Guest Writer

The story of Ebrahim Ismail, who lived as ‘Abraham Davis’ under apartheid, reveals the complex intersections of war, race, identity and belonging in South Africa. By ANWAR OMAR Recently, I stumbled upon a fragile handwritten version of The Ballad of the D-Day Dodgers by my paternal uncle,...

By NABEEL ALKHALIDY When we study the history of Tafsir (Quranic interpretation), we quickly realise it was not developed in an isolated bubble. Over the centuries, foreign concepts quietly slipped into the cracks of early explanations. To see this in action, we will look at a specific...

The South African chess community mourns the passing of Dr Shabier ‘Dr Shabs’ Bhawoodien Mahatey, a champion, mentor and lifelong ambassador for the game. By ADNAAN ADAMS The passing of Dr Shabier Hussain ‘Dr Shabs’ Bhawoodien Mahatey, on Wednesday May 27, marks the end of an era...

Mowbray Muslim Cemetery is a sacred archive of Cape Muslim history, housing heritage sites linked to scholars, activists, saints and anti-apartheid leaders. On this basis, the writer argues, the cemetery – in its entirety – deserves formal nomination and declaration as a National Heritage Site. By ANWAR...

By ASLAM FATAAR On Saturday, May 23, 2026, family, friends, colleagues, students, community leaders and ordinary people gathered to bid farewell to Prof Imam Noor Davids. ASLAM FATAAR pays tribute to a dear friend, mentor and colleague. His passing on May 22 brought sadness to many circles...

STEVEN FRIEDMAN If we allow democracy’s foes to target those we do not admire, we make it likely that they will come after us and those we do value. Fadiel Adams, MP and founder and leader of the National Coloured Congress, is not a politician those who...

An analysis of Pakistan’s political landscape, connecting repression at home to Zionism, imperial war, debt, dependency, and the global machinery of domination. By PROFESSOR JUNAID S. AHMAD Pakistan’s liberal class has long practiced a curiously convenient form of courage: the kind that attacks power only after first...

The recent Mowbray Muslim Cemetery High Court ruling indirectly brought to the fore issues of heritage law, governance, and the sacred nature of burial spaces in Islam. By ANWAR OMAR The recent Western Cape High Court judgement (Bassier v The Moslem Cemetery Board, 2026) regarding the administration...

By YUSUF ISMAIL Two prominent events happen this week: Worker’s Day and the 32nd anniversary of South Africa’s struggle and triumph against apartheid. It would be the height of cynicism if any major figure were, at this time, to provide apologetic polemics for and on behalf of...

The foundational myths of the modern West are inscribed in the chronicles of inexorable progress. Yet in truth, for any colonial entity to root itself on Indigenous soil and thrive, the natives must be exterminated, physically liquidated and culturally pulverised, their very breath  an existential affront to...