The Effect of Missionary Activity and Colonialism on the Erosion of Arab and Islamic Identity in Swahili, and the Response to It
Taʼthīr al-Tanṣīr wa-al-Istiʻmār fī Taʼākul al-Huwīyah al-ʻArabīyah wa-al-Islāmīyah fī al-Lughah al-Sawāḥilīyah wa-al-Hadaf tujāha Dhālika
تأثير التنصير والاستعمار في تآكل الهوية العربية والإسلامية في اللغة السواحلية، الهدف تجاه ذلك
Abstract
This study treats the negative effects left by Western missionary activity and colonialism in the erosion of the Arab and Islamic identity of the Swahili language, a language Arab in origin in much of its vocabulary, its semantics and its culture — an erosion that markedly weakened the Arab and Islamic presence within its terminology. The problem of the research turns on the extent of colonial and missionary influence in removing Swahili from its Arabic roots and turning it into a language serving the interests of the church and an instrument of mission serving Western interests and frames of reference. The importance of the study lies in establishing the Arab presence in the countries of East Africa and their influence on Swahili, and likewise in showing the extent to which the scholars of the coast rose to defend the Swahili language against colonial and missionary designs.
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Romanization follows the ALA-LC Arabic table used by the Library of Congress and the British Library. The original Arabic is carried in the parallel MARC 880 fields, linked by subfield $6 — the standard treatment for non-English resources.
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=LDR 00000naa a2200000 a 4500 =001 MHF-MOMBASA2026-010 =003 OM-MaHAFIL =008 260905s2026 ke o 1 ara d =040 \\$aOM-MaHAFIL$beng$erda$cOM-MaHAFIL =041 0\$aara$beng =100 1\$6100-01$aKāmī, Abū Yāsir Mbūrālī,$eauthor. =245 10$6245-02$aTaʼthīr al-Tanṣīr wa-al-Istiʻmār fī Taʼākul al-Huwīyah al-ʻArabīyah wa-al-Islāmīyah fī al-Lughah al-Sawāḥilīyah wa-al-Hadaf tujāha Dhālika /$cAbū Yāsir Mbūrālī Kāmī. =242 10$aThe Effect of Missionary Activity and Colonialism on the Erosion of Arab and Islamic Identity in Swahili, and the Response to It$yeng =264 \1$6264-03$aMumbāsā :$bJamʻīyat al-Istiqāmah al-Khayrīyah al-Islāmīyah al-ʻĀlamīyah,$c2026. =300 \\$a1 online resource. =336 \\$atext$btxt$2rdacontent =337 \\$acomputer$bc$2rdamedia =338 \\$aonline resource$bcr$2rdacarrier =500 \\$aPermanent citation identifier: MHF-MOMBASA2026-010. =500 \\$aConference theme (in Arabic): المحور الثاني: التأثير والتأثر في السياق التاريخي والسياسي. =520 3\$aThis study treats the negative effects left by Western missionary activity and colonialism in the erosion of the Arab and Islamic identity of the Swahili language, a language Arab in origin in much of its vocabulary, its semantics and its culture — an erosion that markedly weakened the Arab and Islamic presence within its terminology. The problem of the research turns on the extent of colonial and missionary influence in removing Swahili from its Arabic roots and turning it into a language serving the interests of the church and an instrument of mission serving Western interests and frames of reference. The importance of the study lies in establishing the Arab presence in the countries of East Africa and their influence on Swahili, and likewise in showing the extent to which the scholars of the coast rose to defend the Swahili language against colonial and missionary designs. =546 \\$aText in Arabic; title also romanized (ALA-LC); abstract and keywords in English. =653 \0$aSwahili =653 \0$aColonialism =653 \0$aMissionary activity =653 \0$aLanguage and identity =653 \0$aEast Africa =653 \0$aCultural resistance =711 2\$6711-04$aMuʼtamar al-Istiqāmah al-Duwalī al-Thānī: al-ʻUmānīyūn wa-al-Sawāḥilīyah bayna al-Taʼthīr wa-al-Taʼaththur$d(2026)$c(Mumbāsā) =773 0\$6773-05$tMuʼtamar al-Istiqāmah al-Duwalī al-Thānī: al-ʻUmānīyūn wa-al-Sawāḥilīyah bayna al-Taʼthīr wa-al-Taʼaththur$dMumbāsā : Jamʻīyat al-Istiqāmah al-Khayrīyah al-Islāmīyah al-ʻĀlamīyah, 2026$gpaper no. 10$wMHF-MOMBASA2026-010 =856 40$uhttp://app.mahafil.co/p/arch-mombasa-2026/10$yLanding page (Arabic) =856 40$uhttp://app.mahafil.co/p/arch-mombasa-2026/10/en$yLanding page (English) =880 1\$6100-01/(3/r$aكامي، أبو ياسر مبورالي،$eمؤلف. =880 10$6245-02/(3/r$aتأثير التنصير والاستعمار في تآكل الهوية العربية والإسلامية في اللغة السواحلية، الهدف تجاه ذلك /$cأبو ياسر مبورالي كامي. =880 \1$6264-03/(3/r$aممباسا :$bجمعية الاستقامة الخيرية الإسلامية العالمية،$c2026. =880 2\$6711-04/(3/r$aمؤتمر الاستقامة الدولي الثاني: العُمانيون والسواحلية بين التأثير والتأثر =880 0\$6773-05/(3/r$tمؤتمر الاستقامة الدولي الثاني: العُمانيون والسواحلية بين التأثير والتأثر