African Moslems on brotherly visit

African Moslems on brotherly visit

SURABAYA: Five South African Moslems are currently visiting
East Java in an effort to enhance relations and set up
cooperation with their brothers in the province, Antara reported.

The visitors -- Sheik Abdul Gamied, Abbas Gamied, Cassiems
Solomons, Riedwan Gabier and Dr Osman Fahier -- were received by
East Java's deputy governor for economic and development affairs
Soeprapto Thursday.

They are members of the Indonesian South African Friendship
Society, an institution formed by Moslems of Indonesian descent
in South Africa.

Sheik Abdul Gamied, the group's leader, said South African
Moslems want to cooperate in the development of the Indonesian
national language in South Africa as many Africans of Indonesian
descent could no longer speak the language.

Of the one million Moslems in South Africa, 600,000 are of
Indonesian descent, he said.

The group will visit Ujungpandang, the Gontor Islamic boarding
school in East Java, the Sunan Ampel mosque in Surabaya, and the
tomb of Sunan Kalijogo in Semarang. Their visit, which began on
Dec. 23, winds up on Dec. 31.