SAMNET wishes to highlight the need for better safety and security in our Islamic spaces and at our events — as an obligation both ethical and legal.

Start here

For Musaajid, Madressah, Uloom and events, the starting point is regular site audits and risk assessments. Some of what those should cover, with the kinds of incident that show why each matters:

• Emergency exits appropriate to the number of Musallees and to the time of day — and, critically, usable. Attacks on mosques elsewhere have shown how much turns on whether an exit is unlocked and unobstructed.
• An emergency escape plan, written down and known to the people who would have to use it. Madressah fires overseas have repeatedly turned on this.
• Fire equipment, serviced and accessible. There have been fires at Houghton, at NMJ, at Ijtima grounds, and at Mina.
• Crowding, stampede and crush risk — narrow exits, and tripping hazards such as shoes or benches in the wrong place.
• First aid kits, stocked and in a known location.
• Keep-clear areas. No seated people in passages or entrances. No chairs or wheelchairs in doorways.
• Parking. Overfull lots turn cars into barriers across emergency exits and assembly points. Keep paths clear, reverse-park for quick egress, and keep pavements free.
• Marshals at events — as a rule of thumb, around 30 for the first 100 people and one to five for each 100 thereafter.
• First aid training for Imams and Muazzins, who are the people actually present when someone collapses.
• Construction and structural risk — crane and roof collapses have killed worshippers.
• Robbery, hijacking and pedestrian risk around arrival and departure times.
• Vandalism, intimidation, hate crime and unrest, including the attempted bombing in Durban North.

Incidents of the last decade and more

Ijtima car fire · Houghton fire · NMJ fire · roof collapse in Verulam · flooding · knife attacks in Canada and the UK · hijacking · cardiac arrests and seizures.

If you know of incidents that should be added to this list, please email info@samnet.co.za.

Further resources

• Risk assessment services for mosques (UK).
• CAIR Mosque Safety Guide (United States).
• Ensuring security at your mosque — Muslim Council of Britain.
• Design standards for Muslim prayer facilities — Mokhtar.
• Mass gatherings research.

Contact SAMNET on info@samnet.co.za or WhatsApp 084 333 3979.

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Shared by the South African Muslim Network (SAMNET) in the interest of better health and safety standards and compliance for Islamic spaces and events.