Christianity’s and Islam’s Expansion throughout West Africa Essay Example

The poet Rabindranath Tagore spoke about Christianity and Islam and stated, “They are not just satisfied with observing their own religions but are determined to destroy all other religions. That is why the only way to make peace with them is to embrace their religions” (Kaushik). For both religions being remarkably similar, they approached expansion with vastly different tactics. Islam’s modernizing influence guided West African people to coexist with it and even convert. Whereas Christianity led with uncompromisable customs presented in a harsh and merciless way. While Islam peacefully expanded and blended with West African cultures through education, language, and religious beliefs, Christianity sought to stifle West African cultures through missionaries, resulting in social and political class divisions between the fragments of West Africa.  

Islam’s expansion throughout Africa was innovative, the harmonious approach invited the African cultures to develop their community advancing the societies of the sections of West Africa that Islam blended with in comparison to other areas Africa. In fact, “Because Islam does not separate religious authority from political authority, it was most appealing to tribal leaders because it strengthened the African concept of kingship” (The Impact of Islam). Islam offered new, modernized lifestyles, the tribes embraced the unity that was offered, making Islam practices desirable to West African tribes. Due to Islam’s accepting tendencies African tribes were less hesitant to convert because they felt welcomed into Islamic culture and admired the combination of political and religious leaders. This was important to the tribes because they valued kingship where an authority figure governs as both the spiritual and political leader of their state. By Islam not segregating political and religious power, it became common for Kings to convert, and tribesmen followed, creating a religiously and politically advanced society in comparison to other communities. In similar fashion, “The nature of Islam as a religion accepting polygamy to some extent, its tolerance of traditional African religions, its simplicity of doctrine and mode of worship helped propagators to make converts in Africa.” (3: Islam in West Africa). The outcome of blending two cultures is based off the approach the expanding culture takes. In this case, Islam chose to be accepting and respect the African tribe’s traditions while integrating their own practices at the same time. This acceptance along with the respect Islam showed to African religions and cultures made African people reciprocate that appreciation for unfamiliar cultures. The mutual appreciation of other cultures promoted a diverse society along with modernized education and many innovative approaches to architecture which inevitably led to the advancement in the integrated Islam and African societies. Therefore, the innovative and well-balanced techniques Islam scholars presented caused the development of honorable cultural and political systems.  

Christian missionaries approached their expansion with the ethnocentric belief that Africa is a defenseless, poor continent. This attitude created a major savior complex within the white missionary’s mindsets, ultimately resulting in the dehumanization and colonization of African tribes. “Christianity was one justification that European powers used to colonize and exploit Africa... the racially based logic of European intellectuals and missionaries saying: “Mid-and late-nineteenth-century Europeans were generally convinced that their Christian, scientific and industrial society was intrinsically far superior to anything that Africa had produced” (Fage 322).” (The Philosophy of Colonialism). Many colonists had a White Savior complex, meaning the ideology they withheld was that the white, Christian missionaries had the responsibility of reviving African communities, mainly for underlying egotistical reasons. Therefore, trying to justify the colonization of Africa, claiming Christianity would help save Africa and bring advancement and complexity into the tribes who eventually became colonized. The diversity within Africa was surprising and intimidating to the European colonists, the unknowingness of cultural range made them instinctively view unfamiliar practices as lesser and savage-like to justify the undoing of native traditions. Additionally, European nations strived for global power, in attempt to intensify political and regional influence, nations needed a justification for expansion, Christianity became that justification because to the nations it was a representation of western civilization and structured the Anglo-Saxon idea. Additionally, European nations strived for global power, in attempt to intensify political and regional influence, nations needed a justification for expansion. Therefore, “Being ignorant of the significance of certain institutions and practices of the people of West Africa, and occasionally being misled by their over-zealous followings into wrongly interpreting the people’s heritage, the missionaries compelled pupils in their schools and docile adult converts to shun their own ancestral practices” (6: Christian Missionary Activities in West Africa). Christianity alienated the West African cultures by disregarding and misinterpreting their cultural heritage leading to the shunning of ancestral practices and caused many West African people to give up their faith resulting in a cultural loss. The loss of culture made societies weaker, there was no diversity, causing the European missionaries to believe they had a power over the West Africans, leading to a drastic power barrier. This barrier eventually led to Europeans exaggerating their accomplishments and Western superiority in textbooks, therefore contaminating the education system to follow Christian beliefs. The dehumanization and colonization of African tribes was a result of the fanatical beliefs of white, Christian missionaries creating a contrast between the Christian and the Islamic settlements.  

The juxtaposition of Christianity’s and Islam’s expansion throughout West Africa is very prominent and approached in hugely diverse ways, Christianity used manipulation tactics and Islam used common interests to get tribes to trust them, creating a hesitancy towards Christianity and a trustful relationship with Islam. As stated in the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, “Does the white man understand our custom about land? ... How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad.” (Achebe 176). The fictional colonists gaslit the Igbo people into questioning whether their religion was truly what they had made it out to be. Manipulating the Igbo people into breaking the traditions they had followed for many generations, ultimately leading to a future mistrust of Christianity. Showing the ludicrousness of belittling unfamiliar customs, Obierika seemingly voices Achebe’s thoughts on colonialism, he represents the feelings Igbo people felt when the white men intruded and completely disregarded the Igbo sense of justice. Obierika identifies the impossibility of colonialists understanding anything about Umuofians without even speaking their language. If religion and tradition are the threads holding the clan together, and if that religion is flawed and tradition vulnerable, it becomes hard to determine who is at fault for the resulting destruction. Achebe unveils his judgment of the colonialists’ disrespect toward Igbo customs but, it also shows his criticism of some clan members’ responses to the colonial presence and the impact that had on faithful Igbo people. On the other hand, “The Islamization of Africa was paralleled by the Africanization of Islam. The making and sale of charms and amulets, which were believed to offer protection against evil forces and generally ensure success in life, were important in winning over converts.” (3: Islam in West Africa). Both cultures complimented each other which made Islam spread through Africa with more ease because they created a mutual appeal that made West African tribes be more willing to trust them. The gift of protection was important to spiritual tribes, to West African people, these amulets were a symbol of trust because of the value they held. Each culture offered things the other valued, therefore making the blend easier, complimenting each other and bringing things to the table that the other culture did not have or could not afford. The techniques Islam and Christianity used to spread their religions were vastly different, Christianity took a more violent and stern approach whereas Islam tried to get African tribes to embrace both cultures.  

In West Africa, Islam intended to develop in a nonviolent manner, while on the contrary, Christianity’s course of action took a harsher path. This caused territory’s colonized by Christianity to be underdeveloped because Christianity yearned to overtake West African tribes, versus Islamic regions which were futuristic and harmonious because Islam wanted to approach in a friendly, welcoming way to gain converts. Islam’s expansion throughout Africa invited the African cultures to develop their communities, and this development resulted in a religiously and politically advanced society in comparison to other areas of Africa. Africans were viewed as having defenseless and poor societies by Christian missionaries who adopted this ethnocentric view, resulting in the colonization of communities Christians sought to invade. Thus, creating the cultural and political division between parts of West Africa. Ultimately, leading to future misconceptions of African societies and the racist beliefs still present in modern times.