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AEGIS European Conference on African Studies
11 - 14 July 2007
African Studies Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Muslims and inter-religious organizations in Africa
| Panel |
14. New Modes of Sociality in Muslim Africa
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| Paper ID | 122 |
| Author(s) |
Sadouni, Samadia
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| Paper |
No paper submitted
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| Abstract | In this paper, I consider new modes of interactions between Muslims and non-Muslims in inter-religious organizations such as the World Conference of Religions for Peace (WCRP) and in the international arena during the World Social Forum. WCRP is a multi-religious international organization that promotes peace and social development through religious cooperation and dialogue with members in over 100 countries.
I examine the new ways Muslims and Christians have been cooperating in the public sphere and the effects of such cooperation on Muslim identities. Do Muslims assert their Muslim identity by integrating “Islamic” morals and values in the social development programmes of these inter-religious organizations? How do they as citizens bring together their political identity and religious identities?
Drawing on examples from Mozambique, South Africa and Kenya, I examine inter-religious movements. In Mozambique, for example, young Muslims have taken active part in the WCRP but also in other social movements such as the Mozambican Social Forum. They have also participated in the launch of ANARELA (African Networking of Religious Leaders Infected or Affected by AIDS). The defense of such “African” causes (e.g., the questions of peace, conflict, poverty, HIV-AIDS, etc.) by Muslim actors in partnership with Christians will be also observed at the World Social Forum (WSF) organized in Nairobi in January 2007. For example, Kenyan Muslims from the Young Muslims Association and the Muslim Human Rights Forum will participate in an ecumenical platform against globalisation along with the All Africa Conference of Churches and the Justice and Peace Commissions of the Catholic and Anglican churhes. The main objective of this paper is to understand the modes of participation of these Islamic organizations within the WSF and the attempt to build partnerships between Muslims and Christians.
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