السلام عليكم و رحمةالله و بركاته

It’s Tuesday, 25th October 2016 and we are in Benoni! 

Why are we here, so far from home? 

Well, there’s a lovely event going on of course! 

A relatively new Islamic radio station was launched a while ago, and tonight,we get to meet and greet the staff that do the magic behind the mikes, hosted at the Indianapolis Spur in Benoni. 

We had some interview questions and Mr. Asmal was kind enough to answer them for us. 

Q: Who began Sirius FM and can you tell us more about it?

A: Let’s begin with a brief history of Sirius FM.

Fazel Asmal began Sirius FM about 5 years ago. It started broadcasting on the Internet. After 2 years of broadcasting on the Internet, Sirius FM launched its FM broadcast in the East Rand (Ekurhuleni) on 105.7MHz.

Sirius FM’s slogan is “Sharing the Beauty of Islam“

Sirius FM is dedicated to making a positive contribution to the community by focusing on programs that will assist in addressing problems such as poverty, unemployment, substance abuse, crime, domestic violence, teenage pregnancies, suicide, mental health issues, food security, climate change, education etc.

Q: Who are all the presenters and what are their programs at siriusfm.mobi ?

A: We have many presenters, some full time and others part time.

Ml Jameel Holmes does the breakfast show from 6.30 to 9.00am weekdays and Muhammad Valodia does the Afternoon Drive Time program from 4.30 to 6.30pm

Raeesa Suluman is the news correspondent and she compiles and presents the news. The news is presented every 4 hours and starts at 8am on weekdays.

There are about 10 other presenters, each presenting programs on various topics such as crime, fishing and camping, women’s issues, children’s programs etc.

Q: Who are some of the people who attended the meet and greet that should get a mention, and what do they do? 

A: Community members from Ekurhuleni attended the meet and greet, amongst them were prominent Ulema and parents with their children from the Springs Muslim School and Benoni Muslim School.

Mas-oodah Jappie and Aneesa Osman presented the children’s program at Indianapolis Spur Benoni where the function was held.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to mention with regards to Sirius FM?

A: Sirius FM aims to improve the lives of our community and provide programming that is beneficial to The Muslim community of Ekurhuleni and all another residents regardless of their race or religion.

We want to share the beauty of Islam with everyone.

This is where the interview questions ended. 

As an observer, I can honestly say that the Meet & Greet was a success. 

Aside from Mas-oodah Jappie, who is well known from CII Radio, Muallimah Shamiela Jappie as well as Imraan Karolia & his lovely wife, Humairaa, attended the event. 

As Mas-oodah and Aneesa began the kiddies program, we could visibly see the excitement on the faces of all the children. 

Mas-oodah hosted the program from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. 

Mas-oodah did a great job by asking the kids interesting Islamic questions and when they got it right, they were awarded with a sweet treat or a toy. 

Mas-oodah also interviewed Mohammed Jassat, the owner of Indianapolis Spur. 

The event was a success with many members of the media as well as community coming out to show their support, and I was quite honored to be among the guests who was given the opportunity to support this up and coming radio station.