Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News – 04-03-2017
The matter of the continuous opposition of the building of a masjid in Knysna by the non-Muslim community in the town will now be dealt with in the Western Cape High court.
While the Knysna Municipality has pledged its full support behind the building of the masjid by the Knysna Muslim Council (KMC) a group of local home owners and concerned citizens have objected to the project.
According Mick Huspith, a spokesperson for the 22 Rawson Street homeowners says the municipality’s decision contravenes its own regulation and bylaws.
The KMC’s Omar Essa meanwhile says it has been a frustrating and a logistical nightmare for the Muslim community at their current place of worship while they waited for the court to hear the matter.
“We were subsequently informed by our landlord that our current rented premises is in the process of being sold to developers who plan to demolish the existing building and redevelop the site completely which would effectively mean that we could have no place of worship despite owning a vacant land in the CBD.”
Essa says while it has been more than a year since the objectors to the masjid filed their court papers they will finally have their day in court.
“Alhamdulillah, we are pleased to confirm that the Western Cape has set aside the date for the hearing of our matter for the 8th of March from 10 o’ clock.”
The KMC has also quashed rumors that the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) was behind the court application to prevent the masjid from being built in Knysna saying “this is false”.
At the same the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) in Cape Town has called for a mobilization and a placard demonstration in front of the Cape High Court on the day of the hearing.
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