“What about us?”
On 2nd April 1694, a ship the de
Voetboeg, arrived at the Cape from Ceylon. On board was a large group of Muslim exiles
from the East Indies. The Honourable Shaykh Yusuf al-Taj
al-Khalwati al-Maqasari, scholar and Sufi Saint, was one of the exiles, who was
accompanied by his wives, a few slave girls, children and friends.
An-Nisa, the women’s forum of Naqshbandi Muhammadi
SA, will insha-Allah, in the month of April 2013 embark on an annual
programme to honour the very special women who accompanied Shaykh Yusuf on the
aforementioned historical journey. These forgotten women, who together with
other exiles and slaves in the Cape, supported
and helped Shaykh Yusuf shape and strengthen the foundation of Islam in the
Cape.
It will be a month of honouring all female slaves of
the past too and especially women will be asked to ponder on the fact that
perhaps many of us are today still enslaved, still in shackles, in so many
ways. An-Nisa cannot allow any woman’ s
tears, sacrifices, trials, fears and struggles to go unnoticed. We will ask who these brave women and young
girls were. Carecantoe, Carepane,
Mu’minah, Na’imah, Asma are but a few of their names, but who were they really?
Shaykh Yusuf da Costa has given permission for an
annual An-Nisa programme of remembrance during the month of April insha-Allah. All ladies are invited to part take in this
long overdue programme. We kindly
request all ladies groups or forums to contact us if they wish to obtain
An-Nisa’s formal declaration/dedication to be read at each gathering, insha-Allah,
during the month of April.
In the meanwhile a research team will be set up to
find more answers, more information,
more facts. Any woman who is
willing to assist, is most welcome to join us on this exciting mission. All research material will be collated and
circulated on an annual basis Insha-Allah for the benefit of all women. An-Nisa feels compelled to undertake this
journey. There is a saying : “Every women’s journey is every other
women’s journey”. We cannot be
calling on women to join us in our efforts to uplift and empower through
knowledge and spirituality, but fail to ignore the roots of our
spirituality. These courageous women are
part of our legacy, part of Islam’s legacy.
Let this be the beginning of a sincere and genuine
effort to answer the cry of these forgotten women. We must have answers ready when they perhaps one day will turn
to us and ask the question: “ What about
us?”
Please
contact An-Nisa should you wish to register your support, obtain more
information or simply join us in our programme of remembrance. Shukran.
AN-NISA
(an2nisa@gmail.com)
