In a historical move, the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) has launched its first branch outside of the Western Cape and opened offices in the Free State. 

The branch is located in the heart of Bloemfontein.

It said this momentous occasion represents the culmination of sustained collaborative effort, strategic consultation, and deep community engagement over the past year. 

President of the MJC, Sheikh Riaad Fataar, said the establishment of the Bloemfontein branch is an operational extension and an institutional affirmation of the MJC’s commitment to unify, serve, and uplift diverse Muslim communities throughout the Republic of South Africa.

“The MJC enters a new epoch in its eight-decade legacy. The opening of the Bloemfontein branch reflects our resolve that shifts beyond provincial confines and responds decisively to the legitimate and articulated needs of a rapidly growing Muslim community. Our role has always been to serve with integrity, inclusivity, and vision. This expansion is a testament to that ethos,” Fataar said. 

According to the MJC, the decision to establish the branch followed sustained appeals from community leaders and residents in the Free State, who identified critical religious, social, and institutional gaps. 

In response, the MJC has committed to an administrative presence, with a holistic development vision which may include the future construction of a mosque, an Islamic high school, and the deployment of a full suite of MJC services. This will include marital counselling, da’wah initiatives, halaal certification, and broader community advocacy.

The MJC’s head of expansion projects, Moulana Siraaj Girie, stated the Bloemfontein office is not a ‘satellite office’. 

“This is a branch with structural permanence, functional depth, and spiritual vision. It is a direct result of intricate collaboration behind the scenes, inter-institutional consultations, and above all, the heartfelt aspirations of our brothers and sisters in this region. In our 80-year history, this is the first time the MJC has established a branch beyond the borders of the Western Cape, and we do so with full intentionality. The community here made their voices heard. They expressed their needs with dignity and clarity. We respond not as distant observers, but as partners in their aspirations,” Girie said. 

Executive member of the MJC, Moulana Salmaan Abrahams, shares these sentiments and said a paradigm shift from serving some to conscientiously serving many is being witnessed. 

“This mirrors the ethos that inspired our first satellite initiative in Tafelsig, one of Cape Town’s most underserved areas. Today, we scale that vision nationally,” he said. 

The new branch will serve as a nucleus from which satellite offices will radiate across the broader Free State and adjacent provinces, further entrenching the MJC’s service footprint and accessibility. 

“As the Muslim Judicial Council enters this new chapter, it does so anchored in the values of justice, unity, and service, deeply conscious of the divine mandate to serve with sincerity, and the constitutional obligation to empower communities equitably,” the MJC said. 

The new Bloemfontein office is located at the Pretty Gardens Lifestyle Centre, Cherry Lane, 12 Langenhoven Park, Bloemfontein, and may be contacted at 051 011 0529.

robin.francke@iol.co.za

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