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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 Transformation at Stellenbosch University.
The event, organised by Awqaf South Africa as part of its Leaders and Legacies project, gathered academics, community leaders and historians in a thought-provoking engagement with Fataar’s work.
The event commenced with moderator Shafiq Morton, a veteran journalist, introducing the panelists, which included Professor Fataar, co-author and academic Dr Najwa Norodien Fataar, and historian Abdud-Daiyaan Petersen.
Mickaeel Collier, CEO of Awqaf South Africa, contextualised the book within the broader mission of the Leaders and Legacies project, emphasising the importance of documenting community histories often marginalised by colonial and apartheid narratives.
In his keynote address, Fataar offered a rich and deeply personal exploration of the book’s themes. He traced his intellectual journey through District Six, Grassy Park and the broader transoceanic Islamic legacies that shape South African Muslim identity. He highlighted the ethical imperatives of ihsan (excellence) and adab (moral conduct), linking them to contemporary challenges such as justice for Palestine, gender-based violence and the ethical dilemmas posed by artificial intelligence. His reflections on storytelling as a vehicle for ethical cultivation piqued the interest of attendees, reinforcing the idea that reclaiming history is an act of justice.
Following the keynote, respondents Dr Najwa Norodien Fataar and historian Dr Abdud-Daiyaan Petersen provided additional reflections. Dr Najwa (Prof Fataar’s wife) focused on the intersection of lived experience and intellectual inquiry, particularly how their household became an interactive space of ethical engagement. Petersen highlighted the underlying theme of hope and the critical need to engage with the youth meaningfully. Their insights set the stage for an interactive Q&A session, where attendees discussed the book’s implications for education, activism and ethical leadership.
The launch concluded with a robust discussion on how Islamic ethical traditions can inform responses to contemporary crises. The event’s attendees underscored the importance of fostering interfaith solidarity and cultivating ethical agency in the face of global injustices.
Fataar’s vision of ethics, community and justice
Fataar’s Cultivating an Ethics of Beauty and Excellence is a seminal work that merges personal narrative, decolonial analysis and ethical philosophy. The book is more than an anthology of essays and reflections. It presents a visionary framework for rethinking ethics in an era of socio-political upheaval.
One of the book’s most compelling themes is Fataar’s emphasis on ihsan and adab as principles that guide human conduct beyond abstract moralising. He argues that ethical living must be an embodied practice—deeply integrated into everyday actions, relationships, and community-building efforts. His call to cultivate an ethics of beauty and excellence is particularly significant in our time of fractured societies and moral relativism.
A critical aspect of Fataar’s methodology is his genealogical approach to knowledge. By tracing his own ancestry and highlighting the displacement of communities like those in District Six, he foregrounds the importance of historical consciousness in ethical formation. His engagement with transoceanic histories further complicates simplistic nationalist narratives, showing how indigeneity and global Islamic intellectual traditions intersect in South African Muslim identity.
Fataar’s critique of modernity is another key feature of his work. He challenges the alienation wrought by capitalist consumerism, the erosion of communal bonds and the commodification of time. His discussion of artificial intelligence and neoliberal individualism raises pressing ethical concerns about technology’s role in shaping human agency. Unlike mainstream critiques that focus solely on the dangers of AI, Fataar situates the debate within broader discussions on ethical responsibility, spiritual values and the importance of retaining human-centered knowledge systems.
The book also offers urgent interventions on contemporary struggles, particularly the Palestinian resistance. Fataar’s invocation of sumud (steadfastness) as an ethical principle aligns with his broader argument that justice must be rooted in lived experiences of oppression and resilience. His reflections on scholasticide (the destruction of educational institutions in Gaza) draw sobering parallels with South Africa’s own historical struggles against epistemic violence.
As an educational policy theorist, Fataar makes a compelling case for a transformative approach to pedagogy. He critiques the reduction of education to mere knowledge transmission and instead advocates for a model that fosters ethical and moral sensibilities. His call for ihsan-based pedagogies and critical literacies underscores the need for education systems to cultivate not just skilled individuals but morally engaged citizens.
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Despite the book’s intellectual depth, it does raise questions about accessibility. Some of Fataar’s more theoretical discussions – such as his engagement with maqasid al-shariah (higher objectives of Islamic law) and ethical time – may require further elaboration for general readers. However, his use of storytelling and lived experience provides an important counterbalance, ensuring that his ideas remain relatable and applicable beyond academia.
Cultivating an Ethics of Beauty and Excellence in Planetary Times is a groundbreaking contribution to contemporary Islamic thought and ethical discourse. Fataar’s ability to integrate personal history, ethical philosophy, and socio-political critique makes this book an essential resource for those committed to justice, knowledge and moral excellence. His presentation at the book launch reinforced the urgency of his vision, reminding us that ethical cultivation is not a passive exercise but an active, ongoing commitment to the betterment of self and society.
- The book is available for R250 at:
1. Academia Library, Islamia College, Cape Town
2. Hikmah Books. www.hikmah.co.za
3. Clarkes Book Shop, Cape Town
4. Exclusive Books nationwide
5. Takealot.com
