A Brief History:

The first Muslims that arrived in the Cape Colony, came as political exiles. Many of them were from noble and honourable families who fought against the colonisation of their lands by the Dutch and the British. They were sent to South Africa as prisoners. The colonisers tried to stop their influence in Indonesia, Malaysia,  Africa and India.  The arrival of Imam Abdullah Ibn Qadi Abdus Salaam, known as Tuan Guru, who traced his lineage to the Sultan of Morocco and his ancestry to the Noble Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), heralded a new phase in the history of the first Muslims in South Africa.

Together with Imam Abdullah were two other prisoners, Abdur-Rauf Badr al-Din and Nur-al-Iman, who were also imprisoned on Robben Island. And while on Robben Island, Imam Abdullah (Tuan Guru) who had memorised the Quraan, wrote several copies of the Glorious Quraan from memory. He also authored several books on Islamic jurisprudence while in prison, which he completed in 1781. Tuan Guru was released after 14 years on Robben Island at the age of 82. He passed away at the age of 95.

An interesting fact of note is that the first Mosque in South Africa was built on land donated by a Muslim woman, Saartjie van de Kaap, who was born to slave parents.

These early Muslims involved themselves in the social, educational and political life of their communities. They had the wisdom and foresight to establish centres where the focal point of their communities would be social and educational upliftment.

Museums and Archives:

• : includes a Malay grave-site which was discovered in 1968, not far from the Post Office Tree in Mosselbay. Records show that a piece of land had been granted more than 100 years before as burial ground for Muslims. It is believed that one of the graves is that of an important Muslim who was buried here in the 19th Century after dying on board a ship at sea. The graves faces Mecca.

• situated in the historic area that became home to many Muslims and freed slaves after the abolition of slavery, showcases local Islamic culture and heritage. The Bo-Kaap itself is well worth a visit. Colourful houses, steep cobbled streets, the muezzin’s calls to prayer, and children traditionally dressed for Madrassa, add to this unique Cape experience. The Museum was established in 1978 as a satellite of the SA Cultural History Museum. It was furnished as a house that depicts the lifestyle of a nineteenth-century Muslim family.

• was created as a reminder of the rich Muslim culture that existed in Simon’s Town from the time of the Dutch East India Company winter anchorage until the forced removals of more than 7000 people under the Group Areas Act.

Useful Links:

• A Report Prepared for The Truth and Reconciliation Commission by the Research Institute on Christianity in South Africa - March 1998

• was founded in 1995 to bring attention to the scholarly study of Islam and Muslim societies and communities in Africa and beyond.

• : A PhD in African Studies, The University of Edinburgh

• : Ask the expert Professor Hussein Solomon on radical Islam in South Africa

• is concerned mainly with Muslim women’s issues, advocating for the participation of Muslim women at all levels of religious life.

• History, Heritage, Identity: Arabic Manuscripts in Cape Muslim Families : An Archival Platform Article