Books

‘What does prophetic courage look like today? What would Imam Gassan Solomon ask of us now – in the face of deepening injustice, inequality, and spiritual malaise? Let us each take a moment to ask: what legacy are we building?’ PROFESSOR ASLAM FATAAR delivering his keynote address...

‘The path to educational equality in South Africa is long and challenging, but Naicker’s book offers a hopeful vision for the future.’ Book review by LEBOGANG KHOZA & ZIKHONA NGQULA South Africa’s education system remains deeply unequal, with students from working-class and disadvantaged communities facing significant barriers...

The Homecoming Centre in Cape Town hosted the launch of Cultivating an Ethics of Beauty and Excellence in Planetary Times on February 8, 2025. MAHMOOD SANGLAY reports on a compelling new work by Professor Aslam Fataar. Fataar is a distinguished Research and Development Professor in Higher Education...

Ashihara Karate: Sabaki – The Essential Guide to Mastering the Art by Hoosain Narker and Erik Petermann is an authoritative and comprehensive manual on Ashihara Karate. MAHMOOD SANGLAY reviews this book on a dynamic and practical form of full-contact karate developed by Hideyuki Ashihara. It’s immediately pleasing...

Reviewer SHAIKH AHMED EL AZHARY points out that Dr Yasien Mohamed’s translation of a historical treatise is ‘a significant contribution to Islamic philosophy and ethics’. Today, as the world grapples with moral relativism, the erosion of spiritual values, and the complexities of a rapidly evolving technological landscape,...

Dr Shafik Ahmed Parker’s memoir, Parcel Baby: Aliases, Apartheid, Neurosurgery, chronicles his extraordinary journey from being smuggled into South Africa as an infant to becoming a neurosurgeon under Apartheid’s oppressive regime. The book intertwines personal narrative with the socio-political history of the Indian Muslim diaspora in South Africa,...

Sim Kern’s Genocide Bad is a timely and crucial publication, especially in the context of Donald Trump’s re-election as President of the US and his recent controversial declaration that Gaza is designated prime real estate for colonial settlers. MAHMOOD SANGLAY argues that Kern’s work is a call...

‘We don’t think of birds as refugees. But their flight mirrors the struggles of people forced to flee violence or devastation. This story asks us to consider their journeys and our role in welcoming them.’ By NONTOBEKO AISHA MKHWANAZI In Return of the Songbirds author, Hani du...

Enver Surty’s journey from this rural farmland to the corridors of power, marking the dawn of democracy, is a profound tale of dedication and commitment to human rights. Book Review by IQBAL JASSAT In Pursuit of Dignity by Mohamed Enver Surty. Publisher: Awqaf SA. ISBN 978 0 620 83455 1 ‘When we...

SHAFIQ MORTON reviews Wadah Khanfar’s The First Spring, The Political Praxis of the Prophet of Islam In the 21ST century, as the ‘western civilisational’ model starts to crumble – epitomised by its lack of conscience on Gaza, the moral decrepitude of its political leadership and its climate-damaging...