Islam and Civil Society in South Africa

Abstract

Somehow, apartheid brought with it unexpected benefits, such asthe formation of an effective civil society. In addition to the fact thatSouth Africa currently enjoys a preferential status in the internationalcommunity, over the decades state-driven apartheid was resisted by astrong civil society and mass-based organizations. There may be somevalidity to the argument that since the inception of a peaceful transitionto democracy, community-based organizations, nongovernmentalorganizations, and others have somewhat receded from thescene and, in so doing, have weakened civil society. Yet it would beincorrect to say that the new state dominates the postapartheid society.It was to explore the dynamics of the Muslim role in civil societythat the UNISA conference was convened. Several speakers reflectedon the experience of civil society in the Muslim world (JohnEsposito), Sudan (John Voll), Tunisia (Rashid al-Ghanushi), andAfrica in general (Ali Mazrui). All together, some twenty-three papersdealing with various aspects of South African civil society werepresented. Issues related to gender discourse in Islam (Amina WadudMuhsin),culture and conflict (Richard Martin), and interpreting Islamin a postmodern world (Tamara Sonn) were also discussed.The conference discussion was often lively, largely due to theattendance of more than two hundred people for three days. Whilethis format facilitated general public participation, it also inhibited a ...