Supporting Gaza: Cape Town's show of solidarity

Since last March, I had been occasionally checking South African media. What I was looking for was news regarding the reopened case of Imam Abdullah Harun, who was killed on September 27, 1969, following a 123-day detention and torture period during the racist Apartheid regime. After the initial hearings held at the High Court building in Cape Town from November 7 to 18, 2022, the announcement of the final verdict was postponed to the spring of 2023. In those days, in our correspondence, Imam Harun's daughter, Fatima, mentioned, "We hope the decision won't be delayed much, but the exact date is not confirmed."

Last week, while scanning the South African media again, I found the headline I was looking for: "Judge Daniel Thulare Rules Imam Harun's 1970 Death Report Invalid." The details of the news were as follows: "Judge Thulare, focusing on the injuries and bruises on Imam Harun's body, read the main points of the 101-page special report in the courtroom. In this context, he declared the invalidity of the investigation's conclusion from 1970, indicating that no one could be held responsible for Imam Harun's death in a police station. Emphasizing that Imam Harun lost his life due to torture, not by falling down the stairs as alleged, Thulare stated that police officers, all of whom were active and official members of the Apartheid regime at the time, have been convicted of murder." The text continued, noting that the decision was met with applause and tears from the crowded audience in the courtroom.

I immediately sent a message to Fatima with congratulations, support, and prayers. In her response, she said, "Thank you very much, Taha. The judge's accurate decision will be a positive step towards justice for all the martyrs. We believe this decision will set a precedent for the opening of other files from the Apartheid era. We thank our Lord for this positive outcome."

If your father were killed by a racist and oppressive regime, and you had fought for years to reopen his case and finally, after another exhausting legal battle, had the truth officially recognized, what would you do? You would probably keep this on the agenda for days, share it on your social media accounts, and try to bring attention to the issue, right? However, what I observed in Imam Harun's family, their relatives, and supporters was different:

Since the announcement of the verdict on Monday, October 9, their sole agenda has been Palestine. They came to the courtroom with black-and-white Palestinian scarves. In their interviews with South African television, the Palestinian cause was prominent. On their personal social media accounts, they focused solely on the injustices suffered by the oppressed and innocent people in Gaza. Instead of keeping their father's case in the public eye, they chose to empathize with the concerns of the Muslim Ummah.

Fatima, her brother Mohammed, and her sister Shamila's behavior is influenced not only by their noble nature but also by their deep-rooted understanding of the ills of apartheid, the occupation, discrimination, and genocide that are all part of a package program of the Apartheid regime, like in the rest of South Africa. This oppressive package program continues to be active in the subconscious minds of Imam Harun's family, as well as all of South Africa.

When it comes to empathizing with the Palestinian people, the Muslim community in South Africa may be one of the most sensitive in the Islamic world. Coming from outside and settling in, occupying the lands that a people has lived on for centuries and imposing unimaginable oppressions from 1948 to the 1990s, the Apartheid regime established by "white" racists is still ongoing in Israel's practices today. The fact that both governments emerged in 1948 is another reminder of the ongoing situation. In this context, the issue of apartheid in South Africa serves as another instructive factor.

Just as apartheid ended as it began, South African Muslims are also confident that the Zionist occupation in Palestine will come to an end. In protest demonstrations organized against Israel in Cape Town, alongside the emphasis on the "Holocaust in Palestine," this reality is also underlined.

In this context, while we remember the heroic and wise leader of South African Muslims, Imam Abdullah Harun, let's also express our gratitude and thanks to his family, who continue his case with great responsibility and determination.