Forum

Mounting an “Islamic Studies” Program:
A University of the Free State 

(South Africa) Initiative
Muhammed Haron

Abstract

The study of Islam at many universities around the world has been
on the increase for the past three decades for various regions. In
South Africa, where it was initiated by Semiticists in Semitic Stud-
ies departments and Missiologists in Missiology courses, its study
gradually developed into full courses. Since the popularity of “Is-
lamic studies” has been of interest to secular academics as well, the
country’s University of the Free State (UFS) proposed the offering
of a Baccalaureus Divinitatis Degree in Islamic studies. But before
doing so, the university decided to host a colloquium to which the
organizing committee invited various stakeholders. This essay con-
textualizes this colloquium by locating the teaching and study of
Islam in a broad South(ern) African context and offers a critical re-
port on the ensuing two-day colloquium. 

Keywords: Islamic Studies, South Africa, University of Free
State, Baccalaureus Divinitatis

Muhammad Haron is associate professor, religious studies, University of Botswana and as-
sociate researcher, the “Study of Islam” program, University of Johannesburg. He authored
The Dynamics of Christian-Muslim Relations (2006), edited Going Forward: South African-
Malaysia Relations (2008), compiled/edited South Africa’s Muslims: Annotated Bibliography
(1997) and South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission: An Annotated Bibliography
(2009). He co-authored with Yasien Mohamed First Steps in Arabic Grammar (2007) and
Second Steps in Arabic Grammar (2009), as well as co-edited with Suleiman Dangor Islamic
Civlization in Southern Africa (2009). In addition, he edited a special issue on “Arabo-Islamic
Manuscripts [in Africa]” for Tydksrif vir Letterkunde (University of Pretoria 45[1], 2008) and
a special issue on “Muslims in Southern Africa” for BOLESWA: Journal of Theology, Religion
and Philosophy (University of Botswana 4[1], 2012). He wishes to take this opportunity to
express his gratitude to M. Sukdaven (formerly at UFS and now at UP), A. Mukhtar, and A.
Rafudeen (UNISA) for the invaluable information that they shared with him.



Introduction
The study of Islam at many western universities has been on the increase for
the past three decades. Although numerous reasons may be forwarded to ac-
count for this, the 9/11 tragedy may be considered the one key watershed event
that triggered it. In its aftermath, a plethora of appointments occurred at
numerous American and European academic institutions, and existing pro-
grams were revamped and transformed so that Islam was taught as a subject
in its own right and included in area studies (e.g., Middle Eastern Studies1),
discipline-oriented programs (e.g., religious studies2), and other academic pro-
grams. Traditionally Islam was only taught in the faculties of theology at many
western institutions; however, scholars who operate within the social sciences
have begun to appropriate it willingly – a healthy development indeed.3

Turning to southern Africa, a unique terrain in which Islam has been taught
for more than fifty years, it says much for those who introduced and taught it
despite the ensuing criticism for doing so. The previous rationale for teaching
the course differs vastly from the current one. Among the southern African uni-
versities that clutter its landscape, South African universities generally intro-
duced Islam as a theme/unit within missiological studies programs or as a
separate subject in Semitic/Oriental studies departments.4 Many of their grad-
uates acquired a rudimentary understanding of Islam and were armed with mis-
siological intent; others emerged with a pure historical notion of where to locate
Muslim communities on (southern) Africa’s religious map. 

Around the 1960s, the scholarly tradition remained within the fold of the
European tradition that looked at Islam from a Semiticist cum Orientalist per-
spective, and thus the account narrated below does not differ sigificantly from
what happened in Europe.5 However, young emerging Muslim groups chal-
lenged this tradition during the early 1970s and, as a result, Islam was no
longer taught purely as a tradition but as a formal academic discipline known
as “Islamic studies.”6

This essay does not intend to regurgitate the information presented else-
where,7 but only to narrate what transpired at the University of Free State
(UFS) colloquium. But before describing this event and raising several critical
questions, one has to briefly reflect upon the discipline within the southern
African context to appreciate where this interesting initiative is located within
the larger picture of theological and religious studies.8

The UFS Proposal in Context
Although Islamic studies was offered at the University of Durban-Westville
(UDW; now amalgamated with the University of Natal to form the University

136 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 32:1



of Kwa-Zulu Natal [UKZN]) as an independent program, it also found a home
in religious studies units and/or departments. Institutions were constructed
and programs were designed to serve various religious stakeholders in South
African society. Consequently, over the past few years a sizeable number of
individuals completed or majored in Islamic studies and either remained in
the field or branched out into other sectors (e.g., law and sociology).9

That aside, new developments have been taking place since the late 1990s.
For example, fresh courses were being woven together to suit the needs of the
society and those individuals who wanted to pursue higher degrees in Islamic
studies. For the record, some of these individuals came from private Muslim
theological seminaries (MTS) that had managed to complement those secular
tertiary institutions of higher learning that offered courses on Islam. The MTS,
established over the past forty years, gradually influenced the theological out-
looks of South(ern) Africa’s Muslim communities, a development that auto-
matically affected their perceptions of how Islam was taught in the region’s
secular institutions.10 Despite the lack of official recognition by the South
African Ministry of Higher Education and Training and its counterparts in the
region, the MTS, at least for Muslims, continue to play a significant theolog-
ical role in the higher education sector. 

Their contributions, alongside those of the secular tertiary institutions
(e.g., UKZN, the University of South Africa [UNISA], the University of Cape
Town [UCT], the University of the Western Cape [UWC], and the University
of Johannesburg [UJ]), in which Islamic studies has been and remains on
offer, cannot be ignored or overlooked by scholars active in the higher edu-
cation sector. Fortunately, a few studies have helped place the MTS on the
region’s educational map and should, hopefully, stimulate other researchers
to reflect further on their role and impact.11 The graduates, unlike those at the
secular institutions, have been seeking some form of recognition with the
idea of moving academically upwards. During the 1990s and early 2000s,
some of them were able, through the higher education sector’s Recognition
of Prior Learning (RPL) policy12 (subsequently revised), to enter the post-
graduate Islamic studies program at the above-mentioned institutions. A few
of them adapted to the secular educational environments and eventually com-
pleted their BA Honours and MA degrees; a handful even successfully ob-
tained their doctorate degrees. 

While these may be regarded as important educational developments,
one question has been raised intermittently: Should the MTS and their theo-
logical programs receive full recognition by the South African Ministry of
Higher Education and Training? Interestingly, after many years of seeking

Haron: Mounting an “Islamic Studies” Program 137



accreditation as a bona fide educational institution, the International Peace
College of South Africa (IPSA),13 which belongs to the MTS group of insti-
tutions, obtained official recognition. Minister Blade Nzimandi conducted
the ceremony in March 2013,14 a very encouraging development. However,
up until now there is no “Association of Muslim Institutions of Higher Learn-
ing” and, as far as is known, IPSA remains the only seminary to apply to the
ministry for formal recognition. Perhaps these institutions should study the
ongoing educational developments in the United Kingdom, where some uni-
versities are attempting to reach out to such institutions through various forms
of educational partnership.15

The UFS initiative should be appreciated and understood within this con-
text. Its inventive project should be viewed as a challenge to the Muslim
community at large and to Muslim seminaries in particular. Under the lead-
ership of UFS’s award-winning vice-chancellor Professor Jonathan Jansen, the
university has begun to seriously consider providing “a home” for an MTS-
modeled program. This proposal can be described as rather unique, for such
an arrangement was unheard of before due to the traditional (and ongoing)
perception that such Christian-oriented universities as UFS were (and remain)
bastions of secular learning and therefore “closed” to the teaching of other
religious traditions. 

In an attempt to reach an inclusive, as opposed to an exclusive, decision
at the colloquium, various Muslim stakeholders were invited. It was somewhat
unfortunate that representatives from the long-established MTS were not pres-
ent to engage in the ensuing debates. In fact, only the staff and students of the
long-established Madina Institute (MI) responded positively.16 A brief histor-
ical account of how this initiative came about is presented in the next section.

The Historical Background of the UFS Initiative 
As indicated above, the UFS’ unique invitation was given the green light by
its dynamic Professor Jonathan Jansen,17 its current rector and vice-chancellor
who grew up in multicultural greater Cape Town. At the colloquium, he men-
tioned the rationale behind this request and stressed that since South Africa
has transformed itself into a multicultural society, it also has to open up its
structures to reinforce the society’s new identity. Despite enjoying the financial
support of the vice-chancellor’s office, it was in fact the brain-child of Maniraj
Sukdaven,18 who had spent almost two years planning it and meeting with the
vice-chancellor. This project formed part of his vison of the department’s fu-
ture, which is explained below.

138 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 32:1



The Department of Religion Studies
Maniraj Sukdaven,19 a Christian scholar, joined UFS’ Department of Biblical
and Religious Studies in 2006. Up until then, it had offered “religious instruc-
tions” rather than “Religious studies” as such, a traditional teaching “instruc-
tion” approach that formed an integral part of the Christian Education’s system
curriculum rigidly imposed by the apartheid regime’s Ministry of Education.
But by the time the democratic government came into power during May
1994, it had requested each ministry to dismantle all (educational) vestiges of
apartheid so that the interests of all social sectors would be adequately repre-
sented. The Department of Education, which had to be overhauled, eventually
began to change. Thus when Professor Kader Asmal stepped in as minister of
education, one of the tasks he paid attention to was his ministry’s White Paper
on Religion Education. As soon as it was finalized, he implemented its rec-
ommendations, one of which was that the “Christian Education” curriculum
be automatically replaced by a “Religion Education” curriculum. 

As a result, UFS’ Department of Biblical and Religious Studies changed
its name to the Department of Religious Studies; during 2009/2010, under his
successor Sukdaven, it was renamed the Department of Religion Studies,
“where the Religion, in a right of its own, could be studied as an academic dis-
cipline without the baggage of belief systems.”20 This conscious name change
was in line with the “phenomenology of religion” approach toward the study
of religious traditions.21 In essence, Sukdaven managed to separate religion as
a discipline from theology. Ever since, he has pointed out in his correspondence
that the department gradually shifted out of theology’s shadow, which implies
that theology has lost its former hegemonic status and has gradually become a
subdiscipline of religion studies. 

The Inter-Religious Forum
While these developments were being realized, Sukdaven – after some per-
suasion – was able to convince the Faculty of Theology Board to approve the
formation of an Inter-Religious Forum (IRF) unit in the Department of Reli-
gion Studies. Despite the ensuing challenges, it eventually devised a feasible
constitution that protected all religious traditions. According to him, the un-
derlying rationale for adopting such an inclusive structure and comprehensive
approach was part of the department’s plans for the future. The outcome of
this approach was the hosting of several conferences and colloquiums to dis-
cuss such religion-related issues as reconciliation, gender, ecology, education,
freedom of expression, and ethics. Since the last-mentioned variable holds

Haron: Mounting an “Islamic Studies” Program 139



such a pivotal position in all sectors of university life, Sukdaven decided to
invite Martin Prozesky to join as Professor Extra-Ordannaire with the intention
of developing a Religion and Ethics unit. 

Given Sukdaven’s pro-active involvement in these academic develop-
ments, he was tasked with bringing together members from different religious
traditions to illustrate the proposed forum’s viability. Not only did the IRF
members demonstrate an interest in the syllabi, curricula, and related aspects,
but they also began to review the course material and provide input. In this
context, Asgher Mukhtar22 played an essential role. All of this was greatly ap-
preciated by the UFS administration. In Sukdaven’s view, when taken together
these developments helped break theology’s hold over religion and allowed
the department to be “independent” of it. However, the department did commit
itself to pursuing and implementing inter-disciplinary approaches by working
closely with the theology and other departments. 

While these academic changes were taking place, other developments
were also in the offing at UFS. The university’s newly revived Muslim Stu-
dents Association (MSA) searched for premises in which its members could
perform their daily prayers and hold weekly religious gatherings. In addition,
the Department of Religion Studies organized a four-lecture series on Islam
that was open to all registered UFS students. During this event, the audience
was informed of its new vision of making the faculty more inclusive. These
specific activities thus inaugurated what may be described as an “Islamic in-
tellectualism” process. According to Sukdaven, “the rationale behind this
move was twofold: firstly it was to help change the face of the Faculty and
secondly to give Islamic Studies its rightful place in the intellectual space of
a tertiary institution.” The overall idea was also twofold: (a) to implement the
necessary shift from “indoctrination” to an “intellectualism” that engaged with
history and texts in a somewhat objective manner; and (b) to equip students
to act productively in society by exposing them to other disciplines.23

Amidst all of this, Sukdaven pursued strategies that would enable Islamic
studies to join the UFS academic environment. Being in this frame of mind,
he decided to work with Mukhtar and a Bloemfontein-based Moroccan-born
theologian in translating a Timbuktu manuscript that he had obtained from
the Washington-based Library of Congress. While this joint undertaking
probed the issue of “Islamic intellectualism,” one outcome caused them to
pose questions regarding the role and recognition of both domestic and foreign
Darul ‘Ulums (i.e., the MTS), where such manuscripts and texts were readily
employed and studied. Despite these institutions’ critical role in educating the
region’s Muslim youth, the Ministry of Higher Education and Training did

140 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 32:1



not officially recognize them, and the South African Qualifications Authority
(SAQA) did not officially recognize their certificates. This reality caused Suk-
daven and others to ask whether a structured theological training course could
benefit these and related institutions in the future.24

Their query sparked some support in 2013, when they came into contact
with Shaykh Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Ninowy, founder of the South African
Madina Institute SA (MI),25 who both welcomed the idea and found it academ-
ically attractive. During November 2013 and February 2014, the organizing
committee met with him and his team to develop the offering and mount an
Islamic studies program. The shaykh, who had established a four-year academic
program in the United States, networked with vibrant young South African the-
ologians to launch a challenging one-year intensive Islamic studies program.
According to my informal discussions with the MI’s administrator, Mohamed
Mukadam, at the beginning of 2014 more than 100 students had enrolled. 

The UFS’ organizing committee thus viewed the MI’s program as some-
what in line with what it wanted to adopt and introduce in its own department.
The MI’s program may be described as traditional in its make-up but quite
flexible and open to weaving contemporary Muslim and secular thought into
its program. Thus it is probably something quite similar to California’s Zay-
tuna Instute.26 Having been positively impressed with the MI’s model, Jansen
responded rather assertively when he gave the go-ahead for the envisaged col-
loquium in the hope that UFS would make certain that its offering would agree
with what the university was trying to achieve academically. 

The Colloquium
Despite the non-response from a few key Muslim stakeholders, the United
Ulama Council of South Africa (UUCASA) appointed its secretary, Mawlana
Yusuf Patel, to be its representative.27 But as he was unable to attend, he re-
quested Mawlana Ashraf Dockrat, who has had a long-term relationship with
Rand Afrikaans University’s (i.e., UJ) Centre for Islamic Studies and its De-
partment of Semitics, to provide some input; he agreed.

The colloquium was held on June 11-12, 2014. The organizing committee
chose the theme “Islam and the Academic Tradition: Curricular and Pedagog-
ical Opportunities for South African Universities”28 because it would, one as-
sumes, stimulate open and frank discussions regarding Islam within the secular
academic environment. One would have liked to have heard the inputs from
such retired and active scholars as Salman Nadvi (UDW), Suleiman Dangor
(UKZN), Muhsin Ebrahim (UKZN), Abdulkader Tayob (UCT), Shamil Jeppie

Haron: Mounting an “Islamic Studies” Program 141



(UCT), Yasien Mohamed (UWC), Yousuf Dadoo (UNISA), and Sa’diyyah
Sheikh (UCT),29 for their views would have enriched the both the event and
the proposal. But despite their absence, the colloquium may be described as
a reasonable success. 

Shaykh al-Ninowy: Reflections upon the Past
The decision to limit the number of presentations to six gave the audience a
chance to interact with the presenters soon after their input. The first presenter,
Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Ninowy,30 reflected upon the “Traditional Transmis-
sion – Islamic Perspective – Engagement from an Academic Perspective.” He
argued that although Muslim rulers/governments have generally supported the
formation of Muslim institutions of higher learning, they also generally  drafted
the framework within which the religiously trained personnel had to operate
and thus could exercise some control to limit their influence and sacred power. 

The political leadership has traditionally regarded the graduates of privately
sponsored educational seminaries – which teach more than just theology – with
a certain degree of suspicion because their influence often travelled far beyond
the seminaries or mosques to which they were attached. In any case, he asserted
that they were multi-skilled bearers of knowledge in the true sense of the word
for they were not only well-versed in theology, but also in the hard sciences
(e.g., medicine). Today, however, such individuals are rare; moreover, he stated
that most MTS graduates are unable to demonstrate their mastery of other fields
(e.g., mathematics and physics) and are therefore appointed, by default, as the
community’s resident scholars.

The shaykh listed various financial, social, academic, and other factors that
have contributed to this declining state of affairs wherever Muslims are found.
He observed that the production of well-rounded and well-informed individuals
has largely ceased and that the (career) preachers who find themselves in com-
munally appointed posts are generally low achievers and poorly paid. Naturally,
high-achievers have no interest in such careers. On the social level, those indi-
viduals who fare badly in the education sector and who do not acquire the
necessary skills to become lawyers or doctors usually opt for the MTS as the
last resort. And indeed in the academic arena, the MTS-constructed curricula
offers what may be regarded as the “absolute bare minimum,” thereby disad-
vantaging their graduates even more. After all, these students are exposed to
a restricted curriculum that provides courses specifically focused on the pre-
ferred theological-jurisprudential school and that disseminates a “sectarian
awareness and responsibility, rather than faith awareness and responsibility.”

142 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 32:1



While his observations are largely correct, some institutions have veered from
this traditional model and produced well-balanced graduates.

Nevertheless, MTS graduates do not acquire “a decent general knowledge
of the four Sunni madhhabs (theological schools)…. and other faith systems.”
So despite the designation of mawlana or shaykh bestowed upon them by the
MTS and Islamic universities, they are “far away from having acquired any
meaningful academic research skills or having the wherewithal to initiate and
develop think-tank projects that aim to face current challenges. … and there-
fore “suffer from a lack of a tangible uniform standard for measuring knowl-
edge attained, and a wider accreditation problem with other non-specialized
higher education institutions, such as UFS, etc.” 

He stressed that the MTS’ academic standards had plunged due to the lack
of internal auditing and the rejection of any form of healthy criticism regarding
the curricula, pedagogies, and general approach to teaching Islamic studies.
In his engaging style, al-Ninowy confidently concluded that it is time for the
MTS and other related institutions to provide a vigorous and challenging ac-
ademic program. The shaykh remarked that such a program should (a) expose
the students to a broad and rich understanding of theology, (b) immerse them
totally in the Islamic sciences, (c) combine traditional with non-traditional ap-
proaches to teaching the Islamic sciences, (d) permit open-ended methodolo-
gies to be used for conducting research in the selected science, and (e) entertain
the idea of questioning truths, which should (f) give ample intellectual space
for everyone to freely agree and disagree. 

Shaykh Sieraj: MI as an Academic Experiment
Shaykh Sieraj Hendricks,31 an Umm ul-Qura University and UNISA graduate,
spoke on the “Madina Institute Offering: The Critical Approach to Islamic
Studies,” which he co-authored Shaykhah Nawaal Manie. Since the MI’s pro-
gram was the one that had caught the eye of the UFS administrators and aca-
demics, it was of interest to the attendees. He opened by outlining MI’s aims
and stating its program’s rationale. As for its goals, one must say that as is the
case with similar domestic and foreign institutions, they are pretty ambitious. 

Among these goals are the following: MI (1) intends to become one of
the country’s leading colleges in the field of Islamic studies, (2) sees itself as
an institution of distinction that is essentially characterized by an (open) ap-
proach to religion, for it is based on an balanced and moderate “excellent ac-
ademic curriculum,” and (3) seeks “to develop a holistic graduate who can
enrich society through conscious and pragmatic leadership that is responsive

Haron: Mounting an “Islamic Studies” Program 143



to both internal and external imperatives.” These clearly high goals will be
realized, according to its brochure, by having in place an excellent curriculum
that will enable its students to pursue a balanced and a moderate approach to-
ward religion as a whole and toward Islam in particular. 

The ultimate objective of this one-year foundational scholarship is not to
create ulama, but to empower student-scholars with these sciences so they can
understand Islam as “a comprehensive way of life” and acquire the skills
needed to reflect, engage, think independently, and, eventually, conduct inde-
pendent research. But while these are indeed commendable objectives, can
they really be expected to pursue independent research so quickly? Is one year
enough time to aquire the necessary research-specific tools and skills? More-
over, at this stage MI cannot claim that it can actually produce specialists. In
fact, this goal might be realized only after a basic degree program has been
constructed and set; right now, it remains a still-in-the-making program. 

In line with the country’s educational developments, MI has set itself
some stringent rules along with a few basic features adopted from an “out-
comes-based approach.”32 Although this particular approach has been heavily
critiqued within the South African system, MI’s administrators and educators
apparently consider it useful. In fact, they implemented it via three interlocking
phases, one of which is a system of “continuous assessment.” In sum, MI re-
mains embedded in the traditional system but appears to be quite open to ex-
perimenting with critical approaches toward Islamic studies. But these
approaches should not be confused and misinterpreted as a modernist or post-
modernist approach. According to Sieraj’s presentation, they engage with the
classical sources in a way that will help student-scholars deal confidently with
contemporary matters. 

Mawlana Dockrat: Offering an Alternative
Mawlana Ashraf Dockrat, formerly associated with the Centre for Islamic
Studies at Rand Afrikaans University (now UJ) and an executive member of
Gauteng’s Jamiat-ul-‘Ulama (JU), spoke in the place of Maulana Yunus Patel,
who was unable to attend. As the de facto representative of the United Ulama
Council of South Africa (UUCASA), he presented his thoughts on the “(Mus-
lim) Oversight Body and the Role It Plays with Regard to Engagement of (Is-
lamic) Intellectualism.” It should be stated that he was caught off guard, for
the topic that appeared in the final program was not the one that had appeared
on the invitation. Nevertheless, he attempted to address the question of “in-
tellectualism”33 based on his years of experience at UJ, during which he had
become familiar with the critical social science approaches that he encountered

144 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 32:1



at RAU/UJ toward Islamic studies. As a result, he was able to raise some help-
ful points regarding the approaches and viability of adopting and adapting the
MI model. 

Dockrat was somewhat critical of the conference organizers’ position vis-
à-vis establishing an Islamic studies program based purely on the MI model.
While he did not have anything personal against the model as such, he opined
that more stakeholders, such as UUCASA members and (more specifically)
leading MTS members, be brought into the debate to discuss it further. In ad-
dition, he made it quite clear that a traditional program will not fit into a uni-
versity structure and that he would prefer an alternative model that allows for
post-graduate training. He proposed that instead of ambitiously trying to create
an undergraduate Islamic studies program tailored along traditional lines and
similar to the ones functioning elsewhere, a post-graduate program that pro-
vides MTS graduates with special professional training should be developed.

Muhammed Haron: Placing MTS on a Broad Educational Canvas
Muhammed Haron’s “Muslim Theological Seminaries: Towards Transform-
ing the South African ‘Islamic Studies’ Landscape”34 sought to reveal how
much these institutions have changed the Islamic studies landscape over the
past two decades. According to him, this process had its roots in South Asia35
and stimulated South Asian-trained theologians such as Mawlana Qasim
Seema to set up the first successful Darul ‘Ulum in Newcastle (in KwaZulu
Natal) in 1973. This event led to many others being established nationwide,
all of which undoubtedly had a major impact on the theological thinking of
sections of the country’s Muslim community. Many of these graduates are
currently members of UUCASA. A sizeable number serve as imams and
teachers at various madaris (e.g., Lenasia Madaris Association outside Johan-
nesburg); others have set up their own institutions (e.g., Qaasim ul-Ulum in
Cape Town) for those interested in pursuing Islamic theology and jurispru-
dence. Haron questioned whether there is a need to set up and manage more
such institutions and how the relatively small but growing Muslim community
can absorb the graduates. 

Toward the end, another question came to the fore: Will a Baccalaureus
Divinitatis Degree in Islamic studies, which the UFS intends to place on its ac-
ademic agenda, be able to produce professionally qualified personnel? There
were essentially two responses: (a) those who rejected it and who supported
the MTS’ Islamic studies program and (b) those who approved of it. Since the
UFS and its organizing committee were inclined to pursue the latter position,

Haron: Mounting an “Islamic Studies” Program 145



they were advised to seriously consider the following points: (a) appoint a vi-
sionary team that is fairly representative of the stakeholders (e.g., theologians,
educationists, curriculum designers, Islamic studies specialists, Arabists, and
administrators), (b) plan and structure the curriculum in such a way that it can
smoothly insert itself into the secular UFS environment and avoid being whit-
tled down so much that its program cannot match what the MTS program of-
fers, (c) select well-informed and experienced teaching personnel who can lead
and sustain the program within the “secular” UFS educational environment for
at least a decade, and (d) reflect as to how and where its graduates will be ab-
sorbed in the (already saturated) society. 

Hasina Ebrahim: Producing Professionally Trained Theologians
Hasina Ebrahim, a member of UFS’ Faculty of Education, focused on the
“Preliminary Thoughts on the Professionalisation of Islamic Scholars through
a University-based Degree Qualification.” As she was unable to attend, it was
read out by Hafza Iqbal, who is associated with the MI. In her opening state-
ment, she opined that “the task of developing an Islamic scholar is indeed one
of great responsibility” and that, within the UFS context, “the idea of profes-
sionalisation of Islamic scholars is linked to its vision about transforming lives
through excellence.” She stressed that producing such professionals requires
reflection upon at least five significant points: (a) understanding the develop-
ment of Islamic scholars from the divinely revealed belief system, (b) profes-
sionalizing Islamic scholars, (c) unpacking the work of a graduate Islamic
scholar, (d) the curriculum, and (e) the way forward. However, she did not
define Islamic scholar, which was unfortunate for two reasons: (1) Islamic is
somewhat problematic; Muslim would have been more appropriate, and (2)
scholar is fine as it stands, but theologian might have been better because it
is an accepted term among those who are MTS graduates and in sync with
the event’s overall purpose. 

As already mentioned, Ebrahim correctly highlighted the five intercon-
necting issues that must be carefully considered when implementing a spe-
cially designed Baccalaureus Divinitatis degree in Islamic studies. Her first
point, which ties in with the traditional notion of a Muslim theologian, made
direct mention of Islam’s two primary sources and advised the steering com-
mittee to draw from them due to their definitive bearing on knowledge, un-
derstanding, and the seeking of knowledge. This undertaking, she asserted,
was especially important with regards “to the development of mindful Islamic
Scholars who are active seekers of knowledge and growing in their quest to

146 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 32:1



be men(/women) of understanding who are committed to contributing to the
betterment of society” (her emphasis). 

After explaining why there is an urgent need to professionalize Muslim
theologians, she acknowledged that contemporary Muslims and non-Muslims
are constantly challenged by other “isms” (e.g., humanism) and thus find
themselves in terrible dilemmas. Therefore, “the professional Islamic scholar
is needed in order to grow Islamic thought and local solutions relevant to peo-
ple whose beliefs are governed by religion, culture and heritage.” These
trained theologians should respond pro-actively to the deluge of anti-Muslim
material found in the print and electronic media. She also stressed that they
should “create a pervasive visible presence in scholarship, the media and the
various communities of practice to ensure that an Islamic perspective is pre-
sented and taken into account,” and, interestingly, that they “also have a part
to play in counselling and pastoral care in situations of vulnerability.” In
rounding off this point, she categorically stated that the professionalization
process is a form of investment for Muslims as such. 

She then went on to “unpack the work of a Muslim theologian” and re-
minded the attendees that such an individual “has a multi-dimensional role to
play depending on the context in which he(/she) functions.”37 She thus observed
that if the community is sensitized to this particular position, then this person
can be trained to act in various capacities: serve in the higher education sector
by advising on Muslim educational matters, monitor the media’s coverage of
Muslim affairs, address inter-religious issues, and deal skillfully “in advocacy
for Islam.” As regards her penultimate point, Ebrahim accentuated the fact that
the curriculum38 would help professionalize Muslim theologians and thus it
should consist of “carefully selected knowledge, skills, and values” – in other
words, it should be holistic. Thus the curriculum developers should include a
list of core and elective subjects and create a program that trains its members
in, among others, the art of communication and leadership.39 Moreover, they
should constantly imbibe the prophetic values (e.g., trust, commitment, dedi-
cation, and devotion) as they pursue knowledge. She further remarked that
when these theologians learn and teach, they should adopt the interactive
prophetic approach. 

Before implementing such a holistic curriculum, Ebrahim suggested that
a plan of action be formulated by (a) conceptualizing the certification and
qualification process, bearing in mind that this should be viewed as a form of
investment, (b) forming a task team of traditionally trained theologians and
academics who can drive the qualification process, (c) devising an under-
standable and pliable timeframe, (d) setting up a database of feeder institutions

Haron: Mounting an “Islamic Studies” Program 147



so that the faculty members who are expected to adhere to the program un-
derstand where its stakeholders (i.e., the potential students) are coming from,
(e) putting in place the necessary criteria for attracting potential students, (f)
selecting the teaching staff, and (g) instituting an apprenticeship (and men-
torship) program. 

Toward a Conclusion
During the final day’s plenary session, each presenter made a brief presenta-
tion that complemented his/her earlier contribution, responded to questions
from the audience, and critically engaged one another with regards to the col-
loquium’s theme and purpose. The concluding response was given by Auwais
Rafudeen (senior lecturer, Islamic studies, UNISA; former lecturer, IPSA)
and the closing remarks were given by Jansen. Rafudeen neatly brought to-
gether each presenter’s main ideas. His overall “thrust (was) that an Islamic
studies (program) must not only concentrate on discussions internal to the tra-
dition (which the conference did very well), but (that it) should also look to
the common problems facing religion as a whole.” He further stated that there
“are problems such as the increasing inequality between rich and poor, the
loss of community and its eclipse by individualist driven capitalism, the loss
of meaning in nihilistic modernity as well as the devastation wrought by the
environmental crisis.” As far as he was concerned “(t)hese are problems facing
all religions and it is necessary for Muslims to enter into dialogue with other
faiths in order to jointly tackle these problems.”40

Jansen, who was impressed by Sukdaven’s feedback on the intellectual
issues that were tackled and debated, stressed that he would like to see UFS
set up this project and have it operational during the beginning of 2016. On
this optimistic and enthusiastic note, he urged the organizing committee to
form a task team to realize this goal. At the end of the conference a task team
was set up with Mukhtar as its leader. Several issues still need to be addressed,
among them: Who will be appointed to teach, and which students will register
for, this program? To what extent will it be seen as an acceptable program by
those whom it intends to attract? Will it be a viable in the long run or a failure
from the onset? What model will it ultimately adopt, and will it be creative?
Since South Africa is a unique “religious friendly” locale, how different will
this UFS model be from those in the United States and the United Kingdom?
And since universities have been forced to become marketable, will this spe-
cific degree be marketable and, more importantly, sustainable as the future
unfolds? 

148 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 32:1



Another question is will the Darul ‘Ulums recognize this program if it
succeeds, or will they remain aloof? One may argue that a successful program
will inevitably attract Darul ‘Ulum graduates, for many of them are searching
for academic outlets to help them gain the necessary educational recognition
in the country’s predominantly non-Muslim environment. They are fully
aware that South Africa enjoys a fair amount of religious freedom when com-
pared to other (western and even Muslim) countries, where their peers’ activ-
ities as teachers and preachers are curtailed. So far, southern Africa’s
environment as a whole and that of South Africa in particular have been
“religion-friendly,” a reality that is legally guaranteed in the countries’ con-
stitutions. It will be interesting to see where these Baccalaureus Divinitatis
degree holders end up. Will they find jobs, move in different academic direc-
tions, be readily absorbed by society and make productive contributions to it?
The answers depend on how the Muslim community responds to the estab-
lishment of such a program.

At this point in time, the Muslim community remains ill-informed about
this project. If one ventures to forecast how people will react to UFS’ desire
to create this Baccalaureus Divinitatis degree in Islamic studies, it may be
argued that UUCASA and similar bodies will probably reject the process and
the project – despite its uniqueness. However, MI and UFS have reached
some type of tentative agreement. So from the readings of events, there is
little doubt that MI and its leadership under Shaykh al-Ninowy will act, along
with the other academics serving on this task team, as critical players in de-
signing and mounting an interesting program at UFS. This university, once
a bastion of Christian Afrikaner education, has now taken a 360 degree by
allowing Islamic studies to operate as a full-fledged discipline within its
walls. 

Endnotes

1. C. Kurzman, “Cross-Regional Approaches to Middle East Studies: Construct-
ing and Deconstructing in a Region,” Middle East Studies Bulletin 41, no. 1
(2007): 24-29; L. Binder, “Area Studies: A Critical Assessment,” in The Study
of the Middle East: Research and Scholarship in the Humanities and Social
Sciences, ed. L. Binder (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1976), 1-28.

2. R. C. Martin, ed., Approaches to Islam in Religious Studies (Tucson: University
of Arizona Press, 1985); R. O. Orsi (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Religious
Studies (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012); M. Prozesky, “South
Africa’s Contribution to Religious Studies,” in The Study of Religions in Africa:
Past, Present and Future, ed. J. Platvoet, J. Cox, and J. Alupona (Harare: Roots

Haron: Mounting an “Islamic Studies” Program 149



and Branches, 1996), 229-51. It also appeared in the Journal of Theology for
Southern Africa 70 (1990): 9-20. Also see M. Clasquin, “Religious Studies in
Southern Africa – an Overview,” Journal for the Study of Religion, 2008.

3. Cf. A. Siddiqui, Islam at Universities in England: Meeting the Needs and In-
vesting in the Future (London: DFES, 2007) and Anon (ed.), International Ap-
proaches to Islamic Studies in Higher Education: A Report (Bristol: HEFCE,
2008). 

4. M. Haron, “South Africa’s Institutions of Higher Learning: Their ‘Study of
Islam’ Programs,” American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 31, no. 3,
(2014): 50-69; M. Haron. “Continuity and Change: The Study and Research
of Islam in South(ern) Africa,” African Educational Review 9, no. 3 (2012):
179-94. M. Haron, “Arabic and Islamic Studies Research in South Africa,”
American Journal of the Islamic Social Sciences 8, no. 2 (1991): 363-77; M.
Haron, “Islamic Studies at the University of Cape Town,” Journal for the Study
of Religion 2, no. 2 (1989): 57-63; T. Sonn, “Arabic and Islamic Studies Re-
search in South Africa,” American Journal of the Islamic Social Sciences, 11,
no. 2, (1994): 274-28; A. Tayob, “Islamic Studies in South Africa,” Scriptura
53, no. 2, (1995): 65-72; A. Tayob, “The Academic Study of Islam at the Uni-
versity,” in Perspectives of Islamic Education in South Africa, ed. Yasien Mo-
hamed, Abdul-Majied Mohamed, and Suleiman Dangor (Johannesburg: World
Muslim League, 1991).

5. See E. Said, Orientalism (London: Penguin 1978); C. W. Ernst and R. C. Martin,
“Introduction: Towards a Post-Orientalist Approach to Islamic Religious Stud-
ies,” in Rethinking Islamic Studies: From Orientalism to Cosmopolitanism, ed.
C. W. Ernst and R. C. Martin (Columbia: The University of South Carolina
2010), 1-19.

6. R. Martin, “Islamic Studies: Its History,” in The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Mod-
ern Islamic World, ed. John Esposito, vol. 2 (New York: Oxford University Press
1995); R. Martin, “Islam and Religious Studies: An Introductory Essay,” in Ap-
proaches to Islam in Religious Studies, ed. R. Martin (Oxford: Oneworld, 2001),
1-18; I. Ahmad, “Teaching Islamic Studies in the Non-Arab World: With or With-
out Arabic?” Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs 21, no. 2, (2001): 273-85; B.
Khir, “Islamic Studies within Islam: Definition, Approaches and Challenges of
Modernity,” Journal of Beliefs & Values 28, no. 3, (2007): 257-66.

7. M. Haron, “The Study of Islam in South Africa,” in The Study of Religions in
Africa: Past, Present, and Prospects, ed. Jan Platvoet et al. (Cambridge: Roots
and Branches, 1996), 268-92.

8. Y. Waghid, Conceptions of Islamic Education: Pedagogical Framings (New
York: Peter Lang, 2011).

9. M. Haron, “Southern African Islamic Studies Scholarship: A Survey of the State
of the Art,” in African Traditions in the Study of Religion in Africa: Emerging
Trends, Indigenous Spirituality, and the Interface with Other World Religions,
ed. Afe Adogame, Ezra Chitando, and Bolaji Bateye (Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate,

150 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 32:1



2012), 219-38; M. Haron, “South Africa’s Institutions of Higher Learning: Their
‘Study of Islam’ Programs,” American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 31,
no. 3 (2014): 50-69.

10. M. Haron, “South[ern] Africa’s Dar ul-‘Ulums: Institutions of Social Change
for the “Common Good?” Studies in Philosophy and Education 33, no. 3,
(2014): 251-66.

11. D. Reetz, “The Tablighi Madrassas in Lenasia and Azaadville: Local Players in
the Global Islamic Field,” in Muslim Schools and Education in Europe and
South Africa, ed. A. K. Tayob, I. Niehaus, and W. Weisse (Munster: Waxmann,
2011), 85-104; M. K. Sayed, “South African Madrasahs Move into the 21st Cen-
tury,” ibid., 63-83; Z. McDonald, Expressions of Post-Secular Citizenship: A
Sociological Exposition of Islamic Education in South Africa, unpublished Phd
thesis (Johannesburg: University of Johannesburg, 2013); and M. Haron, Muslim
Higher Education in the Southern African Region: From Dar ul-Ulums to Sec-
ular Tertiary Institutions, unpublished “Islamic Higher Education of Learning
in Africa” (Duke University: 2013).

12. Cf. National Policy for the Implementation of the Recognition for Prior Learning
(Pretoria, Waterkloof: The South Africa Qualifications Authority, 2013).

13. www.ipsa-edu.org.
14. M. Haron, “Malaysia’s Educational Efforts in Southern Africa: Creating Oppor-

tunities, Developing Partnerships,” Journal Pendidikan Malaysia 31, no. 1
(2013): 1-10.

15. R. Gleave, “An Exploration of the Viability of a Partnership between Dar al-
Ulum and Higher Education Institutions in North West England Focusing on Ped-
agogy and Relevance,” British Journal of Religious Education (2013); also see
R. Gleave, “Blending Islamic, Middle Eastern, and Arabic Studies,” in HEFCE
Report on the Islamic Studies: Current Status and Future Prospects Seminar, 23
November 2007 (Bristol: HEFCE, 2007).

16. It is interesting to note that Zareena Grewel and R. David Coolidge neither men-
tioned nor described this institute when they surveyed the American Islamic
College and Zaytuna Institute in their informative “Islamic Education in the
United States: Debates, Practices, and Institutions,” in The Cambridge Com-
panion to American Islam, ed. Juliane Hammer and Omid Safi (Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 2013), 246-65. 

17. The former dean of education at the University of Pretoria, he received honorary
awards from Cleveland State University (USA) and The University of Edinburgh
(UK). He received the “Education Africa Lifetime Achievement Award” (2013)
in New York and the “World Universities Forum Award for Best Practice in
Higher Education” (2010).

18. For the record, M. Sukdaven moved to the University of Pretoria (UP) in 2014.
19. This section has been reconstructed based upon the email correspondence be-

tween the author and M. Sukdaven on November 26, 2014.
20. Ibid.

Haron: Mounting an “Islamic Studies” Program 151



21. J. L. Cox, A Guide to the Phenomenology of Religion: Key Figures, Formative
Influences, and Subsequent Debates (London and New York: T and T Clark In-
ternational, 2006); A. Sharma, To Things Themselves: Essays on the Discourse
and Practice of the Phenomenology of Religion (Berlin and New York: Walter
de Gruyter, 2001); G. Flood, Beyond Phenomenology: Rethinking the Study of
Religion (London and New York: Cassel, 1999).

22. Email correspondence with Asgher Muktar, July 2014.
23. Email correspondence with Sukdaven, November 26, 2014.
24. In this regard, Mukhtar’s brother seemed to have engaged with some of the ad-

ministrators of these institutions with the idea of gaining recognition. Regret-
tably, and perhaps as guessed, these institutions’ academic leaders did not wish
to be given any form of recognition by the state. 

25. www.madinainstitute.org.
26. http://www.zaytuna.org. 
27. See the UUCASA letter dated May 14, 2014.
28. They did something similar to what has been happening in the United States

and the United Kingdom, where conferences and colloquiums were held to eval-
uate the teaching of Islam at institutions of higher learning. See, for example, P.
Morris et al., The Teaching and Study of Islam in Western Universities (London:
Routledge, 2013); C. Kurzman and C. W. Ernst. “Islamic Studies in U.S. Uni-
versities,” MESA 46, no. 1 (2012): 24-46; S. Nyang, M. Ahmad, and Z. Bukhari,
eds., The State of Islamic Studies at American Universities (Herndon, VA: IIIT,
2009); R. Gleave, “Blending Islamic, Middle Eastern, and Arabic Studies,” in
HEFCE Report on the Islamic Studies: Current Status and Future Prospects
Seminar, 23 November 2007 (Bristol: HEFCE, 2007); A. Siddiqui, Islam at Uni-
versities in England: Meeting the Needs and Investing in the Future (London:
DFES, 2007); El-Awaisi and M. Nye, Time for Change: Report on the Future
of the Study of Islam and Muslims in Universities and Colleges in Multicultur-
alism Britain (Dundee: Al-Maktoum Press, 2006); A. Nanji (ed.), Mapping Is-
lamic Studies: Genealogy, Continuity, and Change (Berlin and New York:
Mouton de Gruyter, 1997); and M. K. Hermansen, “Trends in Islamic Studies
in the United States and Canada since the 1970s,” American Journal of Islamic
Social Sciences 10, no. 1 (1993): 96-118. 

29. In addition to this catalogue of names, several other scholars function outside the
Islamic studies sector and contribute to the debate on Islam and Muslims as Ara-
bists (e.g., Yasin Dutton [UCT]), historians (e.g., Goolam Vahed [UKZN]), po-
litical scientists (e.g., Lubna Nadvi [UKZN]), and educationists (e.g., Yusef
Waghid and Aslam Fataar [University of Stellenbosch US]). And perhaps the or-
ganizers should have had a local scholar, apart from Shaykh al-Ninowy, on the
panel who had been trained in both the traditional and the western traditions. The
names of Aziz Patel (IPSA) and Ismail Jaffer (UNISA) come to mind. For the
record, Farid Esack was invited but could not attend due to a prior commitments
abroad. 

152 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 32:1



30. The shaykh features in S. A. Schleifer (ed.), The Muslim 500: The World’s Most
500 Influential Muslims (Amman: The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre,
2013/2014), 112.

31. Ibid., 108.
32. C. Laugbsch, J. Aldridge, and B. J. Fraser, Outcomes-Based Education in South

Africa: Using an Instrument to Assess School-Level Environments during the
Implementation, unpublished “Australian Association for Research in Educa-
tion” paper, November 2007, 25-29; S. P. T. Malan, “The New Paradigm of Out-
comes-Based Education in Perspective,” Journal of Family Ecology and
Consumer Sciences 28 (2000): 23-28; R. J. Botha, “Outcomes-Based and Edu-
cational Reform in South Africa,” International Journal of Leadership in Edu-
cation: Theory and Practice 5, no. 4 (2002): 361-71. 

33. See R. Hashim, “Intellectualism in Higher Islamic Traditional Studies: Impli-
cations for the Curriculum,” American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 24,
no. 3, (2007): 92-115.

34. See M. Haron, Muslim Higher Education in Southern Africa: From Secular
Tertiary Institutions to Dar ul-‘Ulums, unpublished “Islamic Institutions of
Higher Learning in Africa: Their History, Mission and Role in Regional De-
velopment” paper, Duke University, October 18-19, 2013. Also see M. Haron’s
report on the Duke University Islamic Center’s site: http://tirnscholars.
org/2014/02/11/ muhammed-haron-muslim-institutions-of-higher-learning-in-
africa-and-the-way-forward.

35. B. D. Metcalf, Islamic Revival in British India: Deoband 1860-1900 (Princeton,
NJ: Princeton University Press, 1982); Y. Sikand, Bastions of the Believers:
Madrasas and Islamic Education in India (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 2005);
D. Reetz, “The Deoband Universe: What Makes a Transcultural and Transna-
tional Educational Movement of Islam?” Comparative Studies of South Asia,
Africa, and Middle East, 27, no. 1 (2007): 139-59; D. Reetz, “Dar al-‘Ulum De-
oband and Its Mediatic Self-Representation,” Islamic Studies 44, no. 2 (2005):
209-27.

36. N. Patel, An Islamic Feminist Reflection of Pedagogy and Gender Practice in
South African Madaris, unpublished M.SocSc thesis (Cape Town: UCT 2013);
also see Z. McDonald, Expressions of Post-Secular Citizenship.

37. M. Q. Zaman, The Ulama in Contemporary Islam: Custodians of Change
(Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2002).

38. Cf. Cambridge Muslim College, A Curriculum for Cohesion: A Three Year Proj-
ect hosted at the CMC (2012).

39. M. Makadam and A. Scott-Baumann, The Training and Development of Muslim
Faith Leaders: Current Practice and Future Possibilities (London: Department
for Communities and Local Government. 2010).

40. See email correspondence dated October 14, 2014, between this rapporteur and
Rafudeen.

Haron: Mounting an “Islamic Studies” Program 153