Islam in Senegal

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Ndiaye

HIS 370

Dr. Goodier

Islam in Senegal

My folks and I were born and grew up in Dahra, Senegal. My father migrated to the United States when I was about four years old and I joined him at the age of eighteen with my younger brother who’s attending SUNYIT. My family’s strong belief and faith identity have remained an integral part of my development and life. Moreover, my grandfather was a Marabout in Dahra. He taught many people about Islam, including my uncles, and today they are now living with their families in several different countries around the world. This family history has intrigued me, and prompted me to research the relationship between Islam and my native country Senegal before our independence in 1960 and up to today.

Islam, similar to Judaism and Christianity, is a monotheistic religion based on the belief in one God. There are two main divisions in the Islam religion, they are Sunni and Shi’a. The separation of the two major divisions of Islam was caused by the early question of leadership after Muhammad’s death .The vast majority of Muslims, perhaps 90 percent, are Sunni, and the other ten percent are Shi’a. "Sunni" comes from the Arabic word Sunnah, meaning "customary practice." In Sunni Islam, the imam is the man who leads the Friday prayers in a mosque with scriptures from the Qur’an, the text of which is considered to be the direct word from God (Allah). In my native country (Senegal), Islam plays a big role in our everyday life and we have different Tariqas (sub-group of Islam) within the nation.

Most people know little or nothing about Islam; they have many misconceptions about Muslim beliefs and rituals. Regardless, Islam has gained a large following and is the second largest religion in t...

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...nal and Cultural Values Among the Sy Tijaniya of Tivaoune (Senegal).” Social Compass 27 58 (2011): 27-41

Hill, Joseph. "'All Womaen are Guides': Sufi Womanhood among Talibe Baay in Senegal." Journal of Religion in Africa 40 (2010): 375-412.

Alfred, S. (2012). Rituals of Respect Sufis and Secularists in Senegal in Comparative Perspective. Comparative Politics, 44(4), 379-401

"The World Factbook" Central Intelligence Agency. 01 2013. The Work of a Nation. 11 2013 .

Fage, J. A History of Africa. 3rd ed. Vol. New Fetter Lane: Routledge, 1995. 4-541.

Nigosan, Solomon. Islam: Its History, Teaching, and Practices. ed. Vol. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2004. Xvi-129.

Behrman, Lucy. Muslim Brotherhoods and Politics in Senegal. Ed. Vol. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1970. 1-180.

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