Cape Town - Leaked minutes from a Muslim Judicial Council meeting recommending that Ebrahim Rasool apologise to the Muslim community for allowing Hindu rituals at his daughter’s wedding are making the rounds on social media.
However, according to the ANC leader, the message is fake.
The MJC would not confirm or deny the authenticity of the message on Monday, which was allegedly taken from minutes of a meeting the organisation had had over the weekend.
The MJC’s first deputy president, Sheikh Isgaak Taliep, told the Daily Voice they were to hold a meeting on Monday night to discuss the issue.
“The MJC will release its statement later this evening (last night) and the matter will be discussed in our MJC Speaks programme tomorrow evening (tonight) on VOC (Voice of the Cape Radio Station),” he said.
Former premier Rasool came under attack last week after photos of his daughter Tahrir’s wedding on 28 December started circulating on Facebook.
Rasool was accused of allowing “un-Islamic” practices at the wedding.
Some Muslims accused Rasool of allowing “un-Islamic” practices at the wedding, which included Indian dancing and the Hindu “Seven Steps” ritual or Saptha Padhi, which requires the couple to walk around a holy fire seven times, honouring the fire god Agni.
Rasool, who had performed the nikah (wedding ceremony) himself, told guests his son-in-law, Sanjay Naran, had converted to Islam but said they wanted to honour his family by incorporating his Vedic heritage.
The wedding was attended by several clerics from the MJC, including former MJC president Sheikh Ebrahim Gabriels and Sheikh Taliep.
In a statement last week, Rasool hit back at gossips for slandering him and his family.
On Saturday, the leaked minutes were shared on Facebook. They read: “The outcome of an MJC meeting held today on the Ebrahim Rasool issue.
“The nikah was valid, since the groom embraced Islam prior to marriage.
“The crucial issue was not the garlanding, etc. It was the walk around the fire.
“Most, if not all, did not know what the walk around the fire symbolises. Was it religious or custom?
“Practically everyone only checked this up after the entire thing became public.
“The same applies to Sh. Ebrahim and Sh. Igsaan. They also did not know what the walk symbolised.
“Mufti Saheb quoted even Ibn Taymiyyah as having stated that sajdah (prostrating) for an idol does not by its very nature mean the person has become mushrik, but one needs to find out with what frame of mind the sajdah was done.
“Haraam was committed undoubtedly, but not kufr.
“Ebrahim Rasool was contacted to verify what his intentions were with regards the walk around the fire.
“He explained that he tried to ‘sanitise’ it from shirk. Therefore all aspects related to shirk with regards to the walk around the fire were removed.
“Ebrahim Rasool will be asked to apologise to the Muslim community.”
It states: “In my opinion, this is a satisfactory outcome. The community outcry is justified - NOT the personal attacks.”
Contacted for comment on Monday, Rasool referred queries to ANC Western Cape spokesperson, Dennis Cruywagen, who said: “This is fake news. Two of those present at the MJC meeting referred to (in the Facebook message) have expressed their disappointment at Rasool about the fake message being distributed on social media.
“One of them posted to him that the so-called statement came from someone who was not in the MJC meeting.”