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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Ivory Coast
Index
Mausoleum in eastern Côte d'Ivoire
Courtesy Karen Peterson
Muslims kneeling in prayer
Courtesy Robert Handloff
Islam
Islam is a monotheistic religion based on revelations
received
in seventh-century Arabia by the Prophet Muhammad. His
life is
recounted as the early history of the religion, beginning
with his
travels from the Arabian town of Mecca about 610. Muhammad
preached
a series of divine revelations, denouncing the
polytheistic
religions of his homeland. He became an outcast from Mecca
and in
622 was forced to flee to the town of Yathrib, which
became known
as Medina (the city) through its association with him. The
flight
(hijra) marked the beginning of the Islamic Era and
of Islam
as a powerful force in history, and it marked the year 622
as the
beginning of the Islamic calendar. Muhammad ultimately
defeated his
detractors in battle and consolidated his influence as
both
temporal and spiritual leader of most Arabs before his
death in
632.
After Muhammad's death, his followers compiled those of
his
words that were regarded as coming directly from God in
the Quran,
the holy scripture of Islam. Muhammad's teachings and the
precedents of his behavior as recalled by those who knew
him became
the hadith (sayings). From these sources, the
faithful
constructed the Prophet's customary practice, or sunna
which they
endeavor to emulate. The Quran, hadith, and sunna
form a
comprehensive guide to the spiritual, ethical, and social
life of
the faithful in most Muslim countries.
Islam came to West Africa in three waves. In the ninth
century,
Berber traders brought the faith from North Africa to the
ancient
empire of Ghana. Beginning in the thirteenth century, the
Malinké
rulers of the Mali Empire contributed to its spread
throughout much
of the savanna, a process that continued into the
eighteenth
century, when the Juula established a Muslim kingdom in
what is now
northern Côte d'Ivoire. Finally in the nineteenth century,
the
Malinké warrior Samori Touré contributed to the southward
spread of
Islam
(see Pre-European Period
, ch. 1).
The central requirement of Islam is submission to the
will of
God (Allah), and, accordingly, a Muslim is a person who
has
submitted his will to God. The most important
demonstration of
faith is the shahadah (profession of faith), which
states
"There is no God but God (Allah), and Muhammad is his
prophet."
Salat (daily prayer), zakat (almsgiving),
sawm
(fasting), and hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) are also
required.
In Côte d'Ivoire, only the most devout Muslims pray,
fast, and
give alms as required by strict tenets of Islam, and only
the most
wealthy perform the hajj. Most Ivoirian Muslims are
Sunni,
following the Maliki version of Islamic law. Sufism,
involving the
organization of mystical brotherhoods (tariqa) for
the
purification and spread of Islam, is also widespread,
laced with
indigenous beliefs and practices. The four major Sufi
brotherhoods
are all represented in Côte d'Ivoire, although the
Qadiriya,
founded in the eleventh century, and the Tidjaniya,
founded in the
eighteenth century, are most popular. The Qadiriya is
prevalent in
the west, and the Tidjaniya, in the east. The other two
major
Islamic brotherhoods have few adherents in Côte d'Ivoire.
The
Senoussiya is identified with Libya, where its influence
is
substantial. The Ahmadiya, a Shiite sect originating in
nineteenthcentury India, is the only non-Sunni order in Côte
d'Ivoire.
The significant religious authority is the
marabout. He
is believed to be a miracle worker, a physician, and a
mystic, who
exercises both magical and moral authority. He is also
respected as
a dispenser of amulets, which protect the wearer--Muslim
or
non-Muslim--against evil. The influence of
marabouts has
produced a number of reactions in Ivoirian society, among
them a
series of reformist movements inspired by Wahabist
puritanism,
which originated in nineteenth-century Saudi Arabia. These
reform
movements often condemn Sufism and marabouts as
un-Islamic,
but the poor see that marabouts often speak out on
behalf of
the downtrodden and that reform movements appear to
support the
interests of wealthier Muslims.
Hamallism began as an Islamic reform movement in the
French
Sudan early in the twentieth century and has provided a
channel for
expressing political and religious discontent. Its
founder,
Hamallah, was exiled from the French Sudan to Côte
d'Ivoire during
the 1930s. He preached Islamic reform tempered by
tolerance of many
local practices, but he condemned many aspects of Sufism.
Orthodox
brotherhoods were able to convince the French authorities
in Côte
d'Ivoire that Hamallah had been responsible for earlier
political
uprisings in the French Sudan. Authorities then expelled
Hamallah
from Côte d'Ivoire and banned his teachings.
The relative success of Islam may be related to its
compatibility with many aspects of African culture--for
example,
plural marriage for men, which was opposed by Christian
missionaries. Nonetheless, Islam was also embraced because
it
provided symbolic identification with successful traders
and
travelers throughout the world, and it was seen as an
alternative
to European religion. Its agents were black, and it
preached on
behalf of those who lacked the trappings of Western
civilization.
In the 1980s, about one-fourth of all Ivoirians, including
most
Juula and Malinké people, called themselves Muslims.
Data as of November 1988
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