Stop Press 29 Apr 2013…IMAM ACHMAD CASSIM ELECTED AS IUC CHAIRMAN

At a Triennial General Meeting that was marked by a record attendance of constituent members on Sunday 28 April 2013, Imam Achmad Cassim was elected as the new chairman of the Islamic Unity Convention.  Imam Cassim was elected unopposed.  The meeting took place at the Shalimar Gardens Hotel, despite a relentless week-long campaign of propaganda and slander by a small group of expelled members.  The rogue group is refusing to hand back control of Radio 786 to its license holder, the IUC, instead claiming to themselves be the IUC.  As a further brazen act of destabilisation the group called a parallel meeting at the Samaj Centre at the exact time and date that the Triennial General Meeting had been arranged by the outgoing Chairman Mogamad De Vries.  They then used repeated broadcasts on Radio 786 to attempt to divert members of the IUC to their venue.  A week of relentless propaganda however proved unsuccessful when most IUC constituent members ignored their call, and attended the meeting at Shalimar Gardens.

At their rival gathering, called by the expelled rogue members, there seemed to be very little opportunity for real participation by those in attendance.  Immediately, as the meeting opened, an ex-Chairman of the IUC, Anwar Shaik had security guards swoop on him after asking why the Vice-Chair Mansoora Africa was leading the meeting and not the elected Chairman.  Prevented from raising the matter, Shaik was then escorted out of the meeting by security guards.  The rest of the meeting went mostly into the organizers presenting defamatory and inflammatory information to the delegates.  Occasionally, when a delegate raised a dissenting voice from the floor, he or she was summarily silenced.  A prominent constituent member remarked at one point: “This group here is the Titanic, and the meeting at Shalimar Gardens is the Arc of Noah!”.   Four out of the six organisers of the meeting, who style themselves as the “IUC Executive Council”, can show no legal mandate for the positions they claim to hold. Mr Abdul Gane Saheb for example was elected as Treasurer back in 2006 for a term of three years.  He still however claims to be the treasurer of the IUC and the financial controller of Radio 786, while his wife occupies the other powerful position of Station Manager.  Mr Saheb appears to be the brains behind the rogue take-over of Radio 786, and appears to have enlisted PAGAD, of which his brother Osman is an executive member, as a strategic ally.  PAGAD members were very noticeable at the meeting, and assisted in jeering dissenters during and after the meeting.

See more information on the IUC rogue take-over..

Islamic Unity..

The IUC was established in 1994.  The intention of the more than 250 organisations that co-founded the IUC was to create a movement that would harness the best of what the Muslim community has to offer, towards the liberation, growth and development of all people in Southern Africa.  Now, more than ever, the country, the region and the world are in need of structures and formations that can guide a global family of mankind in crisis.   The IUC must respond to the Qur’anic injunction: “… and co-operate on the basis of goodness and God-consciousness; Not on the basis of sin and rancor.”   May Allah Almighty bless and preserve the IUC to become the vanguard for social justice in our part of the world.  Indeed Allah says: “When assistance comes from Allah, victory is imminent…”

Our Primary Goal… A Unity of Purpose

Our first goal is working towards binding the hearts and minds of Muslims and the oppressed on the basis of the will of Allah. Our mission is not just “unity” but “unity of purpose”.  In the absence of a higher purpose, narrow and obscure goals will factionalise and divide us. Without a noble higher purpose, we will fragment for the sake of our tribes or clans or our sects or, even worse for a race or ethnic culture. Self interest, tribal interest, sectarian interests are the very antithesis of the concept of a Global Ummah. Sectarianism, Racism, Tribalism and Nationalism are instruments of our enemies Shaytaan and Dajjaal to destroy the true mission of Islam; that is to establish Allah’s beauty and harmony on earth, and to stop the bloodshed and the injustice of man against man.

Other Goals…

The other goals which the IUC strives for are…

Social and humanitarian support to the oppressed and vulnerable

Intellectual development for true liberation

Spiritual Development towards a society of Muttaqeen

Establishing Social Justice and defending the rights of the weak

Making a contribution on the global confrontation of Kufr

Striving to free Women from oppression and marginalisation

IUC Special Formations…

The instruments formed by the IUC, with the aim to serve and support our constituent members are:

• The IUC Womens Forum
• The National Ulama Council
• The IUC Youth Forum
• The IUC Education forum
• Radio 786
• Quds Day Task Team
• Imaam Haroun Commemmoration Task Team
• Inshallah, we aim to add more instruments of support to our constituent members in future