Between sunnah and selfhood: exploring how South African Muslim men navigate sexuality and morality in the Mundane

Bray, Aqeelah

Between sunnah and selfhood: exploring how South African Muslim men navigate sexuality and morality in the Mundane

Thesis / Dissertation

2026

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Department of Religious Studies

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Abstract

This dissertation strives to explore the diverse ways in which South African Muslim men navigate the intersection of faith, culture, sexuality and morality in their everyday lives. It is situated within a broader context shaped by Islamic teachings, cultural norms, individual agency, and the evolving gender dynamics of a globalised South African society. In doing so, the research addresses a significant gap in feminist scholarship, where Muslim men's perspectives on sexuality remain underexplored. The theoretical framework guiding this study is a multidimensional feminist one, drawing on feminist standpoint theory, Islamic feminism, and feminist embodiment. Together, these frameworks allow for an analysis that is both critical and empathetic. This study used qualitative feminist methodologies, specifically semi-structured interviews, to gather rich, in-depth narratives. A purposive and snowball sampling approach was used to recruit eleven participants - South African Muslim men who were born in, raised, and currently reside in South Africa. Given the sensitivity of the topic, trust and community networks were central to gaining access. The data were analysed thematically, with attention to the ways in which participants articulate and navigate their understandings of sexuality, faith and morality. The findings reveal that participants continuously grapple with the tensions between religious prescriptions and personal experience. The narratives illustrate the varied strategies employed by participants to reconcile faith with desire, ranging from reinterpretations of the Sunnah to the construction of private, alternative spiritual practices. Queer participants offered critical insights into how non-normative sexual identities are negotiated within a framework of Islamic ethics. Across the sample, there was a clear call for open, inclusive discourse around sex and sexuality within Muslim communities, as well as a reimagining of religious teachings that foreground dignity, justice, and human flourishing. Ultimately, this research contributes to broader conversations on gender justice, Islamic ethics, and sexuality in the South African context. It offers a textured account of Muslim men's lived realities that challenges dominant narratives of Islamic masculinity as inherently patriarchal or regressive. In doing so, it highlights the potential for transformative interpretations of Islamic principles that are more inclusive and responsive to contemporary lived experiences.