South Africa - Cape Town - 27 October 2024 - Claremont Main Road Mosque is celebrating the 170th anniversary of its founding this year. Today, the mosque has more than 200 members. It was founded and built by mason and coachman Slamdien Darries, who bought the land in 1849 for 24 pounds and 10 shillings. The mosque was formally established in 1854, and in the same year, Mr Darries transferred the deed to Imam Abdol Roef, the mosque’s first imam. Photographer: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
Cape Town - At the Claremont Main Road Mosque (CMRM), emotions ran high as it celebrated and honoured those past and present, who had played a pivotal and long-standing role in the mosque as it commemorated its 170th anniversary.
Since its establishment in 1854, the CMRM continues to stand on the bustling Main Road, as a site for spiritual guidance, interfaith solidarity, and social justice.
Yesterday, the mosque formally commemorated its 170th anniversary with the public programme consisting of dhikr led by the Al-Ameen Dhikr Jama’ah and Khatam al-Qur’an (completion of the Holy Quran) followed by brief speeches.
Archival researcher, Abdud-Daiyaan Petersen, provided insight on the early history of the Claremont/ Newlands area and that the area goes back to the pre-colonial period during the time of the Khoi.
As the land was fertile, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) started a number of plantations and farms, including in the Newlands area.
“And when they came there to set up these farms, it was also at a distance enough from the City that they placed many of the political exiles from Indonesia on these farms because placing them this far means they didn’t have influence on the slaves that were living in Bo-Kaap, in the City at the time. And so the first introduction of Islam to this part of Cape Town, of the Peninsula, was the placement of these Muslims on many of these farms.”
The very first mosque established in the area was the CMRM when in 1849, Slamdien Darries purchased the property.
Professor Aslam Fataar of the University of Stellenbosch and longstanding and senior member of the CMRM paid tribute to Imam Gassan Solomons.
“Imam Gassan becomes a fountain head, for articulating, for giving words to the anti-apartheid struggle from an Islamic perspective from the minbar of CMRM.”
The programme also paid tribute to three elders – Jany Saban, Fatima Ganief, and Mymona Galant, who had been an integral part of the masjid community since the 1970s.
CMRM secretary Jaamia Galant said: “We stand on the shoulders of these women and all those who came before us, as we strive to uphold and build on the rich legacy of this masjid. We ask Allah to bless Aunty Janie, Aunty Fatima and Aunty Mymona with good health and strength and reward them all the deceased stalwarts of this masjid, in perpetuity for their service to this masjid, insha-Allah.”
shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za
Cape Argus
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