Zakah Fund pulls out of Cape Accord due to ‘agendas’

The South African National Zakah Fund is withdrawing from the Cape Accord signed earlier this month to foster unity and denounce extremist behaviour within the Islamic community.

The accord was meant to bridge the Sunni-Shia divide, which many alleged was behind last month’s attack on Imam Hussain mosque in Verulam, which is aligned to the Shia branch of the religion.

South African National Zakah Fund national chairperson Shauket Fakie said: “After wider consultation and due consideration, we are withdrawing our support of the Cape Accord. We are doing so because of the very principles that we supported the document initially – to promote peace, harmony, tolerance, mutual respect and compassion.”

Fakie said the fund, a non-profit relief organisation, was unaware of the political agendas involved when it joined, and that now it did not want to be associated with the accord as it was more interested in upholding “the dignity of human beings, fostering understanding and projecting a positive image of Islam”.

The signatories include the Auwal Socio-economic Research Institute (ASRI), Minhaj UlQuran International and SA Muslims Network.

NGO Cage Africa spokesperson Karen Jayes said that although there was some disagreement about the document, she didn’t believe the recent attack had anything to do with it.

A press briefing on the signing of the accord was cancelled on Monday amid threats from groups opposed to it.

Port Elizabeth-based Islamic newspaper, The Majlis, which is circulated internationally, is a very vocal critic. In a recent online publication, they refered to the accord as “batil” (an Arabic word for falsehood) and a satanic tool of “Shiah supporters masquerading as Muslims”, which has no validity in Islam.

INFO:

• The divide between the Sunni and Shiite sects of Islam is traced to 632 AD, when the Prophet Muhammad died, leading to a debate about who should be his successor.
• While both sides are guided by the Sunna and agree that Allah was God and Muhammad was his messenger, one group promoted the idea that Muhammad’s successor should be of his bloodline. They became the Shiites. The group that believed any pious individual who followed the Prophet’s customs could succeed him became the Sunnis. More than 85% of the world’s Muslims are Sunnis.

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