Christian-Muslim relations in Africa

by Lissi Rasmussen

Can Islam and Christianity co-exist in Islamic environments? This book shows how relations between Christians and Muslims in northern Nigeria are characterized by intense friction, while in Tanzania the two communities co-exist harmoniously. The author examines the establishment of both religions in the two countries, their relations with the colonial powers, the effect of religion on national independence movements, and the effect of religious questions on ethnicity in mixed communities, setting these issues against the background of the rise of Islamic revivalism and the connections between northern Nigeria and Middle Eastern Islamic states. Based on the author's own extensive field research, conducted in the period from 1975 to 1981, and much previously unpublished original material, as well as a broad range of little-known sources, Christian-Muslim Relations in Africa will be of interest to those concerned with theology and comparative religion, African studies, and social anthropo