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It is necessary to critically analyse the cause of the steep decline in Muslim political participation, especially among the youth, where levels of interest and participation in politics have been on a downward spiral.
by INAYET WADEE
THE 2024 elections are over. The major selling points: the lucrative Muslim vote, the genocide in Gaza, the ANC Government taking the case of Palestine to the International Court of Justice, the Naledi Pandor roadshow, and don’t vote DA campaign.
These issues dominated the campaign aimed at the Muslim electorate but did not overlook the decline of the country as a result of mismanagement, corruption, lack of accountability, failure to deliver essential services, joblessness, and political programmes that failed completely.
As I entered the political arena for the first time and examined the foundation of our societies, I thought about the voices of minorities that needed to be heard. The undecided voter and Muslim politicians’ capacity to propagate value-based politics in a secular context were considered. Any Muslim who wants to become a politician faces a challenge when it comes to serving the spiritual and material interests of their electorate.
As an instruction to Muslims to ‘enjoin what is right and to forbid what is wrong’, the responsibility rests with Muslim politicians who must defend the good and be among those who combat evil. The Shariah, which governs spiritual and civil society, defines these. As a Muslim politician in a secular setting, our goal was to determine a path that would ensure optimal solidarity among ourselves and the people we want to represent. Throughout the campaign, there was a push to interpret Shariah, especially when it came to deciding whether Muslims should participate or not.
As Muslims in South Africa, we witnessed the debate, driven partially by the growing use of fatwas and decrees, issued by scholars with the authority to make such a decree. The confusion caused by these decrees and disorder had a negative impact on the image of Islam and Muslims as a group. The issue of spiritual authority within Muslims in South Africa became more apparent as we began to question our political participation.
The high levels of Muslim participation in the political landscape in the past have been forgotten. Our role in the democratic dispensation, which was widely acknowledged, is no more present. It is necessary to critically analyse the cause of the steep decline, especially among Muslim youth, where levels of interest and participation in politics have been on a downward spiral.
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The lack of unity of purpose within the Muslim community has been a prominent outcome of Elections 2024. This is a stark reflection of the discord that remains a thorn in the flesh of Muslim society. This problem is not only in politics, but also within the scholarly fraternity. Although there were efforts to unify Muslim parties before the election, it did not happen due to a variety of reasons.
This apathy can be clearly seen by the Muslim votes cast during the elections. Muslim parties like Al-Jama-ah and Sizwe Ummah Nation (SUN), and those aligned to strong Islamic values and ethos like Allied Movement for Change (AM4C), accounted for a total of 66 143 votes on the national vote, and 76 695 at regional level. This is in contrast to the likely registered Muslim voter population of over 800 000. The location of the remaining Muslim votes is uncertain, even though an average of 58% (464 000) voted nationally. The debate revolved around accusations and allegations that Muslims voted for the (Democratic Alliance) DA.
After scrutinising the statistics and voting patterns of South Africans, it turns out that most still vote along ethnic and tribal lines. Examples of this include the tribal votes for uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK), the coloured votes for the Patriotic Alliance (PA), the Afrikaner votes for the Freedom Front Plus (FFP), and the white votes for the DA.
Where does the Muslim voter’s loyalty lie despite having close to 800 000 votes nationally? If we had a unified Muslim vote today, would we have been in a much stronger position with seat allocations and significant power in the National Assembly? Were our scholars, activists and civil society played as puppets on a string by the African National Congress (ANC) with the continuous repetition of the Palestine rhetoric as the only issue to target the lucrative Muslim vote?
Missing opportunities can result in us becoming our own worst enemy at times like these. The National Assembly has experienced a decrease in Muslim representation across all political parties as a result of this outcome again. The fact that we enjoy freedom of religion giving us the right to build mosques, pray without hindrance, and run our Islamic and social welfare institutions is not enough to place us in a comfort zone in the political playing field.
Indeed, much of our concern should rather be fuelled by our response to the moral decay that is visible to us. The decline in the economy, the transgender debate, the LGBTQ+ agenda, and the incorporation of pervasive ideologies into our education systems are all present. The impact of this will be felt by future generations. With powerful Muslim voices in the corridors of power, we would have been able to mitigate the moral decay of society.
As Muslims, we will continue to find our efforts fruitless without meaningful dialogue and introspection. This should be accomplished without provoking confrontation but rather focusing on finding solutions. By nature, man cannot live in isolation. We cannot remain in a cocoon as Muslims in South Africa. The religion of Islam emphasises harmony and encompasses all aspects of life. The way of life talks about religious, social, moral, economic, and governance teachings.
Pointers to solutions:
- Social re-engineering and going back to basics. The political intention to promote openness and collaboration with all sectors of society. This must include both scholarly and non-scholarly fraternities coming together and serving the same purpose.
- Women’s organisations, youth movements, big business and associations for small-and medium-sized enterprises, professional bodies are some of the organisations that are already in place.
- Developing party structures for the selection of parliamentary candidates in all spheres of political governance is crucial.
- Candidates for local and national government, as well as the know-how to sustain a political party and win elections, are required.
- Establishment of political party association and membership at branch level in every town and city.
- Financial and human resource investment in politics.
- Building governance capacity from within.
- The establishment of think tanks of academics and scholars who will provide strategic insights, direction and guidance.
- Setting medium- and long-term goals.
- Our spiritual leaders must be guided by a fundamental concern for moral and political order in society, which requires putting our preferences, prejudices and egos aside.
- Unfreezing the Cold War to forge a harmonious connection between scholars and academics for the greater good of society.
- It’s important to remember that Muslims first need to come to terms with each other. Muslims in the country have undergone a transformation. We are no longer traditional Indian and Malay Muslims. We must be more inclusive in order to build a Muslim society that promotes unity in diversity.
- Realising that we are in a unique position to contribute to the country’s advancement.
As the situation stands, there are clear dangers that could jeopardise our trust and that of future generations. We can’t just sit back and accept what’s happening. This can only be resolved through solidarity between us. Our beliefs and humanity should be put before everything else.
It is important to remind ourselves that people are a catalyst for change. We will have the same discussion and debates in years to come if we don’t act now. Active participation is the dilemma for any Muslim politician in a secular world who wants to make a difference in their own community. This is the reason why CoMUSA, a Convention for Muslims in South Africa, is more important than ever in order for Muslims to engage and participate more meaningfully at all levels. We must feature more prominently in South Africa’s political landscape, without limiting ourselves to reaching out to Muslims only.
- As a media personality, Inayet Wadee has covered South African politics for over 20 years. He entered the political landscape as a candidate for the Allied Movement for Change (AM4C).
