Rev. Wrankmore died on 17 June at the 86, and Imam Haron's three children were all in Cape Town on the release of "The Imam and I". It was a perfect opportunity for the Western Cape Religious Leaders' Forum and the Cape Town Inter-faith Initiative to organize a commemoration service on Signal Hill yesterday (23 June 2011). Rev. Wrankmore had fasted on Signal Hill in 1971, two years after Imam Haron was killed in police detention, and demanded a judicial inquiry into his death.
About 80 people braved the wind and rain, and sat together in the small kramat on Signal Hill. The ceremony consisted of prayers, and short recollections. There were also poignant remarks by the children of both Wrankmore and Haron. It was a moving ceremony, and the cold and wind was quickly forgotten.
All present were visibly moved by the witness that both Rev. Wranmore and Imam Haron brought to the days of apartheid. The word was repeated by almost every speaker in one way of another. Their witness spoke to the great depth of their lives, and what they were saying to apartheid, inter-faith relations, and to the people of Cape Town, South Africa and beyond.
It was also not forgotten that Prof. Kader Asmal, who had just died, was a great witness to the current politics of South Africa. Tributes were paid to him for breaking ranks by standing up for truth and justice. Although Asmal, in comparison with Haron and Wrankmore, was not too concerned with organized religion, he too was recognized as a witness. And with Asmal, it was clear that witnessing was not a thing of the past.
The event prompted me to reflect a bit more on the idea of witnessing. Asmal may have been different from Haron and Wrankmore in terms of religious affiliation. It is clear, though, that all three had to break ranks from their groups and homes. A witness seems to be someone who is not comfortable to stay in one place, and is prepared to go where her convictions takes her.
Witnessing stands at the centre of religious conviction, though. I have read that the word in English is derived from a martyr or knowledge (from wit). It recalls acts of extreme courage by early Christians in the face of danger. The witness/martyr would express his conviction, on pain of death. The witness also proclaims the real truth in this demonstration.
There is a similar sense of presence in the Qur'an, but it is not always associated with danger. A witness is a shahid and shares a linguistic affinity with words that mean 'looking' and 'seeing'. In fact, most of the instances in the Qur'an refer to God as shahid ('God is shahid over all things').
When shahid refers to a human being, however, she demonstrates the truth. There is a verse in the Qur'an that calls upon people to becomes witnesses (shahids) like the prophets. They brought the truth and demonstrated it. The same obligation rests on the rest of us.
I draw two conclusions from these. The one is the very act of witnessing implies a presence and a demonstration. Haron and then Wrankmore represent this in an inspiring way. People like Asmal continue that important tradition.
Secondly, the fact that God is the shahid (witness) turns things around. One could turn around and say that the witness or martyr is herself divine. But I think that God witnessing adds a very different dimension. It means that the real frame of witnessing has to be beyond the here and now. For religious people, it means that God is the only reality of the witnessing. For me, it means that witnessing (true witnessing) is Godlike and overcomes the politics and contradictions of the day.
Hamba Kahle Berni Wrankmore, Kader Asmal and Imam Abdullah Haron.
About 80 people braved the wind and rain, and sat together in the small kramat on Signal Hill. The ceremony consisted of prayers, and short recollections. There were also poignant remarks by the children of both Wrankmore and Haron. It was a moving ceremony, and the cold and wind was quickly forgotten.
All present were visibly moved by the witness that both Rev. Wranmore and Imam Haron brought to the days of apartheid. The word was repeated by almost every speaker in one way of another. Their witness spoke to the great depth of their lives, and what they were saying to apartheid, inter-faith relations, and to the people of Cape Town, South Africa and beyond.
It was also not forgotten that Prof. Kader Asmal, who had just died, was a great witness to the current politics of South Africa. Tributes were paid to him for breaking ranks by standing up for truth and justice. Although Asmal, in comparison with Haron and Wrankmore, was not too concerned with organized religion, he too was recognized as a witness. And with Asmal, it was clear that witnessing was not a thing of the past.
The event prompted me to reflect a bit more on the idea of witnessing. Asmal may have been different from Haron and Wrankmore in terms of religious affiliation. It is clear, though, that all three had to break ranks from their groups and homes. A witness seems to be someone who is not comfortable to stay in one place, and is prepared to go where her convictions takes her.
Witnessing stands at the centre of religious conviction, though. I have read that the word in English is derived from a martyr or knowledge (from wit). It recalls acts of extreme courage by early Christians in the face of danger. The witness/martyr would express his conviction, on pain of death. The witness also proclaims the real truth in this demonstration.
There is a similar sense of presence in the Qur'an, but it is not always associated with danger. A witness is a shahid and shares a linguistic affinity with words that mean 'looking' and 'seeing'. In fact, most of the instances in the Qur'an refer to God as shahid ('God is shahid over all things').
When shahid refers to a human being, however, she demonstrates the truth. There is a verse in the Qur'an that calls upon people to becomes witnesses (shahids) like the prophets. They brought the truth and demonstrated it. The same obligation rests on the rest of us.
I draw two conclusions from these. The one is the very act of witnessing implies a presence and a demonstration. Haron and then Wrankmore represent this in an inspiring way. People like Asmal continue that important tradition.
Secondly, the fact that God is the shahid (witness) turns things around. One could turn around and say that the witness or martyr is herself divine. But I think that God witnessing adds a very different dimension. It means that the real frame of witnessing has to be beyond the here and now. For religious people, it means that God is the only reality of the witnessing. For me, it means that witnessing (true witnessing) is Godlike and overcomes the politics and contradictions of the day.
Hamba Kahle Berni Wrankmore, Kader Asmal and Imam Abdullah Haron.
