ISSN 0972-558X IENTl\L OLOGIST r,u,r11,al international journal ofthe science ofman --rr-- -: sff cial Issue on INDIAN Dl J?ORA IN SOUTH AFRICA .::tj'' '.·-•· - Guest Editor • ANAND SINGH Department orf..nthropology, University of KwaZulu-Natal Howard College, Campus, Durban 7;'C .. Editor , Associate Editor VIJOY S SAHAYi· PRADIP K SINGH r'"' R . Official Organ of The Oriental Institute of Cultural and Social Research ;i Allahabad (India) ( Published by ...t, ..: ... •T T THE ORIENTAL ANTHROPOLOGIST MEMBERS, EDITORIAL BOARD Srivastava, Paul M gnarella, Vin y Kumar _University _of Delhi, India, J. University of THE ORIENTAL ANTHROPOLOGIST Florida, U.S.A., Edward Le1bow, Environmental Health and Social Policy Center 1 Seattle Boisvert, U. .A., _Mathieu Un versity of Quebec, Montreal Canada, Anand Singh: Numberl University of Durban, South Africa, Anoop Chandola, University of Arizona, U.S.A., Volume7 January 2007 Pa_thmanathan Raghvan, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, K.N. Srivastava, Ex. Dean & Head Deptt. of Commerce, Mithila University, India, Moromi Tal_ukd r, D.f-!.S.K. allege, Dibrug rh, ndia, Dee_pak !'umar Behera, Sambalpur LJ_niversity,_ India, Suri der ath, University of Delhi, India, Sachindranarayan, A.N. Contents Sinha Institut of Socia! Sciences, Patna, India, U.C. Chattopadhyay, University of Allahabad, Indi , In ram University of Delhi, India, Premanand Panda, <:hattopadhyay, A Historical Reconsruction of Political, Social and Anand Sirigh 1-16 Sam a7ur University, I dia, Singh, University of Lucknow, India, Ravi S Sahay, St. .P. Economic Challenges Among People of Indian Origin Xavier Coll ge, Ranchi, Indi_a, Subhra Sarvey of India, an ha arik, 1nthropological in Post-Apartheid South Africa Portb!air, India, P abhat K. Smgh, Ranchi University, India, Sangita Sinha, P.G. Collage, Ch kia, (U.P.) India, Jahanara,Allahabad Agricultural Institute-DU, Allahabad, India. Priya The Limits to Visibility: Indian Women in the Uma Dhupelia-Mesthrie 17-38 Srivastava, Department of Anthropology, Allahabad University. Transvaal, 1870s to 1930s Transnational Teacher Migration from Sadhana Manik 39-60 Editor Associate Editor South Africa: A New Form of Vijoy S Sahay (Allahabad) Pradeep K Singh (Ranchi) Indentured Labourers? Managing Editors Vatsala Srivastava (Allahabad) Book Review Editor "Inside" the field: Research Experiences and Gerelene Pattundeen 61-71 Ramkrishana Mahapatra (Kolkata) Gautam K Bera (Kolkata) Challenges in Studying Transnational Indian Women Professionals in Durban, Kwazulu-Natal Layout by: G.R. Sharma (Delhi) The Making and (Re) making of Ethnic Identity: Ashwin Desai & 72-90 M nuscripts and illustr tions, book reviews and news items for publication in The The Case of Indian South Africans Brij Maharaj Oriental Anth_ropolog1st should be sent to Dr. Vijoy S Sahay Department of Ant op ogy, Universi of Allahabad, Allahabad - 211 002 {lndi ). Resurrection of an identity: the Sikh Community Kalpana Hiralal 91-108 E-mail: [email protected] & [email protected] in Durban, South Africa Phone No.: 91-532-2507460 (M) 09415340356 (R) The "Beards" versus the "Bards" among Indian Goolam Vahed 109-128 Muslims in South Africa: A 21st Century Story of Subscription for one volume (consisting of two numbers): The price is current, subject Travelling Cartoons and Protests Foreign Annual Subscription: U.S.$ 150.00 to change without notice in Inland Annual Subscription: Rupees 2000.00 future Rajend Mesthrie 129-155 For Research Scholars: Rupees 300.00 The origins of colloquial South African Tamil SuBSTANCE ABUSE: The Scourge in the Indian Shanta Singh 156-175 Cheque/Draft payable to: Community in Durban, South Africa The Present in the Past: Indian Experience, 1860-1914 Surendra Bhana 176-186 A Memoir: Down The Memory Lane in Durban: Vijoy S Sahay 187-191 A Visit to the Gandhi Ashram at Phoenix SERIALS• PUBLICATIONS 192-197 4830/24, Ansari Road, Darya Ganj, New Delhi 110 002 (India) Book Review Phone: 91-11-23245225 Fax: 91-11-23272135 108 THE ORIENTAL ANTHROPOLOGIST THE ORIENTAL ANTHROPOLOGIST 2007; 7(1): 109-128 Sterling, J. (1907), The Colonials in South Africa 1899-1902, London: William Blackwood & Sons. Tatla, D.S. (1999), The Sikh Diaspora-The Search for Statehood, London: University College London Press. Tinker, H. and Twaddle, M. (ed). (1975), Expulsion of a Minority-Essays on Ugandian Indian, London: Athlone Press. THE 1.1BEARDS" VERSUS THE "BARDS" AMONG INDIAN MUSLIMS IN SOUTH AFRICA: A 21st Century Story of Travelling Cartoons and Protests GOOLAM VAHED• ABSTRACT This paper examines Indian Muslims in post-apartheid South Africa, with particular respect to the inclination by non-Muslims to view Muslims as a homogeneous monolith, and the divisions among Muslims over traditions, beliefs, and practices, which run contrary to this wide-held perception. Muslims are divided by race, class, gender, and ethnicity; theologically they run the gamut from orthodox to progressive; and among themselves they are boxed into categories like Tablighi, Deobandi, Modernist, Salafi, and so on; and their cultural identities are cumulative rather than singular. They are also reacting in different ways to changes ushered by the demise of apartheid, globalisation, challenges posed by modernity, and the "War on Terror". At the extremes are those seeking to withdraw into parochial (re)-imagined Islamic identities and those who have wholeheartedly embraced the new, democratic South Africa. In-between are a multiplicity ofidentities and attitudes. Traditional Ulema (religious clergy) wield power among Muslims and their views are usually hegemonic. They have the support of the majority of Muslims and seek to sideline recalcitrant voices by declaring their beliefs as "untruths". Dissenting voices are, however, emerging among Muslim intelligentsia, professionals, and gender activists outside the control of the ·Ulema, who are challenging the dominant status quo. Muslim identities will continue to shift and transform n response to changing circumstances in a particularly unstable global and national political context. Introduction This paper addresses two significant problems with respect to the Muslim population in South Africa viz. the tendency among non-Muslims to treat all ,, ,, 110 THE ORIENTAL ANTHROPOLOGIST THE "BEAR OS VERSUS THE "B ARDS AMONGINDIAN MUSLIMS IN SOUTH AFRICA: 111 Muslims as a homogeneous monolith, and the socio-religious strains and This furore epitomizes the deep divisions among South Africa's Muslims. divisions among Muslims that counters this widespread generalization about Notwiths!anding this, there is a tendency, reflected in letters to newspapers the . T e paper and its title were inspired by the controversy surrounding and c ll-m p o rammes on radio, to view Muslims as a homogeneous publication of the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in Danish newspaper monolith. This is far from the case. Differences of race, class, ethnicity, Jyllands-Posten which provoked worldwide protests during early 2006. In language, gender, and politics, in conjunction with local and global events, South Africa too, many Muslims reacted angrily to what they regarded as have been important in fashioning and re-fashioning Muslim identities. As blatant contempt for their values, culture, and religion. Some participated in Wasserman and Jacobs remind us: protest marches while others boycotted newspapers such as the Sunday Times Isla"!ic narrative re being on truc e using global and local symbols, which produce and Cape Argus-which were alleging to publish the cartoons. A few Danish specific and hybridised Muslim identities. They are intimately connected to the 'routes' flags were burned, threats were issued against the Mail and Guardian Weekly of these symbols p oduced within colonialism, globalisation and the post-apartheid period. editor Feria! Haffejee for publishing the cartoons. This popular reaction among It presents us with an assemblage of tensions that are intensely internal and local South African Muslims was also accompanied by calls for a boycott of Danish while at the same time being external and global (Wasserman and Jacobs 2003: 26). products. However despite these events, comparatively, South Africa did not Sever l broad and_contradictory patterns are apparent in the post-apartheid witness the same levels of anti-Danish/ anti-western violence that flared up expenence of Muslims. Some responded by seeking to withdraw into parochial in many other parts of the world. This may very well reflect the fact that the (re)- magined Islamic identities while are sought to become part of the South African constitution respects the rights of its citizens to freedom of others fabnc of the new, democratic South African soeiety. Those seeking to embrace expression, to protest peacefully, and seek redress through legal means. As narrow Islamic identities have, however, been forced to reconsider their Sheik Ebrahim Gabriels, president of both the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) attitudes because of George Bush's "Global War on Terror", which is causing and United Ulama Council of South .Aifrica (UUCSA), said, Muslim protest many to reassess their perceptions Africa and their place in it. against the cartoons was conducted the "South African way": "We have been about South reaction to the cartoons also points a wider marching for Palestine and for other purposes and we always had a very Differences in the to issue, namely how to respond to challenges posed by modernity. peaceful march, ... we always tell our people 'Let us