Gay-friendly mosque launches quiet ‘revolution’ in South Africa

A new mosque where gay people are welcome, Christians too, and women are treated equally to men opened peacefully in Cape Town on Friday. Launched by Muslim academic Taj Hargey, the South African-born director of the Muslim Educational Centre of Oxford, the first Friday prayers at the ‘Open Mosque’ drew more media crews than worshippers or protesters. Hargey has described his mosque as a “religious revolution” following on from the political revolution led by late former president Nelson Mandela when democracy replaced apartheid rule in South Africa in 1994.

There’s been threats about castrating me, beheading me, hanging me upside down. But South Africa has the most liberal constitution in the world – they cannot stop us opening today.

Muslim academic Taj Hargey

In his sermon, Hargey condemned the increasing hatred in the world between Muslims and Christians. He blamed this on “warped theology” from countries such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan which he said gave rise to “fanatical” groups like the Islamic State organisation, the Taliban in Afghanistan and Boko Haram in Nigeria. He said “contaminated Saudi money” was used to promote “toxic and intolerant manifestations of Islam”.

I have a PhD in Islamic studies from Oxford University, unlike my opponents who went to some donkey college in Pakistan or Saudi Arabia.

Taj Hargey

Africa gay mosque