Home PodcastJulie Alli Public needs to hold Muslim leadership accountable – activist

Public needs to hold Muslim leadership accountable – activist

by Zahid Jadwat

The public needs to hold Muslim leadership accountable even if it is taboo, according to community activist Imraahn Mukaddam.

Mukaddam was speaking about recent revelations contained in a report that found systematic financial mismanagement within the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC). The inquiry was launched relating to allegations of financial irregularities for their 2020/2021 financial year.

“It’s really difficult to speak this language in the context of the way we are brought up and the values we are brought up with regards to the reverence that we have for the ulama and the learned in our community,” he said.

Allegations pertaining to the mismanagement of funds in the organisation surfaced in April 2022. Former executive member, Dr Moulana Yusuf Arieff, wrote a letter to the General Council, calling for an investigation into R900 000 donated to Imams for Covid-19 relief.

A four-member committee of the COI was then tasked with investigating 38 transactions to the tune of nearly R1 million. They found that while an amount of R230 000 (from a total of more than R928 000) was accounted for, an additional R470 900 was unaccounted for and was not authorised by the MJC Exco.

Mukaddam said an over-abundance of reverence afforded to Muslim leadership opened the doors for “flagrant” abuse.

 

“We have this very taboo area in many of our communities and families. We don’t go there with regards to holding our Muslim leadership to account. The situation has deteriorated to the extent that it is becoming a necessity that we speak about the issues and how flagrantly as a community we are being abused.”

 

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MJC funding debacle and Muslim leadership accountability

The MJC has since responded to the allegations and the report, placing its Treasury under administration.

An official statement from the MJC said the “investigation found no prima facie evidence of theft, however, the COI found systematic financial mismanagement and serious control failures”. It also confirmed that the COI report “was unanimously accepted by the Imaarah”.

It further confirmed the decision to place the Treasury under administration, while stating a disciplinary process against implicated individuals was underway.

“Furthermore, a disciplinary process was initiated by the Imaraah against the implicated individuals. This process is currently underway and is being chaired by an external legal professional,” it said.

The report found that some receipts may have been fraudulently manufactured.

“Cash withdrawals and payments amounting to R470 900 had no records as to who the recipients of these payments were, or the nature of payments. These could not be traced back to any valid receipts and have been classified as unallocated expenditure. These payments have not been authorised by the exco,” the report read.

Mukaddam said it was about time Muslim leadership was held accountable for “selling the religion”. He also stated a broader conversation about accountability needed to be had in light of these findings.

“We need to set an example and this now needs to be addressed more aggressively. We also need to have a much bigger debate. We know all of this; we know that these organised clergy have been basically selling the religion as a franchise,” he said.

Julie Allie and Imraahn Mukaddam also discussed allegations of abuse within the Halal and Hajj industries. Listen to the full discussion here.



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