This innovative study introduces readers to a fascinating world of linguistic, religious and cultural politics in the South African port city of Durban from around 1950, the world of the Arabic Study Circle. This association was led by a group of largely middle class. Indian, Muslim Gujurati-speaking men who were passionate about breaking out of the narrow confines of their origins and connecting to a larger changing world of learning rooted in Arabic and an Islamic modernity. The Circle exemplifies the broader process of the search for meaning, community and authenticity. This work provides an intimate sense of who they were and how they operated, their visions and their international connections and contexts. Book jacket.