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African Islam: Marriage, Mobility and Education of Women in Dan Fodio's nineteenth Century Reforms
Author(s) -
Ibrahim Mohammed Zakyi
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
religion compass
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.113
H-Index - 1
ISSN - 1749-8171
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-8171.2009.00134.x
Subject(s) - militant , islam , hausa , reputation , political science , gender studies , religious studies , sociology , theology , law , politics , philosophy , linguistics
In 1804 ce , Dan Fodio toppled the chiefs of northern Nigeria for their ‘un‐Islamic’ behaviors, and established an Islamic state on the Hausa/Fulani land. This phase in the history of Islam in Africa has been widely described and accepted as ‘militant’ and the scholars involved ‘intolerant’. Dan Fodio's own reputation as a ‘militant’ scholar has been popularly suggested, and his conservative stance on many issues was well‐documented. It is therefore intriguing that Dan Fodio had some social temperaments that challenged this conservative outlook. Specifically, this study is a sociological analysis of Dan Fodio's opinions on marriage, movement or mobility of women, and their education. This study is significant for analyzing these social issues and their implications, as well as suggesting that, in addition to the highly acclaimed militant stance, Dan Fodio was also a pragmatic and realistic scholar who was ready to make religious concessions in favor of some social imperatives.