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Experience of Muslims in East Africa

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Handbook of Contemporary Islam and Muslim Lives

Abstract

This chapter considers Muslim life in East Africa in the contemporary context. For the purposes of this chapter, East Africa is defined as including the following modern countries: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somali, Djibouti, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania and Zanzibar, all of which have Muslim majorities or significant and influential Muslim minorities. A key emphasis of the chapter is exploring the diversity of the East African Muslim community. It takes a thematic approach to considering the lived experiences of Muslims in contemporary East Africa. The chapter gives careful attention how the lived experience of being Muslim differs from one locale to another to depending on gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. The primary topics addressed are aspects of religious practice, marriage rituals and strategies, Islamic reform movements, and Islam, law, and politics in contemporary states.

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Correspondence to Erin E. Stiles .

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Stiles, E.E. (2020). Experience of Muslims in East Africa. In: Lukens-Bull, R., Woodward, M. (eds) Handbook of Contemporary Islam and Muslim Lives. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73653-2_20-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73653-2_20-1

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-73653-2

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