Français – عربي – ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖⵜ – English
Translation: Souliman El Abdellaoui
Medieval Islamic historian Ibn Khaldun states that numerous Amazigh tribes converted to Judaism during the Roman era and were still present in North Africa at the time of the Arab conquests. What evidence, if any, supports this assertion?
The absence of surviving archaeological evidence for Amazigh conversions to Judaism, though understandable given the sparse documentation of Atlas and Saharan tribal history, doesn’t negate the established fact of Jewish presence within these communities.
Potential conversion periods range from the 6th century, following Byzantine restrictions on North African Jews, to the 2nd century, linked to the Kitos revolt. Specifically, after the Byzantine reconquest in the 6th century, persecuted Jews fleeing Carthage and other cities may have proselytized among Amazigh tribes. Alternatively, some specialists propose earlier conversions stemming from the flight of Cyrenean Jews to the Libyan desert after the Kitos revolt. Furthermore, Ibn Khaldun’s mention of the Amazigh ‘prophet’ Moshe ben Shelah (Moussa ibn Salah) suggests even earlier Jewish influence.
The religious affiliation of Dihya (Kahina), the Queen of the Aures who led the resistance against the Arab conquests, remains contested. While Ibn Khaldun suggests she belonged to a Judaized Amazigh tribe, other sources identify her as Christian. A possible scenario is that her tribe underwent sequential conversions, from Judaism to Christianity.
The historical reality of Amazigh Jewish tribes is now contested by scholars. Critiques center on Ibn Khaldun’s account, which was written centuries after the supposed conversions. Tunisian Islamologist Mohamed Talbi highlights inaccuracies in the French translation of Ibn Khaldun, particularly the absence of the conditional phrasing present in the original Arabic. Furthermore, French archaeologist Gabriel Camps provides evidence that the Jarawa and Nefzawa tribes, which Ibn Khaldun identified as Jewish, were demonstrably Christian before the advent of Islam.
Thus, while individual or localized conversions likely occurred, the widespread conversion of entire Amazigh tribes to Judaism appears improbable.
Recent genetic studies confirm that North African Jews exhibit a distinct genetic heritage, closer to European and Middle Eastern Jews than to other North Africans. This supports the theory that the majority of North African Jews descend from those originating in Palestine. While Amazigh genetic contributions exist, they are not a dominant factor.
