Islam in Madagascar

Islam has been well-established in what is now known as Madagascar for centuries and today Muslims represent 7% of the population, or approximately 1.2 million Malagasy.

History

ettlement of Arabs

Following the traditions of certain Malagasy peoples, the first Arabs to settle Madagascar were refugees from the civil wars that followed the death of Muhammad in 632. Beginning in the tenth or eleventh century, Arabic and Zanzibari slave traders working their way down the east coast of Africa in their dhows and established settlements on the west coast of Madagascar. The most noteworthy of these were the Zafiraminia, traditional ancestors of the Antemoro, Antanosy and other east coast ethnicities. The last wave of Arab immigrants would be the Antalaotra who immigrated from eastern African colonies. They settled the north-west of the island (Majunga area) and were the first to actually bring Islam to the island. Arab immigrants were few in number compared to the Indonesians and Bantus, but they left a lasting impression. The Malagasy names for seasons, months, days, and coins are Arabic in origin, as is the practice of circumcision, the communal grain pool, and different forms of salutation. The Arab magicians, known as the "ombiasy," established themselves in the courts of many Malagasy tribal kingdoms. Arab immigrants brought their patriarchal system of family and clan rule to Madagascar, which differed from the Polynesian matriarchal system whereby rights of privilege and property are conferred equally on men and women. Sorabe is an alphabet based on Arabic used to transcribe the Malagasy language and the Antemoro dialect in particular. The Arabs were also the first to correctly identify the origin of most Malagasy by suggesting that the island was colonized by the Indonesians. [ [http://www.juancole.com/2005/06/history-and-genetics-in-madagascar.html Informed Comment ] ]

Colonization and Independence

Upon independence from France in 1958, Madagascar began developing close ties with staunchly secular power the Soviet Union. This stifled the development of all religion in Madagascar. However, in the 1980s, Madagascar drifted away from the Soviet Union and back towards France.

Present day

In the southeast, which has Arab Muslim influences, many have been attracted to the call to come back to the religion of their ancestors and the number of mosques in that region has increased from 10 to 50 in the last ten years. Recently, several tribes in Madagascar have been converting to Islam. One particular occasion is the Intimor tribe of the southeast, of which 17,500 converted en-masse . [ [http://www.islamicvoice.com/january.2000/embraced.htm#INT Islamic Voice (magazine) ] ]

References