Islamic Resurgence in South Africa A Historical Survey

Abstract

The contemporary Islamic resurgence and spirit of pan-lslamism that
are being experienced today throughout the world did not come about
overnight. They are the results of two counterforces operative in any give
period of time. On the one hand, there was the deconstructionist force, in
the form of the colonial and imperial forces that sought to destroy the
Islamic value system. On the other hand, there was the reconstructionist
force of 'ulama haqq and the Sufi shaykhs, who served as the prime stiinulators
of the reform impusle and of change in the religiopolitical outlook
of Muslims throughout the world.
Islam in South Africa
South Africa has played a forceful role in maintaining Islam's dynamic
position for about three centuries. The picturesque activities of the earlier
ulama (in the broadest sense of the word)-particularly the Sufi shaykhs- and
early imams laid the foundations for the contemporary Islamic resurgence
in South Africa, as seen in the Musliin Youth Movement and such
other da'wah movements as the Call of Islam. Past workers and present
movements have been religiopolitical positivists and activists. From the
outset, Muslims needed to reconstruct Islamic education and maintain the
momentum of revivalism and resurgence activities.
The Dutch East India Company and English East India
Company: A Deconstructionist Force
The East India Company refers to any of a number of commercial
enterprises formed in Western Europe during the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries to further trade with the East Indies. These companies were
given charters by their respective governments to acquire territory wherever
they could and to exercise therein various governmental functions,
including legislation, the issuance of currency, the negotiation of treaties,
the waging of war, and the administration of justice ...