WHI.17

media type="custom" key="29536339" align="right" =Describe the different ways in which Islam & Christianity influenced indigenous African cultures.=
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 * [[image:resourcesforhistoryteachers/whI_17_diagram.JPG width="631" height="398" align="center"]] ||

I. [|Islam:]

 * Was first initiated by merchants who were brought to Africa for trade and economic reasons.
 * Was carried into the fringes of indigenous African by tribesmen
 * Throughout the 14th century Muslim chiefs were able to create a strong base while maintaining a tie with the older Muslim world.
 * By the end of the 15th century much of the area south of the Sahara Desert accepted Islam.

- HOWEVER, Islamic beliefs were in conflict with traditional African beliefs. For example:
 * Islam rejected spirit worship
 * Distinct roles for sexes with modesty in dress was in conflict and was met with many informal relationships.

The Result (Spielvogel, 2005)
 * Africanized Islam: Islamic ideas combined with native beliefs.

====**Timeline of spread of Islam through Africa**====

II. [|Christianity:]

 * Brought to Africa when trade routes shifted in Western Sahara
 * Had less religious impact than Islam
 * Mostly a failed attempt to convert large numbers

For Example: Niger missionaries thought Christianity would provide a spiritual cohesion for merchants & farmers. They were mostly wrong. (Harris 1998) - Some enrolled in Catholic schools (Harris 1998)

The Result was overall great opposition and when accepted it was done so mainly by force or in the least strong coercion.

Timeline of spread of Christianity through Africa
 * __**Websites for further exploration**__

This site is a great place to start [|searching the web for resources on African Religion].
 * Islam in Africa
 * Christianity in Åfrica
 * The [|African Online Digital Library] includes multimedia resources on a range of African topics.
 * This site has [|multimedia resources mostly focused on traditional African religions in West Africa and the Diaspora].
 * This site includes a [|BBC]Radio documentary including chapters on Traditional Religions, Islam, and Christianity.

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 * This map shows the [|spread of Islam in Africa]. This can be compared to a [|map] which depicts the influence of Islam circa 2001.
 * This map shows the [|spread of Christianity in Africa.]
 * Both of these provide access to interactive maps of Africa [] and []


 * "[|The Role of Women in African Traditional Religion]" by John Mbiti examines the role of women in traditional religions.
 * "[|Egyptian Culture Versus Islamic Culture"] by Tracie Souter looks at the autobiographies of women.
 * [|"Women of Power in Ethiopian Legend and History"] an article by Rita Pankhurst.


 * This site includes a number of [|resources on African history], including links to historic documents.
 * This site includes a number of [|resources on Islamic history], including links to historic documents.

http://www.afrikaworld.net/afrel/ Offers a number of papers on various aspects of religion in Africa. http://www.kasc.ku.edu/programs/teacher_institutes/2002/index.shtml Includes papers on Islam and Africa, as well as lists of resources for teaching this topic. http://www.bu.edu/wcp/Papers/Reli/ReliMwas.htm http://science.jrank.org/pages/9820/Islam-Africa-Muslim-Frontier-Communities.html ||
 * __Additional Resources:__**