This time of the year the Mehtar household is busy busy busy. We usually have guests from Malawi that visit South Africa to attend the graduation ceremonies at the various Islamic institutions. When they leave, our guest from India arrives and then of course after Eid my Saudi family make their way to sunny South Africa.It's always such a pleasure coming home to a house full of people, laughing, joking and interacting at the dinner table. In light of what transpired this week with regards to the racist remarks and comments that were made when a plea went out urging the community to donate funds towards the local government school, i would like to share a story with all you that was related to me by our guest. He is a theologian and a well respected citizen of Malawi and he runs a non governmental organisation that is recognised by the Malawian government. The main objective of this organisation is to provide education both Islamic and secular to the poorest of the poor especially a girl child.This humble friend of God is so loved by the local Malawian people that they even composed a song in his honour. The organisation is funded by local Malawians as well as by individuals and families around the globe. Every year a wealthy philanthropist from the UK visits Malawi, his country of birth. His sole intention and purpose of visiting is to empower and uplift his own community. His life story is truly remarkable. He was born into an extremely poor home. In fact he was so poor that his parents could not afford his school fees. On one occasion, his teacher made an announcement in class asking all those students who did not pay their school fees to stand up. From his entire class, he was the only one that stood up reluctantly with his head down in shame.He was mocked at and of course humiliated. His teacher took a ruler and hit him on his knuckles repeatedly. He was then asked to leave the classroom never to return until the fees were paid. With tears in his eyes he walked out but at that same moment he said a prayer, " Oh Allah, if you at any point of my life improve my living conditions and increase my sustenance then I promise you that I will never allow any child to be deprived of an education just because they are poor. God Almighty accepted his prayers and today he is a multi millionaire residing in the UK. He supports the NGO throughout the year and has made it clear that if any child irrespective of religion, race,creed or culture approaches the organisation wanting to be admitted into a school, any school in Malawi then the organisation must cover the school fees in full without pressurizing the family to pay back the money. There was a place in Malawi that was predominantly Christian and the best school in the province is located within this suburb. The school is a convent private school that only the elite can afford. The Muslim families residing in that neighbourhood are of a middle class background and so desipe the fact that there is a school close by, the kids wake up early in the morning and travel a great distance by foot to get to the nearest government school. When news spread within the community that the NGO would cover the school fees of kids hailing from poor, impoverished backgrounds, many Muslim kids were given admission into the convent school. After a few months the head Pastor at the Convent school visited the Sheikh administrating and facilitating the NGO. He asked the Sheikh, ' You have admitted these kids into my convent school, but have you not thought about their studies regarding their religion." The Sheikh was surprised by the Pastors words and actually felt guilty. The priest went on to say that he will provide a classroom in his school for the kids to learn about their religion, provided the NGO appoints a teacher and pays the salary. And so over a period of time both schools started working together in the interest of the kids and community at large. A few weeks passed by and the Pastor visited the Sheikh for the second time. He told the Sheikh, 'I did not know that Muslims wash before praying, but through my observation of these kids my perceptions about Muslims has changed. There isn't enough water at the school for these kids to wash before praying." He then suggested that both schools jointly should raise funds to dig a borehole on the school premises. This borehole is now used by the kids as well as by the people residing in the surrounding villages. May God Almighty reward the philanthropist from the UK.
Through his vision and forward thinking he has brought two communities closer together. Through his wisdom, two communities with different religious beliefs and customs are now living together and working together side by side in communal harmony to provide their kids with a better future. His life story is one of faith, perseverance and dedication but most importantly it reflects qualities of humility and simplicity. He is undoubtedly an inspiration to me and im sure to many of you out there as well. He is an unsung hero who has dedicated his life to making this world a better place for many. This is a perfect example of how we all should be striving to build bridges between communities rather than causing divisions through racism, a sadly reality in our country.
