Arabic and Islamic Studies in South Africa

Abstract

Introduction The field of Arabic and Islamic studies in South Africa remains, with few exceptions, virgin territory. This applies both to Islam within the country itself as well as to the field of research on Arabic and Islamic topics in general. Very few scholars, Muslims or otherwise, have produced scholarly articles or books on these and other related topics. As one who is familiar with the South African scene, it is my opinion that there are several reasons for this lack of interest: the official policy of apartheid, the lack of funds and subsequent job opportunities for graduates, and the lack of qualified university personnel who can guide students wishing to pursue such research, to name just a few. This paper is being presented in an attempt to inform the Muslim world at large about the difficulties facing South African Muslim researchers in their academic quest for knowledge of their past as well as their own particular larger concerns. It opens with a brief historical statement about the beginning of Islam in South Africa and then moves on to the main portions: the development of Arabic and Islamic studies in South Africa, the institutions and people involved, and some of the literature which has been produced. Muslim Educational Efforts in South Africa Before focusing on Arabic and Islamic studies research, there is a need to sketch, albeit briefly, the historical development of Muslim educational institutions in South Africa. The pre-Tuan Guru (d. 1807) (Lubbe 1985) era was characterized by the existence of a number of home-based madiiris (schools) which provided a basic knowledge of Islam to the Muslims as well as to the slaves (Ajam 1985; Shell 1984). This system began with the arrival of the first Muslims to the Cape area in the mid-seventeenth century (Shell 1974). With the appearance of the first mosque, which was actually called the Awwal Mosque, in the Cape by Tuan Guru in 1795 (Davids 1980), this educational activity was gradually shifted from the home to the mosque, which soon became the central meeting place of the Muslims. The number of mosques slowly increased after the British supplanted the Dutch as the colonial masters and granted religious freedom to all religious groups in 1804 ...