Negotiating Faith

Education Among Muslims in South Africa

Autor/innen

  • Goolam Vahed University of KwaZulu-Natal

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20377/rpb-2005

Schlagworte:

Islamisierung, Religionspolitik im Bildungswesen, demokratische Staatsbürgerschaft, Darul Uloom, Madrassas, Deobandi-Bildung, Islamische Privatschulen

Abstract

Diese Untersuchung ordnet die muslimischen Religionserziehung in Südafrika in den historischen Entwicklungskontext ein und identifiziert zentrale Spannungsfelder und Herausforderungen. Die muslimischen Südafrikaner bilden eine heterogene Gemeinschaft, die durch unterschiedliche historische Entwicklungen und theologische Ausrichtungen geprägt ist und in der die Folgen von Rassenklassifizierung, Klassenungleichheit und räumlicher Segregation nachwirken. Auf der Grundlage qualitativer Forschung untersucht dieser Artikel die Bandbreite an Bildungseinrichtungen, nämlich traditionelle Madrasas, islamische Privatschulen, Darul Ulooms (theologische Seminare), private Akademien, akademische Programme an Hochschulen sowie Online-Angebote. Die zunehmende Verbreitung religiöser Bildung fällt mit einer Zeit zusammen, in der der Islam im Leben vieler muslimischer Südafrikaner an Sichtbarkeit und Bedeutung gewonnen hat. Diese Einrichtungen weisen erhebliche Mängel auf, insbesondere hinsichtlich der Relevanz ihrer Lehrpläne und pädagogischen Ansätze. Allgemeiner betrachtet werfen sie eine grundlegende Frage auf: Lässt sich die Vermittlung einer einzigen, exklusiven religiösen Tradition – die auf die Stärkung der religiösen Identität abzielt – mit dem Ziel vereinbaren, in einer kulturell und religiös pluralistischen Gesellschaft eine inklusive demokratische Bürgerschaft zu fördern?

Literaturhinweise

Adam, S. A. (2004). Association of Muslim schools (AMS): The need and relevance for the establishment of Muslim private schools in South Africa [unpublished master's dissertation]. University of KwaZu-lu-Natal.

Ahmed, S., & Sukdaven, M. (2021). Application of themes from Al-Mawwaq’s work in reforming the Deoband curriculum in Islamic education in the South African Darul Ulooms. HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies, 77(4), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v77i4.6673

Cawood, A. R. (2018). Religion, solidarity and identity: A comparative study of four South African schools with a religious affiliation [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of Cape Town. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/28430

Chidester, D. (2003). Religion education in South Africa: Teaching and learning about religion, reli-gions, and religious diversity. British Journal of Religious Education, 25(4), 261–278. https://doi.org/10.1080/0141620030250402

da Costa, Y., & Davids, A. (1994). Pages from Cape Muslim history. Naqshbandi Muhammadi.

Dangor, S. (2021). Islamic Studies at UKZN: Personal reflections. Journal for Islamic Studies, 39(1), 119–139.

Dangor, S., & Vahed, G. (2025). Department of Islamic Studies. In S. Badat & G. Vahed (Eds.), Uni-versity of Durban-Westville 1961–2003: Undoing apartheid, building a non-racial culture (pp. 465–485). University of KwaZulu-Natal Press.

Davids, N. (2019). Muslim education in democratic South Africa: Convergence or divergence of religion and citizenship? Journal of Education in Muslim Societies, 1(1), 44–59. https://doi.org/10.2979/jems.1.1.04

Davids, N., & Waghid, Y. (2021). Muslim schooling in South Africa and the need for an educational crisis? Educational Philosophy and Theory, 53(14), 1509–1519. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131857.2020.1867109

Dawood, M. (2011, June 6). Interview by Fatima Asmal. Copy of transcript provided to the author by Dawood and Asmal.

Fataar, A. (2003). Muslim community schools in Cape Town: Exemplifying adaptation to the demo-cratic landscape. Annual Review of Islam in South Africa, 6, 1–7.

Fataar, A. (2005). Discourse, differentiation, and agency: Muslim community schools in postapart-heid Cape Town. Comparative Education Review, 49(1), 23–44. https://doi.org/10.1086/426159

Fataar, A. (2019). Searching for Islamic ethical agency in post-apartheid Cape Town: An anthology. Afri-can Sun Media.

Fauhatun, F. (2025). Farid Esack’s Hermeneutics and the contextualization of religious texts: A re-sponse to social inequality. Islamic Thought Review, 3(1), 31–43. https://doi.org/10.30983/itr.v3i1.8684

Haron, M. (2009). Emerging and challenging voices in the House of Islam: South Africa’s “African” Muslims. American Journal of Islam and Society, 26(3), 56–85. https://doi.org/10.35632/ajis.v26i3.384

Haron, M. (2014). South Africa’s institutions of higher learning: Their “Study of Islam” programs. American Journal of Islam and Society, 31(3), 50–69. https://doi.org/10.35632/ajis.v31i3.284

Hefner, R. W., & Zaman, M. Q. (2007). Schooling Islam: The culture and politics of modern Muslim edu-cation. Princeton University Press.

Hoel, N. (2013). Sexualising the sacred, sacralising sexuality: An analysis of public responses to Mus-lim women's religious leadership in the context of a Cape Town mosque. Journal for the Study of Religion, 26(2), 26–41. http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1011-76012013000100003&lng=en&tlng=en

Hoel, N. (2016). Exploring women’s madrasahs in South Africa: Implications for the construction of Muslim personhood and religious literacy. Religious Education, 111(1), 30–48. https://doi.org/10.1080/00344087.2016.1124011

Inal, A. (2020). The manifestation of Fethullah Gülen’s educational philosophy in Horizon Educational Trust schools in South Africa [unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of the Free State.

Jeppie, S. (1987). I. D. du Plessis and the re-invention of the ‘Malay’ [unpublished honours thesis]. Uni-versity of Cape Town.

Jeppie, S. (2007). Language, identity, modernity: The Arabic Study Circle of Durban. HSRC Press.

Kader, B. F. (2022). Promoting women’s rights in Islam: The role of female madrasah teachers in the eco-nomic and social empowerment of Indian Muslim girls [unpublished master’s dissertation]. Universi-ty of the Witwatersrand.

McDonald, Z. (2013). Expressing post-secular citizenship: A sociological exposition of Islamic education in South Africa [unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of Johannesburg.

McDonald, Z. (2023). Women generating, reproducing and disseminating texts in a Deobandi mad-rasa in South Africa. HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies, 79(1), 8 pages. https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v79i1.7750

Medar, A. S. (1987). Arabic as educational Muslim content in South African context: A pedagogical survey and evaluation with special reference to secondary schools [unpublished master’s dissertation]. Uni-versity of South Africa.

Metcalf, B. (1978). The madrasa at Deoband: A model for religious education in modern In-dia. Modern Asian Studies, 12(1), 111–134. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0026749x00008179

Mohamed, Y. (2021). Three pedagogical approaches to higher Islamic education in South Africa. Hikma, 12, 26–36. https://doi.org/10.13109/hikm.2021.12.1.26

Moosa, E. (2015). What is a madrasa? Edinburgh University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781474401753

Naidoo, M. (2011). Citizenship education, religion and religious identity in public schooling in South Africa. Theologia Viatorum: Journal of Theology and Religion in Africa, 35(1), 28–60. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/11778

Nogueira-Godsey, E. (2016). Recent observations on religion education in South Africa. British Jour-nal of Religious Education, 38(3), 229–235. https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2016.1205847

Ntho-Ntho, A. M., & Nieuwenhuis, J. (2016). Religion in education policy in South Africa: A chal-lenge of change. British Journal of Religious Education, 38(3), 236–248. https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2014.984583

Okawa, R. (2021). The religious others in the Qur’ān and conversion: Farid Esack on pluralism and Reza Shah-Kazemi on interfaith dialogue. Australian Journal of Islamic Studies, 6(3), 36–55. https://doi.org/10.55831/ajis.v6i3.365

Omar, I. (2012, November 24). The molvi and the moron. This communication went viral via WhatsApp and email. The author has a copy in his possession.

Sanyal, U. (2012). Ahmad Riza Khan Barelwi: In the path of the Prophet. Oneworld Academic.

Sayed, M. K. (2010). Shifting of the world of South African madrasahs, 1973–2008 [unpublished mas-ter’s dissertation]. University of Cape Town.

Shaikh, S., & Seedat, F. (2022). The women’s khutbah book: Contemporary sermons on spirituality and justice from around the world. Yale University Press. https://doi.org/10.12987/9780300269031

Sitoto, T. (2017, January 24). Interviewed by Goolam Vahed.

Soweto Muslim Association (2025, October 17). Islam, race, identity & the indigenous voice: A conversa-tion with Dr Tãhir Fuzile Sitoto. YouTube (Minute 41:48-42:25). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv7cPk96r3c&t=2808s

Stats SA (2025). Mid-year population estimates 2025. Statistical release PO302. https://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0302/P03022025.pdf

Tayob, A. (1999). Islam in South Africa: Mosques, imams and sermons. University of South Florida Press.

Tayob, A. (2011). Islam and democracy in South Africa. Focus: The Journal of the Helen Suzman Foun-dation, 62, 20–24.

Tayob, A. (2018). The representation of religion in religion education: Notes from the South African periphery. Education Sciences, 8(3), 76–87. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci8030146

Vahed, G. (2000). Changing Islamic traditions and emerging identities in South Africa. Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, 20(1), 43–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/13602000050008898

Vahed, G. (2003). Contesting “Orthodoxy”: The Tablighi-Sunni conflict among South African Mus-lims in the 1970s and 1980s. Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, 23(2), 313–334. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360200032000139956

Vahed, G. (2006). “Unhappily torn by dissensions and litigations”: Durban’s `Memon’ Mosque, 1880-1930. Journal of Religion in Africa, 36(1), 23–49. https://doi.org/10.1163/157006606775569631

Vahed, G., & Bhana, S. (2015). Crossing space and time in the Indian Ocean: Early Indian traders in Natal -- A biographical study. UNISA Press.

Vahed, G., & Waetjen, T. (2015). Schooling Muslims in Natal: Identity, state and the Orient Islamic Edu-cational Institute. University of KwaZulu-Natal Press.

Waghid, Y. (2009). Education and madrassahs in South Africa: On preventing the possibility of ex-tremism. British Journal of Religious Education, 31(2), 117–128. https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200802661142

Downloads

Veröffentlicht

2026-07-21

Zitationsvorschlag

Vahed, G. (2026) „Negotiating Faith: Education Among Muslims in South Africa“, Religionspädagogische Beiträge, S. 1–19. doi: 10.20377/rpb-2005.

Ausgabe

Rubrik

Artikel