As the debate on the renaming of Sandton Drive rages on, it has exposed latent Islamophobia in South Africa. Islamophobia that is on the rise and shows no sign of abating – ‘Muslim gavaar’, as a lecturer puts it.
On Thursday, SAfm Radio was the scene of yet another instance of prejudice targeted towards Muslims. Airing his input on the national talk station’s The Morning Brief show, a caller claimed Muslims were gunning for control of Johannesburg.
“They must think we’re stupid,” said Patrick, on the line from Pietermaritzburg, “the Muslims are trying to take control there in Joburg by making this Palestine terrorist the name of the street. They mustn’t think we’re stupid.”
This week, the City of Johannesburg received reams of input on a proposal to rechristen Sandton Drive after Leila Khaled, a Palestinian freedom fighter. This was in addition to submissions received digitally. Many supported it, though there was fierce opposition.
The show presenter, Thulasizwe Simelane, interjected that the matter of renaming the street was not exclusively a Muslim issue.
He said: “The people that are proposing it are not all Muslims, for example. People that support it are not all Muslims. Panyaza Lesufi, as far as I know, is not a Muslim.”
The caller then insisted there was a “bigger picture”, adding, “This is an emotional situation that’s got to do with Palestine and Muslim people and Islam in general. We can’t allow them to use this as a way of promoting their culture, my brother.”
SMread: Leila Khaled endorses Sandton Drive renaming
‘Muslim gevaar’ takes off
Although Muslims in SA have largely enjoyed peaceful coexistence with their neighbours of diverse backgrounds, recent years have seen a spate of prejudice hurled their way.
Dr Ahmed Jazbhay, senior lecturer at the University of South Africa (UNISA) and researcher at the Media Review Network (MRN), labelled it as a “classic case of using the Muslim gevaar to stoke Islamophobia in South Africa”.
“Like the West and Israel being united in their hatred for Muslims in Palestine,” he added, “some want to jump on the Islamophobia bandwagon to oppose the name change from its British colonial origins to that of Palestinian revolutionary icon, Laela Khalid (sic), someone who continues to fight to Palestinian right to self-determination.”
Meanwhile, chairperson of the South African Muslim Network (SAMNET) said the problem of Islamophobia in SA stemmed from “old” beliefs and claimed it was being “fuelled by direct involvement of Zionists”.
“If you see Muslims as less than human and you see Arabs as less than human, then it makes the genocide of Palestinians and other Arabs, like Lebanese, Syrians, et cetera, quite palatable and almost justifiable and necessary,” he said.
The way out, he suggested, was a counterattack to Zionist propaganda. Well-informed and respectful people would have to enter the digital space to do this.
“People with hate and derogatory statements are not our example. Ours should be one that involves decorum, facts and diplomacy, but not derogatory comments,” said Suliman.
[Picture: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes]
