THE man behind the handing out of ‘controversial religious material’ at a Durban North school has shot back, saying fears of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) infiltrating schools in the area was nothing more than a dramatisation meant to cause fear among local residents.
Yousuf Deedat (61) said he and a delegation from Saudi Arabia visited Northwood School on Wednesday to speak to the Muslim Student’s Association. Gifts, which included perfumes and DVDs, were handed out to the students who asked questions of the delegation.
However, a day later, reports in some media outlets alleged that the visit was part of a recruitment drive. The local resident said he was surprised at how an innocent meeting had been blown out of proportion. Pictures of a DVD cover which includes a speech by Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the religious group Nation of Islam (NOI), was handed out to the boys. Parts of the speech were listed in point form on the cover and much of it is taken out of context, argued Deedat.
“I don’t support ISIS or any terrorist group. Islam is a nation of peace and this is nothing more than fear-mongering. I have been to the school before with the delegation, who were interested in sending their children to South Africa to learn English. My son was a former pupil at the school, so the argument that I have a vendetta against non-Muslims is absurd. In my culture, we do not go somewhere empty-handed. The pictures circulating on social media are covers of the DVD. Much of the speech is taken out of context.
“Unfortunately, anybody who is Muslim with a beard is labelled as a terrorist. There’s no truth in allegations that we were on a recruiting drive, we have no ties to Daesh (ISIS). This is a case of Islamophobia, plain and simple. I’m surprised nobody has asked for my side of the story,” he said.
The school also released a statement on the matter. Chairman of the governing body, Grant Smith, said the DVD that was circulated to some of the boys was ‘inflammatory and racist propaganda material of a religious nature’.
