Ahlul Bait (as) Mosque Complex

The Ahlul Bait Foundation of South Africa (AFOSA) was established in 1991, under the leadership of Mowlana Syed Aftab Haider, serving as the umbrella organization and voice of Shia Muslims in the country. The Ahlul Bait Mosque Complex (ABMC), the foundation’s headquarters, was inaugurated in 1993 in Cape Town. Following extensive construction in 2017, it has since become a prominent landmark in the city. While Islam has been present in South Africa since the 17th century, with early traces of Shia Islam emerging in the first half of the 20th century, it was the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran that significantly sparked interest and led to the growth of Shia Islam leading to the establishment of our foundation.

Vision: To create a society which is based upon the Quranic principle of essential dignity for every human being (Quran 17:70). This is also manifested in the words of our leader Imam Ali (as): “People are of two types; either your brother in faith or your equal in humanity.”

Mission: 

• Promote the Islamic teachings and culture taught from the perspective of the Ahlul Bait (as), the immaculate household of Prophet Muhammad (sawa).
• Provide spiritual and social guidance to the Shia community as well as coordinate the routine religious activities.
• Cooperate with the broader Muslim community by encouraging dialogue and actively engaging with other faith communities to promote peaceful coexistence and mutual understanding.

Notable Achievements: In addition to regular weekly Islamic educational programs on different levels, ABMC plays a crucial and leading role in shaping interfaith solidarity for common good and shared values. We are active members of various ecumenical structures including, Cape Town Interfaith Initiative, Western Cape Religious Leaders Forum, Multi-Faith Theological Advisory Council on Gender-Based Violence (South African Faith and Family Institute), and Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute, and more.

• Muslim-Christian Relations: Twenty years ago, we introduced the concept of Sharing the Blessings of Ramadan. This idea was to have a Ramadan Iftar dinner shared with various faith communities, especially the Christian community.  This dinner was the first of its kind in the history of our city. This model is now widely practiced by all major mosques and Islamic centers during Ramadan.

• Incorporation of Christian Speakers: Prominent speakers such as Fr. Christopher Clohessy and Dr. Allan Boesak were regularly invited to address our congregation, fostering greater mutual understanding.

• Launch of the Platform for Theological Dialogue and Practical Ethics in collaboration with the Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Town in 2021, inspired by the historic meeting between Pope Francis and Grand Ayatollah Sistani. To date, this platform has successfully organized five seminars with Muslim and Christian speakers, engaging audiences on a range of pertinent issues.

• Collaboration with Christian Leadership on Socio-Political issues: our mosque also plays a vital role in interfaith solidarity efforts addressing social and political challenges. A recent example of this is our key involvement in the establishment of ‘Convivencia–Interfaith Solidarity for Justice in Palestine.’

• Publications & Social Media: Our social media platforms as well as publication platforms also actively promote the above values and visions. Diversity & Coexistence was recently published as well as other various seminars held online.