Social activist, Yusuf Abramjee, has welcomed a ruling by the CRL Rights Commission that has found social media comments in response to a proposed Mosque in Valhalla, Pretoria, “Islamophobic and unacceptable.”
The Commission has ruled that a series of comments at the height of the Valhalla Mosque controversy “did not only offend the Muslim Community but were an affront to all our efforts as a nation to national co-existence and social cohesion.”
The CRL Commission will be setting a meeting with the representatives of FaceBook South Africa to discuss this matter. They said they want “decisive steps to be taken to deal with those accounts.”
Abramjee said he was happy the commission ruled in his favour. “I hope it will serve as a deterrent.”
The Commission said it updated Abramjee about the progress and status of his complaints against Commissioner Richard Botha and that “this matter was not closed but has been referred to the Speaker of Parliament.”
Abramjee asked that Botha expelled from the commission after he allegedly compared a Mosque to a brothel, a claim he denied.
Abramjee also accused Botha of being Islamophic. Abramjee said Botha was the main objector to the Valhalla Mosque and “he failed to declare he was a member of the commission.”
Abramjee has welcomed the decision of the Commission and said that he was happy that this matter is being addressed and that “we must allow the processes to run its course”.
He said he would also ask the Speaker of Parliament to expedite the Botha matter.
End
To: Editors/ Reporters 24 APRIL 2017
MEDIA STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE CRL RIGHTS COMMISSION WITH RESPECT TO A MEETING HELD WITH MR YUSUF ABRAMJEE
**De Goode Hoop Afrikaans only student residence
On Friday, 21 April 2017 the CRL Rights Commission met with Mr Yusuf Abramjee and Mantoa Selepe to discuss the De Goode Hoop Afrikaans only student residence in Pretoria.
Mr Abramjee and Selepe lodged a formal complaint with the Commission after it emerged from some media reports that the residence was for “Afrikaans Christian” students only. The complainants argued that the residence was unconstitutional and “is apartheid in disguise.” They called on the commission to probe the matter and make a ruling urgently.
Abramjee and Selepe said that in view of our democratic state, students from all racial, cultural and linguistic communities should be admitted to the residence. “To ask students to write an essay in Afrikaans in order for them to be considered for admittance to the residence was wrong.”
The Commission will be setting a meeting with the Management of De Goode Hoop residence, the University of Pretoria and also the City of Tshwane in order to get to the bottom of this matter.
***Valhalla Mosque
The CRL Commission has ruled that a series of comments made on social media during the height of the Valhalla Mosque controversy were “Islamophobic and unacceptable as these did not only offend the Muslim Community but were an affront to all our efforts as a nation to national co-existence and social cohesion.
The CRL Commission will be setting a meeting with the representatives of Face -Book South Africa to discuss this matter and thereby ensure that decisive steps are taken to deal with those accounts.
In addition, the Commission updated Mr Abramjee about the progress and status of his complaints against Commissioner Richard Botha in that this matter was not closed but has been referred to the Speaker of Parliament.
Mr Abramjee has welcomed the decision of the Commission and said that he was happy that this matter is being addressed and that “we must allow the processes to run its course”.
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