Islam in the Public Sphere in Post-Apartheid South Africa
Prospects and Challenges
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19377696 |
|---|---|
| Authors | G Vahed (0000-0002-6038-2616, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2007 |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2007-11-16 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal for Islamic Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0257-7062 • E-ISSN: 0257-7062 |
| Publisher | Unisa Press (PUBLISHER • ZA) |
| DOI | 10.4314/jis.v27i1.39932 |
| OpenAlex | W2020561318 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 14 |
The Islamic presence in South Africa dates over three centuries. Islam has mostly been the private affair of Muslims who lived in harmony with non-Muslims in “Indian” or “Coloured” public spaces, and engaged with them in political struggles against various White minority regimes. Islam has been brought into the national public sphere more manifestly in democratic South Africa. The activities of the vigilante group People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (PAGAD) in the Western Cape, 9/11 and the “War on Terror”, and heightened salience of Islam as a religious and cultural force in the lives of ordinary Muslims have increased its public visibility to a level disproportionate to population numbers. The veil, beard, dress are all visible denoters of Muslims identity. Boundaries are being (re)constructed around various points of contact: between men and women, Muslims and non-Muslims, Muslims and the state, Islam and secularism, and so on. This drawing of boundaries is not a movement of protest but one aimed at reinforcing religiocultural identity as part of a broader process of religious revival. This paper explores the intense exposure and reaction of the small Muslim community to the public gaze. It also examines divisions among Muslims on a range of issues, calling into question the notion of “Muslim community”. Journal for Islamic Studies Vol. 27 2007: pp. 116-149
Democracy · Islam · Media studies · Political science · Politics · Population · Public sphere · Religiosity · Religious identity · Secularism · Sociology · Gender Studies · History · Law · Legal Issues in South Africa
An ‘Imagined Community’ in diaspora
Modes of (in)tolerance
Christianity and Secularisation in South Africa
Veiled or veiling? – Turning back the gaze on the Western feminist. Understanding hijab from the socio-culturally located positions of knowing
Advancing Gender Equality in Muslim Leadership
Transnational Islam and Public Sphere Dynamics in Kwazulu-Natal
Decolonizing the hijab
Rethinking recognition in Muslim diasporic writing. From an “ethics of responsibility” in The Reluctant Fundamentalist to an “ethics of dispersion” in The Silent Minaret
Reimagining Muslim Women Through the Prism of Minor Diasporic and National Literatures
Religious Freedom Within a Liberal Constitution
The Emergence of Islamic Liberation Theology in South Africa
O You who Believe, Eat of the Tayyibāt (pure and wholesome food) that We Have Provided You'-Producing Risk, Expertise and Certified Halal Consumption in South Africa
Public spheres, hidden politics and struggles over space
Islam, secularist government, and state-civil society interaction in Mozambique and South Africa since 1994
| Citations per year | 0.82 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2009 - 2025 (17) |
| Highly cited | No |