Malagasy Islam: Tracing the History and Cultural Influences of Islam in Madagascar

摘要

This paper is a survey of some historical and cultural aspects of Islam in Madagascar which has a history that goes back to at least the fourth/tenth century.1 The dates separated by slash denote the Hijra/Gregorian dates throughout the paper, such as: “fourth/tenth century” or “4th/10th century”. View all notes Historical and archaeological records show that the island of Madagascar was well known and frequented by Muslims throughout the early period. A number of trading posts were established in the north and on the east coast. These early contacts have left their indelible marks on the culture of Madagascar, particularly through the adoption of Arabic script in local documents and in the customs and cultural practices of the people. Furthermore, the history and cultural influence of Malagasy Islam have been marked by the nature of Muslim contacts over the centuries; the local circumstances and the presence of a variety of ethnic groups whose socio-political structures have either hindered or facilitated the establishment of Muslim communities both in the pre- and post-colonial period. These aspects are well known through an extensive literature on the subject. This paper will outline some aspects of the history and cultural influences of Islam in Madagascar.2 This paper focuses on the survey of some historical and cultural aspects relating to the arrival of Islam in Madagascar. This will be followed by a second paper to be published in the next issue of the Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, Vol. 31, No. 2, focusing on Malagasy Islam as it is encountered in everyday life among contemporary Muslims of different backgrounds who live in Madagascar today. View all notes View full textDownload full textRelated var addthis_config = { ui_cobrand: "Taylor & Francis Online", services_compact: "citeulike,netvibes,twitter,technorati,delicious,linkedin,facebook,stumbleupon,digg,google,more", pubid: "ra-4dff56cd6bb1830b" }; Add to shortlist Link Permalink http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13602004.2011.556891