Mosque apology: Cele denies Muslims received special treatment

Police Minister Bheki Cele has clarified that he did not apologise for arresting Muslims at a mosque in Mpumalanga last week, but for how the arrest was done by officers who made blasphemous remarks during the incident.

In the video, the officers are seen arresting 24 worshippers in a mosque at Masibekela in Mbuzini.

Cele’s apology followed the arrest of Muslim worshippers for flouting lockdown regulations.

His statement on Tuesday follows relentless criticism on social media platform Twitter, where he was accused of apologising to Muslims and not to Christians and traditional leaders whose events were also raided and stopped by the police.

Tweeps argued that all religious groups flouted the lockdown rules and were arrested, but only the Muslims received an apology.

READ: Bheki Cele is drunk on his newfound power – DA

However, in a statement Cele said that no one was above the law and argued that the Muslim community was not receiving special treatment.

“The minister has noted with concern the misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the statement issued in relation to the religious gathering.

He has subsequently emphasised that no one is above the law and that the Muslim community is not receiving preferential treatment as opposed to other religions,” the statement read.

“If they, or any other religious group, host another gathering the police will arrest them again but without being blasphemous in executing their duties. This cuts across all gatherings be they religious, cultural, or otherwise.”

Cele emphasised that the police have a constitutional obligation to enforce the laws, a duty to be executed within the confines of the same laws and applied with no prejudice against any gender, race or creed.

A video which circulated on social media at the weekend showed police officers entering what appears to be a mosque and hurling abuse at the men who were then ordered to lie down. An officer is then heard asking: “Are you bigger than the president? Is Mohammed bigger than the president?”

The Council of Muslim Theologians, Jamiatul Ulama SA, condemned the police’s “abusive tactics”, saying that the verbal abuse of the Prophet Mohammed as well as police entering the prayer room with their boots on, were “distressing to Muslims”.

It urged the SA Human Rights Commission and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate to investigate the incident while calling on Muslims to observe the regulations of the national lockdown.

According to Cele’s statement, the members will either be released on bail, fined and/or taken to court on Tuesday, depending on the outcome of the preliminary investigation for contravening the regulations of the Disaster Management Act.

Cele reiterated government’s call to leaders across various sectors, particularly religious leaders, to ensure a national, collective and sustained effort to combat and contain the spread of the coronavirus.

“When people, wittingly or unwittingly, violate the lockdown regulations, police are left with no choice but to enforce the law wherein some instances this means arresting people,” said Cele.

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