Jamiatul Ulama South Africa: Difference between revisions

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The Jamiatul Ulama Transvaal now the Jamiatul Ulama South Africa (Council of Muslim Theologians), headquartered in Fordsburg, Johannesburg, was founded in 1923 to serve the Muslim community of the (now defunct) Transvaal Province of South Africa.^[1] It publishes a weekly online newsletter.^[2]

Activities

It currently operates in the provinces that formerly made up the Transvaal, as well as in the Free State Province, and is one of a number of national Muslim organizations in South Africa.

The organization has been characterized as fundamentalist and Deobandi,^[3] and it is widely perceived as having links with the Tablighi Jamaat.

Large number of Muslims subscribe to decisions regarding fiqh (Islamic law) in the region where the organization operates. It also has significant influence on the running of many mosques and madrassahs in the region.

Controversies

Apartheid-era

The Jamiatul Ulama South Africa has been criticised for its largely apolitical stance during the apartheid era. The organization, unlike its counterpart in KwaZulu-Natal, the Jamiatul Ulama KwaZulu-Natal was accused by more activist Islamic scholars at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of not speaking out against the tricameral system, which denied black South Africans political power, while giving limited rights to Coloureds and Indians.

Radio Islam

The Jamiatul Ulama South Africa owns and manages a community radio station called Radio Islam that broadcasts on the Witwatersrand. A complaint was made by an organization to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa in 1998 that the radio station was not allowing women to be heard on air. The station argued that Islam does not allow women's voices to be heard. The authority ruled against the station, and in response, the station collected a petition of 28,000 names from women who it claimed supported the decision to bar women from the airwaves.

Muhammad cartoons controversy

The organization again made headlines in 2006 when it obtained an interdict against several South African newspaper companies in the Johannesburg High Court against the republishing of cartoons depicting the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. See: Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy. This case raised important questions about the limits of freedom of expression in South Africa.

References

^ Haron, Muhammad (3 December 2020). "Reaching Out, Making Public:The Jamiat ul-Ulama South Africa and its Online Newsletter". BOLESWA Journal of Theology, Religion And Philosophy (BJTRP).
^ "Reaching Out, Making Public:The Jamiat ul-Ulama South Africa and its Online Newsletter | BOLESWA".
^ Abu Omar Abdul Hadi as-Shafi'i (30 November 2001). "Message from Shaykh Abu Omar Palazzi to the mufti Ebrahim Desai and to the sect of Deoband". Rome: Italian Muslim Assembly. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved 2011-02-06.

[1] Haron, Muhammad (3 December 2020). "Reaching Out, Making Public:The Jamiat ul-Ulama South Africa and its Online Newsletter". BOLESWA Journal of Theology, Religion And Philosophy (BJTRP).

[2] "Reaching Out, Making Public:The Jamiat ul-Ulama South Africa and its Online Newsletter | BOLESWA".

[3] Abu Omar Abdul Hadi as-Shafi'i (30 November 2001). "Message from Shaykh Abu Omar Palazzi to the mufti Ebrahim Desai and to the sect of Deoband". Rome: Italian Muslim Assembly. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved 2011-02-06.

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+{{Short description|Islamic organization based in South Africa}}
 [[File:Logo of Jamiatul Ulama South Africa.png|thumb]]
-The '''Jamiatul Ulama Transvaal''' now the '''Jamiatul Ulama South Africa''' (''Council of [[Ulema|Muslim Theologians]]''), headquartered in [[Fordsburg, Gauteng|Fordsburg]], [[Johannesburg]], was founded in 1923 to serve the [[Muslim]] community of the (now defunct) [[Transvaal Province]] of [[South Africa]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Haron|first=Muhammad|date=3 December 2020|title=Reaching Out, Making Public:The Jamiat ul-Ulama South Africa and its Online Newsletter|url=https://journals.ub.bw/index.php/bjtrp/article/view/1861|journal=BOLESWA Journal of Theology, Religion And Philosophy (BJTRP)|language=en|volume=5|issue=2}}</ref>
+The '''Jamiatul Ulama Transvaal''' now the '''Jamiatul Ulama South Africa''' (''Council of [[Ulema|Muslim Theologians]]''), headquartered in [[Fordsburg, Gauteng|Fordsburg]], [[Johannesburg]], was founded in 1923 to serve the [[Muslim]] community of the (now defunct) [[Transvaal Province]] of [[South Africa]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Haron|first=Muhammad|date=3 December 2020|title=Reaching Out, Making Public:The Jamiat ul-Ulama South Africa and its Online Newsletter|url=https://journals.ub.bw/index.php/bjtrp/article/view/1861|journal=BOLESWA Journal of Theology, Religion And Philosophy (BJTRP)|language=en|volume=5|issue=2}}</ref> It publishes a weekly online newsletter.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Reaching Out, Making Public:The Jamiat ul-Ulama South Africa and its Online Newsletter {{!}} BOLESWA |url=https://journals.ub.bw/index.php/bjtrp/article/view/1861 |language=en-US}}</ref>
 ==Activities==
 It currently operates in the provinces that formerly made up the Transvaal, as well as in the [[Free State Province]], and is one of a number of national [[Islam in South Africa|Muslim]] organizations in South Africa.
-The organization has been characterized as [[Conservatism|conservative]] and [[Deobandi]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.amislam.com/desai.htm |title=Message from Shaykh Abu Omar Palazzi to the mufti Ebrahim Desai and to the sect of Deoband |location=[[Rome]] |date=30 November 2001 |accessdate=2011-02-06 |author=Abu Omar Abdul Hadi as-Shafi'i |publisher=[[Italian Muslim Assembly]] |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707133920/http://www.amislam.com/desai.htm |archivedate=July 7, 2011 }}</ref> and it is widely perceived as having links  to the [[Tablighi Jamaat]].
+The organization has been characterized as [[Islamic fundamentalism|fundamentalist]] and [[Deobandi]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.amislam.com/desai.htm |title=Message from Shaykh Abu Omar Palazzi to the mufti Ebrahim Desai and to the sect of Deoband |location=[[Rome]] |date=30 November 2001 |accessdate=2011-02-06 |author=Abu Omar Abdul Hadi as-Shafi'i |publisher=[[Italian Muslim Assembly]] |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707133920/http://www.amislam.com/desai.htm |archivedate=July 7, 2011 }}</ref> and it is widely perceived as having links with the [[Tablighi Jamaat]].
-Large number of Muslims subscribe to decisions regarding [[fiqh]] (Islamic law) in the region where the organization operates. It also has significant influence on the running of many [[mosque]]s and [[madrassah]]s in that region.
-However, during the last few years, they have started losing support due to many unislamic actions.
+Large number of Muslims subscribe to decisions regarding [[fiqh]] (Islamic law) in the region where the organization operates. It also has significant influence on the running of many [[mosque]]s and [[madrassah]]s in the region.
 ==Controversies==
 ===Apartheid-era===
-The Jamiatul Ulama Transvaal has been criticised for its largely apolitical stance during the [[apartheid]] era. The organization, unlike its counterpart in [[KwaZulu-Natal]], the [[Jamiatul Ulama KwaZulu-Natal]] was accused by more activist ''ulema'' at the [[Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa)|Truth and Reconciliation Commission]] of not speaking out against the [[tricameral]] system, which denied black South Africans political power, while giving limited rights to [[Coloureds]] and [[Indian South Africans|Indians]].
+The Jamiatul Ulama South Africa has been criticised for its largely apolitical stance during the [[apartheid]] era. The organization, unlike its counterpart in [[KwaZulu-Natal]], the Jamiatul Ulama KwaZulu-Natal was accused by more activist Islamic scholars at the [[Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa)|Truth and Reconciliation Commission]] of not speaking out against the [[tricameral]] system, which denied black South Africans political power, while giving limited rights to [[Coloureds]] and [[Indian South Africans|Indians]].
+===Radio Islam===
-It still holds ties with the current South African Government, and is still criticized for these ties.
+The Jamiatul Ulama South Africa owns and manages a community radio station called ''Radio Islam'' that broadcasts on the [[Witwatersrand]]. A complaint was made by an organization to the [[Independent Communications Authority of South Africa ]] in 1998 that the radio station was not allowing women to be heard on air. The station argued that Islam does not allow women's voices to be heard. The authority ruled against the station, and in response, the station collected a petition of 28,000 names from women who it claimed supported the decision to bar women from the airwaves.
+===Muhammad cartoons controversy===
-===Post-apartheid===
-====Radio Islam====
-The organization owns and manages a community radio station called ''Radio Islam'' that broadcasts on the [[Witwatersrand]]. A complaint was made by a progressive Muslim organization to the [[Independent Broadcasting Authority (South Africa)|Independent Broadcasting Authority]] in 1998 that the radio station was not allowing women to be heard on air. The station argued that Islam does not allow women's voices to be heard. The authority ruled against the station, and in response, the station collected a petition of 28 000 names from women, who it claimed, supported the decision to bar women from the airwaves. The station has since changed its policy and now has substantial participation from women.
-====Muhammad cartoons controversy====
 The organization again made headlines in 2006 when it obtained an interdict against several South African newspaper companies in the [[Johannesburg High Court]] against the republishing of cartoons depicting the Islamic prophet, [[Muhammad]]. See: [[Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy]]. This case  raised important questions about the limits of freedom of expression in South Africa.
-=== Mosque Closure Case ===
-In April 2020, the organization came under fire for, together with other organizations, announcing for the closure of mosques due to Covid-19.
-It also went into court as amicus curiae to object to the opening of mosques, when certain individuals went to court to try an get the mosques open during lockdown.
-Many organizations and individuals have spoken out on this issue.
-The organization has not made any official statements or apologies regarding this.
 == See also ==

Authority control databases
International	VIAF
National	United States