“ORDINARY girls can do extraordinary things,” is the mantra of two Gauteng-based sisters, 17-year-old Aaliyah, and 13-year-old Imaan Cassim – who together with friends, family and AWQAF SA – raised R84,000 so that they could attend the African Junior Fencing Championships in Accra, Ghana.

The championships will take place next month (February) and the girls will be away from home for nine days.

Aaliyah said their interest in fencing had been inspired by “a 15-year-old and 11-year-old girl looking for a unique hobby. We fell in love with it, and it (fencing) became a lifestyle.”

She said they had been further inspired by their mother had been a fencer, and that fencing was close to sword-fighting and a part of the Sunnah – the noble conduct – of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

The girls explained that their intensive training of two sessions a day was made a bit easier by the fact that they were being home-schooled. 

“It allows us to fit things in,” said Imaan.

When asked about their sporting ambitions, the girls said that their ultimate goal was to bring home the gold, and if not, to get the rankings to attend the 2023 Fencing Cadet and Junior World Championships in Bulgaria in April.

Aaliyah said she thanked “our loving friends, family, and AWQAF SA” for getting them on the road to realise their dreams of international competition.

Awqaf SA’s Zeinoul Abedien Cajee said, “Awqaf SA encourages our youth to excel academically and in all other beneficial, worthwhile,  productive, and positive activities. We are thrilled at the prospect of sisters Aaliyah and Imaan representing South Africa with their no1 and no2 rankings. We pray for their success in Ghana and to bring gold.”