This text is incorporated in the Post-doctoral Project entitled “The Colonial Power and Islam’s impact in Mozambique, 1954-1974”, oriented by Professor Doctor Joana Pereira Leite on the CEsA/CSG/ISEG/UL, and developed under a FCT scholarship. Revisiting and cross-checking sources available in the archives, especially the Mozambique Historical Archive allow us to analyse the role of Muslim communities building a new nation. The confrontation of the material produced by the colonial authorities in reports of the civil administration, of the so-called native business between the Army and the Police and the independent movements, especially FRELIMO, suggest a clandestine operational network with initiatives of Mozambican identity affirmation under the designation of “subversive” in the colonial time. A fact worth noting: the “control” function of the Muslim communities, both in the colonial State apparatus and in the post-colonial times, thus reveals itself a phenomenon of continuity and helps us to understand the complexity of the colonial society and the war and peace phenomena, before and after the independence.

Olga Iglesias, IHC-FCSH/UNL

Since December 2009 is a researcher at CEsA/CSG/ ISEG/UL. Doctored in 2009 by FCSH/UNL with the thesis “The African Associative Movement in Mozambique. Tradition and Fight (1926-1962)” oriented by Fernando Rosas and Jill Rosemary Dias. Now at post-doc with a scholarship from FCT, is researching: “The colonial power and the impact of Islam in Mozambique. 1954-1974”, oriented by Joana Pereira Leite presenting the research progress at congresses and National and International reviews. Since October 2013 belongs to the IHC/FCSH/UNL.