The General Council
Sheikhs, imams and mawlānas participated on an equal basis through a General Council supported by committees responsible for:
- Halaal matters
- Welfare
- Marital affairs
- Relief work
Our Legacy
Serving the Ummah since 1945
THE EARLY YEARS
A Council Born from Community Need
In Cape Town, the social, political and religious histories of the Muslim community have always been closely connected. As the Muslim population grew during the early twentieth century, so did the need for recognised religious leadership and guidance.
The Muslim Judicial Council was established on 10 February 1945 at a meeting of the Muslim Progressive Society in Cathedral Hall, Cape Town. Those present elected a Judicial Council to which religious matters could be referred for resolution. An 18-member Executive Committee was formed under Chairman Shaykh M. Shakier Gamieldien, with Hassiem Edross serving as Honorary Secretary.
The MJC was created to represent Cape Town's Muslim community and provide an authoritative voice on its behalf.
FOUNDING STRUCTURE
Religious Guidance and Community Service
The Supreme Council
The Supreme Council brought together senior ulama recognised for their knowledge and understanding of the Shariah. It initially served as the MJC's fatwa-issuing authority.
That jurisprudential responsibility is now vested in the Fatwa Committee, headed by the Mufti and Qadi.
An Evolving Institution
The MJC began with two principal office-bearers: the Chairman and Honorary Secretary. Its structures expanded in response to the changing needs of the Muslim community. The General Council remains open to affiliated sheikhs, imams and mawlānas, while the former Supreme Council developed into an administrative Executive Council and the senior Imaarah.
The Executive Council now includes the President, First Deputy President, Second Deputy President, Secretary General and Treasurer.
MJC LEADERSHIP
Chairmen and Presidents
The MJC was initially led by a Chairman. In 1952, the office was renamed President.
Shaykh M. Shakier Gamieldien
Chairman
Imam Abdullah Behardien
Chairman
Imam Sulaiman Harris
Chairman
Shaykh Achmat Behardien
First President
Shaykh M. Shakier Gamieldien
President
Shaykh Ihsan Gamieldien
President
Shaykh Abubaker Najaar
President
Shaykh Nazeem Mohammed
President
Shaykh Ebrahim Gabriels
President
Mawlana Ihsan Hendricks
President
Shaykh Irafaan Abrahams
President
Shaykh Riad Fataar
President
THE MJC TODAY
View Current Leadership →Meet the Current Leadership
View the Executive, Imaarah, departmental heads, committees, regional representatives and branches serving the MJC today.
INSTITUTIONAL LEADERSHIP
Shaykh Nazeem Mohammed
Shaykh Nazeem Mohammed joined the MJC in 1956 and later served as Chairman and President. His authority grew from his work as an imam, teacher and community leader. He served at Park Road Mosque from 1957 and later at Yusufiyya Mosque, and chaired the MJC at different times before becoming President in 1982.
His service extended beyond theology. From 1958 to 1961 he was the first supervisor of Halaal operations at the Maitland abattoir, reflecting the practical institutional responsibilities carried by MJC leaders in Cape Muslim society.
During his presidency, he played a central role in defending the Council's theological position on the Ahmadiyya movement and the finality of prophethood.
JUSTICE AND EQUALITY
The MJC and Apartheid
The MJC's history is inseparable from apartheid. Individual leaders including Imam Abdullah Haron, Shaykh Nazeem Mohammed and Shaykh Abubaker Najaar opposed racial legislation.
During the 1960s, the Council issued statements opposing the Group Areas Act. In March 1964 it wrote to the regional Under-Secretary of the Department of Community Development in protest against District Six being declared a white group area.
In 1961, the MJC participated in the Call of Islam declaration and publicly rejected apartheid as incompatible with Islam. Following Imam Haron's death in detention in 1969, the Council's leadership took more vigorous action. During the 1970s and 1980s, members including Imam Gasan Solomons, Mawlana Faried Esack and Shaykh Abdul Gamiet Gabier gave leadership on resistance, justice and equality.
The MJC condemned state violence after the 1976 Soweto uprising and participated in broader mobilisation against apartheid. It affiliated with the United Democratic Front in 1983 in opposition to the Tricameral constitutional system, later withdrawing amid internal community criticism. During the unrest of 1985-86 and the Crossroads crisis, its work also included humanitarian assistance.
RELIGIOUS IDENTITY
The Ahmadi Movement
The MJC's opposition to the Ahmadi movement formed an important part of its defence of the boundaries of Ahlus Sunnah wal-Jama'ah, particularly the finality of prophethood.
In 1965, it issued religious pronouncements on the status of Ahmadis and gave guidance to mosque leadership concerning participation in Muslim religious institutions. When the Lahore Ahmadiyya movement sought permission in 1982 to raise funds for an Islamic centre, the MJC formally objected. The dispute proceeded to the Cape Supreme Court, where the Council defended its theological position with support from Muslim scholars and legal experts.
Shaykh Nazeem Mohammed played a leading role in maintaining and defending this position from the 1960s through the 1980s.
A GENERATIONAL TRANSITION
Mawlana Ihsan Hendricks
Born in Worcester in 1964, Mawlana Ihsan Hendricks entered the MJC's institutional work through its educational structures and later became a lecturer and Assistant Principal at the Darul Arqam Islamic Institute.
He served as First Deputy President from 2001 to 2006 under Shaykh Ebrahim Gabriels before succeeding him as President. His leadership extended the institution's international reach, with Palestine becoming a defining public cause of his later career.
In 2011, he helped establish the Al-Quds Foundation South Africa and became its national director. He led the Africa 1 Aid Convoy to Gaza and received a Defender of Masjid al-Aqsa award. His international work included membership of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, the World Assembly of Muslim Youth and other Islamic organisations.
At the time of his death, he remained a member of the MJC Imaarah and chaired the MJC Halaal Trust Board. His life represented an important transition from the institutional foundation of Shaykh Nazeem Mohammed's era to a broader regional and international role.
1945Founded in Cape Town
80+ YearsFaith and Community Service
TodayContinuing the Amanah