In this chapter, you will learn about the spread of islam in west africa. Islam as an overlay to west african religions 252 islam and the windward coast 253 the fulani and mande migrations 253 the growth of islam in west africa 255 the jihadist movements 257 islam in west africa today 261 conclusions 261 chapter 10 first contact. Out of the entire african nations, there are 16 nations that make up the west african countries. West african islam is neglected by both islamic studies and african studies, despite its rich history, from the first centuries of islam to the present. The history of the islamic faith on the continent of africa spans fourteen centuries. Western africa the islamic revolution in the western sudan. Islam in africa african studies oxford bibliographies. Different societies in africa have generally appropriated islam in both more inclusive ways, or in the more radical ways, as with the almoravid movement in the maghreb and sahara. Islam s spread from ad to 1750 ad impacted africa socially, culturally, and politically by instituting the slave trade, creating a rise in education, and adding muslim leaders to west africa s history. Tunisia 2014 international religious freedom report pdf.
The nickname boko haram was given by local communities to. The history of islam in africa and accounts of how the religion spread. The introduction to the author, the headings and accentuation of some. 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. Islam and west african anthropology the chronicle of higher. From this perspective the 18th century was a period of degeneration and a prelude to european domination, symbolized by. The course will close with an exploration of afrochristian.
Almost onethird of the worlds muslim population resides today in the. Spread of islam in west africa all parts the religion of. History textbook west african senior school certificate. History of christianity in west africa what is the truth of.
Islam, religion, historiography, anthropology, western africa. Some of the history of these countries, however, is naturally mentioned in this history of the rest of africa but is kept to the minimum needed to make the rest comprehensible. Islam and politics in east africa book description. He became the first west african ruler to practice islam devoutly. In writing about muslims in east africa, randall pouwels claims in the history of islam in africa, the spread of islam took place within a wider contextone of cultural influences and migrations.
In 1951 the anglican dioceses in the area, except liberia, were formed into the church of the province of west africa. Aug 22, 2017 in this interview, we explore the early history of islam in west africa with professor ousmane kane, who has mapped out the networks of islamic learning in the region. Toynbees chapter is reproduced in its entirety below. For the first time in a single volume, the history of islam in africa presents a detailed historic mapping of the cultural, political, geographic, and religious past of this significant presence on a continentwide scale. The islamization of w africa began when the ancient kingdom of ghana c. You will explore changes in religious practices, government and law, education, language, architecture, and decorative arts. Social impacts africa was impacted socially by islam through the institution of the islamic run slave trade. The series will take up issues of religious and intellectual traditions, social significance and organization, and other aspects of the islamic presence in africa. Pdf islamic scholarship and understanding history in west. Focusing on the interplay of religion, society, and politics, august nimtz examines the role of sufi tariqas brotherhoods in tanzania, where he observed an african muslim society at first hand.
On the other hand, in east africa, where islam came from the arabian peninsula, muslims followed the shafli school of law that prevailed in. Western attitudes to islam are portrayed in the scholarly article the utility of islamic imagery in the west, written by prof. May 10, 2012 it turns out, it was a lot of trade, converting to islam, visi. However throughout africa, especially in central saharan regions, many people live in communities that at least to some extent follow traditional ways of life that stretch back thousands. In subsaharan africa, especially in the eastern and west ern coastal countries and in southern africa, christianity is the predominant religion. Africa was the first continent, that islam spread into out of arabia in the early seventh century. We need to resituate west africa in our imagination by placing its historical links to islam and the mediterranean at the center of our view of it. Unesco eolss sample chapters world civilizations and history of human development african civilizations. The first west africans to be converted were the inhabitants of the sahara, the berbers, and it is generally agreed that by the second half of the tenth century, the sahara had become dar alislam that is the country of islam.
The spread of islam, from its beginning to the 14th century. Islam in africa is often adapted to local cultural contexts and belief systems, thereby forming the continents own orthodoxies. The moroccan occupation of the niger bend in 1591 meant that the domination of the western sudan by mande or mandeinspired empiresghana, mali, songhaiwhich had persisted for at least five centuries, was at last ended. This conference will examine those issues but place them within a. In particular, international attention has been drawn to the application of sharia law to criminal offences and the. Islam reaches west africa, and a history of the islamic empire of ghana. The history of islam in africa facts about the muslims. In this article, i focus on the historiography of islam in west africa while also reflecting upon and assessing existing scholarship in the broader field of the study of islam in africa. Then you will look at islams influence on several aspects of west african culture. Subject coverage includes the history of islam from its advent to the contemporary period. London, etc oxford university press for the university of glasgow, 1962. Containment, mixing, and reform from the eighth to the twentieth century pdf political islam in west africa and the sahel pdf spread of islam in west africa muslims in eastern africa.
Introduction islams presence in african history while this was a shortlived encounter, muslims eventually left a lasting influence in north africa which has since spread to western, eastern, and central africa. Under mansa musas rule, mali became a major crossroads of the islamic world. Over time, however, islam played a growing role in west african society. Traders bring islam to ghana between the years 639 and 708 c. Islam in africa, the development of the muslim religion on the african continent. The europeans arrive 265 portugal in west african history 265. Th e report then zooms in on east africa, where the three religious families of traditional religion, islam and christianity are all present in large numbers. Islam has a large presence in north africa, west africa, the horn of africa, the southeast and among the minority but significant immigrant population in south africa.
This is a short history of africa excluding egypt, ethiopia and dutch and british south africa, which are the subjects of separate histories. The history of islam in africa ohio university press. Email citation an anthology with chapters by leading scholars who cover the history of muslim africa in both regional and chronological chapters followed by thematic essays on a broad range of topics. This book is a major contribution to the social, political and intellectual history of the largest colonial state in africa, the french west african federation. Spread of islam in west africa islam reached the savannah region in the 8th century c. Several important early empires developed in west africa, such as ghana. Mar 24, 2019 west africa is the part of africa that is located in the western part of africa and most of it is in subsaharan africa. Geographically, west africa is well distinguished from other parts of africa. France and islam in west africa, 18601960 by christopher. An anthropologists view volume 55 issue 1 benjamin soares. Transsaharan trade brought islam to west africa in the 8th century. The histom1 ofls1am il1 africa ohio university press. Islam, the west, and the future by arnold j toynbee this is a chapter of a book by arnold j toynbee, civilization on trial, published by oxford university press 1948. Tishken spring 2002 southwestern university his 1630303.
In west africa, these movements were in the same direction, from north to south, as that taken by islam. Spread of islam in west africa all parts the religion. General history of africa unesco in 1964, the united nations educational, scientific and cultural organization unesco launched an unprecedented task. A history of islam in west africa cannot be complete without a mention, however brief, of the jakhanke islamic movement which arose in the 12th century under the charismatic scholar alhajj salim suwareh who helped to spread islam in the present day countries of mali, guinea, senegal and the gambia, the most islamized countries in west africa today. You can still see the effects of these changes in west africa. The scant attention paid to islam in the anthropology of west africa.
The journal of african history the historiography of islam in. University of glasgow, 1962 africa, west 262 pages. The famous scholar ibn munabbah wrote as early as 738 c. Progler of city university of new york cuny, brooklyn college and in the excellent readings at the site imaging islam and muslims link fixed 17 august 2005. The environment in west african history which it is hoped might be later added.
We discuss intellectual history, the curricula of madrasas and a day in the life of a 16thcentury student in sankore. In 1979 a separate nigerian province was formed out of part of it, but in 1982 the diocese of liberia was joined to it. Mansa musa was, on the other hand, a devout muslim and is considered to be the real architect of the mali empire. Muslim merchants, traders, and scholars from egypt and north africa came to mali to do business or to settle.
The history of islam in west africa can be explained in three stages, containment, mixing, and reform. Pearson islam in the bilad alsudan to 1800 nehemia levtzion the juula and the expansion of islam into the. From the precolonial to the modern day toyin falola and tyler fleming encyclopedia of life support systems eolss people have lived in africa for more than three million years, and thus it possesses a. Islam, the modern world, and the west islam and islamic. This website hosts a textbook aimed at west african students taking west african senior school certificate examination wassce history paper 1, west africa and the wider world from earliest times to 2000. These days the 16 countries of subsaharan west africa contain some 140 million muslims. The factors responsible for the spread of islam in west africa proceedings of 72nd the ires international conference, mecca, saudi arabia, 23rd24th june 2017 65 simply because the activities of the berber and other muslim traders had started right from the beginning. In 12, a new leader, mansa musa, took over in mali.
At first, muslim traders and merchants lived side by side with the nonmuslims of west africa. Islam entered west africa around the 11th century, and according to the oldest source concerning this, the muslim geographer alzuhri writing in 17, the people of ghana converted in 1076, most probably through a murabitun presence among them, even though their king was a nonmuslim. Among the great facts in the history of west africa prior to the age of european penetration has been the propagation of islam and the way it has changed african societies. Western africa western africa the islamic revolution in the western sudan. Africa was the first continent into which islam spread from southwest asia, during the early 7th. This book is not an attempt to write a history of west africa, but to show the way in which islam spread and moulded the history of the western sudan.
A history of islam in west africa john spencer trimingham. Islam, islamic history, islamic civilization, islam in africa, islam in south africa. Islam reached the savannah region in the 8th century c. The first converts in mali were traders who benefited from having a religious as well as a commercial connection to their. Because islam spread to west africa from north africa, muslims there fol lowed the maliki school of law dominant in north africa.
Pdf islam and west african anthropology researchgate. Before considering how the history of islam has been studied in west africa, it is. Because islam spread to west africa from north africa, muslims there fol. On the other hand, in east africa, where islam came from the arabian peninsula, muslims followed the shafli school of law that prevailed in arabia.
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. Margari hill, stanford university january 2009 available in pdf format 1. The introduction of islam into east africa followed a somewhat different path from that in west africa. The spread of islam among the yoruba began late, well after the nineteenth century conversions of wolof a west african state that ruled parts of senegal from 60 to 1890, and increased after fulbe an ethnic group spread over many countries, predominantly in west africa conquests of the 1800s. 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. East africa includes a broad swath of territory embracing the modern nations of somalia, kenya, uganda, rwanda, burundi, tanzania, malawi and mozambique. While the presence of islam in west africa dates back to eighth century, the spread of the faith in regions that are now the modern states of senegal, gambia, guinea, burkina faso, niger, mali and nigeria, was in actuality, a gradual and complex process. Brills islam in africa is designed to present the results of scholarly research into the many aspects of the history and presentday features of islam in subsaharan africa.
Hence, the volumes show that many techniques and technologies of today originated in africa. The influence of islam on west africa lisa lindsay welcome to this segment of learn more, teach more, on the long history of islam in west africa. Subject coverage includes the history of islam from its advent to the contemporary period and a plethora of diverse. Includes bibliographical references and index introduction. Most orders in west africa emphasize the role of a spiritual guide, marabout or possessing supernatural power, regarded as an africanization of islam. Islam gained momentum during the 10th century in west africa with the start of the. The spread of islam, from its beginning to the 14th century sh. A brief introduction the spread of islam in west africa. The history of west africa has been commonly divided into its prehistory, the iron age in africa, the major polities flourishing, the colonial period, and finally the postindependence era, in which the current nations were formed. Islamic scholarship and understanding history in west africa. The berbers were early converts to islam and islam spread along those preexisting trade routes between north and west africa.
Boko haram and the islamic states west africa province. Boko haram and the islamic states west africa province boko haram emerged in the early 2000s as a small sunni islamic sect in nigeria advocating a strict interpretation and implementation of islamic law, and has evolved since 2009 to become one of the worlds deadliest terrorist groups. The authors hope that this content will allow secondary school students to gain a good overview of west african history as their syllabus defines it, and at the same time contribute to new debates. By focusing on the specific subject of the development of french policy towards islam, it sheds light on a wide range of issues, from the grand strategy of french imperialism to the.
West africa and sudan have various sufi orders regarded skeptically by the more doctrinally strict branches of islam in the middle east. Mansour leghaei the present text presents in a short and succinct manner the historical and geographical spread of the religion of islam. Islamic world islamic history from 1683 to the present. The history of islam in east africa stretches back to around ce. Islam has a large presence in north africa, the horn of africa, the swahili coast, and much of west africa, with minority but significant immigrant populations in south africa. They were the first negro people who accepted islam. In west africa, the three great medieval empires of ghana, mali, and the songhay developed in sahel. It is remarkable that there is no comparable anthropological research about the history of islam in africa, african muslims, or islamization. Sundiata is the founder of the mali empire but was a weak muslim, since he practiced islam with syncretic practices and was highly disliked by the scholars. Familiarize students with the basic history of christianity on the african continent at all. We end with a discussion of how these disciplines draw boundaries that have thus far discouraged many from looking beyond material exchange in timbuktu to the broader study of islamic.