Ihsaan Hendricks – 2020-06-11 – Interview 1
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Assalamu alaikum and good day to you. This
is storyline that you're watching on ITV
on the channel 347
channel on DStv.
This is a program that we have hosted
for you, especially hosted for you to bring
to
you personalities you haven't ever met, or those
who you have met, but some of them,
you probably wouldn't know some of the background
history and the background stories, which makes it
very very interesting.
Today's
personality
is a person who
many people know, some don't. Those who do
swear by him, and those who don't will
swear by him if you find out who
this particular personality is.
My name is Shahbuddin Romani and my guest
today is Maulana Lusseini Hendrix,
person who has his finger on the pulse
of the community that has been serving for
a very very long time.
Somebody who
somewhat
understands
how this community ticks and what it is
that makes it tick, and we're gonna try
and find out what it is that makes
Molina iksan Hendrix tick. That's why we're here
today. Molina iksan, Assalamu Alaikum.
Well, I must thank you, you know, it's
been brilliant. I know we've taken a long
time to get to this point, but I
think finally we're there.
You're a very very busy man. And I
think,
the busyness in your life is probably part
of the reason why we struggle to get
you to to actually
have this session with you. Mona,
you know many people, most people,
not only in South Africa, but many of
those who are in the field of Islamic
education,
particularly
gatherings where Palestine is involved, know you, you
know, very very intimately.
But very few actually know some of the
very interesting nuances, the background, the history of
the Hendricks family, and I thought that we
would explore some of that,
today. Well now, where does Morna
Ihsan Ihsan Ihsan family,
easily start from? Give us give us some
idea.
To
all the viewers of, ITV
and fellow South Africans
and, mister Romani,
Shahbuddin,
let me express my
appreciation,
for this,
ticking session,
of today.
And I think it is very important,
least because it deals with me
as a personality,
but I think
there are dimensions
that is good for us
as South African citizens
to appreciate more,
and particularly
in the Muslim community, and that
which further enhances
our citizenship,
in this country.
Born in,
the Buland,
That's what I want to hear. Behind the
mountains. That's what I want to hear. We're
in Buland, Bona. And,
the famous,
well known town of Vosta.
Vosta is, my birthplace,
and, born in 1964.
But I think before I talk about, my,
birthplace
in itself, and my birth, and my position,
allow me to, pay tribute to my late
father,
where I think the journey started.
Very interesting, many people in Cape Town,
remembers my late father as a tailor.
And and he was based in Worcester as
a tailor? Based in Worcester as a tailor,
but originates from, from Cape Town. Okay.
And and and and in Worcester? Cape Town?
In fact, my father,
born
on the corner of,
Kapini Street Uh-huh. And Wall Street. Burkup Cement,
sir? Burkup.
Okay. And a very interesting dimension.
Mhmm. And therefore,
I I feel it is important to start
with his history briefly.
2 families shared the same property,
the Hendricks family and the Zucker family.
Okay.
And, my father coming from a Christian background,
his mother worked for 5 Roses Tea.
Your father was Christian? Yes.
Accepted Islam at the age of, 12 years.
And,
this But of that history? Bit of that
history? The conversion? That's that's a very interesting
part because the Succah family
had a direct influence,
in my father's
initial,
interests, for Islam. And very significantly,
before he passed away, I asked him, dad,
which book did you read,
in order to become a Muslim? He said,
I read no no book
because the early Muslims
were the reference
Okay.
To my motivation to become a Muslim.
But the point that is very significant here
is that the Succah family and the Hendricks
family
shared the same property, a double story house.
Okay.
And so they shared,
many
facilities within that house.
And out of my late father's,
he only had another brother and 3 sisters.
And in fact, today, we only have, 2
surviving sisters left.
And out of all of them, he accepted
Islam Okay. At the age of 2. Here
you have 1 Christian family, 1 Muslim family,
sharing one building. One building.
Alright. That's interesting. Basically in 1 house. Yeah.
Well, if you're sharing facilities, it is 1
house, isn't it? And very significant is that
through, my,
childhood and up till today,
nothing in our family happens except
by the fact that
the elders in the Succa family is always
part of that consultation.
You skipped the link.
My father showed an extreme
amount of allegiance.
To the Succa family. To the Succa family.
Furthermore, to the broader families that
he shared his life with. And there are
many people, and particularly
in later years, he went to settle in,
Claremont in Draper Street. Okay. And most of
the people in Claremont, they know him. Okay.
Particularly
the families,
who are
commonly known in the Claremont area.
And, very significantly,
he paid a great amount of respect to
these families
that were directly responsible
in shaping his identity as a Muslim.
But I must tell you, very extraordinary,
my mother also accepted Islam.
Masha'Allah. Now
that very few people know it. My mother
also accepted Islam, and
my mother's father, my mother happened to be
the only child of her, late parents. Okay.
And if we talk about Wuste, my grandfather
was the founder
of the well known Kaufense Protestante
Kerck and Wuste. Oh my goodness.
Okay. That's weird. If you go to Wuste
today, you will actually see his name
is written. This is your dad's dad? No.
My mother's dad. Okay.
Founder of the church. Okay. And a very,
committed,
person to the church, and, my grandmother. But
what is very significant is
through all our childhood, we witness peaceful
coexistence
between
Christian and Muslim families.
I always say that if there is a
tribute that I have to pay, then a
special tribute to my
grandmother,
my mother's
late mother. Okay.
You know, today we buy,
nice fezzes
in the shop. Mhmm. But this Christian grandmother
used to crochet our fezzes. Oh, my goodness.
She used to make sure that at the
time of madrasa,
she takes us to the madrasa.
She used to make As as a Christian
person. As a Christian. She used to make
sure
that we adhere to performing salah.
Oh my. Extraordinary
of her was
she was a specialist in baking,
and she used to tell my mother
for the month of Ramadan, she has her
own sadaqah she wants to give to the
Muslim community.
And she was famous for the traditional old
style
tarts that they used to make. Ah, there
we go. There we go. So when it
comes to 15th Ramadan,
she used to prepare almost to
40,
50 tats.
That is her For distribution. Contribution to the
Muslim community.
That's extraordinary. And the respect for the month
of of Ramadan. Nice. And I suppose that
she must have drawn in some other
people from the community also to to Absolutely.
Absolutely.
Wasn't so beautiful. This is this is Why
don't we have that in a good morning?
What would you say? Therefore, I'm taking the
opportunity to share some of this because we
are not peculiar in that, not our family
alone.
There are many Muslim families, and in fact,
it's not an exaggeration
to say that, more than 50% of the
Muslim community, particularly of the Cape, comes from
such a type of a background. Yes.
Yes. And where we celebrate that peaceful coexistence
between Christian families and Muslim families,
and the values, and there are very prominent,
sheikhs who share.
You go to the Azaviyya, and the Hendricks
family and the Azaviyya
shares a history of their great grandfather coming
from Swallendam who embraced Islam.
Sheikh Ibrahim Gabriel,
once told me about the details of his
late
grandmother.
And so many prominent chefs in our community
Have have trace,
there. The the background, the history The background.
History
to to, because go a little bit, further
to to to to,
to further say that,
you know, if you journey the journey of
where my grandmother
my grandmother comes from a place in the
Karoo known as
as
just outside
Da'ar.
Okay.
There is a place,
I will come to the name now, but
my grandfather used to come from the Kitsikama
area. Oh, my goodness. And he landed up
working
as an assistant and then became a chef
in the Mount Nelson Hotel.
And my grandmother came from no port outside,
Grand
outside Da'ar.
But the enormous amount of respect they build
up for the Muslim community, and that is
why
for the entire,
period, we have never seen them in conflict
with the Muslim community.
More a sense of appreciation to the Muslim
community.
My direct influence, of course, from a very
early stage,
was directly by my father, my late father.
I miss,
many times I share with the the Masha'ik.
I started noting
certain literature,
and my father left school at,
at standard 3.
He's a tailor,
but he was a very disciplined person in
terms of reading. And and and he he
was then ultimately the person who almost influenced
your schooling and your the projections forward Absolutely.
As as as as a new Muslim then,
isn't it? But hold that thought, Mawlana. When
you come back, we will explore a little
bit more about Mawlana, Alexandre Henriks's,
father. You're watching
Storyline on ITV, and I'm Shahbuddin Ramani.