The Crown And The Turban

This book discusses the clash of civilizations between secular government and Muslim traditions in West Africa. The author, awarded Senegal's highest national honour for his scholarly work, places Islam within the context of Africa's receptive and pluralist environment, explores the religious and historical background of present-day conflicts, and argues that achieving solutions will depend equally upon Christian and Muslim theoligical resources. The book describes how Muslims took advantage of Africa's religious tolerance to begin a process of change that culminated in a unified Islamic view of religion, state and society. European colonialism and missionary efforts both bolstered and complicated the development of this faith as a result of the pressures that secularism brought to bear on Islamic tradition. Sanneh points out that, perhaps ironically, due to the same tolerance of differences, Christianity was able to flourish in parts of Africa, and its followers more readily supported the Western secular idea of the separation of church and state.

Exploring the clash of civilizations between secular government and Muslim traditions in West Africa, this study appraises the challenge of separating the administration of the state from deeply-held beliefs of the Islamic peoples of the region. The author, awarded Senegal's highest national honour for his scholarly work, places Islam within the context of Africa's receptive and pluralist environment, explores the religious and historical background of present-day conflicts, and argues that achieving solutions will depend equally upon Christian and Muslim theoligical resources. The book describes how Muslims took advantage of Africa's religious tolerance to begin a process of change that culminated in a unified Islamic view of religion, state and society. European colonialism and missionary efforts both bolstered and complicated the development of this faith as a result of the pressures that secularism brought to bear on Islamic tradition. Sanneh points out that, perhaps ironically, due to the same tolerance of differences, Christianity was able to flourish in parts of Africa, and its followers more readily supported the Western secular idea of the separation of church and state.