Indigenous Australians and Muslims: A History of micro and meso dialogue prior to the 20th century

Journal article


Sneddon, David. (2020). Indigenous Australians and Muslims: A History of micro and meso dialogue prior to the 20th century. Australian Journal of Islamic Studies. 5(1).
AuthorsSneddon, David
Abstract

For many years, Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples had a long history of contact with the regions to the north of Australia. This preceded European contact by many years and led to fruitful dialogue and levels of social cohesion between Muslims from the Macassan and Malay region and the Indigenous people of Arnhem Land and beyond. The area of contact was widespread, encompassing around 3,000 km of Australia’s northern coastline. Initial contact was most likely with the people known as the Baijini, referred to as “followers of Allah”, followed by the Macassans. This article has two fundamental arguments concerning the nature and level of dialogue between Muslims and Indigenous Australians prior to the 20th Century. Firstly, there are established links that dialogue occurred in this era, as is evident by the linguistic traces, syncretic absorption of rituals and beliefs and the transference of technology. Secondly, whilst the primary objective of the interaction and dialogue was trade focussed, some of the Baijini and Macassans used this contact and trade as a vehicle for the purpose of da’wah (proselytizing or invitation to Islam, The syncretic nature of this dialogue has left a lasting legacy with many Indigenous peoples in Arnhem Land, including ceremonies and rituals reflecting certain concepts or ideas from Islam and other Macassan beliefs. Ultimately, this long term dialogue declined following the banning of the Macassan trepang fleets in 1906, however, the legacy remains to this day.

KeywordsIslam; The Dreaming; Indigenous Australia; dialogue; Macassans; Baijini
Year2020
JournalAustralian Journal of Islamic Studies
Journal citation5 (1)
Publisher Islamic Sciences and Research Academy of Australia
ISSN2207-4414
Web address (URL)https://ajis.com.au/index.php/ajis/article/view/241
Open accessPublished as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
Research or scholarlyResearch
Page range67-87
Publisher's version
License
File Access Level
Open
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Print25 Jun 2020
Publication process dates
Deposited05 Jul 2021
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https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/8w510/indigenous-australians-and-muslims-a-history-of-micro-and-meso-dialogue-prior-to-the-20th-century

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Sneddon_2020_Indigenous_Australians_and_Muslims_a_history.pdf
License: CC BY-NC-ND
File access level: Open

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A history of faith-based micro, meso and macro dialogue between Muslims and non-Muslims in Australia prior to 9/11
Sneddon, David. (2021). A history of faith-based micro, meso and macro dialogue between Muslims and non-Muslims in Australia prior to 9/11 [PhD Thesis]. Australian Catholic University School of Philosophy https://doi.org/10.26199/acu.8wq7v