Meer's upbringing was not ordinary, and was certainly unlike that of Muslim girls who were her contemporaries. Indian-born Moosa Meer was broad-minded and respected all religions. Though not formally trained in Islamic theology, he was well read and highly respected for his immense knowledge of Islam. He was also very knowledgeable about Hinduism and Christianity, and passed these qualities on to Meer who, throughout her life, has tirelessly fought to build bridges across religious, racial, class, ethnic, and gender lines.

Meer was initiated into politics at an early age. The second of nine children, she grew up in an extended family of parents, aunts, and cousins in a liberal Islamic atmosphere, one that was also highly conscious of racial discrimination and the international struggle against colonialism. Assisting with the editing of Indian Views and engaging in debates over decolonization and religion helped shape young Meer's outlook. Meer subsequently fashioned a reputation as a tireless and determined defender of the oppressed, ceaselessly fighting injustice and discrimination.

Moosa Meer valued education and ensured that all his children received formal education. Meer attended Durban Indian Girls High School and subsequently completed her bachelor's and master's degrees in sociology at the University of Natal. This was a remarkable feat because it was almost unheard of for women to be educated during the years when she was growing up.

Meer's political career began in 1946 while she was still in high school. From 1946 to 1948, Indians engaged in passive resistance against segregation in Durban. She joined the campaign, establishing the Student Passive Resistance Committee to support volunteers. She embarked on her career as a public speaker by sharing the platform with formidable anti-apartheid campaigners such as Dr. Yusuf Dadoo. Meer subsequently blossomed as an activist.

Meer's involvement increased when the Nationalist Party came to power in 1948 and imposed its invidious policy of apartheid. She spoke publicly against apartheid. Due to her activities she was banned ⁽¹⁾ in 1952 for a period of three years. She was one of the first South Africans to suffer this incarceration that confined her to the magisterial district of Durban and excluded her from all public gatherings and from being published.

She was a founder-member of the Federation of South African Women which organized the famous Anti-Pass March on the Union Buildings in Pretoria in 1956. Meer organized weekly vigils outside the Durban prison and provided food and comfort for prisoners. She also organized a week-long vigil at the Gandhi Settlement in Phoenix, Natal, which brought Africans and Indians together through prayers and fasting, led by Sushila Gandhi, the daughter-in-law of Mahatma Gandhi.

Shortly after her release in December 1976, Fatima and her husband Ismail Meer were lucky to survive an assassination attempt when her house was petrol-bombed by apartheid agents. This did not dampen her spirit, and she continued to display selfless courage in the fight for liberation. She was charged twice for breaking her orders. This was a difficult period for her because her teenage son, Rashid, was forced into exile in 1976 for his role as an activist. She did not see him for over a decade.

With Indira Gandhi's help, Meer arranged for African students to take up scholarships in India to study medicine and political science. In 1986 she started Phambili High School for Africans, which opened with an enrollment of 3,000 students. She founded the Khanyisa School Project in 1993 as a bridging program for African children from informal settlements to move on to formal schooling.

Meer was a respected academic. She was a member of the faculty of the University of Natal from 1956 to 1988. During that period, she acquired an international reputation. She published around 40 books on a range of subjects, demonstrating her wide interest in the plight of the underclass and her desire to bridge race and class relations and to create better understandings across religions.

In immersing herself in liberation politics, education, social work, poverty alleviation, and health care, she has been an exemplary Muslim.

Her major publications include Portrait of Indian South Africans; Apprenticeship of a Mahatma (which was published in Mauritius, India, and South Africa); Race and Suicide in South Africa; Documents of Indentured Labour; Higher than Hope, the first authorized biography of Nelson Mandela; The South African Gandhi; and Towards Understanding Iran Today.

Meer's contributions have earned her numerous awards, such as the Personality of the Year Award from the Union of South African Journalists (1975) and an honorary doctorate in philosophy from Swarthmore College (1984).

Meer was high on the list of nominations for the South African parliament in 1994; however, she declined because of her interest in non-governmental work. She served on the ANC government in a number of positions.

In May 1999, she helped found the Concerned Citizen's Group (CCG) to persuade Indians not to vote for white parties as many had previously done in 1994. She organized successful interdicts against unlawful eviction and won reprieve with costs. She continues to be actively involved with these communities. She was also an active participant in marches on the American consulate during 2001 and 2002 to protest the oppression and murder of Palestinians and war in Afghanistan. She was elected patron and founder member of Jubilee 2000, which was formed to cancel the unpayable debts of the poorest countries.

The past few years have been extremely difficult for Meer. She lost her son Rashid — with whom she was reunited after almost two decades — to a tragic car accident. Years of struggle took their toll when Meer suffered a stroke in July 2002, which left her partly paralyzed and bedridden.

Through all this, the remarkable 78-year-old Meer has remained a redoubtable fighter and doughty champion of the underclass. In immersing herself in liberation politics, education, social work, poverty alleviation, and health care, she has been an exemplary Muslim, constantly striving to improve the lot of her fellow people. Her immense contribution to the underclass, women, and the poor, has played an important role in positively portraying Islam and Muslims in South Africa.

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**Goolam Vahed is an associate professor at the Department of Anthropology, Gender, and Historical Studies at the University of KwaZulu Natal.

1- A banning order would restrict an individual to a particular magisterial district, require him to report regularly to the police and prevent him from associating with more than one person at any time, including family members.

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