Imam Abdullah Harun, one of the symbols of South African Muslims, was targeted by government forces because of his resistance. Imam Abdullah, who was detained by the racist government on May 28, 1969 and falsely accused of terrorism, was kept in solitary confinement for more than 100 days and was subjected to torture-filled interrogations. Abdullah, who died while in police custody on September 27, 1969, became one of the symbols against racism in the African continent. In the commemoration of the '50th Anniversary of Imam Abdullah's Martyrdom', his son demanded that a lawsuit to be filed against Abdullah's martyrdom, but this request was finally met. It is learned that the case regarding the killing of Imam Abdullah will be heard in the coming days, and as a result of the said trial, it is demanded that Imam Abdullah be rehabilitated. The son of Imam Abdullah Harun, who had a great struggle against the apartheid regime of the period, made special statements to our newspaper. Answering the questions of the Milli Gazete, Imam Abdullah's son Prof. Muhammed Harun spoke important words about many points from his father's personality to his expectations from the case.
“EVEN IT COSTS HIS LIVE, HE WAS AN ANTI-RACIST AND ANTI-APARTHEID LEADER”
What was Imam Abdullah like? What were the factors that shaped his struggle against racism?
Imam was among those who served the society he lived in and influenced the society in a short time. He was like an open book that everyone should read, always willing to lend a helping hand to others. He was committed to all struggles against injustice and oppression; He took a stance against these cruel conditions not only from the pulpit of the mosque on a weekly basis, but also at the meetings where these ideas reached wider masses. He was aware of the oppressed communities and wanted to see this situation change by giving his unwavering support to anyone who expressed the same feelings. All his actions, prophecy, which he understood quite well was based on the example. He made very easy use of primary sources (the Qur'an and hadith) and also gained insights from influential Muslim leaders who actively opposed oppressive regimes in the Muslim Arab world. In fact, primary sources shaped his perspective and views on South African society, and as such he was an anti-racist and anti-apartheid leader even though it costs him his life, literally.
“ISLAM IS NOT A COLOR-BLIND (UNIFORM) RELIGIOUS SYSTEM”
We see that the belief in Islam is an important source of motivation in the fight against racism, how would you explain the importance of Islam for the solution of today's problems?
Islam is not a color-blind (uniform) religious system. My father was aware that Islam has an individual and social aspect, which protects each other's honor and dignity and constantly helps one another. At the same time, the Imam continues his ‘jihad’ against racist ideas, discriminatory practices, illegal laws and all forms of social oppression. He was taking advantage of the awareness I mentioned at the beginning. For the Imam, Islam had answers for such communities and had to be followed. Despite being aware of the failings of government and the shortcomings of communities, he noted that striving towards perfection using the prophetic example and model is required. When we look at his lectures and sermons, it is seen that he defended the collective messages stated in the Qur'an and expressed by the Prophet with a fair understanding.
“THERE ARE ALSO THOSE WHO ATTEND THE MEMORIAL EVENTS, ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE DIFFERENT OPINIONS”
Your father is still remembered with respect and gratitude, more than half a century after his death. What would you like to say about this situation?
There are people, or rather groups, who keep their memories alive through annual conferences and commemorations in the community. But unfortunately there are also many people who are unfamiliar with his life and ideas and therefore know nothing or very little about him. I can say that only the residents of the region he operated have enough information about him. There are also those who attend the commemoration events, although they are rarely of a different opinion.
“PRIOR INVESTIGATION WAS ONLY FOR SHOW”
How did the litigation process come to this situation, how did the idea of bringing the case back to the agenda emerged, can you give some information about the process?
Shortly after the Imam was killed while in custody, groups such as the Black Wing (a predominantly white women's organization) formed public opinion by demanding an investigation. This strong and pressurized demand forced the apartheid government to open an investigation in February 1970, which was reopened in the month the Imam was born. The findings of this investigation hung in the air because it was a mock investigation to break the pressure. In the end, no one was found guilty, and the court decision ruled that no one was guilty of the Imam's murder. In fact, the apartheid state also voided the many of claim and document that could be made essentially as an admission of guilt.
WE CAN TALK ABOUT ‘PARTIAL JUSTICE’
How does it feel when justice can't be established for your father? What are your expectations from the new lawsuit to be filed?
Although we yearn for a 'fair outcome', let me underline the fact that our life as a family has been 'very difficult'. We say this for two reasons: First, the perpetrators who killed him died without being caught and tried, even without being brought to court, despite the fact that there is concrete evidence after the torture event. Secondly, the perpetrators and the regime did not provide our family with any material and moral support. It is clear that it cannot provide full justice. However, we can talk about ‘partial justice’ on our part; We can also say that it is a kind of 'consolation' that we have never experienced in our lives until this point, or rather, finding the place of our 'request for the case to be seen again'. It is our 'demand' that the new investigation could reverse previous findings and that the Imam would never come off the ladder. It means he can concretely show that he didn't fall, and it would be proof that he was insensitively killed by the security branch led by Major Genis and his team. Basically, we wait for the investigation to be reopened to find the perpetrators guilty of inhumane acts, and we assume that the court will say that the Imam (and others) is engaged in a just war/fight on behalf of the oppressed masses; It will be concluded that our father was imprisoned for 123 days between May 28, 1969 and September 27, 1969 and was tortured to death.
“WITH THE POLITICAL INTERVENTION IT WAS DEMANDED NOT TO JUDGE THESE PERSONS”
What is the reason for the delay in the trial process after all these years since your father was killed?
TRC (circa 1995-1998), It was established under the leadership of Reverend Dr. Desmond Tutu to highlight and expose the series of murders, tortures and atrocities committed by the apartheid state. Although we - as a family - have chosen not to participate in this process - this (somehow) was a healing process for the nation. I must say that we feel that the TRC will not change our thinking and bring complete justice to our lives as an affected family; anyway, the fact that nothing has changed even though it has been 24 years after the TRC incident is proof that we are right. Even though the TRC was set up to handle things, the main purpose was to show that the cases were handled, to give the appearance of a democratic state, and of course, the cases were examined and as a result most of the perpetrators—except for a handful—were freed from the legal hook. Many were off the legal radar screen, and no courts paid attention to apartheid crimes. Another news that reached us was that these perpetrators were not prosecuted through political intervention; was that if the trial did take place then many other problems would arise and these would damage the image of some who claim to be fighting for justice!
“CAN FORM PART OF THE LIST OF INVESTIGATIONS”
What effect will this case have on the political, social and future of South Africa?
Since Imam's case is linked to a number of other or similar cases, its reopening and the findings would be of political interest. This may form part of the list of ongoing and possible investigations in future, and their collective results will be important educationally or otherwise.
“THIS PROBLEM SHOULD BE FACED AS POSSIBLE”
Finally, racism is still a huge problem, what would you like to say about the solution of this problem?
Indeed, racism is a big problem in South Africa and in many parts of the world; this problem should be confronted and weeded out as much as possible. However, it seems that this practice is not easy to get rid of, and therefore this means that education systems in all countries must educate and teach societies about the wrongs or rather negative dimensions of xenophobia and racism. Almighty Allah has created us all to know and respect each other through generations. We should make use of the verse of the Qur'an that points to us, and I would like to point out that the only difference that is an important distinguishing feature is not the color of our skin or our status in a community/nation, but our consciousness of faith and brotherhood. It is this consciousness that needs to come to the fore, be recognized and respected.