Editors: Abdu B.K. Kasozi and Sadik Unay
Title:Proceedings of the International Symposium on Islamic Civilization In Eastern Africa
Publisher: Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture
Volume:  32+ XIV
Reviewer: Professor Phares M. Mutibwa

The book; “Islamic Civilization in Eastern Africa” focuses on the following themes: the penetration of Islam in Eastern Africa, Islam and trade in Eastern Africa, Kiswahili and Islamic literature, Islamic education and intellectual development in Eastern Africa, visual issues in Islamic civilization, European colonial powers and Islam, and Islam and contemporary period.

It is noted that when Islam crossed the Red Sea and set foot in Eastern Africa, it became intercontinental for the first time, and that Eastern Africa was the first stage in the globalization of Islam. What Islam seeks to globalize is different from what promoters of contemporary globalization are advocating.

The aim of the universal Islamic Message is to create a world order based on justice, in which all believers are like one body where if when one of its members is hurt, the entire body aches.

Contemporary globalization rests on the quest of material well being at any cost hinged on liberalization, capitalism and materialism which is totally different from the Islamic world view on wealth and material things which emphasizes that the rich should share their fortunes to help the poor to improve their quality of life.
 
The heterogeneous peoples of the Red Sea towns from Massawa sea port to Zella seaport in Djibouti, and off-lying Dahlak archipelago and Bun peninsula also embraced Islam. The coming of Islam to East Africa (starting from Makkah to Abyssinia) was a continuation of already established contacts between the Arabia and East Africa.

Pre-Islamic contacts, however, existed between Eastern Africa, Middle East the Islands of the Indian Ocean, the Eksum Kingdom, South-East Asia and Europe and Arab traders. It was from Abyssinia that Islam came to the East African coast following earlier contacts through trade.

It spread through expansion southwards towards the islands of Tanzania and was adopted by the people who came in contact with the merchants and traders of the Indian Ocean connecting Eastern Africa with Southern Arabia and the Persian Gulf as early as 800AD. Islam was rapidly established on the East African coast.

The first mosque in East Africa probably was built after 621 AD at Shanga, Lamu. The East Africa coast was therefore “the scene of the earlier Sub Saharan Islamic communities and Islam arrived in these shores during the lifetime of the Prophet. The ‘Madrassah system of education” was a major factor in the spread of Islam while the Qadhi’s courts were crucial in sustaining it.

The Qadhis were judicial officers who contributed to mosque seminars and published literature and poetry.
Colonialism was resisted in terms of Islam and the Muslim culture which took the form of Mahdism or Millennialism that become a popular movement in African Islam. It was upon this movement or platform that the activities of the early African Muslim leaders were hinged.

The Somali accepted British colonialism and cooperated with the colonialists on the basis of pragmatism, arguing that they were too weak to resist the invaders. They were also material benefits for the cooperators.

The superimposition of the British culture ( and or British Christianity) over the Islam texture of the Somali society, however, sparked off confrontation led by Sayyid Muhammad Hasan Abdullah (the Mahdi of Somalia) who based his resistance on the revitalization of religious practices in the Muslim societies.

Although he was defeated his resistance lasted for two decades (1899-1920). Hassan’s death led to divisions and conflicts, signaling “the death knell for the Somali unity”, a precursor of the present day problems in Somalia.

The colonial experience in Somaliland and the Muslims’ response to it throw some light on the challenges facing the Muslim world. Colonialism is an unending process that neither the colonialist nor the colonized desire to conclude. The facilities the British offered were conditional –they had to be paid for in form of conversion to Christianity.

Fundamentally, their religion could not allow them to continue accepting British colonialism, especially imposition of Christianity on Somali Muslims. The impact of Islam on the region is summarized as follows: (i) it created a multi-cultural setting in Eastern Africa.

Islam revolutionalised the linguistic and cultural diversity of the region. Swahili has a cultural-linguistic and a historical dimension. It is seen as an international lingua franca for purposes of trade, administration and even education in Eastern Africa.

They were also intermarriages between the Arabs, Persins and the local Bantu thereby by producing the Swahili dialect and the adoption of Islam as a religion of the populace from Mogadishu to Mozambique. (ii) introduced a dress code for men and women, (iii) introduced new architecture, food and music.

Kilwa became famous because of its architecture which was derived from the Islamic heartlands.  (iv) The introduction of the clock, calendar, the alphabet and the numerals contributed to the emergency of literacy discipline. (v) By the 13th century certain basic features of universal Islamic practices were established. The idea of a community mosque which occupied a conspicuous if not central position in each town or substantial settlement, and observable of Friday are cases in point.

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