Cape Malays

Cape Malays (Afrikaans: Kaapse Maleiers, کاپز ملیس in Arabic script) also known as Cape Muslims or Malays, are an ethnic group in South Africa. They are the descendants of enslaved and free Muslims from different parts of the world, specifically modern-day Indonesia (at that time known as the Dutch East Indies) and other Southeast Asian countries, who lived at the Cape during Dutch and British rule. Although the earliest members of the community came from the Dutch colonies in Southeast Asia, by the 19th century, the term "Malay" had come to include all practising Muslims at the Cape, regardless of their origins, most of whom were Austronesian. As the community at first used the Malay language as a lingua franca and for religious instruction, they collectively became known as Malays. Over time, they underwent a language shift from Malay to Afrikaans. Cape Malays are mainly concentrated in and around Cape Town, in the Western Cape. They have played a significant role in the spread of Islam in South Africa, and their culinary traditions remain a key part of South African cuisine. They have also contributed to the development of Afrikaans as a written language, particularly Arabic Afrikaans. During the apartheid era, "Malay" was officially classified as a subcategory under the Coloured racial group.