Nonetheless,
mawlid and `urs are regularly commemorated throughout
the country and the ijtima' (the gathering of followers of the tabligh
jama`at) is held annually in the major centers of South Africa.
The Natal Muslim Council was established in 1943 to co-ordinate
existing educational and social organizations. More recently, Muslim
legal, accounting and medical practitioners have established
professional organizations which host conferences and workshops;
publish articles, journals, and booklets; and arrange training and
development programs for their members.
Natal
coast Muslims — mainly of the trading class — moved to the
Transvaal and started small business enterprises — primarily retail
shops — in virtually every town in the province. Each town soon had
its own mosque and madrasah; these became the focal points of
Islamic activity. In larger towns and cities, families and communities
established trusts to cater for the needs of their members.
Propagation
of Islam by Muslim individuals and organizations, such as the
well-known Islamic Propagation Centre in Durban, have met with
relatively limited success. Converts (or "reverts") to Islam
number in the tens of thousands at the most and constitute a
significantly small minority of the overall Muslim population of South
Africa. The effort at conversion by recent Muslim immigrants from
African states is a new phenomenon. The success rate of propagation by
non-South Africans is unknown at this stage.
A
number of white families in Johannesburg embraced Islam through the
efforts of people like Abdur-Rahman Wright, the founder and president
of the Dawah movement and The God-Conscious Society. Elsewhere in the
country, white individuals joined the fold of Islam as a result of
marriage to a Muslim, due to their impression with the Islamic
lifestyle, or through the influence of Islamic literature.
Islam
in South Africa was consolidated further in the 20th century through
the establishment of numerous non-governmental organizations, which
provide the following services:
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Islamic Propagation Centre International, Durban
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Muslims
have contributed to national development and social relief through
establishing schools and health-care clinics for the general
population in under-serviced areas, and providing financial and
material contribution to the victims of flood, drought,
unemployment, etc. They have donated generously to universities and
technikons. More recently, Muslims have initiated skills development
programs for the majority African population.
There
are no less than 400 mosques and 400 Muslim organizations in
South Africa. |
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There
are no less than 400 mosques and 400 Muslim organizations in South
Africa (Davids). While commercial enterprises, social welfare and
relief organizations provide a valuable service to the communities
in which they operate, the media and educational institutions have
been the prime shapers of opinion in addition to the mosques.
The
dar al-`ulum and Muslim private schools play a major role in
shaping the attitudes, views, and perceptions of Muslim youth. In
recent years, the media, too, has begun to impact on Muslim society
on a fairly substantial scale. Newspapers range from the very
traditionalist to the modernist. Two radio stations serve the
Western Cape and three the Gauteng region. The Kwazulu-Natal region
has no permanent Muslim radio station.
After
the 1994 elections in South Africa, thousands of immigrants arrived
in the country mainly from African and Asian countries. Among them
is a fair proportion of Muslims from India and Pakistan, as well as
from over twenty states in Africa — chiefly Senegal, Malawi, and
Nigeria. The African Muslims in particular have added a new
dimension to Islam in South Africa — in respect of sufi
practices, e.g., the annual Magal of the followers of Shaykh Ahmad
Bamba of Senegal.
Religious
Disputes
The
Hanafi, Shafi`i and Maliki madhhabs (schools of
jurisprudence) are represented in South Africa. The first recorded
dispute was that between the Hanafi and Shafi`i madhhabs at
the Cape after the arrival of Abu Bakr Effendi.
His
founding of the Ottoman Theological School, which propounded the
teachings of the Hanafi madhhab within an almost exclusively
Shafi`i population, was destined to lead to conflict between the
minority followers of the Hanafi and majority followers of the
Shafi`i madhhab.
In
the 1980's, the attempt by the small Qadiani community at the Cape
to be recognized as Muslims culminated in a court case. This ended
in a deadlock when their antagonists withdrew from the case on the
grounds that a non-Muslim judge was not competent to decide on an
issue involving the definition of a Muslim. The majority of South
African Muslims does not accept the Qadianis as Muslims.
More
recently, theological differences between followers of the Deobandi
school of thought and the Barelwi school led to verbal disputes,
"pamphlet wars," and even isolated cases of violence. The
former adhere to a more orthodox form of Islam; the latter indulge
in innovative practices that they regard as meritorious.
Muslims
ensured that their children received Islamic education by
establishing madrasahs. |
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The
advent of the Shiites in South Africa post 1994 is viewed as
a new challenge mainly by the `ulama, apprehensive of Shiite
influence on the Sunni majority. The fact that the Shiites have
succeeded in "converting" a small number of Sunni Muslims
has added to this apprehension.
has
led to the formation of the United Ulama Council which includes both
these groups, as well as the Cape-based Interestingly, the fact that
both the Deobandi and Barelwi schools are opposed to Shiite doctrines
has served to deflect their hostility to each other and unite them
in their opposition to the Shiites. Their common interest in
the recognition of Muslim Personal Law by the state Muslim Judicial
Council.
The
Hajj and Umrah Council is another forum where representatives of the
two groups share common concerns in relation to the welfare of
pilgrims. Nonetheless, recent disputes concerning the certification
of halal products by the South African National Halal
Authority are being manipulated to create division between the two
groups.
Education
The
early Muslims at the Cape as well in Natal and the Transvaal were
deprived of formal education. The first schools that provided
education to the "non-Whites" — which included the
majority of Muslims — were provided by missionaries. Later,
Muslims established secular schools at their own expense. It was
only in the middle of the 20th Century that the state began
providing education to all its citizens.
Nonetheless,
Muslims ensured that their children received Islamic education by
establishing madrasahs. These exist independently of the
state school system and are attended in the afternoons — after the
normal schooling hours. Several dar al-`ulum have been
established throughout the country, most of them for males but also
a few for females. These reflect the Deobandi-Barelwi divide in
their theological orientation. More recently, many private Muslim
schools have been established in South Africa. While most are
co-educational, a few cater for girls only. The majority of Muslim
children, however, attend public or state schools.
