The Nineteenth Century: Islam

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The Nineteenth CenturyIslam

• Main Themes
• Islam critical in shaping pre-colonial Africa
• Reinforced by/reinforcing links with broader
  Muslim world
• Role revivalist movements in generating
  religious, social, economic change

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Pre-colonial Islamic Africa

• -filters into Africa through world commercial
  systems Trans-Saharan, Indian Ocean
• -in turn provides continued linkage major Islamic
  empires Ottoman, Persian, Indian
• -role of the Hajj

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Pre-colonial Islamic Africa

• -15th-17th centuries portrayed as peak of
  Islamic world influence
• -long decline through 18th-19th centuries
  providing Europe with opportunity to rise
• -perception shaped historiography
• -question degree to which true, especially in
  Africa

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Nineteenth Century

• -key changes 18th-19th century Islamic world
  reformism, revivalism
• -militaristic expression jihad, mahdism
• -transformation relations with Ottoman empire
  Africa seeking autonomy
• -transformation relations with Europe
  co-operation or conflict?
• -Islam politicized

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Reformism, Revivalism

• Ottoman Empire key
• -attempts modernisation, westernization provoking
  response
• -movements seeking purer, fundamental Islam
• -resistance to increasing European influence tied
  to resisting central Ottoman power secularism vs
  religiosity
• -new reformist movements politicized

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Reformism, Revivalism

• Africa
• -takes various forms
• -rise new tariqa or brotherhoods
• -mahdism
• -jihad
• -used to unify, build new states
• -effective resistance European colonial rule
• -reshapes societies, economies

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Reformism, RevivalismNorth West Africa

• tariqa Tidjaniya, Qadiriya, Sanussiya
• -named after Islamic clerics, often sufi based
• -each with own rules of affiliation
• -spreading into and through Sahara
• -follows commercial networks
• -supporting economic and political activities
• -acting as ideology even in stateless Sahara

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Reformism, RevivalismNorth West Africa

• Examples
• -Kunta (Qadiriya 18th-19th c. Sahara)-al-Qadir
  (Qadiriya 19th c. Algeria)-al-Hajj Umar
  (Tidjaniya 19th c. Mali)-Uthman dan Fodio
  (Qadiriya 19th c. Nigeria)
• -al-Sanusi (Sanusiyya 19th c. Libya)
• -al-Mahdi (Shiism 19th c. Sudan)

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Jihad States in the Nineteenth Century
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Al-Mahdi (Sudan)
Abd Al-Qadir (Algeria)
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Futanke (Fulani) soldier, Umarian Jihad (Mali)
Samory Ture (Guinea-Ivory Coast)
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Mahdi saviour of slaves (imagined scene)
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Reformism, RevivalismNorth West Africa

• Questions
• -how significant was religious base of movements?
• -to what extent were they local in origin?
• -to what extent were they legitimate?
• -were they beneficial to African growth?
• -how do they relate to other 19th century
  themes in African History?

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Reformism, RevivalismNorth West Africa

• Tariqa in the Sahara-closely linked to
  economic success
• -talibes (students) labour force
• -clans owed allegiance to spiritual leader
  (military, economic)
• -19th c. conflict and competition increase
• -religious power vs political power
• -divisions over interaction with European
  infidel

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Reformism, RevivalismNorth West Africa

• Mahdism
• -shia in belief emphasis on role of Imam in
  society return of last Imam
• -militaristic battle jihad
• -initial target Egypt secular, imperialistic
• -intervention of British turned jihad into
  resistance to European imperialism
• -mixed motives of army

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Reformism, RevivalismNorth West Africa

• Jihad
• -several examples across West African Sahel
• -tied to Saharan revivalism, same tariqa
• -sometimes actual alliances (eg al-hajj Umar)
• -real religious concerns (eg taxation, practices
  of slavery) but also generated by social,
  economic issues

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Jihad States c.1830
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Jihad States in the Nineteenth Century
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Reformism, RevivalismNorth West Africa

• -issue of bad Muslim (eg Uthman dan Fodio)
  legitimacy?
• -warfare with what consequences?
• -feeding into growth slave trading
• -establishment of jihad states increase in
  slave use
• -economic impact
• -religious warfare but political state
  politicization of Islam

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Reformism, RevivalismNorth West Africa

• State building
• -jihads of al-hajj Umar, Uthman dan Fodio most
  effective
• -next generation carried on new state, based on
  Islamic law and practise
• -Sokoto largest, most sophisticated economy and
  administration
• -Umarian regime more localised, attracting
  migrants to settle
• -both resisted Europeans as states

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Reformism, RevivalismNorth West Africa

• Hausaland and the Sokoto Caliphate
• Video Excerpt fromBasil Davidsons Africa

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Reformism, RevivalismNorth West Africa

• Egypt
• -different only to extent embodied tensions
  with both European and Ottoman powers
• -rise of Muhamed Ali Pasha-resistance to
  revivalism (Wahabism)
• -resistance to Ottoman control-role of British
• -1880-2 crisis of Islam and Imperialism
• -key flashpoint in Scramble for Africa

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Muhamed Ali Pasha(Egypt)
Egyptian Imperialism(Mohamed Ali Pashas
empire)
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Swahili Coast

• - Islamic influences came from several
  directions, over long period time Egypt,
  Somalia, Arabia, Persia
• - Most important process trade and intermarriage
  with locals by merchants
• Indian Ocean monsoon winds controlled when ships
  could move across and around Ocean
• merchants forced to spend up to six months on
  East African coast
• -married, established families

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Swahili Coast

• - Local chronicles speak of founding of
  city-states by Persians (Shiraz) tale of
  purchasing island of Kilwa with the cloth it took
  to surround the land, establishes link between
  commerce and Islam
• -Archaeology (excavation Mosques on the Isle
  Shanga) shows growing Muslim community from 11th
  c.

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Swahili Coast
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Swahili Coast

• -Emergence of Swahili (from Arabic sahil or
  coast) language of Bantu origin, grammar
• -large Arabic vocabulary, also Persian words
• -Mixed Arab-Persian influence seen in
  architecture, literature (poetry
  utendi)-Network provided basis for spread of
  Islam, especially in 19th C.

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Swahili Coast

• -1830s Sultan Sayyid Said (Oman) established
  capital at Zanzibar
• -Traders of mixed descent Swahili and African
  (eg Tippu Tip)
• -Took language, culture, religion to
  settlements far in interior
• -looked not only to Zanzibar but to traditions of
  Oman- brought different school of Islamic
  practice Ibadi
• - affected social structure, marriage, identity

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Swahili Coast
Celebration of the Prophets Birthday
Traditional modest Muslim dress
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Islam in Africa (2003)