History

Gordons Bay is a charming coastal town situated approximately 50 kilometres from Cape Town, South Africa. Its picturesque location at the foothills of the Hottentots Holland Mountain range, along the northeast shore of False Bay, has made it a sought-after holiday destination. Nestled between majestic mountains and the vast expanse of the southern Indian Ocean, Gordons Bay has a rich history that includes the growth of its Muslim community.

Until the early 1990s, Gordon’s Bay had a negligible Muslim population, primarily due to the Group Areas Act, which confined Muslims to the nearby area of Strand. However, with the advent of democracy and the first free elections in 1994, Muslims gradually started settling in Gordon’s Bay.

Initially, Muslim residents faced challenges as Salaah (prayer) had to be performed in the makeshift locations such as the store of a local Muslim business or the garages of some Muslim residents. Children who needed to attend madrassa had to commute to neighbouring Strand, which posed difficulties for many families.

In the late 1990s, some Jamaats began working in the area, and a local businessman generously offered his storeroom as a base for their operations. This development marked a significant step towards the establishment of a more permanent place of worship.

In 2004, community members came together with the shared vision of establishing a masjid and madressa to cater to the growing Muslim community’s needs. The search for an appropriate property to realize this vision commenced, with the initial plan of acquiring a house and converting it into a Jamaat khana (congregation space), eventually transforming it into a masjid. Despite attempts to secure four potential houses, this endeavour proved unsuccessful.

On May 6, 2008, the Gordon Bay Islamic Trust was formally established with the objective of serving the needs of the local Muslim community. The primary focus was to establish a dedicated place of worship with regular congregational prayers. Additionally, there was a pressing need to establish a madressa, as many young families found it difficult to transport their children to neighbouring Strand for Islamic education. Providing this primary Islamic education was seen as crucial for instilling imaan (faith) in children at an early stage. Furthermore, there is a vision to expand the facilities to include a day-care centre, addressing the lack of such facilities for Muslim children in the area. The vision is also to establish a base for the propagation of Islam in the neighbouring areas including a fully-fledged Dawah centre and library. There are plans to set up a welfare and social upliftment department as well as adult education facilities to cater for the needs of the Muslim population in the whole of the Helderberg area, in shaa Allah

This vision signifies the dedication and resilience of the Muslim community in Gordon’s Bay. Today, the community continues to grow and flourish, nurturing their faith and enriching the cultural fabric of this vibrant seaside town.