ABSTRACT
This chapter offers an overview of the rise of and response to HIV/AIDS (AIDS) in South Africa (SA), before surveying the role of civil society in the provision of fundamental assistance within affected SA communities. The second section focuses on the relationship between civil-society organizations (CSO) and the state and the influence of the former on the latter’s response to the AIDS epidemic. In the third section, the chapter moves on to consider the role of religion generally within SA and the rise of faith-based organizations (FBO) along with the difficulties FBOs present to state intervention and control. This proceeds into the fourth section, which focuses on Islamic FBOs and the Muslim approaches to governance of Islamic philanthropy, contrasting religious rules with the legal framework, assessing whether the model facilitates or restricts the operation of Islamic FBOs.
