The Majestic Turkish Mosque Midrand, South Africa - Part 1

The masjid is the brainchild of a prominent Turkish businessman Ali Katircioglu. The 74 year old gentleman was originally planning to build the masjid in America but was convinced by a friend of his to bring the project to South Africa. My dad had the opportunity of meeting Mr. Ali on numerous occasions during the building phase of the masjid. Depsite his excessive wealth and prominence, the business tycoon along with his wife were residing in a caravan on the site of the masjid. He was determined to see his dream project turn in to a reality. Arriving on the masjid premises, I felt as though I was transported back in time during the era of the great and majestic Ottoman empire. The masjid is a replica of the Selimiye mosque in Edirne, Turkey and is world renowned for its lavish architecture. The opening ceremony of the mosque occurred a few months ago with President Jacob Zuma and the Gauteng premier, Nomvula Mokonyane among the esteemed guests who attended the grand event. The masjid is a visual feast for those who appreciate the world of arts, design and architecture. Hand painted tiles grace the walls of the building and the ceilings are intricately decorated with gold painted Quraanic calligraphy. In the centre of the plaza there is an ablution area where worshippers can wash themselves before prayer. The design of the ablution area reminded me very much of the ablution area in the Sheikh Zayed Grand mosque located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The mosque has the capacity of accommodating 6000 worshippers and was built at a whopping cost of R210 million rand ( UNCLE ALI FUNDED IT HIMSELF). Rumour has it that Uncle Ali grew up in a middle class family in Turkey many decades ago. During a war, his family saved a Jewish man from being killed. The man returned to the USA and then decided to hand over all his assets and properties in Turkey to Uncle Ali's family. Having recived this huge bounty from God Almighty Uncle Ali decided to utilize the wealth in the path of God Almighty. The masjid premises also boasts a SAMA school, a clinic, a shopping complex, boarding facility as well as a Turkish restaurant. I was particularly captivated by the stunning pieces of art inside the art gallery located inside the masjid complex. The gallery had pictures of all the Islamic artefacts located in the world famous Topkapi Museum situated in Istanbul, Turkey. Pictures of the Prophet Muhammed (saw)'s sandles, sword, hair and letters that he had written simply left me speechless. Whilst in the gallery I had the opportunity of meeting a group of Turkish teachers who reside in the Durban region of South Africa. They were in the Johannesburg area for a national meeting to discuss the way forward with regards to the Turkish schools in South Africa. They were a friendly group of people and speaking to them made me feel as though I was in Turkey and not in South Africa. The sheer opulence, grandeur and stature of the building has proven once again that the Turks have always and will always rule the world of architecture and design. A big thumbs up and hats off to Mr. Ali for giving South Africa a piece of Turkey. Through him, nations have now formed a bond and a connection. After viewing the stunning pieces of art and reading about the majestic Ottoman empire, Turkey is definitely one country that is on my list of places to visit. To all my blog readers who hail from Turkey, I hope to visit your part of the world soon Insha Allah!!

Directions to the masjid: The mosque is located on the corner of Old Pretoria Road and Le Roux Avenue in Midrand, between Johannesburg and Pretoria, which can be accessed from the Allandale turn-off on the N1. You can also catch the Gautrain from Sandton or Pretoria to Midrand.

Take note that the masjid is open to anyone and everyone. However, when visiting the masjid care should be taken in terms of dress code. Modest and respectable dress code is of utmost importance as the masjid is a place of worship. Women should cover their hair, legs and arms.

For more info and guided tours you may contact the Nizamiye Turkish Masjid at:Tel: +27 (0)11 024 5857

PS: I have taken many pictures of the artworks inside the gallery and hence I have decided to split it over two to three posts as it will not all fit in one article. 

 

 

Saudi's Marilyn Monroe cafe forced to close

                                                                       (Getty Images)
  By Courtney Trenwith
 A Saudi Arabian coffee shop named after Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe has been forced to close down after an online campaign, according to Arabic news website Sabq.Families in Al Jouf province were upset at the reference to the late actress, who became a sex symbol during the 1950s until her death in 1962.

They launched a campaign on social media websites calling for a boycott of the shop, called Marlene Monroe, and criticising management Jouf Plaza Mall, where the shop was located.The mall manager, Meflah Al Klaid told Sabq he was “surprised” by the shop’s name and had sealed it off.

“The shop was rented by an entrepreneur who did not brief us on the name or discuss it with us,” he said.
The mall’s owner said the shop name clashed with the city’s social values.“The shop will not be allowed to re-open until it complies with the regulations,” the company said.The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Violence – which polices religious related offences - said it was not aware of the issue and had not received any complaints.

The question is why don't the authorities shut down Paris Hilton's stores in the conservative Kingdom of Saudi. The hotel heiress owns five stores in the Kingdom with one store believe it or not based in the holy city of Makkah. In my opinion she is just another bimbo like the Kardashian sisters who have earned name and fame through selling their bodies. Afterall sex sells, doesn't it. They are certainly not ideal role models for the youth of today...Classless women in my opinion....

Source:

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/saudi-s-marilyn-monroe-cafe-forced-close-497479.html#.UWc3xldmPOp

Lanseria Private Aviation Airport- What an exciting experience..

Friday morning I woke up and grabbed a hold of my mobile phone only to find a message from a very dear family friend and school mate. His message read :' Are you going to be free this afternoon?' To which I replied, " Why do you wish for me to be free?" I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would be enjoying a breath taking flight over the Hartbeespoort Dam in the evening as the sunset. To Abdul Hameed Chavoos , thank you so much for allowing me to fly with you. I remember you being this mischievous brat in school but we are all so proud of your success and achievements in life. You are truly an inspiration to many people out there. I was at first apprehensive flying with you in a small plane as I have been told that the smaller planes are dangerous and you experience lots of turbulence but you were right and I was wrong. The flight was steady and the experience amazing. It makes me feel so good to see someone come up in life especially someone we grew up with. It was lovely reminiscing about past events and school incidents. It certainly brought back loads of memories. Thank you for giving me an unforgettable experience. As a side note private aviation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a very big business with many wealthy families owning private aircrafts. Here in South Africa I was surprised to discover that many wealthy businessmen do own private executive planes and numerous wealthy families prefer chartering a private flight for vacation purposes as well. If you wish to charter an executive plane for business or vacation purposes kindly contact pilot Abdul hameed Chavoos through his facebook page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saudi court said to order criminal to be surgically paralyzed

DUBAI (Reuters) - Amnesty International has condemned a reported Saudi Arabian court ruling that a young man should be paralyzed as punishment for a crime he committed 10 years ago which resulted in the victim being confined to a wheelchair.

The London-based human rights group said Ali al-Khawaher, 24, was reported to have spent 10 years in jail waiting to be paralyzed surgically unless his family pays one million Saudi riyals ($270,000) to the victim.

The Saudi Gazette newspaper reported last week that Khawaher had stabbed a childhood friend in the spine during a dispute a decade ago, paralyzing him from the waist down.

Saudi Arabia applies Islamic sharia law, which allows eye-for-an-eye punishment for crimes but allows victims to pardon convicts in exchange for so-called blood money.

"Paralyzing someone as punishment for a crime would be torture," Ann Harrison, Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director, said in a statement late on Tuesday.

"That such a punishment might be implemented is utterly shocking, even in a context where flogging is frequently imposed as a punishment for some offences, as happens in Saudi Arabia," she added.

A government-approved Saudi human rights group did not respond to requests for comment.

The Arabic-language al-Hayat daily quoted Khawaher's 60-year-old mother as saying her son was a juvenile aged 14 at the time of the offence. She said the victim had demanded 2 million riyals to pardon her son and later reduced this to 1 million. "But we don't have even a tenth of this sum," she said.

Al-Hayat said an unnamed philanthropist was trying to raise funds to pay the blood money, but it was not clear how much time remained before Khawaher's sentence was to be carried out.

Amnesty said the case demonstrated the need for Saudi Arabia to review its laws to "start respecting their international obligations and remove these terrible punishments from the law".

Saudi judges have in the past ordered sharia punishments that include tooth extraction, flogging, eye gouging and - in murder cases - death.

(Reporting by Sami Aboudi; Editing by Alistair Lyon)