South Africa's online anti-Muslim backlash collides with rural harmony in Nquthu
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Online anti-Muslim rhetoric in South Africa has intensified amid a national debate on immigration, with posts accusing Muslims of seeking to take over the country and converting Black South Africans through charity. In Nquthu, rural KwaZulu-Natal, however, residents describe harmony and respect between Muslims and non-Muslims. The contrast raises the question of whether Islamophobia is rising or social media is amplifying a marginal phenomenon.
Key Facts
- South Africa's 2022 census counted less than one million Muslims, approximately 1.6 percent of the population.
- Some South African Muslim leaders estimate the Muslim population at between two million and five million people.
- Zwelibi Jack Ngubane, who died at age 105, was buried according to Muslim rites in Nquthu, KwaZulu-Natal, after converting to Islam late in life.
- Khethukuthula Dlame converted to Islam in 2012 as a teenager and is one of only a handful of Muslims known in his village.
Online Backlash
In recent months, anti-Muslim rhetoric has become more visible online in South Africa, intersecting with a heated national debate about immigration and anti-migrant movements. Posts have accused Muslims of attempting to take over South Africa, questioned their belonging, and accused Muslim organisations of using charity and poverty to convert Black South Africans. One social media post complained that humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers had been "getting on our nerves with their insistence on pushing their Muslim beliefs in South Africa". Another post claimed: "Most foreigners in South Africa are Muslim and if you look most countries experiencing war are Muslim countries not Christian ones."
Rural Reality
In Nquthu, a rural part of northern KwaZulu-Natal where Christianity and traditional African beliefs are dominant and Muslims are a tiny minority, the picture is different. Samukelisiwe Ngubane said her first encounters with Muslims came through Indian shopkeepers in a nearby town: "We have never had a problem. Some people are curious about what they [Muslims] do, but there have been no problems." When her brother Khethukuthula Dlame converted to Islam in 2012 as a teenager, it was hardly an issue. Dlame, now 26, said his Islamic clothing is a source of teasing rather than hostility, with one neighbour joking that he wears a dress. "In these communities, there's harmony and respect. People really respect my religion," Dlame told Al Jazeera.
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South Africa's online anti-Muslim backlash collides with rural harmony in Nquthu
