Postcolonial Africa has witnessed problematic processes of nation and state building, but in general the state structures as designed in late-colonial and early independence endure, including their... Show morePostcolonial Africa has witnessed problematic processes of nation and state building, but in general the state structures as designed in late-colonial and early independence endure, including their secular orientation. A major challenge for the state in Africa is to advance its respect for devotional diversity, because the secular state has an interest in religious diversity. Show less
Because of calls in northern Nigeria for the full implementation of sharia, Islamic law in Africa has received much attention recently. The spotlight usually falls on the other side of the... Show moreBecause of calls in northern Nigeria for the full implementation of sharia, Islamic law in Africa has received much attention recently. The spotlight usually falls on the other side of the continent - on the Sudan - since the promulgation of the 1983 'legal revolution' of Numayri and where no constitutional debate has been free of major political struggles over the question of sharia. But apart from these two sub-Saharan countries, there is very little general knowledge on or scholarship about the history, ethnography or politics of Islamic law on the continent. Yet because of the Muslim presence, in large or small numbers, in the populations of all African countries, recognition of Islamic laws in many African states has, since independence, been fraught with political controversy. In certain cases, it is part of 'customary law', in others it stands independently but always secondary to state law and maintains a curious relation to customary law. 'Muslim personal law' has been and continues to be a focus of debate in Muslim communities and often a source of tension in national politics. Show less
Events in Africa over the last two decades have puzzled many. Worsening poverty, corruption, as well as the repeated occurrence of coups or extreme civil violence, all conspire to give a cheerless,... Show moreEvents in Africa over the last two decades have puzzled many. Worsening poverty, corruption, as well as the repeated occurrence of coups or extreme civil violence, all conspire to give a cheerless, if not downright frightening, image of the continent. Are the causes of this crisis to be found in Africa's place in the world economy or in the continual disorder which afflicts the continent? Is the present turmoil a temporary setback or has it become a permanent condition? Why is there such breakdown of society? Will the present efforts for democratization ensure an improvement in the living conditions of the vast majority or merely benefit the elites? Has the continent been 'left behind by the rest of the world', as some have argued? Taken together, these issues raise the more general question of modernization. Show less
The relationship between religion and politics, between church and state, has been a well rehearsed issue in Muslim thought and practice, because Islam emerged fully into history as a dual... Show moreThe relationship between religion and politics, between church and state, has been a well rehearsed issue in Muslim thought and practice, because Islam emerged fully into history as a dual tradition of church and state, and because as such Muslims have been less sanguine than Europeans about making a rigid separation between the secular and the sacred, or between the public and private domain. By virtue of such history and by reason of the subsequent Western secular expansion in the Muslim world, there is widespread reaction to the legitimacy of national secular governments among contemporary Muslims. Some of that reaction goes back to the effects of colonial rule. Show less
