Islam and muslim politics in africa pdf

Events since september 11, 2001 have dramatically altered the political environment in the muslim world, a vast and diverse region comprising the band of countries with significant muslim populations that stretches from western africa to the southern philippines, as well as muslim communities and diasporas scattered throughout the world. Islam in africa african studies oxford bibliographies. Political islam in west africa and the sahel pdf spread of islam in west africa muslims in eastern africa. Impacts of islam in east africa case study template. The steady growth of islam in zimbabwe the african exponent. Traders bring islam to ghana between the years 639 and 708 c. Muslims crossed current djibouti and eritrea to seek refuge in current ethiopia during the hijarat. Political liberalization and economic reform, the weakening of the state, and increased global interconnections have all had profound effects on muslim societies and the practice of islam in africa. The histom1 ofls1am il1 africa ohio university press. The politics of islam in africa uf center for african studies. Moroccos islamic diplomacy in west africa volume 11 issue 1 ann marie wainscott skip to main content accessibility help we use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Ethiopian muslims and the discourse about moderation the. The contributors to this collection explore the intersecting dynamics of islam, society, and the state in subsaharan africa. Political aspects of islam are derived from the quran, the sunnah the sayings and living habits of muhammad, muslim history, and elements of political movements outside islam traditional political concepts in islam include leadership by elected or selected successors to the prophet known as caliphs, imamate for shia.

This has been brought to light by sheik anubi twabi, administrator at africa muslim agency in harare. Islam in africa has its roots in the origins of the faith, as ethiopia was a refuge for muslims who fled arabia during the time of islam s prophet muhammad b. Islam and muslim politics in africa this page intentionally left blank islam and muslim politics in africaedited. Tanzanian muslims are just as likely as their non muslims compatriots to reject authoritarian alternatives, in part because they think they have derived little benefit from such arrangements in the past. The impact of african traditional religious beliefs and. Almost onethird of the worlds muslim population resides in. The role of islam in west african politics goes back to the beginnings of the encounter between islamic culture and traditional african political leadership in the. It addresses significant questions and issues such as. The conflict between western world and islam 5 though both countries are islamic and adopted islamic semantic, they do not make islamic politics as they did not cooperate. Islam and muslim politics in africa paperback november 7, 2007 by b. Relations between muslims and christians in the middle east have been affected historically by territorial ambitions, competition over particular sites important to both religions, and constantly changing developments in the regions politics. Algeria 32 million muslims 99% of population chad 8. Yet, this current somali conflict is different from all past somali conflicts in the.

The swahili language remains central to many east african muslims, hence the occasionally heard phrase, swahili islam. Africa was the first continent, outside of arabia that islam spread into in the early 7th century. Islam and democracy in east africa jeffrey haynes a a department of law. The oxford handbook of islam and politics offers a geographically comprehensive, indepth analysis of the interaction of islam and politics in the post911 era, in an increasingly globalizing world, and in an arab world transitioning to democracy. Eventually muslims regain control of what they view as their holy land. The relationship between the state and islam differs significantly across western africa, in part because of variations in the complex interaction between islam and ethnic politics. Somalia at war between radical islam and tribal politics. Muslims in nigeria are predominantly sunnis of the maliki school of thought. Christian muslim relations in ghana from 1920 through the present. These political stirrings resulted in the creation of political organisations, such as the majisiahrari islam mai, khaksars, mahasabha, unionist party and akali dal. Africa because of its resemblance on the map to a rhinoceross horn. Furthermore the availability of educational scholarships to foreign islam, adhering countries has. Islam and politics in africa uf center for african studies. Islam in the democratic republic of the congo wikipedia.

Nigeria has the largest muslim population in west africa. Ethwpian islam is interesting both because of its antiquity since the inceptwn of islam itself and because of the particular patterns of interaction and. Although muslims lost political power, muslim communities made rapid inroads in the west africa during the early 20th century. It was first introduced from the east african coast during the arab slave trade in the 19th century and remains. The people of mauritania are nearly all adherents of sunni islam of maliki school of jurisprudence, influenced with sufism. The epicenter of christian muslim relations after the rise of islam, the middle east is a complex. The history of islam in east africa stretches back to around ce. Such processes have also influenced muslim societies and the practice of islam in africa in ways that are still not well understood. Mauritania is a country in africa, bordering algeria, mali, senegal, and the western sahara currently controlled by morocco. In particular, international attention has been drawn to the application of sharia law to criminal offences and the. At first, muslim traders and merchants lived side by side with the non muslims of west africa.

Muslims in east and west africa predate the drawing of modern state boundaries and as a result are seen as a threat to african governments hold on power. Islam is a minority religion within the democratic republic of the congo where the large majority is affiliated to various christian denominations and sects. East african muslims are mostly shafiites and some. Malaysian traders interact with muslims who teach them about islam. Muslim renewal and western understanding the difficult encounter between the muslim world and the west at the level of security policy, diplomacy, and politics is complicated by cultural and ideological tension, and a degree of intellectual incomprehension. On the other hand, in east africa, where islam came from the arabian peninsula, muslims followed the shafli school of law that prevailed in. Guest speakers will discuss new dynamics within islam in africa, how muslim groups organize themselves, how they relate to the state, each other and the broader society, the political. Islam in political context amit pandya introduction. For instance, if a muslim country has a right to dictate its law. Islam and muslim politics in africa pdf free download epdf. The three stages of containment, mixing, and reform can shed light on the historical developments of islam in this region. Africa, we have also seen a resurgence of islamic political movements.

Public religion, democracy, and islam, comparative politics 44, 2. The social and political processes of secularization, which were thought to supplant religion and its influence, have. Until the mid20th century, it remained largely confined to the coast and closely bound up with the history of the swahili towns situated on it. However, islam in this large region has diverse and different histories. Muslim urban intelligentsia in the punjab was getting increasingly. See all 9 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. West, and i will try to make all articles available in electronic form, via pdf or library. Islamic politics topics having to do with caring for the best interests of the ummah and running its affairs, whether in terms of internal matters or its relationships with other nations, in accordance with the objectives of sharia maqaasid ashshareeah. Secularism, religion, and radicalism, a welldocumented scholarly article by sean l. Islam is thus not contained in any national culture. Indeed, since the early 1990s, economic and political reform and liberalization, the weakening of the state or even in some cases its collapse, and increased global interconnections have all had dramatic impacts. The political engagement of a west african muslim community. Islam and muslim politics in africa during the decade and a half since the end of the cold war, africa has seen momentous changes.

The transsaharan trade was an important gateway for the spread of islam in africa. Soares during the decade and a half since the end of the cold war, africa has seen momentous changes. According to historians and religious sources, islam penetrated ethiopia when prophet mohammed was alive. Given the paucity of research on islam in contemporary sub. However, there is a significant shia minority, primarily in kaduna, kano, katsina, osun, ilorin and sokoto states see. Officially, 100% of the countrys citizens are muslim, although there is a small community of christians, mainly of foreign nationality. Another reason for its growing spread is the increase in availability of muslim literature. Islam 19 th e coming of islam 19 islam versus colonialism 20 th e present appeal of islam 21 islam and civil wars in west africa 23 christianity 2525 christianity and colonialism 25 africanisation of christianity 3030 christianity, armed con. Most in pakistan, jordan and egypt believe their laws should strictly follow the quran, while majorities or pluralities in tunisia and turkey say their laws should at least adhere to the values and principles of islam. Introduction history of islam in nigeria jihad islamic law sharia islam and politics islamic movements, islamic reform selected web resources there has been considerable recent media coverage of the implementation of islamic sharia law in the northern states of nigeria. The european crusaders capture jerusalem from the muslims.

Somalia at war between radical islam and tribal politics table of contents. Introduction the history of islam in east africa is extremely significant in elucidating the modern place of islam. Historically, islam is also at a crossroads, destined to play a world role in politics and to become the most prominent world religion during the 21st century. The metamorphosis of the egyptian muslim brothers, international journal of middle east studies 37, 2. There are many muslims who feel that islam has much to say about the role of ethics and values in the public sphere. On top of that, many other issues get involved in it. Though estimates vary, it is generally believed that approximately 10 percent of the countrys population identify as muslim. Oxford handbook of islam and politics oxford handbooks. Nowadays the application of the islamic law sharia identifies a state that is islamic. Spread of islam in africa javad haghnavaz department of islamic thoughts faculty, jolfa branch, islamic azad university, jolfa, iran abstract. Saudi arabia muslim world muslim society political liberalization muslim identity. Over time, however, islam played a growing role in west african society.