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Islam in Today’s South Africa. LINK.

In South Africa, there are approximately 455 mosques, 408 educational institutes, colleges, Muslim private schools, religious instruction centres, and colleges of Islamic Sciences. There are universities that offer Arabic and Islamic Studies as part of their academic curriculum. The number of organisations involved in general welfare activities, e.g., social, cultural, business, religious, media, youth and gender are around 465. Some of the important private Islamic radio stations are: Al-Zaheer Radio Station, Fordsburg; Azaania Broadcasting, Durban; Institute for Islamic Services; Radio Pretoria; Islamic Broadcasting Services International, Mayfair; Radio 786, Cape Town; The Voice Radio Station, Mayfair and The Voice of the Cape Town.

There are branches in almost all the major towns and cities in South Africa of the Islamic Medical Association of South Africa. This organization publishes its own journal from Durban. Muslims as groups or as individuals publish a host of magazines, journals and periodicals mostly in the English language. Prominent among them are: The Muslim Digest, Al-Akhbar (Cape Town), Al-Rasheed (Frodsburg), Muslim Views (Cape Town), Palastine Times (Fordsbug), The Majlis (Port Elzabeth), The Message (Johannesburg) and Al-Balaagh (Johannesburg). There are Islamic societies and associations formed by students at most of the important secondary and tertiary educational institutions. Muslim women are not far behind their male counterparts; they have formed their own associations and are rendering valuable services to the community with a true Islamic spirit. Noteworthy among them are: Islamic co-ordinating Council -- Ladies Council, Cape Town; Islamic Da`wah Movement, Women’s Wing, Durban; Islamic Women’s Association, Durban; Jama`at-un-Nissa, Kimberley; Muslim Women’s Federation, Cape Town; Senior Citizens Comfort Group and Women’s Cultural Group, Durban.

The Muslim youth are not far behind in this either; some of their important associations and societies are: Fordsburg Muslim Youth Organisation, Johannesburg; Laudium Islamic Youth Awareness Movement, Pretoria; Muslim Youth Unity, Cape Town; Nur-ul-Islam Yield Youth Association, Cape Town; the Kauther Youth Circle, Johannesburg and Saut-us-Shabaab, Cape Town.

(Courtesy: The Radiance, New Dehli)