New Mosque Open To Homosexuals Starts Jumat Prayers In South Africa

Against a global background of rising
Islamist militancy
A new mosque in South Africa has opened
its doors to Christians and even gay people.
Women are also treated equally to men.
Although there were threats of violence to
the opening of the unconventional mosque,
it however opened peacefully in Cape Town
on Friday, with the first Juma'ah prayers at
the 'Open Mosque' drawing more media
crews than worshippers or protesters.
The mosque was launched by Muslim
academic Taj Hargey, the South African-
born director of the Muslim Educational
Centre of Oxford.
Police were on hand in case of trouble
outside the newly-painted green mosque, a
former panel beating workshop sandwiched
between two similar motor vehicle repair
operations on a backstreet in the Wynberg
suburb.
A handful of protesters told AFP they were
waiting for reinforcements and would "stop
this thing, no matter what". The Friday
prayers however went ahead largely
unhindered apart from the occasional
protester's cry of "You will go to hell".
Taj Hargey
Hargey has described his mosque as a
"religious revolution" following on from the
political revolution led by late former
president Nelson Mandela when democracy
replaced apartheid rule in South Africa in
1994.
In his sermon Hargey condemned the
increasing hatred in the world between
Muslims and Christians. He blamed this on
"warped theology" from countries such as
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan which he said
gave rise to "fanatical" groups like the
Islamic State organisation, the Taliban in
Afghanistan and Boko Haram in Nigeria.
He said "contaminated Saudi money" was
used to promote "toxic and intolerant
manifestations of Islam".
Hargey told reporters outside the mosque
earlier that he had been subjected to
physical and psychological threats since he
announced his plans.
"There's been threats about castrating me,
beheading me, hanging me upside down.
But South Africa has the most liberal
constitution in the world — they cannot
stop us opening today."
Asked about his qualifications as a religious
leader he said: "I have a PhD in Islamic
studies from Oxford University, unlike my
opponents who went to some donkey
college in Pakistan or Saudi Arabia."
Hargey is not new to Islamic controversy —
in Britain he has launched a campaign to
ban the burka.
Burka is a one-piece veil that covers the
face and body, often leaving just a mesh
screen to see through.

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