Ingredients

• 500g Chicken fillet
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon crushed garlic
• 2 Medium potatoes, diced
• 2 tablespoons cornflour
• 1/4 cup Warm water
• 250g Frozen stew mix
• Salt to taste
• 4 Sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 tablespoons Gorima’s Stew Mix

Instructions

1. Marinate chicken with Gorima’s Stew Mix and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a deep pot, add chicken and cook until lightly browned. Remove and set aside.
3. In the same pot, add onions and crushed garlic. Sauté until translucent.
4. Add frozen stew mix, diced potatoes, fresh thyme, and 1 cup warm water. Allow to cook for 15 minutes.
5. Add chicken and corn flour mixture to thicken. Add salt to taste.

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“The Malawian people and I will forever be grateful to the Muslim community of Durban and elsewhere who came to our rescue as migrants fled for their lives”, said Pastor George Mzenda, a Malawian Government official, in an interview with Al-Qalam.

Pastor Mzenda was commenting on threats by vigilante groups who gave undocumented migrants until June 30 to leave South Africa or face violence.

“I can tell you one thing, if it wasn’t for the rapid actions of the Muslims, many of my people would have died in the open grounds of Sherwood Park where they were huddled in the cold – and from terror. I would like to meet our generous benefactors some day and thank them personally for what they have done for us – God bless them,” he said.

Pastor Mzenda was referring to two Muslim humanitarian organisations that were the first responders to their plight – the Caring Sisters Network (CSN) and the Islamic Medical Association (IMA, Durban branch).

As thousands sought refuge at the park in Sherwood – including hundreds of terrified mothers with their children – the humanitarian groups swung into action, firstly providing hot meals, blankets, baby milk and other basic necessities. Then they brought out the fully-equipped IMA mobile clinic manned by volunteer doctors and nurses who immediately began treating scores of sickly people.

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This week both the IMA and CSN met to evaluate their efforts during the “Displaced Foreign Nationals Crisis” at three points in the city – the Sherwood Camp, the North Beach Drive-In site and the Che Guevara Road (Moore Road) site.

Yasiera Mahomed-Suliman, the Overall Coordinator (Humanitarian Medical Response), said: “The humanitarian response brought together Muslim and non-Muslim volunteer doctors, nurses, pharmacists and allied healthcare professionals, reflecting a shared commitment to serving humanity.

“Alhamdulillah, while coordinating an emergency humanitarian response of this nature is demanding, exhausting and time-consuming – and often requires long hours and late nights – it is always a privilege to answer the call when there is a need.

“Being part of the overall humanitarian coordination team through CSN, where we were simultaneously coordinating food, water, blankets and other relief efforts, enabled us to identify medical needs rapidly and respond efficiently to emergencies as they arose. This close collaboration greatly strengthened the medical response and ensured that patient care remained a priority throughout the operation”.

But she emphasised that they could not have done it alone. Throughout the medical response, IMASA worked alongside the Department of Health, eThekwini Health, and the South African Red Cross Society. The Department of Health was present during the final two days at Sherwood Park from 8 am to 4 pm only, while the Department of Health, eThekwini Health and the Red Cross provided support at the Drive-In site, primarily during office hours only.

“IMASA volunteers largely covered the after-hours service, remaining on site until midnight and, on many occasions, until 1:00/2:00 am. Volunteers also covered full-day weekend shifts, together with selected early morning sessions, ensuring continuity of medical care throughout the operation.

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In her estimation, the medical teams attended to between 400–500 patients daily. The most common conditions managed included: Upper respiratory tract infections, colds and influenza; Pneumonia; Gastroenteritis, gastritis and abdominal cramps; Dehydration and heat exhaustion; Scabies and lice associated with overcrowding; Headaches, body aches and fever; Anxiety, stress and insomnia related to trauma and displacement, poorly controlled chronic illnesses, including hypertension and diabetes.

The teams had their hands full, including attending to many pregnant women. There were two births at Sherwood Park and three births at the Drive-In site.

“Throughout the emergency response, medication to the value of approximately R100,000 was procured and dispensed through a collaborative effort. This included: R63,000 funded through IMASA Lillah contributions. R12,000 sponsored by Caring Sisters Network (CSN) to procure urgently required medication, including chronic medication.

“The remaining balance was generously sponsored by volunteer doctors, individual donors and supporting partners, including Gift of the Givers (GOTG) and Sparkport Overport, ensuring uninterrupted access to essential medication throughout the humanitarian response.

“Alhamdulillah, we thank Allah (SWT) for granting us the opportunity and ability to be of service during this humanitarian crisis,” she concluded.

The post ‘Muslims saved us,’ says Malawi official appeared first on Al-Qalam.

A Durban Muslimah organisation this week brought together local Muslim women, migrants and refugees to empower them to cope with the many challenges they face in the country.

The Radiance Project, hosted by The Tha’alabah Sisterhood, was held at the Suleman Lockhat Auditorium on July 18. Its aim is to equip women with general knowledge while strengthening the bonds of sisterhood through practical workshops, open discussions and shared experiences.

The women engaged in a series of sessions on women’s health, self-defence, personal safety and understanding the law.

Ayesha Milanzi, Founder of Tha’alabah, attorney and Regent Business School lecturer, explained that the Radiance Project was created to respond to issues affecting both local and migrant Muslim communities. “It was a day to acknowledge and address the elephant in the room. Currently, many individuals, whether migrant or local Muslims, are affected by recent protests, so we curated a programme to equip attendees with the necessary medical, legal and self-defence techniques they might need,” she added.  

Milanzi said the overwhelming turnout exceeded expectations, with attendees actively engaging in discussions, asking questions and connecting with one another throughout the day.

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Medical practitioner Dr Ganiat Abisola spoke about recognising fatigue, caring for one’s physical and mental wellbeing, and what women should do in the event of sexual assault or abuse.

Milanzi presented a session explaining the legal differences between refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented foreigners, as well as the laws surrounding citizenship and citizen’s arrests.

Mohamad Yumnoos of Slimz187 Dojo then demonstrated practical self-defence techniques, emphasising that personal safety and escaping danger should always come first.

She added that the programme also encouraged women to remember their responsibility towards others: “As a community we have a two-fold duty: first as Muslims to be kind and law-abiding citizens, and second as human beings to care for and treat everyone around us fairly, constantly remembering that we are each answerable for our comments and actions.”

For Milanzi, one of the highlights of the event was seeing women engage with one another beyond the formal programme. “The ladies asked questions, socialised, and that in itself was enough of a positive response for us. It genuinely was beautiful to see so many of them open up and become free,” she said.

Since its inception, the organisation has hosted more than 10 educational and empowerment programmes, with plans to expand into community initiatives such as feeding schemes, skills training and improving facilities for women at Masaajid.

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Milanzi stressed that the aim of The Tha’alabah Sisterhood is “not just to host events but to maintain relationships with attendees and help each other out.”

That sense of belonging was echoed by many of the participants.

Rabia Kela told Al-Qalam that the sisterhood has given her a sense of belonging and empowerment. “It reminded me that as women, it is not selfish to put ourselves first sometimes. The sisterhood also created awareness around important issues like GBV, teaching us that it affects both males and females, and that we have a role in standing for justice and dignity,” she said.

Kela added that she finds inspiration in seeing women successfully balance their deen and dunya.For Rahma Nasarie Ally, joining The Tha’alabah Sisterhood was the best choice she had made. “Whether you are the founder or sponsor, we are all one. Once you participate, you become one of the sisters too – you become family,” she added.

The post Local Muslimah – including refugees and migrants – form sisterhood of support appeared first on Al-Qalam.

When South African national fencer Hafidhah Ruqaya Ismail steps onto the fencing strip at the Commonwealth Fencing Championships in Nigeria later this month, she will be carrying more than her country’s colours. She will also embody the idea that faith and elite sport are not competing paths, but complementary ones.

The tournament marks a historic first for the sport, with the senior Commonwealth Fencing Championships being held on African soil for the first time. For the Johannesburg-based Blues Fencing Club athlete, it will also be her international debut.

Ismail says the discipline that underpins her sporting career was shaped long before she entered a fencing hall. As a Hafidhah, she believes memorising the Qur’an instilled the resilience and consistency that now define her approach to competition.

“My faith and sport, fencing, keep each other balanced,” she told Al–Qalam.

“As a Hafidha, Alhamdulillah, the Quran taught me discipline, patience, and mostly consistency, lots and lots of consistency, and showing up even when things don’t really feel the best. That’s exactly what fencing demands as well.”

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Those lessons become most evident when nerves begin to set in before a bout.

“And when I feel anxious or scared, that consistency that I’ve learned is already ingrained. So even though I’m scared or I’m feeling nervous, I push through it.”

She says prayer has become an equally important part of preparing to compete.

“I sometimes have issues with anxiety, but I’ve done like the work and, you know, like just to pray and try to ingrate my religion into knowing that Allah has my back, and I think that really keeps me grounded as well.”

For Ismail, fencing has taught her to care for the body Allah entrusted to her, while the Qur’an continually reminds her to protect her intentions.

“Sport taught me how to use my body as an amanah. And the Qur’an taught me how to guard my heart and my intentions while I do whatever I’m doing.”

Her journey into fencing began through a Blues Fencing Club outreach programme at her school. Captivated by the sport’s tactical nature and welcoming environment, she continued training and now also serves as a full coach’s assistant, helping younger fencers develop their skills.

She says fencing has equipped her with lessons that reach far beyond competition.

“It did teach me about protecting myself, not physically, but mentally, knowing my distance, setting my boundaries, when to attack, when to hold back.”

Competing in hijab has presented few barriers, something she credits to the supportive culture within the sport. The occasional challenges she has faced, she says, have usually arisen from unfamiliarity rather than prejudice.

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Away from the fencing strip, Ismail maintains a routine of daily Qur’an revision (dur) and regular dhikr. Both have become essential to managing the mental demands of competition.

“My coach recommended this to me because I used to freak out a lot. So I just recite Zikr to keep myself grounded.”

“It’s like an anchor for not only my emotional self, but also me performing.”

Although she hopes to perform well in Nigeria, Ismail says her focus is on gaining experience, representing South Africa with good character and embracing the opportunity to compete at the highest level.

“I’m really proud and grateful that I got this opportunity, because this is my first international competition.”

She also hopes her journey will encourage other young Muslim girls to pursue their ambitions without feeling they must compromise their faith.

“You don’t have to choose. You really, really don’t. You can do both.”

Looking beyond the Commonwealth Championships, Ismail hopes to compete at more major international events while continuing to strengthen her relationship with the Qur’an and mentor young athletes through Blues Fencing Club.

Her advice to the next generation reflects the balance she has found between faith and ambition.

“We don’t have to shrink ourselves to fit in. We can wear a hijab and hold on to our deen and still chase our big dreams,” she said.

The post How the Qur’an keeps Hafidhah Ruqaya Ismail grounded in competition appeared first on Al-Qalam.

For years, Ayesha (36), a mother of three, endured physical, emotional, financial and sexual abuse, believing she had to stay in the marriage for the sake of her children. After seeing their mother often crying, they urged her to leave – and she did.

Ayesha (not her real name) sought refuge at Durban’s Kenilworth Respite Centre to escape her painful life. Months later, she felt she was strong enough to leave the Centre after finding employment and her own home to rebuild her life.

 Ayesha’s story is one of many that reflect the quiet but vital work being done at the Kenilworth Respite Centre Trust, where women and children escaping domestic violence are given not only refuge, but the opportunity to begin afresh.

KRC was established after years of experience gained by professionals, volunteers and spiritual leaders working with survivors of domestic violence. Guided by an Islamic ethos of compassion, dignity and service, the organisation was created in response to a growing need for a place where women could find safety, recover from trauma and rebuild their lives.

 The head and primary social worker at KRC, Sabera Timol, told Al-Qalam that they wanted to create a place that offers comprehensive care. “Domestic violence knows no boundaries. It is a social illness that affects the affluent, professionals and low-income families alike,” she said

 Timol explained that a needs assessment in KwaZulu-Natal found that women leaving abusive relationships often required more than emergency accommodation. They needed temporary care, counselling and practical support to develop the confidence and skills necessary to regain their independence and, where possible, reintegrate into their families and communities.

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The centre also recognises that domestic violence extends far beyond physical assault.

Women often experience emotional manipulation, verbal humiliation, financial control and psychological abuse. Increasingly, substance abuse and the influence of social media have become contributing factors in family conflict.

Timol emphasised that children are often the overlooked victims: “The trauma experienced by children frequently goes unnoticed, yet they are often the primary and secondary victims of domestic violence.”

Despite the abuse, leaving is seldom straightforward. Many women remain because of financial dependence, low self-esteem, concern for their children, limited family support or fear of stigma within their communities. Abusive relationships often follow a cycle of escalating tension, violence and remorse, making it difficult for victims to leave permanently.

Where appropriate and only when it is safe to do so, the centre facilitates family reconciliation through counselling. In other cases, the focus is on helping women regain their independence.

Timol noted that the centre has witnessed many lives transformed. One woman, who sought refuge with her young daughter after years of domestic violence and instability, rebuilt her beauty business during her stay at the centre. Through counselling and budgeting support, she regained financial independence while restoring fractured family relationships.

 In another case, a young mother who had repeatedly left and returned to her marital home because of ongoing conflict with her in-laws found stability through counselling, legal support and mediation. After her husband secured employment and separate accommodation, the family reunited in healthier circumstances, while she enrolled to study nursing.

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 Beyond assisting survivors of domestic violence, the organisation has expanded its work to include long-term accommodation for elderly women experiencing neglect or abuse within their own families. A residence in Cowies Hill provides older women with a safe environment where they live independently while supporting one another.

 Timol believes faith should be part of the solution, not a reason for women to remain trapped. She encourages women to seek knowledge and remember that injustice has no place in Islam. “Islam honours women with dignity. We need to educate ourselves, learn from the examples of the women of Jannah and stand together against injustice,” she said.

For those witnessing domestic violence, Timol’s message is equally clear: “If you know someone experiencing domestic violence, reach out. Give them the number of an organisation that can help. Reassure them that they are not alone.”

For women experiencing abuse, or for anyone seeking assistance on behalf of a family member or friend, or who would like to provide support, the Kenilworth Respite Centre Trust can be contacted on 031 207 6483, or by email at socialworker@kenilworthrc.org.za.

The post Abused sisters find refuge at Kenilworth Respite Centre appeared first on Al-Qalam.

I had the privilege of addressing the Muslim Youth Movement’s (MYM) ‘Ambassadors for Change’ Youth Conference in Durban on 11 July 2026. The conference marked the culmination of the MYM’s five-year Ambassadors for Change youth development programme while laying the foundation for its ongoing work to nurture ethically grounded young Muslim leaders. Its theme, “It is in the hands of the youth to give the world a more humane face,” reflected both the urgency and hope that characterised the gathering.

As I walked into the conference hall, I carried a quiet sense of nervousness. Many years have passed since I served as Deputy President of the MYM, and I wondered whether there was now too great a generational distance between myself and the young people before me. They inhabit digital, social and political worlds profoundly different from those in which my generation came of age.

Those concerns quickly disappeared. The day reminded me that one of the greatest responsibilities of older generations is not first to speak but to listen. The Qur’an praises those “who listen to the word and follow the best of it” (Qur’an 39:18). Listening is itself an ethical act and, I believe, the starting point for meaningful intergenerational engagement.

The First Responsibility: Listen

I attended not only as a speaker but also as an academic leader of Stellenbosch University’s Dialogue, Democracy and Development project, which seeks to cultivate dialogue across social, cultural and political differences. Throughout the day, I listened carefully to every presentation, filling pages with notes as these young Muslims spoke honestly about artificial intelligence, social media, mental health, leadership, conflict and their search for meaningful lives rooted in faith.

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I learnt tremendously from this process of listening. I left convinced that careful listening must become a cornerstone of our ethical engagement with Muslim youth. Too often, adults speak about young people before genuinely listening to how they understand the worlds in which they are mired and how they seek to exercise their God-given human agency.

The conference itself reflected years of patient educational work. Organised for and by the MYM’s youth organisers, it represented the fruit of sustained investment in ethical leadership. I particularly wish to acknowledge Asif Essop, whose longstanding commitment to the MYM and to youth development made him a central part of this remarkable initiative.

The Fires of Our Age

My own presentation drew on the central framework of my recently edited volume, ‘Prophet Muhammad at 1500: His Prophetic Legacy, Ethical Vision and Contemporary Resonance’ (Fataar, 2026). The book argues that the Prophetic legacy offers an enduring ethical grammar for responding to the moral, social and political challenges of our age.

I invited the audience to reflect on what I called ‘Niran al-‘Alam’ – the fires consuming our world. These fires are visible in Gaza, Sudan, Yemen and Ukraine. They are also present in racism, xenophobia, structural poverty, ecological destruction, loneliness, misinformation and the distortions produced by social media and artificial intelligence. Although these crises appear different, they are connected by a deeper moral condition.

The Qur’an asks us to look beneath visible events towards the human heart. Allah speaks of “the kindled Fire of Allah, which rises over the hearts” (Qur’an 104:6-7). Before societies fracture, hearts fracture. Before injustice becomes institutional, it begins as arrogance, greed, hatred, prejudice and indifference. The deepest crises of our age are therefore political, social, moral and spiritual all at once.

This insight changes how we understand responsibility. We cannot respond to injustice only through slogans, ideology or anger. Political commitment must be accompanied by the ethical formation of the human person. The Qur’an reminds us that we live in ‘Dar al-Ibtila’, a world of testing: “Indeed, We created the human being from a mingled drop, testing him” (Qur’an 76:2). This testing is not intended to crush us but to cultivate compassion, courage, honesty and hope.

This is precisely what it means to become an ambassador for change. An ambassador represents something greater than themselves. Young Muslims represent Islam through the quality of their conduct in classrooms, workplaces, neighbourhoods, families and digital platforms. Their honesty, kindness, humility and intellectual integrity become forms of da’wah long before any formal preaching begins.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ lived through persecution, migration, poverty, exclusion and war. Yet hardship never extinguished his mercy. He answered violence with moral courage, injustice with principled action and hostility with compassion. Allah describes him simply as “a mercy to all the worlds” (Qur’an 21:107). His Prophetic legacy teaches us to combine justice with mercy, courage with humility, leadership with service and hope with action. Ethical civilisation begins with ethically formed people.

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Becoming Ambassadors for Change

Throughout the conference, I was repeatedly struck by the seriousness with which these young people wrestled with their world. They spoke openly about digital overload, fractured identities, mental health and political uncertainty. Yet they also spoke with hope, curiosity and a genuine desire to build rather than merely to criticise. Their questions were not signs of weak faith but of a generation seeking to live Islam ethically amid unprecedented complexity.

Sometimes older generations underestimate young people. We criticise social media while forgetting that they did not create the digital environment into which they were born. Rather than dismissing their world, we need educational spaces where young Muslims can think deeply, ask difficult questions and cultivate ethical judgement grounded in the Qur’an and Sunnah. This requires adults who accompany before they prescribe, listen before they lecture and mentor before they judge.

Allah commands us to “cooperate with one another in righteousness and God-consciousness” (Qur’an 5:2). Such cooperation begins with genuine intergenerational dialogue. It requires older people to respect the experiences of the young while young people remain open to the wisdom and sacrifices of those who came before them.

One of the conference’s recurring messages was that leadership is no longer simply about holding positions of authority. It is about creating positive influence wherever one stands. Our communities need young Muslims who carry mercy into conflict, justice into inequality, hope into despair and beauty into broken relationships. We need ethical users of technology who protect human dignity, resist racism and xenophobia, build bridges across differences, and serve others with humility.

The Qur’an captures this calling in a single declaration: “Indeed, Allah commands justice and excellence” (Qur’an 16:90). Justice and ‘ihsan’ remain the twin pillars of Muslim public life. Justice calls us to resist oppression, while ihsan shapes the beauty, compassion and integrity with which we pursue that struggle.

As I travelled home from Durban, I reflected less on what I had said than on what I had heard. These young Muslims reminded me that every generation must discover anew how to live faithfully within its own historical moment. Our responsibility is not simply to hand them ready-made answers but to help cultivate the ethical imagination, spiritual depth and intellectual confidence needed to respond wisely to the questions their age presents.

The future of our community will not be secured by louder arguments or greater outrage. It will be shaped by young Muslims whose hearts are formed by the Qur’an, whose character reflects the Sunnah, whose minds seek wisdom and whose hands remain ready to serve.

The Qur’an therefore leaves us with a fitting challenge: “So race one another towards goodness” (Qur’an 2:148; 5:48). After spending a day listening to these young ambassadors, I returned home convinced that this race towards goodness has already begun.

*Aslam Fataar is Research Professor of Higher Education and Transformation in the Department of Education Policy Studies at Stellenbosch University. He served as the Deputy President of the Muslim Youth Movement of South Africa, 1991-1993. He is the editor of the recently published book, Prophet Muhammad at 1500: His Prophetic Legacy, Ethical Vision and Contemporary Resonance. Cape Town: Prophetic Legacy Commission and Awqaf SA, 2026

The post Listening before leading: What young Muslims taught me about becoming Ambassadors for Change appeared first on Al-Qalam.

What we are witnessing in South Africa is not simply xenophobia, a general fear of foreigners. It is Afrophobia: hostility directed specifically at black African migrants from north of the Limpopo River, while white foreigners from Europe are often welcomed, celebrated, or viewed entirely differently. This selective hostility exposes something far more painful than economic anxiety: it is the symptom of a deep wound in our collective psyche, a self-hatred implanted by centuries of colonialism and apartheid, that we now turn outward onto those who most resemble us.

This is why Afrophobia cannot be explained away as nativism or economic concern dressed up in civic language. It is anti-black racism directed at fellow Africans, the internalisation of colonial and apartheid hierarchies of race and worth, now replayed by the very people those hierarchies were designed to crush. And to understand it, we must be willing to look into a mirror we have long refused to face.

What the mirror reveals, psychologists call self-projection: the unconscious process by which we take the parts of ourselves we have been taught to despise and cast them onto others, attacking in them what we cannot bear in ourselves. Three and a half centuries of colonialism and apartheid did not merely dispossess black South Africans of land, labour and dignity. They waged a sustained assault on black self-worth itself. Generations were told, in law and in liturgy, in classroom and in workplace, that blackness meant inferiority, backwardness, criminality. Steve Biko understood this when he wrote that the most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed. Frantz Fanon had diagnosed it decades earlier: the colonised subject, saturated in the coloniser’s contempt, comes to see himself through the coloniser’s eyes. This is self-hatred in its purest form, and self-hatred, left unhealed, does not stay inside. It seeks a target.

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And the target it finds is close to home. The poison of internalised contempt does not evaporate with a new flag and a new constitution. It settles into the subconscious and waits. So when a wounded people encounters a stranger who looks like them, darker, perhaps, poorer, speaking an unfamiliar African tongue, the stranger becomes a screen onto which all that internalised shame is projected The Zimbabwean labourer, the Mozambican mechanic, the Malawian mu`adh-dhin and the Somalian shopkeeper: are attacked not because they are foreign, but because they are black and foreign. They embody, in the distorted mirror of the colonised mind, everything we were taught to hate about ourselves. The violence directed at them is, at its root, violence against our own reflection.

Once we understand this, the puzzle of selective hostility solves itself. This is why the European, American, and Asian migrant walks unmolested through our streets while the African migrant’s shop burns. Whiteness was installed at the summit of the colonial hierarchy of worth, and that hierarchy still governs the subconscious, even of those it crushed. To defer to the fair-skinned foreigner while brutalising the dark-skinned one is no coincidence. It is the colonial order reproducing itself through the hands of its former victims. Can black people internalise racism and despise their own blackness without even knowing it? The evidence burns in our townships.

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If the diagnosis is self-hatred, then for Muslims the cure begins with Divine revelation. The Qur’an, in Surah al-Rum (30:22), proclaims that “among the signs of Allah are the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of our languages and our skin colours”. Our different tongues and our different shades of skin are not accidents to be ranked, nor flaws to be despised; they are ayat, Divine signs. To celebrate this diversity is to affirm a sign of Allah in creation. To despise the darkness of another’s skin, or, through projection, the darkness of one’s own, is to turn in contempt from a sign of Allah in the universe. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, sealed this teaching in his final sermon when he proclaimed: no Arab has superiority over a non-Arab, nor white over black, except in God-consciousness (taqwa).

Healing, however, begins with honesty. We must find the courage to name Afrophobia for what it is: self-hatred turned outward. And then we must undertake the harder, slower work, decolonising our minds, reclaiming the dignity of our blackness as a sign of Allah, and rebuilding the Pan-African solidarity that carried us to freedom. The black stranger at our door is not our enemy. He or she is our brother and sister, and our mirror. Until we can look into that mirror without flinching, the fires will keep burning. When at last we can, we will see reflected there what Steve Biko declared in defiance and what Allah had proclaimed in revelation long before: Black is Beautiful, for black skin is among the signs of Allah, and every sign of Allah is beautiful.

The post Black is beautiful: Afrophobia is self-hatred turned outward appeared first on Al-Qalam.

On July 15, 2026, my flow of birthday wishes was interrupted with news more consequential, but mournfully sad: John Louis Esposito, at the age of 86, was no more. Sombreness overwhelmed me, and I counted back the almost four decades since I first encountered him, as one of those who were curiously excited about the South African transition, the presidency of Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu’s witness, and the prospects for a new future free from all discriminations following the travesty of apartheid.

In the last decade, I had the wonderful privilege and honour (for two years) to encounter him up close at Georgetown University in the USA. He had accepted to host me as Distinguished Scholar in Residence in the Al Waleed bin Talal Center for Muslim Christian Understanding (ACMCU), following my stint as South African Ambassador to the USA under President Obama. Up to that moment, we had encountered each other regularly across the world, in conferences and seminars, at think tanks during the halcyon years of the Arab Spring, and anywhere else where Islam and its shadow, islamophobia, were on the agenda. 

Most memorably, in 2012, John Esposito and I were two of probably only 15 participants in Doha with key leaders of the Arab Spring who were gathered to consider Constitution-Making and Statecraft in what we hoped would be a qualitative leap out of authoritarianism. He was the only one who was not Muslim among eminent scholars like Yusuf al Qardawi, Hassan al Turabi, Jasser Auda, Tariq Ramadan, Hashim Kamali, and others. While the Muslims were cautiously optimistic, Esposito doubted that the Empire and their minions could accept a Muslim world with an alternative liberatory statecraft, and without the confirmation bias of Muslims being – without cause – naturally extreme and therefore, in need of strong authoritarian law and order regimes. These were the critical informants to a pervasive islamophobia.

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It was this dual insight – the yearning of Muslims to live with dignity, as well as the fundamental, if not deliberate, Western distortion of Islam, Islamism, and the Muslim – that made John Esposito different. He was a different Christian, a different American, a different academic, a different human being! These identities did not make an aberration of John Esposito. He would insist that because he was Christian, American, an academic, and a human being, he needed to testify to the truth inherent in each of those identities: his own faith made him recognise the profound faithfulness of Muslims; his own Americanness made him desire freedom, democracy and rights for Muslims under authoritarianism or extremism; his academic training made him uncompromising on rigour and evidence; and his humaneness created in him a deep well of human empathy and compassion. By this definition, right-wing evangelicals were the aberration; American support for tyranny and warmongering was the aberration; moral clarity produced by academic scholarship without the requisite moral courage to act was the aberration; and human silence and complicity in atrocity were the aberrations in the human condition.

In his scholarship of Islam and Muslims, in his development and mentoring of Muslim scholars, in his friendship with Muslim leaders, in his writing of over 50 books about Islam and Muslims, in his activism against islamophobia, in his advocacy for a shift in policy and law about Muslims, and in his institution-building like the Bridge Initiative, John Esposito was neither oracle nor orientalist. He was neither our source of guidance and wisdom, nor were we the exotic other to study. He did not speak for us, or about us without us. But his scholarship gave him the insight and understanding of Islam and Muslims, the sincere representation of which gave him the credibility of an insider-outsider both for Muslims and most non-Muslims. Because he studied with rigour, he understood with empathy, and he could interpret with integrity, free of the emotion that comes too easily to victims of history. So, he did not infantilise Muslims. 

But neither did he idealise us. He was a witness to the battle for the narrative and interpretation of the Quran and Sunnah; for their appropriation either for the middle ground or the extremes; and for their application under conditions of minority or majority – believing firmly that application may change but the Maqasid, the intents, remain unshakeable! Because he applied academic rigour and stood on evidence, he could dispassionately critique Muslims about the management of our own unresolved demons and ambiguities ranging from the ‘other’ to gender to politics to sectarianism. But always as the sensitive and compassionate outsider-insider. 

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But he was also a thorough insider to all things Christian and American. He shared their rituals and celebrations, but he also knew their suppositions and presumptions about Islam and Muslims. The most pernicious of these excused occupation and genocide; gave license and arms to authoritarians; allowed islamophobia to fashion travel bans and unspeakable bigotry, especially after 9.11; and wage a forever war on the Muslim heartlands. All because the theory espoused was one of the modernisation of the Muslim ‘other’– which Esposito vigorously critiqued – because its corollary, secularisation, the stripping of religious sensibility from the Muslim, was not only misplaced, but would invite resentment and blowback, and thus breed the next generation of extremists. All of this made John Esposito dangerous to the empire and the superpower. He was constantly attacked by detractors in the Western conservative ranks for seemingly endorsing our fault lines and for acting as a Trojan horse for bringing Muslim scholars to the USA, where they flourished without the burdens of violent occupation, authoritarian surveillance, and stultifying orthodoxy.

Deservedly, tributes have poured in for John Esposito and messages of condolences for his beloved Jean and their dogs. All of these have fulsomely recognised his contribution to Islam, Muslims, and humanity. These have focused on his writing and his bridge-building. Muslim tributes have cautiously tried to manage the fine line between an instinctive desire to recognise in him one worthy of the highest honour in this world and the next while managing the strictures of soteriology – the theology of salvation – which inhibits us from showering even a fraction of our prayers on those imbued with absolute nobility and impact. Yet the tributes have touched the fine line: Many have invoked the Quranic formula that we originate with Allah and we return to Allah; Anwar Ibrahim describes him as a ‘true friend of the Muslim World’; Arsalan Iftikhar muses that John Esposito ‘… did more for educating the world about Islam than most of our two billion Muslims…”; and Jonathan Brown, who succeeded Esposito at the ACMCU, prays ‘May God grant his soul mercy.’

*Ebrahim Rasool is the Former Ambassador to the USA and Senior Fellow at Georgetown University.

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Every year, 5 August is observed as Youm-e-Istehsal (Day of Exploitation) to commemorate the unilateral actions taken by the Government of India on 5 August 2019, when it revoked the special constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir. This move was widely criticized for being implemented without the consent of the Kashmiri people and under an unprecedented military lockdown, communication blackout, and severe restrictions on civil liberties.

From a South African perspective, the Kashmir issue resonates deeply with the historical struggle against apartheid, political exclusion, and the denial of a people’s right to determine their own future. South Africans understand that lasting peace cannot be built through force, demographic engineering, or the suppression of political voices. The principles of justice, equality, and self-determination that guided South Africa’s liberation struggle remain equally relevant to Kashmir today.

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The constitutional amendments of 5 August 2019 altered the internationally recognised disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir. Critics argue that these measures violated the spirit of United Nations Security Council resolutions which recognize Kashmir as a disputed territory whose future should be determined through the will of its people. Furthermore, the subsequent changes to domicile and land laws have raised concerns regarding demographic transformation and the erosion of the region’s political and cultural identity.

International human rights organizations have repeatedly expressed concern over restrictions on freedom of expression, arbitrary detentions, media censorship, and limitations on political activity in the region. Such measures undermine fundamental rights protected under international human rights law and democratic norms.

On Youm-e-Istehsal, people around the world reaffirm their solidarity with the people of Kashmir and call for a peaceful, just, and durable resolution of the dispute in accordance with international law and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. The observance serves as a reminder that peace is inseparable from justice, and that the voices of oppressed communities must never be silenced.

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The Muslim Youth Movement of South Africa (MYMSA) recently brought together 31 young people representing several schools for its annual Ambassadors for Change leadership workshop, a six-day programme held at the Al-Ansaar Conference Centre from 29 June to 4 July.

The workshop focused on developing leadership, critical thinking and facilitation skills to prepare participants to make a positive impact in their communities.

The programme brought together Grade 10 and 11 learners from Crescent Girls’ High School, Orient Islamic School, Al Falaah College, Insaan Boys’ College and Ihsaan Girls’ College, equipping them with the skills to become ethical leaders and positive role models in their communities.

Against a backdrop of rising racism, gender-based violence, corruption and growing social division in South Africa, the programme challenged participants to think critically about the role they can play in building a more just and compassionate society.

Throughout the week, participants explored topics including identity and self-reflection, discrimination, racism, xenophobia, prejudice, gender-based violence, human rights, communication, public speaking and facilitation skills. They also gained practical experience through a radio interview at Radio Al-Ansaar.

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Sessions were facilitated by a range of experts, including the Isibani Law and Therapy Centre on gender-based violence and Attorney Jessica Ngobese from the Department of Justice on human rights and responsibilities.

The programme aims to prepare young people to participate confidently in South Africa’s diverse society while remaining grounded in their values. It also seeks to develop critical thinking, ethical decision-making and leadership skills so that graduates can become ambassadors for positive change within their schools and communities.

Programme facilitator Arun Naicker told Al-Qalam that this year’s course was particularly encouraging because of the involvement of former participants.

“The 2026 Ambassadors for Change course brought together a vibrant group of learners from schools and a university. The highlight was the full participation of participants from 2022 to 2025, who joined the facilitation team and presented creative and exciting sessions,” she said.  

Naicker noted that participants left with a deeper understanding of the social and economic issues affecting South Africans.

“The learners went away with a deep understanding of social and economic issues and how they affect the lives of people. They debated issues of discrimination, gender-based violence and the power of making informed choices,” she added.

For many participants, the programme was far more than leadership training.

Seventeen-year-old Lubone Kona, a Grade 11 learner at Muir College in the Eastern Cape, travelled to attend the programme and described it as a life-changing experience:

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“Overall, I found the 2026 Ambassadors for Change programme highly interesting, informative and very enjoyable. It gave me the opportunity not just to make new friends, but to grow as a person and learn more about myself. Self-reflection was a huge part of this journey for me and it taught me that there’s always more to learn about myself.”

He said that the programme challenged participants to think differently about leadership and society.

“Through the programme, I gained leadership skills and the opportunity to view social issues from multiple perspectives. I think I speak for everyone who participated when I say that our critical thinking skills were truly tested and enhanced this week. It was a privilege to attend all the way from the Eastern Cape, and I’m grateful to the MYM for making it possible,” said Kona.

The final day of training focused on facilitation, lesson planning, community outreach and public speaking, equipping participants to facilitate similar discussions in their own schools and communities.

The workshop concluded with a closing ceremony, where the 31 participants received certificates of completion and reflected on what they had learnt during the week. The group left with a shared commitment to becoming ambassadors for positive change in their schools, campuses and communities.

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