South Africa’s Muslim Philanthropists and Humanitarian Organizations: Religious Activism, Changing Environments

South Africa’s Muslims have been actively involved in humanitarian aid throughout the twentieth century. Many newspaper reports, for example recorded their contributions towards natural disasters such as Turkey’s earthquake, Indonesia’s tsunami, and Mozambique’s floods. They were, of course, represented by numerous organizations that extended their services to these affected communities, and as a result, their humanitarian acts have been recognized by the government for their giving spirit. During the past two decades—and earlier—many Muslim organizations have emerged that have made a serious impact on the humanitarian sector. The reasonably long list includes: the Gift of the Givers, Al-Imdaad Foundation, Muslim Hands, and Islamic Relief South Africa. Each of these organizations has filled significant gaps within this particular quarter. And they have been complemented by another set of organizations, such as the South African Muslim Charitable Trust, Mustadafin Foundation, and the Imam Abdullah Haron Educational Trust. Each of these underlined that the South African Muslim community, despite their own depressing conditions during and after the apartheid era, has been concerned with the welfare of their fellow human beings nationally, regionally, and internationally. This essay’s objectives are threefold. The first is to briefly concentrate on the notion of ‘Muslim activism’, which acts as a useful conceptual frame. The second is to place Muslim NGOs in context. These are divided into the local and international scenes. The third is to select samples from both Muslim trusts and foundations that participate in charitable activities and that address humanitarian aid, and to evaluate these organizations to demonstrate to what degree they helped to depict South Africa as a giving nation.