Religion

The Final Frontier of the Rainbow Nation

Bibliographic Data

ID20487495
AuthorsLee-Shae S Scharnick-Udemans (0000-0001-7491-9309, University of the Western Cape, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume27
Issue3-4
Pages250-274
Publication date2020-12-08
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligion and Theology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1023-0807 • E-ISSN: 1574-3012
PublisherWalter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1163/15743012-02703005
OpenAlexW3112098577
LanguageEN
References cited6

This article assesses the ways in which religious diversity and religious pluralism are asserted and negotiated within the context of contemporary South Africa through scrutinising the Christian Friendly Products campaign which advocates against the ubiquity of the halaal food symbol and halaal food in South Africa. Halaal is an Islamic term, which refers to food products that are ritually permissible for consumption by Muslims. The campaign claims that the visible presence of halaal food in public spaces undermines the rights of Christian consumers, is an affront to the beliefs of Christians, and is a presage to the impending Islamisation of South Africa. In claiming that religion is the final frontier of the rainbow nation, this article argues that the myth of rainbowism, once wielded as a peacemaking gesture and nation building tool, has projected inaccurate representations of religious coexistence and difference in South Africa that obscure and minimise growing religious conflict and tension

Environmental ethics · Epistemology · Frontier · History of religions · Islam · Mythology · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Religious violence · Sociology · Gender Studies · Global Maritime and Colonial Histories · Halal products and consumer behavior · History · Law · Philosophy · Religion, Society, and Development · Religious studies

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