(NOTE: We are re-posting the following article by Qalamul-Haq because it is a well written article exposing much important information. We support ALL Ulama, organisations and individuals who claim the Haq!)
JUSA’S (Jamiatul Ulama South Africa) CONTRADICTORY PR CAMPAIGN
EDUCATE AND ENLIGHTEN YOURSELF! YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW THE TRUTH!
Kindly keep these resources handy while reading
JUSA’S statement:
https://jamiatsa.org/recognition-of-muslim-marriages-and-their-consequences/
UUCSA’s submissions (heads of argument) to the Constitutional Court (from the official Con Court website):
https://collections.concourt.org.za/bitstream/handle/20.500.12144/36782/%5bSecond%20Amicus%20Curiae%5d%20United%20Ulama%20Council%20of%20South%20Africa%27s%20Heads%20of%20Argument.pdf?sequence=26&isAllowed=y
Womxn’s Legal Centre Trust website: https://wlce.co.za/about-us/
As was previously stated, the trajectory of JUSA is very similar to the political landscape of the country.
Some might be familiar with the PR campaign run by Bell Pottinger in South African politics, which was a huge failure. Similarly, JUSA’S PR campaign is heavily muddled up.
Note the contradictions and inconsistencies between their public statements and their submissions before the court. Very similar to the political landscape yet again.
WHAT IS A PR CAMPAIGN?
“Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organisation (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organisation) to the public in order to affect public perception of the same.
The goal of a public relations campaign is to create a media narrative or control the spread of information about an organisation to attract supporters or customers.”
1] JUSA SEEKS TO PRESERVE ISLAM?
In a PUBLIC statement (PR statement would be a more appropriate title), dated 2 Muharram 1443, JUSA states in the opening paragraph that it seeks to:
“preserve Islam and secure the rights of Muslim men, women and children.” (Kindly refer to JUSA’S statement)
If the aim was to protect Islam, why was there no mention of the Supreme law of Allah Ta’ala in UUCSA’s (JUSA is a founding member of UUCSA) submission to the Constitutional Court? The entire submission is filled with secular legal terms and references to ‘rights infringements’ on Muslim women and children.
Secondly the claim to protect the rights of Muslim men, is mentioned nowhere in their submission to the Con Court, leave alone men’s rights, not even the word ‘men’ is to be found.
Number 3 of their submission states:
“3. Such comprehensive stand-alone legislation, sourced in section 7(2), would address the multiple rights violations suffered in particular by vulnerable Muslim women and children” (find the resource to the court submission at the beginning of this article)
Is this statement implying that Allah Ta‘ala’s Shari’ah isn’t sufficient to protect women and children?
Similar wording found in Number 7, 9, 10, 13.1, 14, 22, 29, and 30.2 of their submissions.
The PR campaign can only fool those who refuse to educate and enlighten themselves!
2] MMB PLAYS NO ROLE? (Yeah,Right)
Point numbers 1, 2 and 3 of JUSA’S (PR) statement implies that the MMB (Muslim Marriages Bill) plays no feature in the current court proceedings.
This is a very sly technicality to dupe sheeple (people who believe what they are told and do not think for themselves. Sheeple is a combination of the words sheep and people – Cambridge Dictionary).
Technically, yes, the MMB did not feature in this Court Proceedings, but it was alluded to in their submissions:
“6. UUCSA has had significant involvement in, and made substantial contributions to all matters related to the enactment of legislation in respect of Muslim marriages in South Africa. UUCSA’s involvement included consenting to the draft Muslim Marriages Bill (‘MMB’) in consultation with the South African Law Reform Commission (‘SALRC’). “
Is this an attempt to reignite the MMB (maybe with a different name or abbreviation)? [A name change won’t make their PR campaign look too bad]
Number 15 of the submissions read:
” 15. Upon a proper purposive contextual interpretation of sections 7(2) and 15(3)(a) of the Constitution, understood in the context of the structure of the Bills of Rights as a whole, UUCSA contends that the state is obliged to enact appropriate legislation relating to Muslim marriages and their consequences.”
So UUCSA contends that ‘legislation’ should be enacted to regulate Muslim Marriages according to secular law? So this legislation won’t be called the ‘MMB’ any longer? (it will be rebranded as part of the PR campaign)
One wonders if the secular Non-Muslim courts and judges can probably ‘uphold and enforce’ the Shari’ah by means of this legislation? (NB! Legislation which won’t be named ‘MMB’)
3] HALF-TRUTHS ARE THE BEST!
Point 6 of JUSA’S (PR) statement says the ‘WLCT’ is an “Independent NGO that seeks to further an agenda for women’s rights”
This is a half-truth. (Half-truths are what make PR statements so believable)
WHERE DOES THE WLCT COME FROM?
On the WLCT website, the WLCT (women’s legal centre trust) introduces themselves in the first paragraph, in bold as follows:
“The Women’s Legal Centre is an African feminist legal centre that advances womxn’s rights and equality using tools such as litigation, advocacy, education, advice, research and training”
Note the spelling: ‘WOMXN’
WOMXN? BUT HOW DO I PRONOUNCE THAT??
What does ‘womxn’ mean?
“noun, plural wom·xn [wim-in].
a woman (used, especially in intersectional feminism, as an alternative spelling to avoid the suggestion of sexism perceived in the sequences m-a-n and m-e-n, and to be inclusive of trans and nonbinary women).”
The WLCT is a feminist organisation of note.
One wonders why UUCSA’s submissions to the Con court and the WLCT one compliment each other on so many points? Did you see any recent statement from JUSA or UUCSA condemning Feminism or Homosexuality amongst Muslims or it’s prohibition in Islam?
Did you know WLCT was represented by a ‘Muslim womxn’ lawyer named Mrs Nazreen Bawa?
(mind the typographical error, ‘Muslim woman’)
When Mrs Bawa was questioned by Justice Theron thus: “Don’t you think regulation of Muslim Marriages will be in conflict with Islamic law, thereby infringing on religious freedoms?”
Did you know that Mrs Bawa strengthened her argument by saying: “Ulama bodies have submitted before this court that they are unable to fulfil their enforcement responsibility without the enactment of such a legislation”
4] Point 7 of JUSA’S (PR) Statement relates to their submissions to the Department of Justice with regards to the Single Marriage Statute Bill.
WHAT IS THE SMSB (SINGLE MARRIAGE STATUTE BILL)?
There are currently three laws in which the three types of marriages recognised in South Africa are governed, viz., the Marriage Act of 1961, the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act of 1998 and the Civil Union Act of 2006.
This new bill (SMSB) seeks to unify all these three into one bill.
Nonetheless, JUSA on the 17th of May 2021, submitted to the Department of Justice, that ‘Civil law’ should not govern Muslim Marriages and it’s not calling for a reenactment of the ‘MPL (Muslim Personal Law)’ [another code name for the MMB]. But strangely enough in their submissions to the Constitutional Court on 22 July 2021, they call for ‘legislation to be enacted to recognise and regulate Muslim Marriages’
In submission (to the con court) section ‘C’ numbers 15, 22, 24, 25 and subsequently 32, UUCSA “implores” the ‘Honourable Court’ to recognise and regulate Muslim Marriages.
Number 32 reads:
“32. Furthermore, we implore this Honourable Court to assist the Muslim community by redressing the failure of the State to recognise and regulate Muslim marriages, and by compelling the State to adopt appropriate legislation within a reasonable time frame. Comprehensive legislation, triggered by a section 7(2) obligation, is the only reasonable and effective measure for the State to remedy the ongoing multiple rights violations causing serious hardship and grossly unjust consequences.”
PR campaigns can only hoodwink sheeple!
In conclusion, we urge and IMPLORE the Honourable Muslim Public to read, educate and enlighten yourself, so as not to be fooled by those who “violate your right” to be told the truth! Also, don’t be duped into PR campaigns, whether it be from JUSA or Bell Pottinger (please do research on the damage that the Bell Pottinger PR campaign has caused to South Africa).
Issued by Qalamul Haq
Panel@qalamulhaq.co.za
3 Muharram 1443 / 12 August 2021