The Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) has announced it will be having all its imams attend an emergency preparedness workshop in conjunction with the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and the City of Cape Town.
The workshops aim to improve emergency preparedness at mosques and community religious institutions.
“The goal of the workshop is to provide religious leaders with the knowledge and abilities they need to manage emergencies within their organisations. The workshop aims to make the community at large and visitors to places of worship safer by promoting cooperation between the MJC, local authorities, and the religious community,” the MJC said.
It said participants would gain knowledge about emergency response protocols, evacuation procedures, and risk mitigation strategies throughout a variety of crises through interactive discussions and hands-on exercises.
The programme is set to emphasise how crucial it is to plan and coordinate proactively to ensure everyone’s safety and wellbeing in the event of an incident when visiting places of worship.
President of the MJC, Sheihk Riad Fataar said these workshops were crucial following a shooting incident at a mosque in Brooklyn, Cape Town on Friday, July 26, during Jumuah prayers.
Worshippers were left traumatised after a gunman opened fire on an alleged 28s gang boss inside the mosque.
Videos and pictures of the alleged gang boss were shared across social media as he was being taken from the mosque and loaded into a vehicle to be taken to a hospital.
“The MJC is committed to addressing the issue of emergency protocols in case of incidents, ensuring that the Imam and community are aware of how to handle situations,” Fataar said.
Fataar called on all Imams to attend the session on Saturday, August 17, from 9am to 12pm at the Al-Azhar High School on Birdwood Street and Newton Avenue in Athlone.
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