Muslims crossed current Djibouti and Somalia to seek refuge in present-day Eritrea and Ethiopia during the Hijrah to the Christian Kingdom of Aksum.


The introduction of Islam into East Africa followed a somewhat different path from that in West Africa. Eventually Muslims regain control of what they view as their holy land. Until the mid-20th century, it remained largely confined to the coast and closely bound up with the history of the Swahili towns situated on it. 1099 CE. Islam continues to spread throughout Africa. Africa was the first continent into which Islam spread from Southwest Asia, during the early 7th century CE. Most Muslims in Africa are non-denominational Muslims or Sunni; the complexity of Islam in Africa is revealed in the various schools of thought, traditions, and voice

For the first time in a single volume, The History of Islam in Africa presents a detailed historic mapping of the cultural, political, geographic, and religious past of this significant presence on a continent-wide scale. On the other hand, in East Africa, where Islam came from the Arabian peninsula, Muslims followed the Shafl'i school of law that prevailed in …

As the UNESCO General History of Africa summarises, unlike many other faiths:It is thus perhaps more comprehensible, given the above, why so many African rulers and elites were ready to adopt a foreign religion when it also brought with it definite advantages of governance and wealth.

Because Islam spread to West Africa from North Africa, Muslims there fol­ lowed the Maliki school of law dominant in North Africa. The European Crusaders capture Jerusalem from the Muslims. Malaysian traders interact with Muslims 1120 CE. East Africa includes a broad swath of territory embracing the modern nations of Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique. Of the 100 million people who live in that region today, approximately 40% are Muslim. OUTREACH)PROGRAM,)232)BAY)STATE)ROAD,)BOSTON,)MA)02215) www.bu.edu/Africa/outreach) africa@bu.edu) 617.353.7303 ISLAMANDAFRICA:FROMSTEREOTYPESTOKNOWLEDGE&& Under … It is perhaps worth noting at the start that the spread of Islam in Africa was much more than the passing on and adoption of religious ideas. Brill’s Islam in Africa is designed to present the results of scholarly research into the many aspects of the history and present-day features of Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa. The series will take up issues of religious and intellectual traditions, social significance and organization, and other aspects of the Islamic presence in Africa.

The history of the Islamic faith on the continent of Africa spans fourteen centuries. The history of Islam in East Africa stretches back to around 1000 CE. In the seventh century, Islam entered Africa from the northeast corner. Unbeknownst to the second caliph Umar Ibn al-Khattab, his most competent general, Amr Ibn al-As’, led as many as twelve thousand soldiers and archers across what is now the Red Sea and conquered the city of Fustat (which became Cairo in 920). Almost one-third of the world's Muslim population resides in the continent. With relative ease, Amr claimed Fustat from disillusioned and tired Byzantine troops who eventually fled.

Islam continues to spread throughout Asia.