Islam and Muslim Politics in Africa

by Soares, Benjamin F.; Otayek, René

• ISBN13: 9781403979636
• ISBN10: 1403979634
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-09-15
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

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 contributors to this volume investigate and illuminate the changes they have brought, through detailed case studies of Muslim youth activists, Islamic NGOs, debates about Islamic law, secularism and minority rights, and Muslims and the political process in both conflict and post-conflict settings. Their work offers fresh perspectives on the complexity of Muslim politics in contemporary Africa.

Author Biography

Benjamin F. Soares is an Anthropologist, African Studies Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands. René Otayek is a Researcher, Centre d'Etude d'Afrique Noire, Bordeaux.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Islam and Muslim Politics in Africa	p. 1
Between the Local and the Global
Islam in Mauritania between Political Expansion and Globalization: Elites, Institutions, Knowledge, and Networks	p. 27
Global Concerns, Local Realities: Islam and Islamism in a Somali State under Construction	p. 47
Transformations of Islam and Communal Relations in Wallo, Ethiopia	p. 65
Aid, Umma, and Politics: Transnational Islamic NGOs in Chad	p. 85
New Religious Actors in South Africa: The Example of Islamic Humanitarianism	p. 103
The Question of the State
Muslim Reformists and the State in Benin	p. 121
Perceptions of Marginalization: Muslims in Contemporary Tanzania	p. 137
Kenyan Muslims, the Aftermath of 9/11, and the "War on Terror"	p. 157
Politics and Sharia in Northern Nigeria	p. 177
Political Islam in Sudan: Islamists and the Challenge of State Power (1989-2004)	p. 189
New Ways of Being Muslim
Islam in Mali in the Neoliberal Era	p. 211
Islamic Associations in Cameroon: Between the Umma and the State	p. 227
Negotiating Futures; Islam, Youth, and the State in Niger	p. 243
Index	p. 267
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