Al-Qalam 
The conference should be seen as an opportunity for indigenous Muslims to take ownership of Islam and its expression in the places in which they live, writes Thandile Kona, President of the Muslim Youth Movement.
The South African Black Muslim Conference has come and gone. From the moment the intention to hold the conference was announced, it caused quite a controversy with its seemingly racial exclusivity. There were accusations that the organisers, the Gauteng Muslim Shura Council (GMSC), were dividing the ummah and were obsessed with narrow racial labels. In turn, a lot of time was spent on various media platforms explaining the rationale behind the ‘Black’ in the title of the conference.
In his opening address, the leader of the GMSC, Muhammad Gadimang, stressed that although they make no apologies for naming the conference the way they did, the conference itself is not a platform to bash anyone, nor is it a place for complaints. Instead, he said, the conference should be seen as an opportunity for indigenous Muslims to take ownership of Islam and its expression in the places in which they live. He said the gathering is meant to seek solutions to problems that are unique to the indigenous Muslim community and to explore ways to restore their dignity and agency through self-reliance.
The conference, held on the 19th to the 21st April, at the Palm Continental Hotel in Johannesburg, drew participants from all corners of the country and included attendees from neighbouring countries like Zimbabwe, Zambia, Lesotho, Botswana and Swaziland. These participants represented a variety of organisations and many came as individuals. The variety of participants made for robust and candid discussions.
An array of speakers was lined up to address the conference and partake in panel discussions. From academics like Khadija Moloi, Amina Ngubane and Tahir Sitoto to professionals, activists and community leaders like Nwabisa Sadia Sigaba, Ishmael Gqamane, Zaid Langa, Mphutlane Bofelo, Raheem Nkumane, Malik Arafat and many others.
These speakers diagnosed what they thought were the problems facing the indigenous Muslim community and offered solutions to such problems. Amongst the broad topics that were covered, there were presentations and discussions on ‘Community Building Models,’ ‘State of Black Ulama in South Africa,’ ‘Development of Black Muslim Women,’ ‘Black Muslims and Economic Development’ and ‘Black Muslims and Education in South Africa.’
Divisions
The thread running through the many speeches that were delivered was that the Muslim community has always been separate and unequal, long before indigenous Muslims sought to assert themselves as Muslims in their own right, not an appendage of one or the other grouping of Muslims in the established communities. These divisions found their way to the townships of our country and get replicated at the expense of the growth of Islam and the establishment and development of independent and flourishing communities that are an equal part of the whole.
This had to change and in order for that change to happen, the Muslims in the townships had to fashion and own their expression of Islam and take charge of affairs in their own communities. Mphutlane Bofelo, outlined how masaajids in the townships can be utilised as centres of activity around which to build viable and inclusive communities. He said a space has to be created that is open, transparent and safe for everyone in the community to make a meaningful contribution to the discourse of how best to advance the community.
Zaid Langa, who is also the General Secretary of the GMSC, announced various educational initiatives that are meant to create educational centres of excellence in the townships. First amongst these initiatives is the creation of a madrassa system that is tailor-made for townships and the conditions that exist therein. This system must not alienate indigenous Muslims from their communities but must rather create wholesome individuals who are equipped to add value not only to their families and the Muslim community, but to the broader community.
Judging by the responses from the audience, by far the best presentation was by academic, Prof Khadija Moloi who explored various community models that indigenous Muslims can adopt in order to advance their communities. She proposed that indigenous Muslim communities engage with the National Development Plan and define for themselves a vision and mission that will take them forward.
The conference ended in a somewhat abrupt manner as there was no clarity as to who will take the programmes that were proposed forward because there was no interim team nominated to do such, only a declaration was read out to the participants. This is compounded by the irrational announcement by the GMSC after the conference that the resolutions for the conference will not be made public. How will organisations and communities that are outside the GMSC sphere of operation and influence, take the resolution forward through programmes is anyone’s guess.
