Durban: Zariah Fareed, a 26-year-old Overport mother of two, has spoken out against an employee of the Jamiatul Ulama KZN who allegedly made inappropriate comments about her body shortly after she had given birth.
The man, who has since been suspended by the Jamiat, had been assisting Fareed with finding a home, purchasing furniture and collecting grocery vouchers, when he began sending her WhatsApp messages that made her feel uncomfortable.
The messages included comments about her breasts and a request for him to visit her late at night. She told POST she was shocked and did not know how to respond.
“I feel like I compromised my dignity by letting this person say the things he did. I felt pressure that if I responded negatively to him, I risked not receiving assistance for my children, my son who is 2 months and my 6-year-old daughter. It's eating me up inside. It makes me feel cheap.“
She said she never expected the man to behave the way he did.
“He is a Muslim brother. He is supposed to be doing good. There is a big sign at the Jamiat's offices about the need to respect women.”
Fareed said she had been working at a hardware store when she met the Jamiat employee, who frequented the store.
She was pregnant with her second child at the time. She wanted to move out of her father's home in Overport and into her own place with her husband. However, she could not afford it.
In March, she asked him if the Jamiat would be able to help.
"He said I would need to fill out a few forms. He then invited me on WhatsApp and began passing comments that I thought were forward."
On October 1 the Jamiat informed her that it would pay the rent for a flat for her and her family in Overport.
During that week she gave birth to a baby boy. Shortly thereafter she was given a bed and a fridge and told to pick up a R500 voucher for groceries.
"When collecting the voucher, I was in a full cloak and abaya, but the brother messaged me afterwards to tell me I was getting my shape back after birth. He said he wanted to visit. With every message he sent, I felt disgusted and would try to change the subject.”
She said she was left feeling as though the man wanted her to repay with her body all that she was being given.
When the man picked on her breasts, she decided to forward the messages to her boss. He forwarded it to a member of the Jamiat, who allegedly said they would look into the matter.
Subsequently, two members from the Jamiat visited her. According to Fareed she was asked to delete the chats that had so offended her. She refused.
She said her husband, 33, a handyman who did odd jobs, was upset but helpless. She said the issue had now affected her health.
“I started having epileptic fits because of the stress of everything. It has been so hard for me.”
Last week when Fareed returned to the offices of the Jamiat to pick up another grocery voucher, she met by chance someone from the Islamic Watchdog Movement and explained what had been happening.
The movement agreed to assist.
Mohammed Mall, the director of the Islamic Watchdog Movement, said when they tried to meet with the Jamiat, they were thrown out of the building and the police were called.
"We were sent correspondence that their lawyer would be brought in if we approached the offices. They asked that we liaise via email. Unfortunately, we cannot explain how a person is being abused on email, hence we went the route of social media.“
Moulana Muhammed Twala, the shariah adviser of the movement, said with the request and permission of Fareed, they posted a video on their Facebook page last Thursday in which she said: “I want to know as a woman, where do I stand? How do you think I should feel as a Muslim woman? I don't feel safe at all. Every day it is eating me up inside because for the first time in my life this has happened to me.”
She said that two days ago the Jamiat delivered a letter to her asking that she submit a written affidavit with regards to her complaint. She has yet to submit this.
On Saturday, Jamiatul Ulama KZN issued this statement: “The Jamiat views this matter in an extremely serious light and has appointed an independent panel to investigate the matter. The accused employee has also been placed on precautionary suspension until the investigation is finalised.
“Our Deen compels and demands of us to fully investigate any matter or allegation thoroughly prior to taking decisive action in order to avoid violating any person's rights.”
When POST contacted the Jamiat for further comment, Moulana Abdullah Khan, administrator for the Jamiat, said they had handed the matter over to their attorneys for investigation.
“We need to allow for the employee to explain his side of the story, and it cannot be one-sided. The matter is under investigation and is sub judice.
“What we can say for now is that the employee was asked not to return to work until the investigation is complete. This will allow the investigation team to have access to his computer and other evidence. We can also confirm that a letter has been issued to the complainant, who was given 10 days to respond.”
Khan also highlighted that Islamic Watchdog had no affiliation with the Jamiat, and that when issues like these arose, due process had to be followed.
Shabbir Vawda, of the administration department of the Jamiat, sent a subsequent email denying that Islamic Watchdog had been thrown out of their premises.
“Since the matter is being investigated by an independent panel, we consider the matter sub judice, and shall await the outcome of the investigations. Our attorneys have advised us against arguing the facts via the press.“
The Post