South Africa VS Latin America – The Importance of Local Islamic Scholars

and never has Islam flourished in the land, except that there were local indigenous scholars who led the change and who led that torch to the next generation. And never has Islam faltered. Never has Islam dwindled, except that we find that there was no scholarship to pass that religion down. And I give you two examples from our own world that we live in, to live in countries two examples that some of us have visited, I have only visited one of these two lands, but I have friends from both of them. And these two examples are South America and South Africa. And by South America, I mean, Argentina, Brazil, a number of countries and South Africa. At the turn of the century, both of these

lands experienced large batches of Muslim immigrants for the first time in their histories, large batches of Muslim immigrants. People came from the Ottoman Empires to South America, from what is now Syria and these lands, they came to South America. And people came from India, because the British, obviously were in charge of India, they were also in charge of South America and South Africa. And they wanted to import a group of educated people to act as clerics as secretaries as indentured servants. So they imported 10s of 1000s of Indians. And of course, Indians, as we know, have a huge percentage of Muslims. So around 100 years ago, large batches of Muslims came to South

America, and large batches came to South Africa. Now 100 years later, if you go to South America, I have not been blessed to give that one. South America haven't been there yet. But I have plenty of friends and I have heard this firsthand from many people, you will find that the people who emigrated to those lands, the Muslims, by and large, their descendants have left Islam,

their massages are empty.

The impact that they had was completely negligible.

And there is no greater indication for this than that the previous president of Argentina, or by now thinks two presidents ago, two presidents ago, the President of Argentina, his great grandfather, was a Syrian Muslim, who emigrated for opportunity for a land for whatnot. But they didn't keep that tradition down. And he was of Arab blood of Muslim background and heritage. But when politics called he felt no need to protect a faith that was not protected for him by his own parents. And he read idli renounced his religion when he was a teenager, as soon as he entered politics, until finally he entered and he became the president of Argentina. Now, contrast this to South Africa, and I have

visited South Africa I've been given that one South Africa, South Africa, is Worlds Apart.

Anybody who's been to South Africa is simply astonished at the Islamic presence. You see Muslims flourishing. You see mashallah Tabata kala Muslims everywhere in the businesses, somebody told me that in the city of Johannesburg, all of the chicken there is halal, because the Muslims are the one running the businesses all of the chicken you buy will be held even though the Muslims are less than what is it three 4% They're not like 20 30% There are a small minority right? You I want I want to the suit the the department stores looks just like an American department store. But one out of every four or five is the Rochelle a bearded throbs, a hijabi. You know all you see the presence of

Islam. And I met when I was in South Africa, I met one of the eldest ladies that was still Marcela Subotica, an activist, speaker and whatnot. She was 93 years old. She was 93 years old. And she was born in South Africa. Her father was the one who immigrated 93 years old. And this itself was I think, four years ago, I went to South Africa. So I asked her point blank, what is the cause of your success? I said, I'm astonished. We don't see this type of Islam even in America. And you people have lost the language. They came from Gujarat and from they don't speak the language anymore, right? You've lost the heritage. You don't know which land you came from. You don't know which

village you came from, by the way to preserve the spices and hamdulillah the food spices was there, right? But they lost everything else. But there Islam mashallah Tabata cola was flourishing. So I asked her, What is the secret of the success of Islam in South Africa? instantaneously? You know what you told me 93 year old ladies sharp, very intelligent she said the

madrasas. She said the mantra says, When I was a young girl, my father would send us to the Madras I said, You're a young lady, your girl. And in our culture Indian Pakistani culture is girls don't don't go to them addresses. And I'm positive that your father when he grew up in India, he had never heard of a girl going to a madrasa. And she said, Yes. But he realized that that's our only way to preserve Islam.

Even though that's what you call foresightedness. That is what you call thinking outside of the box, in his own culture. To this day in our land. Women don't go to the masjid as we know, women don't go to Madras to this day. They're still that narrow minded. But this lady's father, when he came to South Africa, he realized we got to change. And we have to teach our children the religion and South Africa is the only western country in the world that produces a raw recitals of the Quran that are capable of participating in and winning international Quran competitions. The only western country in the world that has medulla says that rival many of the madrasahs and Islamic seminaries in other

places around the world. Why and how? Because not too long ago, it was only 100 years ago, less than 100 I mean, realistically the actual Madras is probably started 80 years ago. Right? But they realized they needed to preserve their legacy for their children

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