah is just going to lead to the increase of deaths.”
Ramaphosa said those who were initially silent on the call for a ceasefire have since changed their tunes.
“Many now do advocate for a ceasefire, demonstrating that the action that we took as South Africa was a correct one because to stop the genocide in Gaza can only happen through a ceasefire.
“We are pleased that many in the world can see that there is a need for a ceasefire,. We will continue to call for a ceasefire, and we will continue to call for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.”
Gaza’s bloodiest-ever war began following Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
During their attack, militants also seized hostages. Israel estimates 128 captives remain in Gaza, including 36 who the military says are dead.
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Video Courtesy of MYANC.