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Drawing on her family’s Cape Town history, the writer examines how Apartheid classifications such as ‘Cape Malay’ and ‘coloured’ continue to shape identity and belonging. She argues that recognising shared humanity can help South Africans move beyond inherited racial labels. By DR NADIA KAMIES Like many people...

Professor John Esposito transformed the study of Islam by challenging prejudice with rigorous scholarship, intellectual integrity and genuine engagement with Muslim societies. A reflection on the life and legacy of one of the world’s most respected scholars of contemporary Islam. By PROFESSOR JUNAID S. AHMAD There are...

There are some people whose passing leaves an legacy that endures due to the profound impact they had on others. MAHMOOD SANGLAY reflects on multiple tributes received in honour of Mohamed Abbas Rumaney. Many of his peers simply knew him as Abbas bhai. Since his passing on...

Three moving tributes honour the life and legacy of Haji Mogamat Rashad Jedaar , the distinguished educator, principal and Islamic scholar whose visionary leadership transformed Muhammadeyah Primary School and left an enduring mark on generations of learners, teachers and the broader Muslim community. By FARID SAYED Perhaps...

In the concluding part of Reclaiming Agency, DR ISMAIL ADAM PATEL argues that Muslims must recover an authentically Islamic public vocabulary, revive the classical concept of ribat, and build institutions, scholarship, technology and civic leadership that transform devotion into sustained collective action. Part Three The marginalisation of...

Fifty years after the Soweto Uprising, Adli Yacubi reflects on how June 16 shaped a generation of Muslim activists, the emergence of the Call of Islam, and the enduring struggle for justice and human dignity. By ADLI YACUBI We grew up in the aftermath By the time...

In Part Two of Reclaiming Agency, DR ISMAIL ADAM PATEL argues that coloniality confined Islam to the private sphere and transformed a faith of justice into one of passivity. He outlines how Muslims can restore Islam’s public role through institutions, language and collective action. Part Two The...

DR ISMAIL ADAM PATEL asks the searing question: in light of the ongoing genocide in Gaza, how does the Ummah convert grief into organised action? In this first of a three-part series he sketches the ‘landscape’ and names the challenge. Part One Opening — The Two Prayers...

Goolam Hoosain Abed (August 11, 1934 – June 20, 2026), former rugby fly-half and cricket all-rounder, leaves behind a remarkable sporting legacy spanning South Africa and England. By MOGAMAD ALLIE After a well-played innings of 91, Goolam Abed finally became the last wicket to fall in his...

From District Six to global stages, Abdullah Ibrahim transformed South African jazz and created a powerful cultural legacy rooted in spirituality and resistance. By HENNING MELBER Adolph Johannes Brand was born on October 9, 1934, in Cape Town. He would become better known as Dollar Brand and...