Ramadan and the pursuit of knowledge: the Paarl Muslim School connection
2007-10-11
DURING the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to sunset, abstaining from food and drink.
On a spiritual level, the concept of ‘’fasting” is extended by aiming to positively develop an individual’s character and mode of conduct.
This notion is reflected in a dual manner: the fasting person’s endeavour to desist from negative, anti-social behavior (such as backbiting, lying, inequity, arrogance) while concurrently nurturing positive, beneficial qualities (such as prayer, charity, co-operation, humility).
The major aim of Ramadan is therefore to foster a resilient spirit of ‘’God consciousness” (taqwa) within individuals in order to elevate the overall moral and ethical standards of Muslim communities.
Ramadan was also the time during which the first verses of the holy Qur’an were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (may God’s peace and blessings be upon him) while contemplating in the cave of Hira near Mecca (Saudi Arabia).
Importantly, the first Qur’anic revelation ’Read in the name of your Lord’ was vigorously pursued and embraced by early Muslims and constituted a pivotal driving force of Muslim/Arab civilisation that lasted for a period close to a thousand years.
Thus Ramadan provides a unique opportunity for Muslims to cultivate a greater sense of moral consciousness and a heightened awareness of benefits that may accrue when establishing a lasting knowledge-based society.
Many centuries later and faithful to this knowledge-centred ethic of Islam, early Muslim settlers in the Paarl Valley region erected the Paarl Moslem School during 1917 (next to the Breda Street mosque).
By 1922 the building was brought into use as a Government-aided Mission School under the Cape Provincial Administration.
During the following years the school continued to grow and its character as a Muslim institution was generally maintained, to establish an integrated educational system where the promotion of spiritual values was closely linked to secular subjects.
However, during 1961 the Muslim community was informed that the school was an ’affected property’ meaning that it was located in an area proclaimed for white ownership and occupation.
Objections were lodged, but without any success.
This was followed by years of negotiations with authorities for the construction of an alternate Muslim school.
Regrettably, these initiatives were unsuccessful and the Paarl Moslem School finally closed its doors during the first week of May 1974.
The entire staff together with its complement of about 200 pupils was subsequently transferred to a new state institution in New Orleans, Paarl East.
However, it appears as if this story may still have a happy ending.
Recent governmental initiatives to revive missionary schools within South Africa have made the process of reclaiming the original Paarl Muslim School even more significant.
According to Moutie Richards, chairperson of the Paarl Muslim Jamaah Executive, the reclaiming process is at an advanced stage.
Richards indicated that ’Clearing the last hurdle (agreeing on a suitable price) will allow this important site to be reclaimed by the Muslim community and utilised in accordance with the great legacy of the Islamic faith’.
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