Memons in South Africa form a prosperous
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...
subgroup in that country's
Indian community and are largely descended from
Memons from Kathiawar who immigrated from
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
in the late 19th century/early 20th century. Villages and towns that South African Memons originated from include
Porbander,
Bhanvad
Bhanvad is a city and a municipality in Devbhoomi Dwarka district in the state of Gujarat, India.
History
Bhanvad is named after Jethwa ruler Rana Bhanji Jetva of Ghumli, who founded this place, when the Ghumli was sacked in 1313 AD. It was m ...
,
Ranavav and
Jodiya.
Memons were converted to Islam by the aulad of Hadrath Sheikh
Abdul Qadir Jilani
ʿAbdul Qādir Gīlānī, ( ar, عبدالقادر الجيلاني, ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī; fa, ) known by admirers as Muḥyī l-Dīn Abū Muḥammad b. Abū Sāliḥ ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī al-Baḡdādī al-Ḥasanī al-Ḥusayn ...
.
Memons played a major role in the promotion of
Islam in South Africa
Islam in South Africa is a minority religion, practised by roughly 1.6% of the total population. Islam in South Africa has grown in three phases. The first phase brought the earliest Muslims as part of the involuntary migration of slaves, a ...
, and there have been rivalries for the management of local mosques between Memons and
Surtis, who are Gujarati-speaking Sunni Muslims. This is primarily due to the different 'Maslak' (path)
tablighis mainly Surti, and
Sufi
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...
who are mainly Memon although they are far less prominent than they were in the past.
Although the
Memoni language
Memoni (ميموني, મેમોની) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by Kathiawari Memons from the Kathiawar region of Gujarat, India.
Memon people are a subgroup or an ethnic group that originated in north-western India. After the Ind ...
(called the ''Memon'' language in South Africa) is not widely spoken by younger Memons in South Africa, South African Memons continue to maintain a strong (although slowly eroding) Memon identity. Already, few younger Memons are aware of the towns where their ancestors came from. Although the early Memons practiced
endogamy
Endogamy is the practice of marrying within a specific social group, religious denomination, caste, or ethnic group, rejecting those from others as unsuitable for marriage or other close personal relationships.
Endogamy is common in many cultu ...
(marrying within their social group, including ancestral village), intermarriage between Memon groups and other
Sunni Muslims
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disag ...
is now widely accepted, mirroring a similar integration among Gujarati Hindu groups from Surat and Shauarashtra.
Memon organisations in South Africa include the
Memon Association of South Africa (formerly the 'Memon Association of the Transvaal'), th
Southern African Memon Foundationand the
Natal Memon Jamaat.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Memons In South Africa
Memon
Ethnic groups in South Africa
Pakistan–South Africa relations