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Mediated mimbar: muslim media and identity in Uganda
Motivated by the scarcity of literature on the relationship between Muslims and media in East Africa, and Uganda in particular, this thesis examines the transformative role of new media in shaping the Islamic identity in Uganda. Since the liberalization of media in 1992, Ugandan Muslims have increas...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English English |
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Department of Religious Studies
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613278516019200 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Nsobya, Abdulhakim |
| author2 | Brigaglia, Andrea |
| author_browse | Brigaglia, Andrea Nsobya, Abdulhakim |
| author_facet | Brigaglia, Andrea Nsobya, Abdulhakim |
| author_sort | Nsobya, Abdulhakim |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Motivated by the scarcity of literature on the relationship between Muslims and media in East Africa, and Uganda in particular, this thesis examines the transformative role of new media in shaping the Islamic identity in Uganda. Since the liberalization of media in 1992, Ugandan Muslims have increasingly adopted new media, integrating it into their daily lives and religious practices. The study argues that new media has become a crucial platform for negotiating Islamic identity, serving as space where power, representation, and religious expression are contested and redefined. Drawing on interviews with media practitioners, scholars, and media consumers, the study has explored the motivations, strategies, and attitudes, that guide Muslims in their engaged with new media. Historically, Ugandan Muslims relied on the mosque Minbar and religious festivals as primary avenues for communication, particularly to express social and economic grievances. With limited access to the national broadcaster, these traditional platforms were essential for intra-faith debate and theological discourse. However, the advent of new media has significantly altered this landscape. New media now functions as a powerful tool for addressing issues of misrepresentation and marginalisation, providing a discursive space for diverse and often conflicting views within the Muslim community. The study highlights the rise of Salafism as a dominant voice in Ugandan media, using new theology to promote its theological perspective while rejecting opposing views. Additionally, radical groups like Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) have leveraged social media to reach a broader audience, bypassing traditional media gate keepers. This thesis contributes to the academic study of religion and media by offering an in-depth analysis of how new media facilitate the articulation of Islamic identity in Uganda. It underscores the importance of new media as a site of power struggles among reformists, traditionalist, modernists, and radical factions within Islam, each striving to shape the narrative and influence the future of the faith in Uganda. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/41890 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | English eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:33:35.758Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Department of Religious Studies |
| publisherStr | Department of Religious Studies |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/41890 Mediated mimbar: muslim media and identity in Uganda Nsobya, Abdulhakim Brigaglia, Andrea Tayob, Abdulkader Muslim media Uganda Motivated by the scarcity of literature on the relationship between Muslims and media in East Africa, and Uganda in particular, this thesis examines the transformative role of new media in shaping the Islamic identity in Uganda. Since the liberalization of media in 1992, Ugandan Muslims have increasingly adopted new media, integrating it into their daily lives and religious practices. The study argues that new media has become a crucial platform for negotiating Islamic identity, serving as space where power, representation, and religious expression are contested and redefined. Drawing on interviews with media practitioners, scholars, and media consumers, the study has explored the motivations, strategies, and attitudes, that guide Muslims in their engaged with new media. Historically, Ugandan Muslims relied on the mosque Minbar and religious festivals as primary avenues for communication, particularly to express social and economic grievances. With limited access to the national broadcaster, these traditional platforms were essential for intra-faith debate and theological discourse. However, the advent of new media has significantly altered this landscape. New media now functions as a powerful tool for addressing issues of misrepresentation and marginalisation, providing a discursive space for diverse and often conflicting views within the Muslim community. The study highlights the rise of Salafism as a dominant voice in Ugandan media, using new theology to promote its theological perspective while rejecting opposing views. Additionally, radical groups like Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) have leveraged social media to reach a broader audience, bypassing traditional media gate keepers. This thesis contributes to the academic study of religion and media by offering an in-depth analysis of how new media facilitate the articulation of Islamic identity in Uganda. It underscores the importance of new media as a site of power struggles among reformists, traditionalist, modernists, and radical factions within Islam, each striving to shape the narrative and influence the future of the faith in Uganda. 2025-09-19T12:27:26Z 2025-09-19T12:27:26Z 2025 2025-09-19T07:15:21Z Thesis / Dissertation Doctoral PhD http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41890 en eng application/pdf Department of Religious Studies Faculty of Humanities University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Muslim media Uganda Nsobya, Abdulhakim Mediated mimbar: muslim media and identity in Uganda |
| thesis_degree_str | Doctoral |
| title | Mediated mimbar: muslim media and identity in Uganda |
| title_full | Mediated mimbar: muslim media and identity in Uganda |
| title_fullStr | Mediated mimbar: muslim media and identity in Uganda |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mediated mimbar: muslim media and identity in Uganda |
| title_short | Mediated mimbar: muslim media and identity in Uganda |
| title_sort | mediated mimbar muslim media and identity in uganda |
| topic | Muslim media Uganda |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41890 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nsobyaabdulhakim mediatedmimbarmuslimmediaandidentityinuganda |