According to the appeal, Knysna's Muslim community has just over 50 families – totaling just over 250 individuals – and they are working earnestly toward establishing the town's first mosque. With a business plan now in place, the community is reaching out beyond the Garden Route to raise funds to purchase a property for the envisaged mosque.
Since Knysna is a major tourist destination, as well as thoroughfare for people passing between the metropolitan areas of Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, the town has higher numbers of mussallees over holiday seasons. According to Omar Essa, chairperson of the Knysna Muslim Council (KMC), a jamat khana (mussallah) was established in Knysna in 2004 where daily prayers are performed, along with Jumuah on Fridays.
"A madrassah for children of all ages has also been active since 2007. Both the mussallah and madrassah is held in a temporary facility, commonly known as the Lamco Building, that is being rented from a landlord on a monthly basis. The main challenges we currently face is the limited space available in this facility that can only accommodate approximately 100 people, while the jamat's requirements sometimes exceed 150 people." The premises is 50m² in extent with an external balcony used as access, two toilets and ablution facilities.
There are currently no facilities for female mussallees and they are being accommodated in a courtyard on the ground floor when needed. "Various options have been investigated as potential masajid sites, including the current facility and other sites located around the CBD area. A financial analysis of the various sites indicates that the current facility at Lamco, although more expensive in terms of capital outlay, will provide a more sustainable option in the long term due to its potential to generate an income from sources other than membership contributions," Essa said.
"However, this property owner is not willing to sell at a reasonable price." This left the KMC with no other option but to search elsewhere. "The choice of property is a critical deciding factor given the limited financial capacity of the local Muslim community to sustain the operational requirements of the masjid and madrassah on its own."
Essa said this prompted them to draw a business plan to "encourage our Muslim brothers and sisters elsewhere to assist our community in procuring a property in Knysna for the purpose of establishing the first permanent place of worship and education for Muslims". The KMC said this envisaged structure would serve as a "beacon of light in a community shrouded in darkness and will serve as the main base for the promotion of Islamic da'wah, insha Allah".
According to the Knysna KMC, Knysna has a population of approximately 50 000, of which Muslims are a small minority. It is not known exactly how long Muslims have been in the town, although indications are that it could be in about three decades.
As has become a new norm in most rural towns in the country over the last decade, the majority of Muslims in the community are foreign nationals. According to the KMC, the majority of the Muslim population in Knysna is Somalian (120), South African (50), Pakistani (20), Tanzanian (20), Bangali (15), Egyptian (10), along with smaller numbers of Senegali, Kenyan and Malawian people.
Essa said that the need for a masjid project has been growing since 2004 when mussallees numbered a few dozen. The current number sees a substantial boom during holiday periods when travellers frequent the facility, especially for Jumu'ah salah.
For the past three years, the KMC has been investigating various options in and around the Knysna area. It has now identified a property on Rawson Street that was once a restaurant.
"The property consists of two separate building structures, one constructed or cladded with corrugated iron sheeting. It is located two blocks from the Main Street/N2 in the Knysna CBD. A number of Muslim brothers have small businesses in and around the immediate vicinity, which places the property within walking distance of mussallees for regular prayers," Essa explained.
The KMC has now made an offer to purchase on the property with a deposit of R120 000 having being paid on April 24. The KMC has until the end of this month to procure the balance of the total purchase price of R600 000. "We have activated an urgent procurement programme to recreate public awareness in the major Muslim centres of Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Johannesburg and Pretoria with the aim of attracting donors, sponsors or sadaqat-ul-jaria funding," he said.
In the next few months, the KMC hopes to raise the necessary funds to get construction underwa
y, before the end of the year.
For those who would like to assist, donations can be made into the bank account of the Knysna Muslim Council, FNB, Account Number: 621 684 051 76, Branch Code 210214. "We at the Knysna Muslim Council, have made a firm niyyah (intention) to secure permanent premises for the masjid before the end of 2013. We appeal to all donors and the Muslim community as a whole to support us in this endeavour. May Allah Almighty reward you abundantly for your contribution in this world and the hereafter," Essa appealed.
Fore more details, contact 083 413 6156.
An aerial image indicating the property which the Knysna Muslim Council hopes to secure for the purpose of establishing a mosque.
