Islam and Civil Society in South Africa

Abstract

Somehow, apartheid brought with it unexpected benefits, such as the formation of an effective civil society. In addition to the fact that South Africa currently enjoys a preferential status in the international community, over the decades state-driven apartheid was resisted by a strong civil society and mass-based organizations. There may be some validity to the argument that since the inception of a peaceful transition to democracy, community-based organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and others have somewhat receded from the scene and, in so doing, have weakened civil society. Yet it would be incorrect to say that the new state dominates the postapartheid society. It was to explore the dynamics of the Muslim role in civil society that the UNISA conference was convened. Several speakers reflected on the experience of civil society in the Muslim world (John Esposito), Sudan (John Voll), Tunisia (Rashid al-Ghanushi), and Africa in general (Ali Mazrui). All together, some twenty-three papers dealing with various aspects of South African civil society were presented. Issues related to gender discourse in Islam (Amina WadudMuhsin), culture and conflict (Richard Martin), and interpreting Islam in a postmodern world (Tamara Sonn) were also discussed. The conference discussion was often lively, largely due to the attendance of more than two hundred people for three days. While this format facilitated general public participation, it also inhibited a ...