A new mosque where gay people are welcome, Christians too, and women are treated equally to men opened peacefully in Cape Town on Friday despite threats of violence.
Despite death threats and severe backlash on social media “Open Mosque” founded by Muslim academic Taj Hargey, a South African-born director of the Muslim Educational Centre of Oxford, held its first Friday prayers.
Though the congregation was made up of more media crews than worshippers or protesters.
Police were on hand in case of trouble outside the newly-painted green mosque, a former panel beating workshop sandwiched between two similar motor vehicle repair operations on a backstreet in the Wynberg suburb.
A handful of protesters said they would “stop this thing, no matter what”, the Friday prayers went ahead largely unhindered apart from the occasional protester’s cry of “You will go to hell”.