Contesting ‘Orthodoxy’: The Tablighi–Sunni conflict among South African muslims in the 1970s and 1980s

Abstract

Muslims constitute less than 3% of South Africa’s population. In a context where divisions of race, ethnicity and class predominated, schisms among South Africa’s Muslims have been largely overlooked in the country’s historiography. Notwithstanding the tendency of outsiders to view Muslims as a cultural and timeless whole, Islam has never functioned as an organic unity in South Africa. The most obvious distinction is between Indian and Malay Muslims with their different histories, cultures and traditions. Most Indian Muslims are confined to KwaZulu Natal and Gauteng, while the majority of Malays live in the Western Cape; there has consequently been little interaction. But deep differences also exist among Indian Muslims due to distinctions of locality, class, ethnicity and language. This paper briefly traces the genesis of these differences, with particular emphasis on the upsurge of conflict during the 1970s and 1980s as a result of attempts by reformist Islam to eradicate entrenched popular practices. The ensuing contestation of belief and practices led to significant transformation of identity among reformists as well as defenders of ‘tradition’ among South African Muslims.