Sub-Saharan Africa and the Wider World of Islam: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives

Contrary to the USA and most European countries, which have assigned a low priority to Africa, Muslim countries, with the Arab States in their vanguard, continue to pay attention to the continent. Although they have been unable to solve any of Africa’s major crises, they have poured in considerable sums of money for the support and propagation of Islam and for Islamic and Arabic education. This paper first examines the links of Sub-Saharan African Muslims with the wider world of Islam in the precolonial and colonial periods. Next, an examination of the postindependence period shows that the 1960s witnessed considerable activity aimed at establishing pan-Islamic organizations. Among the more recently established pan-Islamic organizations, designed to bring Muslims together and to propagate the faith, and which have been active in Africa, are the Islamic Call Organization, the Islam in Africa Organization, the African Islamic Centre (Khartoum), the Popular Arab and Muslim Conference and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). Bibliogr., notes, ref.