Jamiatul Ulama South Africa
The Jamiatul Ulama Transvaal now the Jamiatul Ulama South Africa (Council of Muslim Theologians), headquartered in Fordsburg, Johannesburg, was founded in 1923 to serve the Muslim community of the (now defunct) Transvaal Province of South Africa. Activities It currently operates in the provinces that formerly made up the Transvaal, as well as in the Free State Province, and is one of a number of national Muslim organizations in South Africa. The organization has been characterized as conservative and Deobandi, and it is widely perceived as having links to the Tablighi Jamaat. Large number of Muslims subscribe to decisions regarding fiqh (Islamic law) in the region where the organization operates. It also has significant influence on the running of many mosques and madrassahs in that region. Controversies Apartheid-era The Jamiatul Ulama Transvaal has been criticised for its largely apolitical stance during the apartheid era. The organization, unlike its counterpart in KwaZulu-Natal, the Jamiatul Ulama KwaZulu-Natal was accused by more activist ulema at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of not speaking out against the tricameral system, which denied black South Africans political power, while giving limited rights to Coloureds and Indians. Post-apartheid Radio Islam The organization owns and manages a community radio