The 20th century that we left behind witnessed the honorable struggle of many Islamic Mujahideen.
From Moro to Bosnia and Herzegovina, from Chechnya to the most remote countries of Africa, we had martyrs who tried to enlighten humanity with their ideas and sacrificed their lives.
Imam Abdullah Harun, martyred in 1969 by the racist Aperheid regime in South Africa, was just one of them.
The son of martyr Imam Abdullah Harun, who won the admiration of people of all faiths with his unique contributions to the struggle for existence of Muslims in South Africa and human values.
Prof. Dr. Mohammad Harun, arrived in Turkey on the occasion of a conference organized by Africa Coordination and Education Center (AKEM).
WHO IS DR. MOHAMMAD HARUN?
Sir, can we get to know you first? Who is Mohammad Harun, in which field do you work?
"My family has migrated from Malaysia to South Africa many years ago. I moved to Bostwana University while teaching at Cape Town University in South Africa. I work in the field of international relations. I am particularly interested in South African-Malaysian relations. Recently, I have been doing research on Muslim communities in South Africa. I am also working on Middle East-South Africa relations."
MUSLIMS HAVE BEEN AN IMPORTANT PART OF SOUTH AFRICAN SOCIETY
South Africa seems to be more prosperous and peaceful compared to other African countries. How is this environment reflected in the development and expression of Muslims living in South Africa?
"Yes, South Africa is very prosperous and prosperous. Especially as the coastline is quite long, fishing has developed. Our country has various climates, especially the rich Mediterranean climate and tropical region. As a result, there is a great diversity in agricultural products. But most importantly it is a very rich country in terms of many mines. The mines, primarily gold and diamonds, contribute greatly to the development of the economy and the welfare level. Muslims in South Africa also benefit from this wealth thanks to their hard work and mobility. Today, Muslims have become professional in many sectors and have a job. Most importantly, Muslims who benefited from religious freedoms in the constitution became an important part of South African society."
TURKEY ESTABLISHING WIN-WON RELATIONSHIP WITH AFRICA
Countries such as USA, France, England, Russia and China show great interest in Africa in order to maintain colonial culture. Turkey also has important recent moves towards Africa. Africa has become a center of attention. How will this interest affect Africa's development in the coming period? And what role do you think Muslims can play in this development process?
"Turkey may stationing a very important role in this process, which is already at a healthy image and give the photos. So Turkey, Chinese, Westerners in general terms that make Americans more different using our method of establishing a win-win relationship we have. Turkey can pursue more actively in the political stability in Africa. In the 70s and 80s, Saudi Arabia made major investments in Africa, especially after the discovery of oil. But after a while, unfortunately, we saw that ideological studies were carried out on the continent. Muslim societies have suffered various forms of ideological disintegration. Recently, Turkey and countries in the African continent such as Malaysia began to use soft power to more balanced way. Turkey and Malaysia could function better in an image point by not continue in this way."
We advocate the necessity of education and human upbringing
Some terrorist organizations in Africa are resorting to all sorts of bad ways to spoil the peace of African people. South Africa, on the other hand, is a country free from terrorism and has a peaceful environment in your country. How do you assess the harm and impact of terrorist organizations on the African continent?
"We, of course, as a Muslim society, condemn violence in any way, avoiding extremism. We stand by education against these dangers and defend the necessity of raising people. We believe that radical ideas should be replaced by modest ideas. In South Africa, Muslim leadership has taken a stand in this direction."
ERBAKAN GIVES ADMISSIBLE ISLAMIC MESSAGES TO SECULAR SOCIETY
What would you like to say about National Vision leader Prof. Dr. Necmettin Erbakan?
"It is not easy for political movements with an Islamic dimension to impose themselves to a secular state, society and country. In this respect, I think that Erbakan Hodja has brought a new dimension to this transition process. I think it carries a new tone, more acceptable more modest messages. Of course you can't make everyone happy, leadership is important. In this respect, Turkey and Malaysia will serve as good examples to the world's Muslims see it as two Muslim countries."