Islam in Africa

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

Although Islam has been well established in Africa for many centuries, many simplistically associate “orthodox” Islam with the Middle East. Indeed, sub-Saharan Africa was in the picture from the early days of Islam. In 617 CE, only six years after the birth of Islam, eighty-three Muslim men and women migrated from the city of Mecca to Abyssinia (now modern day northern Ethiopia) to seek social justice and religious freedom. This course traces the spread of Islam to Africa from the seventh century C.E. to the present, while paying particular attention to continuing points of contact and exchange between Muslims in Africa across the Sahara as well as the Atlantic and Indian Ocean worlds. Through the study of secondary sources, in-class reading and discussions of primary sources, as well as documentaries, this course will provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to understand the diversity of Islamic practices on the African continent.