Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Islam in Portuguese-speaking Areas: Historical accounts, (post)colonial conditions and current debates

2007; Brill; Volume: 14; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1163/176830807781450663

1768-3084

Nina Clara Tiesler,

Diaspora, migration, transnational identity

Abstract: Muslims are citizens and active members of society in nearly all lusophone areas. Among the Portuguese-speaking African countries, Guinea Bissau and Mozambique have long-standing Muslim populations, while, Angola, for example, received immigrants from Islamic majority countries only recently. The Islamic presence in Portugal goes back to Gharb al-Andalus, but the contemporary Muslim communities must be understood as a postcolonial phenomenon. Brazil, East Timor and Macao, also have particular historical experiences and differing present day Muslim populations. All cases differ significantly, but Muslims in lusophone spaces do share some similar socio-cultural point of comparison. In each case, Muslims are treated as representatives of a religious minority (except Guinea-Bissau); and in many cases Muslims represent ethnic backgrounds that differ from the dominant society. Furthermore, international migration reconfigures several lusophone fields, often leading to the increasing diversification. New transnational links have emerged among Muslims, often based on shared experiences in current national or local socio-historical contexts, on ethnicity or common language - which in many cases, is Portuguese. Portuguese Os muculmanos sao cidadaos e membros activos da sociedade em quase todas as areas lusofonas. Entre os PALOPs, Guine-Bissau e Mocambique tem populacoes muculmanas de longa data, enquanto Angola, por exemplo, recebe so recentemente imigrantes de paises maioritariamente islâmicos. A presenca islâmica em Portugal remonta a Gharb al-Ândalus, no entanto as comunidades muculmanas contemporâneas devem ser compreendidas como um fenomeno pos-colonial. Brasil, Timor-Leste e Macau tambem tem experiencias historicas particulares e contam com uma comunidade muculmana cujas caracteristicas diferem significativamente. Todos os casos diferem, mas os muculmanos nos espacos lusofonos compartilham algumas similaridades na comparacao de pontos socio-culturais. Em cada caso, os muculmanos sao vistos como representantes de uma minoria religiosa (excepto Guine-Bissau); e em muitos casos os muculmanos representam origens etnicas que diferem da sociedade dominante. Ademais, a migracao internacional que reconfigura diversos campos lusofonos, conduz frequentemente a crescente diversificacao. Novas ligacoes transnacionais emergiram entre muculmanos, na base de experiencias comuns em actuais contextos socio-historicos nacionais ou locais, da etnicidade ou no idioma dominante - que maioritariamente, e o portugues. French Les musulmans sont des citoyens et des membres actifs de la societe dans presque tous les espaces lusophones. Parmi les pays africains de langue portugaise, la Guinee-Bissau et le Mozambique ont des populations musulmanes etablies de longue date, alors que l'Angola, par exemple, n'a accueilli que recemment des immigres de pays a majorite islamique. La presence islamique au Portugal remonte a Gharb al-Andalus, mais les communautes musulmanes contemporaines doivent etre comprises comme un phenomene post-colonial. A l'heure actuelle, le Bresil, Timor oriental et Macao, possedent egalement des experiences historiques particulieres et des populations musulmanes differentes. Tous les cas different sensiblement mais les musulmans presents dans les espaces lusophones sont comparables a bien des egards sur le plan socioculturel. Partout, sauf en Guinee-Bissau, les musulmans sont percus comme les representants d'une minorite religieuse, et tres souvent, ils ont des origines ethniques qui different de celles de la societe dominante. De plus, les migrations internationales qui reconfigurent certains domaines lusophones, conduisent souvent a une augmentation de la diversite. De nouveaux liens transnationaux ont emerge parmi les musulmans, dans les contextes nationaux et socio-historiques actuels, fondes sur l'ethnie ou la langue commune - laquelle, dans bien des cas, est le Portugais.