Islam as a source of resilience among Muslim adults in South Africa.
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Date
2022
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Abstract
The ways in which Islam in the South African Muslim context facilitates resilience has not been
extensively interrogated. Therefore, the study focuses on Islam as a source of resilience
among Muslim adults in South Africa. The study was directed by implementing the social
ecological framework on the context of Muslim adults in South Africa. A qualitative research
design was used whereby data was collected by interviews that were conducted via the online
platform Zoom. Embedded within a social ecological framework and social constructivist
paradigm, this study used purposive sampling to recruit resilient Muslim adults and Muslim
religious leaders who worked with Muslim adults into the study. The total sample consisted of
nine participants (four Muslim religious leaders and five resilient Muslim adults). The
researcher used thematic analysis to analyse the data and identified three themes, namely
maintaining mental health through an extended support structure, the positive role of prayer
in Islam and mental health, and the blurring of Indian culture with Islam, and the negative
impact this has on mental health. The findings indicate that although extended support
structures and several types of Islamic prayer were used as resilience enablers, the blurring
of “Indian culture” with Islam could have an adverse influence on the resilience and wellbeing
of Muslim adults.
Description
Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.