islam in South Africa

Information about islam in South Africa

Part of a series on
Islam by country
Islam in Africa
Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Comoros Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Cte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda So Tom and Prncipe Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Western Sahara (Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic) Zambia Zimbabwe
Islam in Asia
Afghanistan Armenia Azerbaijan Bahrain Bangladesh Bhutan Brunei Cambodia China (Hong Kong Macau) Taiwan Cyprus East Timor Georgia India Indonesia Iran Iraq Israel Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Korea (North Korea South Korea) Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Lebanon Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Myanmar Nepal Oman Pakistan Philippines Qatar Russia Saudi Arabia Singapore Sri Lanka Syria Tajikistan Thailand Turkey Turkmenistan United Arab Emirates Uzbekistan Vietnam Yemen
Islam in Europe
Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kazakhstan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Republic of Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Scotland Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom
Islam in North America and Islam in South America
Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Guyana Panama Paraguay Peru Suriname Trinidad and Tobago Uruguay Venezuela Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States
Islam in Oceania
Australia
Australia Norfolk Island Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Melanesia
East Timor Fiji New Caledonia Papua New Guinea Solomon Islands Vanuatu Micronesia
Guam Kiribati Marshall Islands Northern Mariana Islands Federated States of Micronesia Nauru Palau Polynesia
American Samoa Cook Islands French Polynesia New Zealand Niue Pitcairn Samoa Tokelau Tonga Tuvalu Wallis and Futuna

This box:  •  • [ edit]

Islam in South Africa predates the colonial period, and consisted of isolated contact with Arab and East African traders. Many South African Muslims are described as Coloureds, notably in the Western Cape, including those whose ancestors came as slaves from the Indonesian archipelago (the Cape Malays). Others are described as Indians, notably in Kwazulu-Natal, including those whose ancestors came as traders from South Asia; they have been joined by others from other parts of Africa as well as white or black South African converts. However, the current Muslim tradition in the country dates from the arrival of Sheikh Abdurahman Matebe Shah, a Malay sheikh from Sumatra, in 1668.[1][2]

It is estimated that Islam is the largest religion of conversion in South Africa.[3]

History

Sheikh Abdurahman Matebe Shah was exiled to Constantia, Cape Town in the Cape by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) following his resistance to the Dutch occupation of the East Indies. The sheikh used his exile to consolidate the teaching of Islam among slaves in the Cape, many of whom came from Muslim backgrounds in Malaysia and Bengal.[1]

The VOC period

During the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century the Dutch continued to exile Muslim leaders from Batavia to the Cape: they included Sheikh Yusuf of Bantam, who lived at Faure in Cape Town. Probably the first imam to live in Cape Town was Said Alochie of Mocha in Yemen, who was sentenced to work on Robben Island for ten years in 1747. Said Alochie later moved to Cape Town where he worked as a police constable - an occupation which gave him ample opportunities for visiting slave quarters at night to teach. In 1767 Prince Abdullah Kadi Abu Salaam of Tidore was exiled to the Cape. He wrote a copy of the Quran from memory, and the volume is still preserved in Cape Town; Abdullah assumed leadership of the community in Cape Town and became known as "Tuan Guru". In 1799 the growth of the community encouraged Cape Town's Muslims to petition the VOC for permission to build a mosque.

After apartheid

Since South Africa became a democracy in 1994, there has been a growing number of Muslim migrants from South Asia and North Africa; however, their numbers are fairly low. Most of the Muslims are urban dwellers and thus live in or near Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, East London, Kimberley, Pretoria or Johannesburg.

Political parties

When the first democratic elections took place in April 1994 two Muslim parties emerged, the Africa Muslim Party and the Islamic Party. The AMP contested the National Assembly as well as the provincial legislature and the IP contested only the Western Cape provincial legislature. Neither party was able to secure seats in either legislature.

No representative Muslim party contested the 1999 elections.

The 2004 elections were contested by the AMP and the Peace and Justice Congress, again without success.[4]

Organisations

Besides political parties, a number of Islamic organisations operate in South Africa, looking after various aspects of Muslim life. Major organisations include the Muslim Judicial Council, whose activities include the provision of Halaal certification of food. The South African Hajj and Umrah Council (SAHUC) looks after the needs of South Africa's pilgrims and is responsible for the issuing of Hajj permits. There exist many other local organisations that look after the interests of their communities.

Organisations such as PAGAD have received attention for using violent means to police community issues such as the scourge of gangsterism and drugs.

Prominent Muslims

Prominent Muslims are found in many spheres of South African life, notably in politics where they are represented at all forms of government.

Members of the Cabinet include Naledi Pandor, Minister of Education and her deputy, Enver Surty. Essop Pahad is the Minister without Portfolio, while his brother Aziz Pahad is the deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Former Ministers include Kader Asmal (Education) and Dullah Omar (Justice, Transport).

In addition to Cabinet ministers, there are a number of Members of Parliament as well as councillors in the various provinces. The Western Cape premier, Ebrahim Rasool, is Muslim.

In sport, the most prominent South African Muslim is Test cricketer Hashim Amla.

Schools of Islam

Most South African Muslims are members of the Sunni branch of Islam; there are however a small number of individuals who had converted to the Shi'a school.

References

1. ^ Klein Constantia: Sheikh Abdurahman Matebe Shah. ThinkQuest. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
2. ^ Klein Constantia - History. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
3. ^ Nicole Itano (2002-01-10). In South Africa, many blacks convert to Islam. Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
4. ^ Manuel Álvarez-Rivera. General Elections in the Republic of South Africa. Election Resources on the Internet. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
  • Giliomee, H. (1979). The Shaping of South African Society 1652-1820. Longman. ISBN 0-582-64687-1. 

Further reading

 •  • [ e]
Islam in Africa
Sovereign statesAlgeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Comoros Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Cte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda So Tom and Prncipe Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe
Dependencies and
other territories		Canary Islands Ceuta Mayotte Melilla Puntland Runion St. Helena Socotra Somaliland Western Sahara
 •  • [ e]
South African topics
HistoryCape Colony Orange Free State The Transvaal Apartheid Foreign relations Nuclear programme
GeographyTowns Cities National parks Postal codes Telephone codes
PoliticsConstitution Political parties Elections Provinces Municipalities Military Police
CultureLanguage Art Cinema Cuisine Islam Literature Music Poets Public holidays Sport Television (TV series)  Scouts
Other topicsNotable South Africans HIV/AIDS Communications Transport Companies
Muslims by country.

Important note: Population counts by religious affiliation, like most demographic characteristics of a population, are based upon statistical science and subject to observational error and are technically referred to as estimates.
..... Click the link for more information.
Islam in Africa
Region Total Population Muslims % Muslim % of Muslim total
Central Africa 83,121,055 12,582,592 15.138% 0.852%
East Africa 193,741,900 66,381,242 34.263% 4.497%
North Africa 202,151,323 180,082,076 89.083% 12.
..... Click the link for more information.


Islam, the religion of almost all of the Algerian people, pervades most aspects of life. The vast majority of citizens are Sunni Muslims.
..... Click the link for more information.
Islam in Angola is a minority religion with 1 to 2.5% of the population identifying as Muslim. The Association of the Development of Islam in Angola is the primary proselytizing organization. Muslim Angolans are represented by the Supreme Council of Angolan Muslims of Luanda.
..... Click the link for more information.
Islam was brought to Benin from the north by Arab, Hausa, and Songhai-Dendi traders. Benin's Muslim population is concentrated in the north of the country, though extends as far souh as Djougou and even into traditionally Yoruba areas.
..... Click the link for more information.
Islam in Botswana is not well established and is only 2-3 percent of the population. Of those 2-3 percent, the vast majority are from the Indian subcontinent. Several Muslim agencies in Botswana have publicly expressed concern about Islamophobia in the local media, but its
..... Click the link for more information.
Islam in Burkina Faso (Upper Volta) has a long and varied history. As of today, the population of the country is 55 percent Muslim, representing about 7,658,922 individuals.
..... Click the link for more information.
Muslims in Burundi are officially around 1% of the total population, though Muslim Burundians estimate the figure to be closer to 8-10%. The CIA World Factbook also puts the figure at 10%. [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/by.
..... Click the link for more information.
Muslims comprise roughly 16 percent of Cameroon's 13.1 million inhabitants. The Fulani, a pastoral nomadic group, spread Islam in early 19th century West Africa largely through commercial activity and Sufi brotherhoods (Qadiri and Tijani).
..... Click the link for more information.
According to the U.S. State Department International Religious Freedom Report 2006, there is a small Muslim community in Cape Verde. [1]

Notes

1. ^ www.state.

..... Click the link for more information.
Islam accounts for approximately 15% of the population of the Central African Republic, making it the second most followed organized religion in the country after Christianity (50%).
..... Click the link for more information.
The earliest Islamic presence in Chad can be traced back to the legendary Uqba ibn Nafi, whose descendants can be found settled in the Lake Chad region to this day.[1].
..... Click the link for more information.
According to the 2006 estimate by the U.S. Department of State, roughly 98% of the population in the Comoros are Muslim. Islam and its institutions have helped to integrate Comorian society and provide identification with a world beyond the islands' shores.
..... Click the link for more information.
Islam in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is not a recent phenomenon, as it has been present within the area since the 18th century, when Arab traders from East Africa pushed into the interior for slave-trading purposes.
..... Click the link for more information.
Islam spread to the Republic of the Congo from North Africa in the mid-19th century. [1] There is a growing Muslim community in the country, estimated at 2 percent of the population. In 2005 a large new mosque was constructed in Brazzaville.
..... Click the link for more information.
Islam in Djibouti has a long history, first appearing in East Africa during the lifetime of Muhammad. Today, 96 percent of Djibouti's 490,000 people are Sunni Muslims adhering largely to the Shafi legal tradition.
..... Click the link for more information.
Egypt is a republic with Islam as the state religion. Over 80% of Egyptians are Sunni Muslims[1], many of whom follow local Sufi orders, and a small number are Shi'a.
..... Click the link for more information.
Islam comprised less than 1 percent of the population of Equatorial Guinea.[1] Adherents.com, however, estimates that Muslims make up anywhere from 1% to 25% of the population.[2]

Notes

1. ^ State.gov
2.

..... Click the link for more information.
Islam in Eritrea is well established and accounts for approximately half of the religious population. The vast majority of non-Muslims in Eritrea are Orthodox Christians, they follow the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church.
..... Click the link for more information.
The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter.
Please help [ improve the introduction] to meet Wikipedia's layout standards.

..... Click the link for more information.
Approximately 12% of the population of Gabon practice Islam (of which 80 to 90 percent are foreigners).

Islamic, Catholic, and Protestant denominations operate primary and secondary schools in Gabon.
..... Click the link for more information.
Islam is the majority religion of The Gambia, with around 90% of the population being Muslims. However, some popular religions practices diverge from mainstream Islam, with a system of marabout societies being very common.
..... Click the link for more information.
The spread of Islam into West Africa, beginning with ancient Ghana in the ninth century, was mainly the result of the commercial activities of North African Muslims. The empires of both Mali and Songhai that followed ancient Ghana in the Western Sudan adopted the religion.
..... Click the link for more information.
2005 official statistics for Islam in Guinea estimate that 85% of Guinea's 7.8 million people are Muslim. Most are Sunnis who follow the Maliki legal tradition and Qadiri and Tijani Sufi orders. Although the French established a colony in 1891, their control of the region was weak.
..... Click the link for more information.
Islam is the predominate religion of Guinea-Bissau, numbering an estimated 38-45% of the roughly 1.4 million nationals as followers making it the largest religion of the country.
..... Click the link for more information.
Islam is the religion of approximately 10% of the Kenyan population, or approximately 3.4 million people[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ke.html#People]. The Kenyan coast is mostly populated by Muslims.
..... Click the link for more information.
According to Adherents , the Muslim population of Lesotho in 2000 was 1000 or 0.05% of the population.[1]

Notes

1. ^ http://www.adherents.com/adhloc/Wh_184.

..... Click the link for more information.
Islam in Liberia is widespread, with an estimated 20% of Liberians professing the religion. The vast majority of Liberian Muslims are Sunni, with only a few Lebanese being Shi'ites. The Ahmadiyya, whom most orthodox Muslims consider heretical, are also slightly represented.
..... Click the link for more information.
Most Libyans adhere to the Sunni branch of Islam, which provides both a spiritual guide for individuals and a keystone for government policy.
..... Click the link for more information.
Islam has been well-established in what is now known as Madagascar for centuries and today Muslims represent 7% of the population, or approximately 1.2 million Malagasy.

History

Settlement of Arabs


..... Click the link for more information.

This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia.org - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.