South African Muslims: a model for the rest?

Farish A Noor

The Muslim struggle to uphold the image and status of Islam and their culture, history and values can only be guaranteed in the context of a broader struggle for an open, plural and democratic society. If they want to protect things like Islamic schools and their language, they will have to fight in the arena of mainstream politics, and not in some quiet sectarian or communitarian ghetto

Over the years I have travelled to practically every corner of the Muslim world, looking at the state of Muslim affairs and the repercussions of the ‘war on terror’ for the image of Muslims and Islam worldwide. This week I found myself in South Africa, as part of the Tarbiyyah (training) programme organised by the South African Muslim Youth Movement, and was pleasantly surprised to discover a situation that I was hitherto ignorant of.

Comparing the situation in South Africa with the European countries I have lived in and am more familiar with, my initial impression is that the Muslims of South Africa are relatively insulated and protected from the Islamophobia and racism that have swept the rest of the globe. In the streets of Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, I came across bearded Muslim men clad in shalwar-khameezes and Muslim women with headscarves and long robes, at ease in their surroundings and not having to apologise for being Muslim. Muslims live and work in public spaces alongside their South African counterparts without having to explain their faith or having to apologise for the actions of irrational militant Muslims elsewhere in the world: they are South African Muslims and proud of it.

So how and why have the Muslims of South Africa been insulated from the wave of discrimination and prejudice elsewhere? The answer lies in the historical circumstances of the South African Muslims themselves; the way they came to the country and the part they have played in its history.

Unlike Muslim migrants of Europe, who came mostly in the post-war reconstruction years of the 1950s and 60s, South African Muslims have been there for at least 300 years, coming along with the tide of European migrants who colonised the land in the first place. Thus Muslims are and have always been seen as a natural part of the South African social landscape and cannot be seen as ‘new’ migrants. Furthermore it should be noted that during the apartheid era a small though visible and vocal group of these Muslims played an active role in the anti-apartheid struggle, thus ensuring not only their stake in the society but also their place and role in the future.

Though not all Muslims supported the anti-apartheid struggle (indeed, quite a number of conservative Muslims then argued that apartheid was not primarily a bane or burden upon Muslims and they should have remained docile citizens instead) the committed effort of the small but important section of Muslim activists in the anti-apartheid cause guaranteed that in the post-apartheid society that followed Muslims would not be marginalised or condemned as collaborators with the old regime. Though these progressive-minded activists and reformists were vilified then, they are regarded by the present generation of post-apartheid Muslims as role models and heroes.

Today, as South Africans struggle to develop a society that rejects all traces of the racist apartheid past, Muslims remain a visible element and agent in the public debate and civil society arena. What does this teach us, particularly Muslims who live as minorities in places such as Europe, North America, India and the rest of Asia?

For a start it shows that the struggle of Muslims to uphold the image and status of Islam and their culture, history and values can only be guaranteed in the context of a broader struggle for an open, plural and democratic society. It shows that if Muslims want to protect the things that matter to them — such as Islamic schools, their language and culture, etc — they will have to fight this struggle in the broader arena of mainstream national politics, and not in some quiet sectarian or communitarian ghetto of their own making.

This is particularly important for Muslims living as minorities in places like Europe and North America today, where Islamophobia is on the increase. As shown in the recent riots in France (as well as the anti-Arab riots in Sydney), Muslims are not only marginalised in their societies, they are also on the defensive and often treated with suspicion. The failure of so many Muslim minority communities has been on account of walking into the trap of a narrow and exclusive communitarian politics of minority concern, where Muslims only speak up when they feel their particular circumstances threatened.

This is why, for instance, the voice of Muslims is most often heard when they call for things like Islamic schools and respect for Muslim symbols like the hijab. How often have Muslims fought for things like clean water, sanitation, better public education and housing for all members of their community, including non-Muslims who may be their neighbours? Muslims are happy signing a petition calling for the building of a new mosque or new madrassa around the corner, but will they sign a petition for better traffic lights, a new park or playground, a new creche for the children of the neighbourhood? Or are these concerns irrelevant to Muslims who think of these as nor ‘Islamic’ and therefore alien?

It is hard, even painful, for some of us to admit this but the truth is that racism begets racism and often the victims of racism end up internalising the modes of discrimination and ‘othering’ themselves. Europe’s Muslim minority may feel themselves to be the victims of both state and social prejudice, but in the light of contemporary developments they have no choice but to struggle for their rights in the context of mainstream society and to work themselves into the institutions of the state, higher education, media and commerce. A retreat to communitarian exclusivism is not only counter-productive in the short run, but in the long term they may well spell their doom in these societies.

For that reason we all need to look at the South African situation with a keener eye. While the history of South Africa’s Muslims in a complex one, replete with its own share of heroes and villains, in many respects it is a success story. It is a story of how a religious minority fought and defended its rights and maintained its place in the country’s history and future by staying in the middle of the playing field and not allowing itself to fall victims to despondency or defeatism. It is a story of how political success — not only for Muslims but also for all of South African society, regardless of race and religion — was gained by keeping their eyes on the prize. For their sake, Muslim minorities all over the world should never give up and run to their ghettos.

Dr Farish A Noor is a Malaysian political scientist and human rights activist, based at the Zentrum Moderner Orient (ZMO), Berlin