Farid Esack (born 1955 in Wynberg, Cape Town) is a South African Muslim scholar, writer, and political activist known for his opposition to apartheid, his appointment by Nelson Mandela as a gender equity commissioner, and his work for inter-religious dialogue.

Esack addressed hundreds of protest meetings, formed ties with inter-faith opponents of apartheid, and became a leading figure within the World Conference of Religions for Peace.

[1] Esack founded Call of Islam with Adli Jacobs and his cousin, Ebrahim Rasool, who later became the Premier of the Western Cape and the South African ambassador to the United States.

He holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham, England, and pursued postdoctoral studies in Biblical hermeneutics at the Sankt Georgen Graduate School of Philosophy and Theology, Frankfurt, Germany.

Positive Muslims programs include prevention, lobbying, and research activities, but the main focus of the organisation's work is counseling and support for people living with HIV/AIDS.

In 2007-2008 Esack was the Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal Visiting Professor of Islamic Studies at Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

[5] In 2013, Esack said that BDS distanced themselves from the singing of "shoot the Jew" in song during a protest at Wits University's Great Hall.

"The purpose and context of the protest were and remain the larger struggle against Israeli apartheid, Israel's illegal occupation and its violation of Palestinian rights.

"[7] In 2018, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa granted Esack the Order of Luthuli (Silver) for "his brilliant contribution to academic research and to the fight against race, gender, class and religious oppression.