Africa was the first continent into which islam spread from southwest asia, during the early 7th. At its height in the sixteenth century, the muslim songhai empire stretched from the atlantic to the land of the hausa and was a major player in the transsaharan trade. Introduction the history of islam in east africa is extremely significant in elucidating the modern place of islam. Arab and muslim gains spurred further efforts toward achieving additional we a l t h, which were aided by islam. Islam entered east africa mainly via seafaring merchants from southern. These four maps, percentage of muslims by country, size of muslim population by country, presence of sharia law, and traditions of islamic jurisprudence give a compelling account of islam in the middle east and asia with an emphasis on how muslims live and understand the world. Africa was the first continent into which islam spread from southwest asia, during the early 7th century ce. The history of islam in east africa stretches back to around ce. Almost onethird of the worlds muslim population resides in. 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. Bagamoyo provided setting for a detailed look at the tariqas in east africa. Islamist extremism in east africa africa center for strategic studies. Traders bring islam to ghana between the years 639 and 708 c.
Pdf islam in east and southeast africa liazzat j k. Only teachers of islam and prophets are permitted to become spritual healers. The spread of islam, from its beginning to the 14th century. Four maps that explain islam in africa american security. In eastern africa in places such as sudan, quranists are persecuted for their beliefs. On the one hand, the region is home to a substantial number of muslims. Beyond the previous examples, the unsettling influence of radical islam in east africa is potentially exacerbated by a couple of other related factors. The history of islam in east africa is extremely significant in elucidating the modern place of islam. Four maps that explain islam in the middle east and asia. Spread of islam in africa javad haghnavaz department of islamic thoughts faculty, jolfa branch, islamic azad university, jolfa, iran abstract. These groups speak languages classified as being related to three branches of afroasiatic.
Tunisia 2014 international religious freedom report pdf. East african muslims are mostly shafiites and some. The past two and a half centuries have seen the map of the middle east change radically. Impacts of islam in east africa case study template. According to historians and religious sources, islam penetrated ethiopia when prophet mohammed was alive. The islamic world east africa routledge handbooks online. East africa includes a broad swath of territory embracing the modern nations of somalia, kenya, uganda, rwanda, burundi, tanzania, malawi and mozambique. The earliest concrete evidence of islam and muslims in eastern africa is a mosque.
Africa center for strategic studies, map of africas active militant islamist. East africa is the cradle of mankind, as the first species of the homo genus evolved here, and migrated to the rest of the world. Arab and muslim gains spurred further efforts toward achieving additional we a l t h, which were aided by islam s approval of. The central focus is on the historical expansion of islam and the transformations of religious practices and conceptions within the sphere of the. Download our free maps in pdf format for easy printing. East africa is the part of africa around and east of the great rift valley, a land feature stretching from the red sea to the mozambique channel.
Swahili is a mixture of bantu and arab culture men wear amulets around their necks that contain verses from the koran, which they believe will protect them. Trimingham defines three main periods of islaniic cultural history in east africa. The swahili language remains central to many east african muslims, hence the occasionally heard phrase, swahili islam. It would be erroneous to consider islamic practices in eastern africa as arabic practices, and associate islam with arabs, since islam did not arabise east. Called the city of 3 saints, has a map showing locations of tombs of saints. The history of islam is well documented, especially the growth of the religion starting in medina in 622. The histom1 ofls1am il1 africa ohio university press. The eastern coast of africa saw the rise of swahili civilisation which was not an empire or a kingdom but a collection of city states like zanzibar and mombasa and mogadishu. Africa, islam in 1987 195k and pdf format 198k africa natural vegetation 1986 260k and pdf format 234k africa population density 1979 232k and pdf format 235k central africa reference map 1999 1k larger jpeg image 510k central africa reference map 2001 423k and pdf format 1.
The introduction of islam into east africa followed a somewhat different path from that in west africa. This document pdf may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Islam in east africa on the other side of africa, there was an alternative model of civilizational development. 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. Many christians and muslims in subsaharan africa describe members of the other faith as tolerant and honest. Muhammad, later to become the most famous qadiriyya leader in east africa, arrived in zanzibar. This course is designed to introduce you to the history of muslim people in east and southeast africa. The facts about bagamoyo coupled with the data from elsewhere in east africa, mainly tanzania, in parts 1 and 2, make it possible to answer the question posed at the outset of this studywhy the tariqa can play an important role in. However, islam in this large region has diverse and different histories. Yet local adherents to extremist versions of islam can now be found throughout east africa. The quran prescribes a humanitarian approach to slavery. Multiple trajectories of islam in africa islam had already spread into northern africa by the midseventh century a. Of the 100 million people who live in that region today, approximately 40% are muslim.
However, the spread of the islamic empire resulted in a much harsher interpretation of the law. Muslims crossed current djibouti and somalia to seek refuge in presentday eritrea and ethiopia during the hijrah arabic. Simplified map of africas religions brilliant maps. Despite all of these changes, west africa maintained some continuity as well. Basically, islam dominates the north and east of the continent, while christianity dominates the south and west, whith other native and folk religions being scattered throughout. The middle east had long been a center of trade with asia, africa, and europe alike. In north africa, a series of islamic movements, the almoravids and the almohads have conquered large areas, at one point even stretching into west africa. During his reign, islam was at its zenith of influence in east africa. On the east coast of africa, where arab mariners had for many years journeyed to trade, mainly in slaves, arabs founded permanent colonies on the offshore islands, especially on zanzibar, in the 9th and 10th century. The arab conquest of spain and the push of arab armies as far as the indus river culminated in an empire that stretched. Basically, islam dominates the north and east of the continent, while christianity dominates the south and west, whith other native.
Sultan majid passed away in 1870 and his successor sultan bargash lacked the wisdom to govern and stave off the contagion of colonialism. Christianity and islam also coexist with each other. In order to understand the true face of african islam, one must move past a monolithic. On the other hand, in east africa, where islam came from the arabian peninsula, muslims followed the shafli school of law that prevailed in. See more ideas about map, africa map and historical maps. Pdf muslims in eastern africa their past and present.
The counterterrorism assistance programs that are now being implemented in east africa, if sustained, could help lay the groundwork for a more robust regime of counterterrorism collaboration in east africa. During the omani period, there was further growth and expansion of islam in east africa, especially in the interior following the caravan routes. In most countries, relatively few see evidence of widespread antimuslim or antichristian hostility, and on the whole they give their governments high marks for treating both. In a recent speech at boston university, sponsored by my. While arabswahili muslim communities formed along the coast as early as 780 a. These four maps, percentage of muslims per country, size of muslim population per country, schools of islamic jurisprudence, and presence of sharia law, give a compelling account islam in africa, emphasizing where african muslims live and how they understand the world. 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.
Background international terrorists have seen east africa as a particularly attractive area for exploitation since the 1990s. Muslims in eastern africa their past and present nordic journal. The omani sultanate in zanzibar and east africa historical, political, economic and religious aspects by arye oded rima historical papers, volume 5 2017, number 2 april 2017 historical background it is worth touching upon several historical events, however briefly, as a background to the omani arab involvement in zanzibar and east africa. From there arab trade routes into the interior of africa helped the slow acceptance of islam. Islamic revival in east africa, african islam and islam in africa. By his death he had converted most of the arab tribes to the new faith. Over the years, islam has grown, first to mecca and the whole arabian peninsula and later to. Almost onethird of the worlds muslim population resides in the continent. However, the conversion to islam was a slow process along the east coast of africa. At first, muslim traders and merchants lived side by side with the nonmuslims of west africa. Lodhi and others published muslims in eastern africa their. Over time, however, islam played a growing role in west african society.
The swahili people live on the east african coast from southern somalia to northern mozambique. Subsaharan africa these movements have given the islamic religion a huge boost in the west african kingdoms, and by this date their ruling classes are mostly muslim, at least nominally. Africa was the first continent, outside of arabia that islam spread into in the early 7th century. A people, language, kingdom, and empire in western sudan in west africa that was founded by sunni ali. On the other hand, is the connection between radicalism and poverty.
An independent east africa was too much to stomach for the british who had consolidated their indian. Crop a region, addremove features, change shape, different projections, adjust. Free maps for students, researchers, teachers, who need such useful maps frequently. In comparative studies of south asia, africa and the middle east, vol. In the 7 th century, a prophet, muhammed, originally a merchant from an arabian town called mecca, started preaching a new religion, islam.
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