Witnessing for God: Living out Islamic Ethics in the City of Cape Town Restricted; Files Only
Osman, Mujahid (Spring 2025)
Abstract
Based on ethnographic fieldwork, archival research, and textual analysis, this dissertation analyzes the multiple ways in which a Muslim community in Cape Town, South Africa struggles to be a “witness for God,” as encouraged by the Qurʾān. It contends that by grounding their praxis in a scriptural notion of being witnesses of God (shuhadā’ li-llāh) in the pursuit of standing up for human dignity and social justice, the Claremont Main Road Mosque (CMRM) is a global beacon of Islamic liberation theology, contextual social ethics, and Islamic peace praxis. Living out a commitment to be a witness of God takes the form of ‘critical traditionalism’ that creatively draws on the legacy and heritage of the past in order to negotiate an Islamic ethic attentive to the present, whilst still being guided by the desire to strive for salvation in the hereafter. This dissertation therefore explores how the congregation challenges colonial and apartheid racism through liberation theology; rethinks patriarchal norms through Islamic feminism; struggles against poverty through charity and solidarity; proposes a notion of an inclusive religious community through radical pluralism; and explores ways to include queer Muslims through an ethics of sexual dignity. While a small congregation on the southern tip of Africa, its experience in religious action for social justice resonates around the world through its sermon performances, scriptural hermeneutics, and social justice activism.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction
Who are the Witnesses for God?
Political Economy of the Sacred
The Mosque as an Assemblage
Living out Islamic Ethics
Positionality and Methodology
Structure and Roadmap
Chapter One
A Story about Islam in Cape Town
Introduction
Dutch Colonialism and the First Muslims
British Imperialism and the Institutionalization of Islam
The Rise of Apartheid Resistance
Building a Rainbow Nation
Conclusion
Chapter Two
Apartheid Across Spaces: Struggling with Difference in Solidarity with the Other
Introduction
Solidarity Across Difference in Cape Town
Crossing Apartheid Spaces
Living Out an Ethics of Solidarity
Conclusion
Chapter Three
‘From Charity to Solidarity’: Praxis Against Precarity
Introduction
The Political Economy of Post-Apartheid Precarity
From Charity to Human Solidarity
Struggling Against Manifest and Subtle Poverty
Conclusion
Chapter Four
Pluralism under Sunni Hegemony: Toward Intra-Muslim Enmeshment in the City
Introduction
Intra-Muslim Difference in Cape Town
Tawḥīd: Unity Manifested Through Diversity
Living Out an Ethic of Taʿāruf
Conclusion
Chapter Five
The Gender Jihad Beyond the Minbar: Challenging Patriarchal Mores in Muslim Practices
Introduction
The Rise of the Gender Jihad
From Pulpit Performance to Community Practices
Living Out an Ethic of Gender Justice
Conclusion
Chapter Six
Edging Toward Inclusion: The Limits of an Intersectional Ethics of Dignity
Introduction
Desiring Inclusion – A Project of Gradualism
Intergenerational Dialogue, Intersectionality, and Capacity-Building
Struggling to Live Out an Intersectional Ethic of Human Dignity
Conclusion
Conclusion
The Challenges of Witnessing for God
Overview
Toward an Intersectional Study of Religion
Bibliography
About this Dissertation
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File download under embargo until 22 May 2031 | 2025-04-25 14:12:07 -0400 | File download under embargo until 22 May 2031 |
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