The Palgrave Handbook of Islam in Africa

Preface
Note on Sources
Contents
Notes on Contributors
List of Figures
Chapter 1 Introduction
	Part I: History and Diffusion
	Part II: Institutions and Practices
	Part III: Islam and Creativity
	Part IV: African Muslims and Knowledge Systems
	Part V: Islam, Modernity, and the Contemporary World
	References
Part I History and Diffusion
Chapter 2 Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa, 800–1900
	From the Seventh to the Fifteenth Century
	The Horn of Africa
	The East Coast
	Central Africa
	West Africa
	From the Sixteenth to the Nineteenth Century
	Northeast Africa
	The East Coast
	The Interior
	Central Africa
	Timbuktu and Islamic Education and Culture
	Other Agents of Islamization in West Africa
	The Jihāds
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 3 Religious Leadership and Mobility: Revisiting the Legacy of Al-Ḥājj Salim Suwari
	Introduction
	Al-Ḥājj Salim Suwari: An Iconic Figure in Muslim Africa
	Religious Leadership as a Combination of Islamic Skills and Social Engineering
	Mobility and Leadership
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 4 The Islamic Intellectual Tradition of Sudanic Africa, with Analysis of a Fifteenth-Century Timbuktu Manuscript
	Urban Centers in Islamic Africa
	Clerical Lineages
	Muḥammad al-Kābarī and the Bustān al-FawāʾId
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 5 Interpretations of Jihād in Africa: A Historical Overview
	Introduction
	Precolonial Forms of Jihād: Between Lesser Jihād and Greater Jihād
	Jihāds in Africa: From the Colonial to the Postcolonial Era
	Post September 11: Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 6 Between Jihād and History: Reconceptualizing the Islamic Revolutions of West Africa
	Introduction
	Reconceptualizing Jihād in the Study of Islam in Africa
	Seizing Political Authority in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century
	Disentangling the Nineteenth Century Islamic Revolutions
	The Nineteenth Century Islamic Revolutions: Questions, Discrepancies, and Ambiguities
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 7 Islam and Emancipation: Fuladu Fulani in the Kaabu Empire
	Introduction
	The Geographical Location of Fuladu
	The Historical Context
		The Power of the Mandinka Kaabu Empire
		The Conditions for the Emergence of the Fuladu Kingdom
			Antecedents of the Nineteenth-Century Crisis
			Questioning the Central Authority
			The Expansion of the Fulani Muslim Theocratic Power of Fuuta Jalon
			Al-Ḥājj ʿUmar Taal’s Visit to Fuladu
	Islam as a Catalyst for the Emancipation of the Fuladu Fulani in the Local Epic
		The Context of Enunciation
		The Summary of the Text
		Questioning the Political and Ideological System of the Mandinka Power
			The Healing of Bulli Kitaabu and the End of the Mandinka Power
				The Madness of Bulli Kitaabu: The Founding Sacrifice of the Mandinka Power
				Allegiance of the Chief Jinn to Sayku Umar
	Conclusion
	Bibliography
Chapter 8 Geography, Islam, and Africa
	Introduction
	Distribution, Dynamics, and Diffusion of Islam in Africa
	Cartographies of Convergence: The Religious “Fault Zone”
	The Geography of Religious Tolerance
	Population and Religious Projections in Africa
	Historic Carriers and Barriers for Islam in Africa
	Geographic Corridors into Africa
	Local Scales: Sacred Spaces and Islam
	Migration to Touba, Senegal
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 9 Islam in West Africa: Diffusion and Growth
	Peaceful Spread
	Muslim Uprisings
	Expansion of Islam Under Colonial Rule
	Recent Expansion
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 10 Southern Africa’s Muslim Communities: Selected Profiles
	Introduction
	Southern Africa’s Muslims: The Chapter’s Focus
	Southern Africa’s Religious Demographics
		Southern Africa: An Integral IOR Member
		Southern Africa’s Religious Montage
	Theoretical Frames: Religious Identities, Muslim Communities
		Conceptualizing Communities and Religious Identities
		Multiplicity of Muslim Communities
	Southern Africa: Its Muslim Communities
		Mozambique’s Muslims: Mentioning Their Past, Considering Their Present
			Religious Communities: Constitutionally Protected
			Muslim Community: Expressing Their Concerns, Venting Their Feelings
			Muslim Educational Institutions and Organizations
			Community Concerns: Religious Sectarianism or Social Discontent?
		Malawi’s Muslims: Historical Reflections, Present-Day Considerations
			Malawi’s Yao and Chewa Ethnic Groups: Their Religious Identity Formation
			Malawi’s Demographics and Policies
			Malawi’s Muslim Organizations, Structures, and Outlets
			Malawi’s Political Scene and Muslim Participation
		Zimbabwe: Brief Historical Reflections
			Zimbabwe’s Demographics and Policy
			Zimbabwe’s Muslims: Mixture of Indigenous and Immigrants
			Zimbabwe’s Muslims: Their Institutions as Identity Markers
			Zimbabwe’s Politicians and Its Muslim Personalities: Their Statements and Positions
	Toward a Conclusion
	References
Part II Institutions and Practices
Chapter 11 Sharīʿa Law in Muslim Africa
	Introduction
	The Advent of Islam and Sharīʿa in Africa
	The Colonial Period
	Independence to Twenty-First Century: Sharīʿa in Practice and in Controversy
		Sharīʿa in Africa Constitutions
		Family Law Reform and Codification
		Sharīʿa in Practice: The Everyday Life of Kadhi’s Courts in Zanzibar
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 12 Female Muslim Scholars in Africa
	Why Do We Know so Little About Female Muslim Scholars?
	Manifold Historical Sources for Tracing Female Muslim Scholarship in Africa
	The Impact of Female Muslim Scholars in Africa in the Tradition of Islamic Knowledge
	Early Female Saints in Africa: From the Beginnings of Islam Till the Eighteenth Century
	Sufi Reform Movements and the Role of Female Scholars: Some Insights into Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century African Muslim Traditions
	New Opportunities for Female Scholars: Reforming Education and “Governing” Religion
	References
Chapter 13 Islam and Christianity in Africa
	Early Christianity in Africa and Its Encounter with Islam
	Islamization of Christian Nubia
	Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa
	The Bilād al-Sūdān
	Islam in Eastern and Southern Africa
	Islam and Christianity in Contemporary Africa
	References
Chapter 14 Islam and West African Religions
	References
Chapter 15 Islamic Philosophy in Africa
	Conclusion
	References
Part III Islam and Creativity
Chapter 16 Islamic Architecture in Pre-colonial Africa
	Introductory Remarks
	Functions of Islamic Architecture in Africa
		Building Types and Structures
			Masjid: Places of Prayer
			Localized Nodes in Interpersonal Networks? Places of Remembrance
			Infrastructure
			Representation of Authority Through Architectural Patronage
			Representation of Authority by Means of Endowments
		A Short Summary: Modes of Interaction with Architecture
		Four Case Studies
			Cairo: Different Layers of History Expressed Through Patronage and Preservation
			Adobe Architecture in Sudanic Africa: The Constant Interaction Between Architecture and Society
			Ribāṭs: Markers of an Anti-Urban Reformist Piety?
			Preservation and Persistence Shaping Fès el-Bali/Fās al-Bālī
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 17 Islamic Calligraphy, Abstraction and Magic Talismans in Northern Nigeria
	Introduction
	The Art of the Word
	One Script to Bind Them All—The R/Evolution of a Script
	Abstractions on the Edge of Aesthetics
	Throwing a Curve in Kano Zayyana Design
	Shamanic Calligraphy and Mystification of the Word
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 18 Islam in Europhone African Literature
	Introduction
	Critical Responses to Islam in Africa and African Literature
	Reading Europhone African Literature Within an Islamic Framework
	Reading L’Aventure Ambiguë and Une si Longue Lettre Within an Islamic Framework
	Une si Longue Lettre and the Role of Islam in the Senegalese Woman’s Identity Formation
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 19 Islam and Music in Africa
	Introduction
	Education: Qurʾānic Schooling and Didactic Poetry
	Assembly: Associational Life in Sufi Ṭurūq
	Transcendence: Islam and Spirit Possession in North Africa
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 20 Muslims and Traditional Dance Performance in Dagboŋ, Northern Ghana
	The Issue
	Methodology
	Brief Background of the Dagbamba People
	Salafī Muslims in Dagboŋ
	Views of Salafī Muslim Groups Toward Traditional Dance Practitioners
	Views of the Youth
	Dance-Drama: Waa-Pa Zacbɛgu Musulinsini
	Description of the Dance-Drama Performance
	Conclusion
	References
Part IV African Muslims and Knowledge Systems
Chapter 21 Black Africans in Arabic Sources: A Critical Assessment of Method and Rhetoric
	African Influences in Arabia: Names and Dates
	The Islamic Conquests of Egypt and North Africa in the Early Sources
		Ifrīqiyya in Futūḥ Mișr Wa-L-Maghrib
	The Maghrib: A Rich History
	Morocco: A Rich Repository of History
	The Discourse of Blackness in Pre-Islamic Sources
	Anti-Blackness in the Islamic Era
	Transposed African Imageries in Earlier Arabic Sources
	The Construction of African Imageries in the Medieval Arabic Sources
	Sufi Wonders and Their Lodges: A Dynamic Source on African Muslims
	The Temptations of Anti-Blackness: Obedience and Servility
	Intersectionality of Blackness and Slavery in Modern Arabic Sources
	Continuity and Change in Arabic Sources
	Arabic Sources of Post-Colonial Africa: A Systematic Improvement
	References
Chapter 22 African Islamic Influences in Selected African-American Literary Writings
	Daughters of the Dust
	Linguistic Connections Through Daughters
	The African Elements in Mules and Men
	African Islamic Influence in Go Tell It on the Mountain
	References
Chapter 23 Competing and Complementary Writing Systems in the Horn of Africa
	Introduction
	The Jihād of Aḥmad Gragn and the Council of Boru Meda
	Resistance Writings of Shaykh Ṭalḥa
	Shaykh Bakrii Saphalo and the Oromo Writing System
	Brief Comparison with Sulemaana Kantè and the N’ko Writing System
	Conclusion
	Bibliography
Chapter 24 Manuscript Libraries of Sub-Saharan Muslim Africa
	Introduction
	West Africa, Sahara, and Sahel
	East and Southern Africa
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 25 Exploring and Preserving the Islamic Manuscript Heritage of Sub-Saharan Africa
	Introduction to the Typologies of Sub-Saharan Islamic Books
	Brief Codicological Overview
	Typological Classification of the Collections and Related Conservative Problems
	Preservation Strategies
	References
Part V Islam, Modernity and the Contemporary World
Chapter 26 Islam and Activism: The Marabout and the Trade Union
	Introduction
	An Interactive Triangle of Social Actors
		The Marabout, the Trade Unionist, and the State
		The Marabout and the Trade Union: The New Sociopolitical Order in Senegal
		Marabouts and Trade Union Negotiations
	The Bloody Strike of the Thiès Railway Workers of September 1938
		The Context
		Marabout Mediation or How to Defuse the Social Bomb?
	The 1947–1948 Strike of the Railroad Workers: The Longest Strike in the History of French West Africa
	The May 1968 University Crisis and the Role of the Religious Leaders
		Riots Across the Country
		The Call of the Marabouts and Dignitaries
		President Senghor, the Marabouts, the Unions, and the Crisis
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 27 Islam and Politics in West Africa: Intricacies of the Relationship as Seen Through Mali and Senegal
	Introduction
	Islam in West Africa: From East to West, from North to South
	Islam, Politics, and Society
		Mali—Where Islam Adjusts to Realities
		Senegal—Where Reality Adjusts to Islam
	Gender and Islam in Senegal
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 28 Private Islamic Education in Africa
	Private Islamic Education Institutions in Africa Before and After 9/11
	Senegal: Do Madrasas Really Need “Reform?”
	New Modes of Surveillance?
	Conclusion: Will Madrasa “Reforms” Halt Religious Extremism?
	References
Chapter 29 Islam and Political Renaissance in Contemporary Africa
	Islam: Theorizing the Political in the Faith
	Political Renaissance in Nigeria
	The “Delectable” in Political Renaissance in Nigeria
	The “Detestable” in Political Renaissance in Nigeria
	The Non-player in Political Renaissance in Nigeria
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 30 Islam and Globalization in Africa
	Introduction
	Islam and Globalization
	Globalization
	Earlier Prophets of Allāh Before Muḥammad
	Prophet Muḥammad as the Seal of Prophets
	The Universality and Globalization of Muḥammad’s Mission
	Islam in Africa
		Islam in North Africa
		Islam in East and Central Africa
		Islam in West Africa
	Role of Islam in the Age of Globalization in Africa
	Factors That Aided Interconnectedness of Islam in Africa
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 31 Islam and the Environment in African Context
	Introduction
	Religion and the Environment in Africa
	Gathering Empirical Evidence from Northeast Nigeria
	Muslims’ Views of Human–Nature Relationship
	Muslims’ Perception of Environmental Problems
	Islamic Environmentalism: Principles and Practice
	Limitations to Islamic Environmentalism
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 32 Researching Digital Media and Islam in Africa: Recommending a Framework
	Introduction
	Negotiating Sufi Spaces: Physical and Virtual
	Religious Authority and Media: A Continuous Narrative
	Religious Authority, Islam, and Digital Media
	Mediatization
	Waves of Digital Media and Religion Studies
	Final Remarks
	References
Chapter 33 Islam and the Future of Africa: Perceptions, Stereotypes, and the Clash of Philosophies
	Introduction
	The Past of Islam in Relation to Its Future and Relevance
	Islam and African Cultures: Perspectives of Wahhābī and Salafī
	Islamic Philosophies in Africa
	Economies and Islamic Philosophy
	Extremist Radicalism, Violence, and Slavery
	Politics, Islamic Fundamentalism, and the Future of Africa
	Islam and Modernity
	The Bond of Religion
	Islamic Ideology, Women and Social Relationships
	Conclusion
	References
Index