Shamima Shaikh

Author: shamsadmin

  • Faith on the move – Khadija Magardie

    A review of Journey of Discovery: A South African Hajj

    By Khadija Magardie

    Published in Mail & Guardian, 12 January 2001

     

    Journey of Discovery, the recently published collection of writings by activist couple Na’eem Jeenah and his late wife, Shamima Shaikh, opens with a dedication “for all those fearless enough to say and act according to what they believe is the Truth”. For anyone who has followed the lives and careers of this extraordinary couple, it could not have been more aptly put.

    Their jointly authored book relating their experiences on the Muslim pilgrimage or hajj is less of what Jeenah himself describes as “a how-to book”, than it is a vivid and indeed brave testimony continuing the couple’s tradition of rigorously applying the Qur’anic principle of “standing out firmly for justice”  – at a sometimes heavy cost.

    Recalling the lives of Shaikh and Jeenah, the words of Margaret Thatcher come to mind, who once remarked that her father had installed in her “upright qualities, which entailed a refusal to alter one’s convictions just because others disagreed, or because you became unpopular”.

    Shaikh never got to see the book published – she died of cancer in January 1998, at 37, soon after the pilgrimage. Yet the words of the tenacious young activist speak throughout the book, doing on paper what she had constantly done throughout her relatively short but remarkable life. She spoke out for equal rights and participation for women in all areas of public and religious life, where others would not.

    Earning the derision of many, Shaikh wore her supposedly pejorative name – “That mad Shaikh woman” – like a badge of honour. Whether it was leading groups of women to storm mosques to demand access for women, or battling traditionalists on the airwaves of the radio station she and Jeenah were instrumental in founding, Shaikh’s commitment to racial and gender equality was admirable because, throughout their lives, the odds were never stacked in their favour. But the fruits of her labour live on in the community radio station The Voice, and in the archives of the progressive Muslim newspaper Al-Qalam, which she used to edit.

    Journey of Discoveryis primarily a narration of the pilgrimage to Mecca, a compulsory tenet of the Islamic faith. Its viewpoint – that of a couple so finely tuned to an “equality frequency” – makes it stand out and lends it a South African flavour. The book illustrates, perhaps even painfully, how the racial lens through which South Africans have been conditioned to see the world influences even the simplest issues. The one ugly incident that mars the high spiritual state for the couple, noted in the book, relates to a racially charged incident between a South African pilgrim and a group of dark-skinned pilgrims.

    Shaikh questions the narrow interpretations of women’s role in the mosques back home, when she, a woman, could pray freely and without hindrance in the holiest site of Islam.

    The interest for non-Muslim readers of this book is simple. It is a “spiritual travelogue” that opens a window to a ritual and place that few in fact have the opportunity to be privy to. The words speak for themselves, allowing the reader to “feel” the hajj. The book is simple, easy to read, but with a deeply touching message – that the path to God does not lie in the length of one’s beard, or the number of university degrees one has acquired.

    Shaikh was well-known for disarming those who condemned her audacity at claiming her rightful place in religious life, and asked her to furnish her credentials for her claims.

    “I’m just a housewife,” she would retort.

     

    Journey of Discovery is published by Full Moon Press and is available from the Muslim Youth Movement of South Africa

    © Mail & Guardian

  • Review; Journey of Discovery by Zulekha Adam-Dinath

    Review; Journey of Discovery by Zulekha Adam-Dinath

    Journey of Discovery: A South African HajjBy Na’eem Jeenah and Shamima Shaikh

     

    Review published in Al-Qalam, November 2000

     

    What is unique about these reflections is that they are the experiences of a young activist couple whose identities as man and woman are lived in absolute equality. They become almost indistinguishable as the relationship reaches a plane of spirituality where mutual love and respect elevate them to gender neutrality, if such a spiritual union is at all possible! It is all the more poignant against the backdrop of Apartheid ravages, religious bigotry and personal travails that end the death of one of them.

    The Journey of Discovery is unique in its authorship, the young writers are Muslim South Africans wedged between repression and transformation, committed to challenging injustice in all its guises. Shamima Shaikh and Na’eem Jeenah waded through the difficult times that often saw the potential of marginalised youth thwarted, their dreams constrained and shattered by structured tyranny. The Marxist ideologies and the Black Consciousness Movements were appealing asylums for most young South Africans in the seventies and eighties and the young couple immersed themselves in the student protests and activities. It wasn’t enough. They were too astute, too insightful to undermine the strength of their faith, their belief in the One Compassionate and Merciful God, and it is within the comforting receptacle of Islam that their social identities were burnished.

    It was a bold step, the terrain was made even more hazardous by conservative backlashes and zealous exclusions and the misconceptions that abounded both within and outside the community. The Iranian revolution had shifted the focus to a wider screen and Muslims throughout the diaspora began to stir, much to the chagrin of dominant political and religious interests. This did not deter a vulnerable group of young Muslims in whose company Shamima and Na’eem sought to define their spirituality, God consciousness and social action.

    In recent years many dissertations have been written about Muslims, some have sought to understand the position of Muslim women, a pitied and fashionable cause celebre for radical feminists who have made mileage out of every conceivable feature of Islamic life which seems anathema to their perceptions of liberation. Muslim writers, including Fatima Mernissi, Rana Kabbani and Nawal El Saadawi have retaliated in some measure to restore authenticity and dignity to the debate. The Journey of Discovery is the first work emanating from a uniquely South African experience; that it is written by a man and a woman in synergy lends itself to greater profundity than was perhaps intended.

    The Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, symbolises the multiple levels of the Journey of Discovery, but it is by no means a ‘how-to book’, nor is it austere and staid in its style as most religious works tend to be. This account of the Hajj is personal and warm in its inclusion of the reader, intimate details delightfully become shared experiences as the couple discovers the joys of the rituals of performing their obligatory prayers. The immense thrill of being on the plains of Arafat among millions of other Muslims, in the heat of the Arabian sun and feeling an unbearable closeness to each other and God are treasured moments that make this account so different. The encounters, both spiritual and real are recounted within the context of the Qur’an and Ahadith , the utterances of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), the conversational short vignettes illuminate the subject with undertones of humour and sarcasm and some tongue-in-cheek observations of truly South African Muslim characteristics. It is a light and luminous text that even when dealing with the sad facts of Shamima’s illness and passing embody a spirit of surrender to the will of the Creator.

    If there is a pulse that resonates throughout the book then it must be Shamima’s declaration that “I have struggled, I have exhausted myself because that is what I was created for, just as my ‘Imamah’ Hajar was created for. I can tell my Creator that I have striven.” Ultimately the Hajj – and life – is about struggle. Shamima’s life was about struggle. In the words of Amina Wadud, the eminent Muslim woman scholar, it was an ‘engaged struggle’ and Shamima was never afraid of engaging the forces that oppressed. She challenged the patriarchal structures that distorted the equality given to women by Islam, she forced men to open the mosques to women, she encouraged women to relook at the sciptures and revalue themselves as equal in the eyes of Allah, she set examples by initiating discussions around Muslim Personal Law and its inclusion in the Constitution, sounding the warning bells that if women did not insinuate equal participation at all levels of its formation much would be left to the male religious bodies and women would not be consulted and their equality imperiled.

    Shamima’s emulation of Hajar, who ran between the hills of Safa and Marwa searching for water for her starving baby, is nothing short of a miracle. She believed that the striving is an end in itself and that struggle does not necessarily end in reward, but is a journey of the soul in its quest for Allah. The events recounted in the Journey of Discovery open a window to the brilliant and visionary mind of this gender warrior who still has a profound influence on women who have had the privilege of knowing her. Like Hajar, her struggle will not have been in vain as a younger generation of Muslim women strive to assert their equality and proudly reaffirm their faith knowing that women in Islam are unconditionally equal. If the feminist agenda is to change the world, then Shamima Shaikh was a Muslim feminist – and that is not a contradiction.

     
  • Journey of Discovery: A South African Hajj

    Journey of Discovery: A South African Hajj

    By Na’eem Jeenah and Shamima Shaikh

     

    Published by Full Moon Press (2000), Cape Town, South Africa

    ISBN 0-620-26405-5

     

    Order this unique book today through the publishers in South Africa (email bookorders at amec.org.za – replacing “at” with “@”) or through Amazon.com!

     

    Some comments about the book:

    Michael Wolfe

    Author of: The Hadj: An American’s Pilgrimage to Mecca and

    One Thousand Roads to Mecca: An Anthology of Pilgrim Travel Writing

    This is the sort of Hajj account we need many more of: an honest assessment of an experience shared by millions world-wide, which does not leave out the personal, but rather successfully reminds us that every pilgrim comes from somewhere, from a specific place, a particular family, a politics and a social point of view informed by Islam: in this case, South Africa. And how few books of any kind are written by a husband and wife who enjoy, respect and understand each other! This book breaks new ground in many ways. May other pilgrims follow its fine lead.

     

    Shamil Jeppie

    University of Cape Town

    I very much liked the whole thing. It is well written, clear, and captivating. The hajj came alive for me like no other description I’ve read before… I still wanted more when I closed the manuscript. Indeed, after each chapter I felt I wanted it to continue. I’m certain many other readers will respond in the same fashion… I thoroughly enjoyed it.

     

    Tamara SonnThe College of William and Mary

     

    This is a unique book, actually groundbreaking in the field of Islamic studies. It is, on its surface, a personal story of a South African couple making their first pilgrimage to Makkah (Hajj) together. The authors are highly intelligent, well educated, slightly sarcastic, but very devout in a way that resonates with the faith of other young people throughout the world. But this book is more than the musings of young professionals on the meaning of a traditional ritual. The authors are South African activists struggling against apartheid and its aftermath. At the same time, Shamima and Na’eem grapple with gender and authority issues within Islam, especially as these issues question their social activism. Their book is therefore a focused story of Muslims committed to social reform and seeking to reconcile their activism with their deeply traditional faith. The story is made all the more poignant knowing that the trip is both the vehicle of spiritual discovery and the couple’s last trip together. Shamima died a few months later, leaving Na’eem to bring up their two young sons and make sense of their journey(s) together. There have been several books published recently on the Islamic pilgrimage: F.E. Peters, The Hajj: The Muslims’ Pilgrimage to Mecca and the Holy Places (Princeton, 1994); I.R. Netton, Seek Knowledge: Thought and Travel in the House of Islam (Curzon, 1966); and most recently, Michael Wolfe, ed., One Thousand Roads to Mecca (Grove, 1997). None of these, however, has the accessibility and personal appeal that Na’eem and Shamima have achieved in their Journey of Discovery. More importantly, none has incorporated the meaning of the pilgrimage into the spiritual and social landscape of Muslim life in the contemporary world, as theirs has. This book is easy to read, yet highly charged intellectually and emotionally, making it a good choice for undergraduate classroom discussion. It is also attractive to a non-specialist readership.

     

    Laila Al-Marayati

    Chairperson, Muslim Women’s League, USA

    The style is open and inviting and made me feel as if I had accompanied [the] group on its journey. [The] discussion of the significance of the rituals from a spiritual and meaningful Islamic point of view was very enriching. I felt I was seeing things that I already knew in a different and more compelling light. The humor was apparent throughout and is something that is sadly lacking in other books as it seems that we Muslims are unable to laugh at ourselves in general. Several (South African) references were extremely relevant and eye-opening for those of us who were not present during the resistance to apartheid.

     

    from the ‘Foreword’ by Amina Wadud

    Virginia Commonwealth University

    In sharing their Hajj experience Shamima and Na’eem allow us to witness how Islam as engaged surrender is put into action. For one thing, we are reminded that the struggle goes on at multiple levels. At times we are witnesses to their joy and at other times to their frustrations. We witness small victories and defeats. The Hajj for Na’eem and Shamima is full of the ups and downs of the life journey. In this context Islam as engaged surrender reminds us that we must make our path as we walk it.

     

    from the biographical chapter by Abdulkader Tayob

    University of Cape Town

    [Shamima] and Na’eem seemed to have discovered different levels of their relationship with God, community and nation. This profundity certainly oozes through the pages of this text as the Hajj brings together their spirituality and their social conscience.

     

    Read the following reviews of Journey of Discovery:

    • Review by Zulekha Adam-Dinath – al-Qalam, November 2000
    • Faith on the move, Review by Khadija Magardie, Mail & Guardian, 12 January 2001
    • A Fine Example of “Living Islam”, Review by Aslam Fataar & Najwa Nordien, al-Qalam, December 2000

     

     

     
     
     

  • Women claim the mosques

    By Ferial Haffejee, Africa South & East, 1994

    There is a quiet revolution underway at mosques around the country as women demand to pray alongside the rest of the congregation. This storming of the masjid is being led by members of the Muslim Youth Movement and by its Transvaal leader, Shamima Shaikh, who gives new meaning to the adage about dynamite in small packages.

    In September, Shaikh led a group of women at Wits University to Friday’s Jumu’ah prayers – the most important prayer of the week – where they prayed alongside male students, instead of separately as has been the case for many years. “They still hung up a sheet to seperate us.” says Shaikh, shrugging her shoulders.

    Their action followed a protest at the beginning of Ramadaan this year when 25 women, led by Shaikh, entered a mosque in Mayfair and said that they would pray there. Despite the anger of the elders, the women stood their ground and prayed. Shaikh says: “It was very intimidating at first, but our perseverance saw us through. The protests fizzled out as the nights went by.”

    Their protests paid off in part. On the 27th night of Ramadaan, called Lailatul Qadr, when the congregation’s reading of the Quraan is completed, women were invited to other mosques, to pray and to listen to lectures from the congregation’s leaders. The sexes were still seperated, but the first bridge was crossed and women had got into the mosques.

    And the protests are not confined to urban areas. Deep in the Northern Transvaal, in Pietersburg, where Shaikh was raised, her sisters also went to Eid prayers. They were the only two women there, but she hopes that a precedent has been established. Protests for the right of women to pray at mosques is confined almost totally to Indian Muslim areas.

    Women in Malay areas do have facilities at mosques, although these are always partitioned from the main prayers. Some of the objections to women praying at mosques are archaic. According to Shaikh, these include “Women make fitna (gossip), they come to look for husbands and women always pray at home.” From the younger men comes the complaint that women distract them from their prayers.

    Now the challenge for Muslim women is to assert their right to pray alongside men, not separately, and for women to know that they can also be Imams (the leaders of the congregation). “Women believe they are not supposed to be at the mosque,” says Shaikh. Yet this belief has no basis in Islam.

    She quotes two examples of Islamic history where women have led prayers. In Mecca, women and men pray together during Haj, the annual pilgrimage. A woman led the funeral prayers for Imam Shafi’i (a respected Muslim scholar) and “the other was a case of an elderly women whom the Prophet Muhammad used to visit. The male servant used to give the adhan (call to prayer) while the woman used to lead the prayer,” says Shaikh.

    Shaikh is pathbreaker in more than one sense. From the modernist strand of Islam in South Africa, she is the first women leader of the Muslim Youth Movement. The organisation “views Islam as a comprehensive world view,” and central to the practice of the religion is understanding the political role of Islam, which includes considering the role of women in Islam.

    Shaikh’s methods have not always made her popular, especially amongst more traditional leaders. In a letter to a newspaper, a Muslim man said: “Great emphasis is placed on men performing their five times compulsory daily prayers at mosques, while women are encouraged to perform their prayers at home…” He said when women went to mosques, they prayed in the back rows not out of discrimination, but to separate the sexes. “In any case, one’s objective is to perform prayer, and you would not be any closer to God if you were to stand in the front rows, or any other rows for that matter.”

    Says Shaikh: “For women, being home-makers is the priority. Going to mosque must fit into your schedule, but women carry the burden of the house-hold.” For example, women do not attend the morning prayers on Eid days, instead, they see there role as preparing meals for the day. “But (the most important part of) Eid is the morning congregational prayer,” says Shaikh. She says it is important for women to be at mosques because they are the most important centres of Islam. “Decisions are taken, direction is given. It is where people meet to pray together and it promotes consultation and discussion.”

    This will be essential in encouraging Muslim women to think independently, especially when faced with the range of challenges that living under a future government presents them with. These challenges includes voting in next years elections as well as the forthcoming inclusion of Muslim personal law in the South African body of law.

    Muslim women will now have to start discussing changes to personal law, like whether women can divorce men. The law as it stands says that women cannot divorce men.

    Karima Brown, in a survey of the Muslim community in transition, points out that “….the Muslim community, especially those of Indian origin, are very traditional and in many instances Muslim women will in most cases follow their husbands on who to vote for, or whether to vote at all.”

    A Muslim scholar remarked: “If women can win the battle for the mosques, then they are expressing clearly that they want entry into the Muslim community.”

  • Making history in a man’s world – Mail & Guardian

    Shamima Shaikh is the first women to hold the senior position of chairman of the Transvaal region of the Muslim Youth Movement – just one sign of changes in the community, writes Farouk Chothia

    A group of 25 women enter a mosque in Mayfair, adamant that they will pray there. Bearded men yell at the women for having the audacity to leave their homes – and worse, to enter a man’s world, the House of Allah. The women stand their ground, forcing the men to back off.

    This was the scene at a Mayfair mosque earlier this year when the Islamic month of Ramadaan started. It was the first time South African women had staged such defiant action in protest against their exclusion from mosques.

    Behind their action was Shamima Shaikh, a 33-year-old firebrand activist who has made history for another reason – she is the first woman to hold the senior position of chairman of the Muslim Youth Movement’s Transvaal region.

    Said to be “sharp and dynamic”, Shaikh is a University of Durban Westville BA graduate and mother of two. There are hints of feminism in the fact that she retained her own surname – her husband is Naeem Jeenah, editor of the MYM’s mouthpiece, Al-Qalam.

    Recalling the mosque incident this week, she said: “It was very intimidating at first, but our perseverence saw us through. The protests (from the men) fizzled out as the nights went by.”

    But it was a partial victory: the women were not allowed to pray in the front rows of the mosque and had to stand at the back and pray behind the men.

    Shaikh hopes that Muslim men will eventually come to accept women can do more than pray in mosques; they can also be Imams. “There are cases in Islamic history when women led prayers. One was at the funeral of Imam Shafi (a respected Muslim scholar). Another was the case of an elderly woman whom the Prophet (Muhammad) used to visit – the male servant used to give the Azaan (the call to prayer) while the women led the prayer,” she said.

    Shaikh does not say it, but she implies that the Prophet used to pray behind the elderly woman. The suggestion would set more bearded mouths foaming. This weekend Shaikh will come face to face with representatives of the broader Muslim community – including theologians cosidered extremely conservative – to debate important issues related to the April 27 elections. Not wanting to antagonise the theologians on her first encounter with them, Shaikh will swop militancy for diplomacy. She said she would “keep quiet – if necessary”.

    Muslims are preparing for elections, and Shaikh said mosques would be used as a platform to embark on voter education. The problem is that mosques – with some exceptions in the Cape – are open to men only. “This means that women will be dependant on the grace of their husbands. We will try to overcome this problem by ensuring that there are door-to-door campaigns,” said Shaikh.

    With South African Muslims having divided political loyalties, the MYM will adopt a position of “positive neutrality.” “But we will urge people not to vote for the oppressor. They should vote for the liberation movements,” Shaikh added.

    How did Shaikh come to occupy such a key position in the MYM – and with such strong support? At a regional assembly in May, she won the highest number of votes.

    “It (her election) was on merit – I hope. I have been quite active in the MYM for a number of years,” she said. The rest of her regional executive is made up of men.

    “The MYM is a progressive organisation and there has been interaction between men and women for a long time. I haven’t really had any problems,” Shaikh said.

    Her election would make traditionalists baulk for another reason: she is not a theologian, and traditionalists argue that she cannot be a leader. Shaikh believes that women are not theologians because men have kept education – both Islamic and secular – largely for themselves. She is concerned that the absence of women thelogians could have a negative effect on women’s rights in a democratic South Africa.

    A future constitution is expected to recognise Muslim Personal Law, meaning the Islamic marriages and divorces, for example, would be recognised. A body of thelogians is likely to be formed to advise a future government on implementation.

    “We need women ulama (theologians) on the advisory board. At present, the (male) ulama say that only a husband can divorce the wife. The question is: can a wife give a divorce ?

    “Some say they can and others say they can’t. This is an important area that needs to be looked at,” said Shaikh.

    Shaikh’s rise to prominence is not the only sign of sea-change in the MYM. She said that since 1990 the movement has made a particular effort to reach out to African Muslims.

    “The future of Islam (in South Africa) lies in the hands of Africans. It is important that in Africa it should be Africanised,” Shaikh said.

    “There was no resistance but I won’t be romantic and say that there were no difficulties in adapting to the change in emphasis and programmes,” Shaikh added.

    Three years ago the MYM elected its first African president, Tahir Sitoto, a resident of Uitenhage’s kwa-Nobuhle township.

    Sitoto recalled this week that his election had caused a stir at the time. ” There was a lot of reaction accross the board. It came as a shock to the so-called Indian Muslim community and in the so-called African Muslim community people saw it as a window-dressing manoeuvre.”

    Sitoto believes that the influx of Africans into Islam started in the mid-1970’s – but the appeal came from the Middle East.

    “We saw Islam in the Middle East as a liberating and revolutionary force. The Palestinian struggle and the Iranian revolution were examples of this,” said Sitoto.

    African Muslims still idolise men like Yasser Arafat and Ayatollah Khomeini, and many African Muslims name their children after the Middle Eastern leaders.

    A Black Consciousness activist at the time he converted to Islam in the 1970’s, Sitoto said he had “lost complete faith in the church”.

    “We, the youth, perceived Christianity as a tool which was being used to blind us from the injustices that were going on,” added Sitoto.

    Yet, Sitoto faced a rude shock when he embraced Islam. “We were on the margins, those of us from an African background.”

    “We were constantly treated as newcomers; as new babies in the house of Islam,” he said.

    Although inspired by Islamic revolutions elsewhere, he does not believe an Islamic Party should be formed in South Africa to contest the elections. He argued that it would be “political suicide” to do so , as Muslims constituted only two percent of the country’s people.

    “Muslims are an integral part of South African society and as such they should position themselves within the liberation movements and articulate their positions there.

    “Being exclusivist won’t serve any purpose.”

  • Finding a voice – Mail & Guardian

    Maria McCloy : In your ear

    There are signs that Gautengs second Muslim radio station, The Voice, is very different from South Africas other Muslim stations. Two stations in Cape Town have proved extremely popular, while Durban has a couple in the pipeline and Gauteng boasts Radio Islam.

    Shamima Shaikh, chair of The Muslim Community Broadcasting Trust, which owns The Voice (on air since August 29), says: This station is open, vibrant, exciting and Muslim, and definitely not condescending and self-righteous.

    Lenasia’s Radio Islam had complaints earlier this year that centred around women being excluded from air and in the running of the station. The dynamic Shaikh has been at the forefront of the fight to have women allowed in mosques, and although not deliberately planned, The Voice is mainly run by women.

    According to Shaikh, the birth of a radio station came about because Muslims didnt feel they had a stake in local broadcasting. Although Muslim issues and the Muslim world attract a lot of mainstream media attention, Muslim voices are not always part of these debates.

    Diversity of opinion on air is an important focus to Shaikh, within a scenario where power is controlled by a few, saying the station wants to be a voice of the whole community, not just a small section of it.

    So how is the station different to Lenasias Radio Islam? There are no call- ins [on Radio Islam] nor is there the kind of participation we want to encourage. Its very much talk from one person and they generally have the clergy speaking.

    Shaikh and Basit Bulbulia host a talk show on Tuesday nights. There were several calls on the show about the experiences of black Muslims, and there are sure to be more when they examine the theory espoused by some that womens voices should not be on air.

    Shaikh says they are keen to hear a variety of voices on the experiences of gay Muslims, and to explore racism, classism and cultural divides within the Muslim community. In addition there are current affairs, cultural and sports programmes.

    Along with the five-times-a-day call to prayer (adhan), The Voice offers specifically Islamic shows which look at themes in the Quran, Islamic law and history. The station is also planning a regular show that will look at the powerful and important women in the Quran who are often ignored.

    Shaikh says the station needs to reflect the diversity of a Muslim audience that is of Arab, Indian, Malay and African descent. The station does this with music which ranges from African musicians Pops Mohomed, Abdullah Ibrahim, Salif Keita, and Ishmael Lo; to Indian and Pakistani artists like Nusret Fateh Ali Khan.

    The Voice can be heard in Mayfair, Lenasia, Sandton, Soweto, Eldorado Park, Krugersdorp and Germiston.

    The Station went on air just a fortnight ago, and Shaikh admit s there is still work to be done in terms of building up resources, providing training and hooking up with community radio organisations.

    And even if religious leaders have been frosty towards the new station, the launch felt like a happy community affair. After all, it is the Mayfair community who payed for the rent of the equipment and studio.

    The station now hopes for sponsorship to keep its voice on the air.

  • Why we miss her? – Femina

    Why we miss her? – Femina

    By Sharon Sorour-Morris

    Femina magazine

    Shamima Shaikh (37), who died of cancer in recent months, was South Africa’s leading Muslim gender-equality activist, highly respected for her tenacity and bravery in the face of fierce opposition from conservative elements in her community. She led a rebellion of Muslim women worshippers at a mosque in 1994 and started an ‘alternative’ congregation where gender equality and all its implications for lslamic thought and practice were the norm.

    More recently when another Muslim radio station denied women the right to be on air, Shamima served as chair of the Muslim Community Broadcasting Trust which runs The Voice, a Johannesburg Muslim community radio station.

    Even at the hour of her death she fought for a woman’s rights. She asked that a closefriend lead her funeral prayers, ensuring that for the first time in centuries, a Muslim’s funeral service was led by a woman. Shamima is survived by her husband, Naeem Jeenah, and their sons Minhaj (nine) and Shir’ah (seven).

  • Women’s Rights Champion loses her Fight against Cancer

    The Star, 16 January 1998

    Shamima Shaikh (37), a leading human rights and gender activist, died of cancer on January 8.

    The courage with which she battled the disease was the same quality which made her a fearless campaigner for women’s rights, a democratic and free South African, and the Muslim Youth Movement.

    She is survived by her husband and two young sons. A commemoration will be held at the Seido Jodo Hall in Mayfair West tomorrow at 2:30pm.

  • Activist Dies – The Post

    SHAMIMA Shaikh, acclaimed pioneer for the rights of Muslim women in South Africa and station manager for the Mayfair-based Islamic radio station The Voice, succumbed to cancer on the same day that her final inerview with the media appeared in POST last week.

    Mrs Shaikh, 37, started out as a student activist during her days at the University of Durban-Westville, defyind tradition at the time which precluded Muslim women from taking part in male-dominated religious activities by leading a group of women into the Pageview mosque in Johannesburg to pray.

    Though threatened with eviction, the women stood their ground and today, largely because of their actions, several progressive mosques in the city have arranged facilities for women to join in prayers in seperate sections.

    Just before her death, an excited Mrs. Shaikh, a journalist and former editor of the Muslim newspaper Al-Qalam, told POST about plans which THE VOICE had to involve the Greater Johannesburg community to an even larger extent.

    She was the chairperson of the Community Broadcast Trust, which founded the station.

    Mrs. Shaikh is survived by her husband, Naeem Jeena, also a former editor of Al-Qalam, who has taken over as station manager at The Voice, and two boys, Minhaj, 9, and Shir’a, 7.

  • Shamima Shaikh – Fighter for Women’s Rights – Horizon

    Horizon Newspaper

    Shamima Shaikh (37) Muslim women activist, journalist and campaigner for gender equality, lost her long battle against cancer recently.

    FORMER

    Shamima was former editor of Al-Qalam, the Muslim Youth Movement-owned newspaper and one of the founders of the Johannesburg-based Muslim radio station The Voice. She was Chairperson of the community broadcast trust that owns the station. Shamima launched her battle for human rights and gender equality in 1978 as a student activist at the University of Durban-Westville.

    DAYS

    In those days it was unthinkable for indian women, let alone Muslim women from conservative homes to take to the streets with pamphlets and plackards calling for consumer and other boycotts.

    “It was clear to me that the voteless opressed could not be liberated by remaining conservative and docile. And women were part of the voteless opressed. Action was needed, for it was louder than words,” she recollected in an interview a week ago before taking a turn for the worst.

    MUSLIM

    In 1992, Shamima shocked the fundamental religious Muslim establishment which she believed discriminated against women by barring them from praying with men in the mosque. She lead a group of women into the Pageview, Johannesburg Mosque to pray.

    MALE

    Some male worshippers threatened the protesters, but they stayed put.

    PROTEST

    The protest led to a number of mosques, run by liberal-minded trustees and heavily patronised by students eventually opening their doors to women worshippers in seperate prayer areas. It was a victory for Shamima and her muslim feminist activists.