Lessons from the Anti-Apartheid Civil Rights Movement

Assalamu Alaikum  Wa rahmatullahi Wa barakatuhu ( Peace and Blessings of God be on you),

IMPORTANT: Please block your time to attend on April 24th 7:00PM at MAPS. Don’t miss this great opportunity to learn from Mr. Ebrahim Rasool.

As a young anti-apartheid leader in the 1980s, Mr. Ebrahim Rasool was imprisoned at the Pollsmoor Maximum Security Prison in Cape Town. One day, the warden escorted him to the prison dispensary to an arranged meeting that would forever change his life. There, another prisoner was waiting for him. Mr. Rasool would meet with the future father of the South African nation, a figure President Obama would call the “hero for the world”, Mr. Nelson Mandela himself. Mr. Rasool recounts how Mr. Mandela was appreciative of his efforts to mobilize the South African Muslim community in a constructive way against apartheid and how Mr. Mandela would share his films on American history and American diversity with him in prison.

Mr. Ebrahim Rasool recently completed his term as South Africa’s Ambassador to the United States. Prior to that, he held positions as Member of Parliament in the SA National Assembly, Special Advisor to the SA President and Premier of Western Cape Town Province. Mr. Rasool has a long history advocating for civil rights and peace – from his involvement in the anti-apartheid struggle to his dedication to bridge relations between faiths, cultures and communities. Mr. Rasool is the Founder of the World for All Foundation, a body that aims for a world that is “inclusive, integrated and accepting of difference”. Mr. Rasool is recipient of a number of leadership awards, including the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights presented by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Visionary Leadership and Public Good Award from the World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists.

The Muslim Association of Puget Sound (MAPS) in Redmond is honored to host Mr. Rasool for an evening of reflection and discussion on lessons he learnt from the anti-apartheid struggle and from his initiatives to bring communities together worldwide. The public is cordially invited for this event on Friday April 24th at 7PM to 9PM.Entrance is free for all.

Mahmood Khadeer

President

MAPS