Page 23 – Serving interfaith communities for 25 years

October 5, 2018May 16, 2025 Sarah Oliver Cape Town activities, Peace

Silent Prayer Peace March – 20th Sept

The turnout may not have been what we hoped for, but the message certainly was. On 20 September we celebrated International Day of Peace a little early with our Silent Prayer Peace March from Kaizergracht to Parliament where we handedover a memorandum to Mr Charles Ford of the Office of the State President.

The timing was perfect as the Honorable President was in New York for the IDP Summit commemorating the 100th birthday of Nelson Mandela. The theme was The Right To Peace, and it spoke right into our memorandum as we reminded the State President of the human rights enshrined in our constitution – the rights to Freedom, Dignity and Security, all of which are not the lived experience of the majority of our people.

We urged the Government to take action to secure these human rights in our communities, and we asked for engagement that would re-motivate the law enforcement agencies to effectively do their jobs. We cited unequal distribution of resources as just one of the problems that could be easily rectified, and we quoted the Golden Rule that flows through all faiths as the unifying factor in our alliance as Faith Leaders as we work to restore the moral compass and reassure the people and the President that Spiritual Leadership has an important role to play in bringing back law and order and a sense of stability to our communities.

October 5, 2018October 5, 2018 Sarah Oliver Cape Town activities, Heritage Day, Interfaith

Heritage Day Bus Tour 2018

What an amazing way to spend Heritage Day! Mary Frost did a fantastic job once again of pulling the entire day together despite a number of challenges.

We parked at Rondebosch library and left our cars in the care of John from Erin Hall. Packed into a 28 seater bus with spill-over participants in a car, our first stop was the Slave Church in Long Street with its bittersweet history and its beautiful wooden features. Such a pity the Church is no longer in use as a church except when it is hired out for special occasions such as weddings.

The Unitarian Church was next, just around the corner. Minister Dave Clements introduced us to this vibrant and historic church with its history of deep community care. From there we went up to Tanu Baru, the Muslim Cemetary (the first recognised as such) in the Bo-Kaap and the resting place of many of the pioneers of Islam in the Western Cape. Moegamat Kamadien was an entertaining and informative guide as he wove the history of the Cape into the description of how the Cape Islamic community came to be a unique people, and why it is so important that gentrification of the Bo-Kaap is recognised for the threat it is to the community that has called it home for generations.

And then we were off, our extremely skilled bus driver easing that bus over the cobbles and around the impossibly narrow corners of the Bo-Kaap, across the city to the Muir Street Mosque (Zeenatul Islam Masjid), where Sheikh Moerat and his wife were waiting to welcome us. What a warm welcome that was – Sheikh Moerat and his wife blessed our visit by gifting us with a tasty, hot vegetarian lunch (photo: below left). We were invited to stay for the noon prayers, and felt deeply honoured to sit at the back of the Mosque quietly honouring the prayers of those who flocked to the Mosque to pray at that time.

Our final destination was the Greek Orthodox Church in Woodstock (Photo: above right). The caretaker kindly let us in and did his best to answer our questions about the symbology of the detailed paintings and ornate decorations that characterize this breathtaking Church.

Thank you Mary Frost, what a splendid and expansive experience which was enjoyed by all. Next year we plan to fill the 60 seater bus!

Berry Behr

September 9, 2018December 9, 2018 Sarah Oliver Cape Town activities, Environment, Interfaith

Interfaith is Earth-hearted

Published in the Spring edition of Link-Up, Berry Behr, CTII Chairperson, reflects on the importance of working together to protect our planet. Read about the Beach Clean-Up in partnership with the UN Environmental Programme, that stood out as an example of interfaith collaboration in cleaning our environment.

Click here to read the full article.

Photograph (Left to Right): Erik Solheim (UN Environment Executive Director), Berry Behr (CTII Chairperson), Karen Barensche (URI Southern African Regional Coordinator) & Yara da Costa (URI Southern African Region CC Liaison)

August 31, 2018August 31, 2018 Sarah Oliver Announcements, Peace, Statements

Support the No Place for Hate Campaign

Cape Town Interfaith Initiative has pledged its support of the No Place for Hate Campaign, and we invite you to do the same!

We pledge to do everything in our power to promote peace and understanding between people of diverse faiths and belief systems. We will live our truth, choosing always the path of love, compassion and respect.

Make your pledge: http://stage.jeremydixon.co.za/pledge-wall/

This message is simple – there can be no space for hatred in South Africa.

We live in a country with constitutional ideals which echo our commitments to shared humanity, dignity, freedom and life.

Through “No Place for Hate”, we will fight hatred directed against anyone to combat a culture of racism, antisemitism and prejudice in our country.

Show your support for the campaign in either a personal or professional capacity. It’s totally free and you get to use the campaign logo to publicly show you are actively supporting No Place for Hate in South Africa.

Join the Campaign Today

August 28, 2018May 27, 2019 Sarah Oliver CTII Schools Programme

Schools Programme celebrates National Women’s Day with special Interfaith Tour

The Marlene Silbert Youth Interfaith Intercultural Programme celebrated National Woman’s Day on 9 August by visiting 4 houses of different faiths to learn about their practices and traditions; and the role of women within those faiths.

The first stop was the Sri Siva Aalayam; the first Hindu Temple that was started in Cape Town 40 years ago. Guru Krishna and Ms Nalini Gangen presented an informative session on the rituals and practices of the devotees. The students were given an opportunity to ask questions and have a tour of the temple.

Our next stop was the Claremont Synagogue where the tour was facilitated by the Rabbi’s wife (rabitzen); Mrs Lee Liebenberg. This visit helped the students to make connections between the Abrahamic Faiths as they were led through the significance of the Creation account and how God rested on the 7^th day; providing humanity with an example of a work and rest. It was great to get a female’s perspective on the practices and traditions of the Jewish faith. We were served tea and cinnamon rolls at the Shul; hospitality is an important aspect of Judaism.

We arrived at St Saviour’s Anglican Church in Claremont for the next segment of the tour. This church houses the burial ground for the first Anglican Bishop of Cape Town, Robert Gray and his wife Sophie. The resident priest was called away to deal with a pastoral matter and so Revd Natalie Simons-Arendse; a female Anglican priest led the tour. The students had many questions about the liturgies; the various colours and symbols used and the all-time favourite – the Trinity… who is more important within that relationship?

The day concluded with a visit to the Masjid Ghiedmatiel Islamia – a mosque in Crawford. The Maulana Yazeed Mohamed (religious leader); connected with the young people so well and spoke of his own faith journey. The 5 Pillars of Islam were explained and the role of women within the faith was a lively discussion.

A beautiful day filled with learning and sharing of each other’s stories and faith practices.

Natalie Simons-Arendse, MS YIIP Programme Coordinator