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AEGIS European Conference on African Studies
11 - 14 July 2007
African Studies Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
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The ulama in politics and politicians in religion: conflicting claims to Muslim authority and leadership in Kenya during the second liberation
| Panel |
56. Moving Frontiers: contestations in Muslim communities in Africa
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| Paper ID | 713 |
| Author(s) |
Mwakimako, hassan A
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| Paper |
No paper submitted
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| Abstract | The growth of Islam and the Muslim community in Kenya has fostered the development of a variety of religious, civic, political and cultural and professional organizations. These has included groups like Supreme Council of Kenya Muslim (SUPKEM), Council of Ulama and Preachers of Islam in Kenya (CIPK), Muslim for Human Rights (MUHURI), Muslim Consultative Council (MCC) and Muslim Civic Education Trust (MCET) amongst many others making claims to Muslim leadership. However, the existence of these multiple voices articulating in the public sphere, claims to Muslim authority in Kenya is a remarkably unexplored area. This essay discusses the historical origins of these organizations to challenge the notion of 'national Muslim organization' and show diverse sometimes contradictory and challenging leadership strategies between the two most visible groups, the SUPKEM and the CIPK as they 'represented' Muslims in debating, participation and voting during the process of constitutional review and political referendum in Kenya. |
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