July 31, 2005

South Africa

Last time I spoke to Abu Abdullah he said

"I love Britain. I am British."

but he also feared for the future of Muslims here and was thinking of moving to South Africa, as he heard that the Muslim community was organising quite successfully there and growing.

this is from Islamonline

In South Africa today, there are over 500 mosques, 408 educational institutes, colleges, Muslim private schools, religious instruction canters, and colleges of Islamic Sciences. Many universities offer Arabic and Islamic Studies as part of their academic curriculum. Muslims are involved in every profession and field of endeavor, and played a significant role in the anti-apartheid struggle and in the post-apartheid government of South Africa .

The proliferation of Islamic media is testament to the vibrancy of the local community. Private Islamic radio stations are broadcast in nearly every province with significant Muslim populations: Radio Islam in Johannesburg ; Radio 786 in Cape Town ; Radio Al-Ansaar in Durban . Islamic newspapers have also played an important role in educating the Muslim community about various issues. Prominent newspapers include Al-Qalam; The Muslim Digest, Ar-Rasheed; Muslim Views, Al-Ummah and The Majlis.

searching about I also found this fairly dramatic tale of Islamists taking on drug lords in the ghetto's.

Islam is emerging in communities like Cape Town as an organizing force against rampant crime, drug use and social dislocation. A group calling itself People Against Drugs and Gangs which operates out of a network of mosques, is believed responsible for armed attacks and even murders of drug users and leaders. Major rioting erupted two weeks ago when several thousand members of the group, known also as Pagad, marched into parts of Cape Town which are considered turf to some of the 140 gangs that operate in South Africa.

"The sudden collision of vicious gangs, deadly drugs and militant Islam has rocked President Nelson Mandela's fledgling democracy, "noted the Los Angeles Times, "and exposed a dangerous new fissure in a nation struggling to overcome the bitter legacies of apartheid." Reports suggest that Pagad may beas much of a threat to stability and freedom, though, as the gangs they fight; People Against Drugs and Gangs is believed to be a "front" for militant Islamic groups operating out of Iran.

1 comment:

ng2000 said...

Another resource for you: http://www.ng2000.com/fw.php?tp=africa