Islamic Crisis Centre Reaches out to Community

The Islamic Crisis Centre in Smith Street is fast becoming a place of refuge for Muslim men and women experiencing depression, marital and other problems and victims of child abuse.

“We receive at least 10 new clients a month,” said Mrs. Ayesha Ameen, a social worker.  “We receive referrals from clients, SANZAF and Darul Yatama and can be reached 24 hours a day.”

A spokesperson for the Centre said that due to word of mouth and the distribution of leaflets, clients from as far as Port Shepstone come to the Center, which also aims to empower people who face crisis situations, through offering weekly courses in First Aid, ghusl for the deceased, HIV/AIDS and Islamic studies.  The Centre also offers pre-marital counseling. 

Situated in Escoval House, the Centre opened its doors in June 2003, after Moulana Essa, Amir of the West Street Mosque, realized the need for a free counseling centre as the number of people requesting home-counseling increased rapidly.

Five volunteer counselors and two permanent social workers, including Moulana Essa and Quraisha Baig, a student counselor work at the Centre, says Sister Halima Zuma, who is also one of the counselors.

The Centre depends on the generosity of the community for funding, as well as on a shop selling second-hand items, and a recently-opened take-away which sells burgers, sandwiches and samoosas. 

Ameen said that whilst society may look down on people who have marital and other problems, people who find themselves in these situations were encouraged to seek help and counseling.   “Many clients are reluctant to discuss their problems at first, but we ensure confidentiality and offer after-hours counseling and follow-ups,” said Ameen. Although the Centre itself is only open from 8am to 4:30pm, the counselors can be reached at all hours, via call diversion.

• The Islamic Crisis Centre is situated on the
  5th floor of  501 Escoval House at 437 Smith Street, Durban.
• They can be contacted via phone on  0861 786 400 or on their e-mail address crisiscentre@eca.co.za.

Report by Al Ummah