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Dentist, terrorist - or both?
23/01/2007 10:08 - (SA)
Johannesburg - If the United States is
right about Junaid Dockrat, the South African dentist is helping
al-Qaeda wage a holy war when he is not filling root canals.
South Africa's foreign ministry on Sunday confirmed a
newspaper report that Junaid and his cleric cousin Farhad
Dockrat were put on a UN list of terror suspects because of
alleged ties to al-Qaeda.
Papers submitted by the United States to the UN Security
Council alleged Junaid is an al-Qaeda financier, recruiter and
facilitator who co-ordinated the travel of South Africans to
Pakistan to train with the group.
Both men denied the allegations made by Washington, which
says al-Qaeda operatives are in Somalia, Sudan and North Africa,
while fundraising and recruiting have become a serious worry in
South Africa, Nigeria and the trans-Sahara region.
Police officials have declined to comment on whether al- Qaeda is a serious threat in South Africa or whether they have
been conducting surveillance on suspects or mosques.
Anneli Botha, senior researcher on terrorism at the
Institute for Security Studies, said it is difficult to gauge al-Qaeda's presence among South Africa's minority Muslim
population.
"There may be some sympathy in the Muslim community, which
is very active, in terms of it seeing the war on terror as a war
on Islam," she said.
"And there may be some individuals who may want to
participate in the al-Qaeda network. But how can you tell a
supporter from a sympathiser from an active member?"
It is not clear how the South African government will
respond to the allegations made against the Dockrat cousins.
Asked if South Africa would take action against them,
foreign ministry spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said: "We are in
contact with the Americans on this issue and we are still
waiting for directives from the minister of foreign affairs."
Family of dentists
Junaid's father Ismail suspects he was put on a US list of
al-Qaeda suspects because of his "harmless" ties to Zubair
Ismail and surgeon Feroz Ganchi, who were arrested in Pakistan
in 2004 and later released.
The pair was caught with senior al-Qaeda operative Ahmed
Ghailani, a Tanzanian who was a conspirator in the 1998 attacks
on US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam that killed 224
people.
"Junaid knew Zubair. They went to school together. He also
knew Dr Ganchi well. But that does mean he is guilty," he told
Reuters.
"The Americans just decide someone is guilty and they go
after him. Junaid is a good man. Now our home is like a funeral
parlour because everyone is so upset."
Junaid, 35, his father and brother-in-law Mohammed are
dental surgeons who share a practice in Mayfair, a middle-class
Johannesburg neighbourhood that is home to other Muslim
families.
Aside from his dental business, Junaid also owns a
camouflage clothing company called Sniper Africa, which promises
buyers they will be comfortable stalking when hunting.
Standing near fishing rods and reels, Junaid's brother
Suleiman dismissed the al Qaeda allegations and said the
business had no ties to Pakistan or the Taliban in Afghanistan.
"We export to neighbouring countries. Botswana and Zambia
and we have sold items to the United States," he said.
"Look around do you see anything strange? People see long
beards like mine and they are immediately suspicious."
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