An African Vortex: Islamism in Sub-Saharan Africa

An African Vortex: Islamism in Sub-Saharan Africa

By David McCormack*

Although not widely considered an African faith, roughly one fifth of the world’s adherents to Islam reside in sub-SaharanAfrica.  The religion, well established on the subcontinent for more than a millennium, made vital contributions in the spheres of education, commerce and government.  Its largely peaceful spread and incorporation of local traditions, moreover, led to the development of an African Islam characterized by syncretic Sufi practices, tolerance and moderation.

This temperate, progressive orientation has become imperiled in recent years by the introduction of Islamism – a movement intent on bringing society and state into conformity with radical interpretations of the religion.  Sub-Saharan Africa has proved tremendously useful in advancing this agenda: its Muslim population of roughly 250 million (for a breakdown see appendix A) provides a massive base from which Islamists can draw support; weak and corrupt governments and economies allow Islamist ideologies to become alluring to African Muslims; and porous borders, a steady flow of illicit arms and obscure financial systems contribute to an ideal operating environment for Islamists with militant appetites.

While numerous terror groups operating in the region are the most conspicuous manifestations of the Islamist advance, these entities disguise the primary method employed by Islamists in their move onAfrica.  Far from advocating immediate, armed revolution, Islamists have become extremely adept at exploiting local conditions to advance their agenda through political and social warfare.  With its long list of socio-political demands, Islamism must necessarily attack the status quo.  Hence, Islamism inAfricahas resulted in the corrosion of moderate-Islamic and secular traditions.

Islamism’s impact to date foreshadows the terrible implications of its continued expansion.  It jeopardizes steps toward social progress by legally marginalizing women and non-Muslims, inhibiting democratic government, and violating accepted standards of human rights – phenomena that are unmistakably correlated to the increasing intrusion of shari’a (Islamic law) on African society.  Such trends, furthermore, have led to inter-communal violence on a massive scale.

And while much attention is paid to the possibility that poverty encourages Islamism, markedly less consideration is given to Islamism’s facilitation of poverty.  By creating inter-communal strife and dueling systems of law (one of which, shari’a, is by no means growth-friendly), Islamism discourages the very investment that has the potential to pull Africa out of the economic abyss.

African Islamism also poses a direct threat to Western interests.  An atmosphere permeated with radical Islamic thought has, not surprisingly, begun to create a hospitable environment for terrorists with an international agenda.  Already, prominent international terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda and Hamas operate extensively inAfrica, while lesser known but nevertheless dangerous groups have emerged to wage jihad south of the Sahara.

The story of Islamism in sub-Saharan Africa is complex and ominous.  Moreover, it has largely been unexplored, likely the result of the region’s longstanding status as an inconsequential piece of the global security architecture.  The nature of the Islamist threat mandates the abandonment of that concept.  Islamism is gaining ground in sub-Saharan Africa to the detriment of Africans and Westerners alike.