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Periodical article | Leiden University catalogue | WorldCat |
Title: | Islam: promise or peril? |
Author: | Huliaras, Asteris C. |
Year: | 1995 |
Periodical: | The World Today: Chatham House Review |
Volume: | 51 |
Issue: | 12 |
Pages: | 242-245 |
Language: | English |
Geographic term: | Northeast Africa |
Subjects: | Islamic movements Islamism |
Abstract: | This paper examines the question of whether Islamic fundamentalism is spreading in the Horn of Africa. It argues that, unlike elsewhere, the increasing influence of Islamic militancy in the Horn is not primarily due to a religious renaissance in reaction to processes of Westernization. The collapse of socialism in the Horn has created an ideological vacuum. People are looking for answers in an era of economic decline and political disillusionment and find a refuge in the Koran. Furthermore, Islamic practices in the Horn are mixed with pre-Islamic African religions, enabling the creation of a tradition of political adaptability and tolerance. This characteristic of Islam in the Horn makes it difficult for fundamentalism to grow. The fact that ethnic identity has always been more important than religion in the Horn also reduces the possibility of an Islamic fundamentalist movement here. Although Sudan emerges as a strategic threat in the Horn, spreading Islamic militancy and trying to undermine the legitimacy of the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea, Sudan is in no position to offer serious economic or military aid to Islamic groups due to its mounting economic problems. The author concludes that Islamic fundamentalism should not always be considered as a 'peril'. On the contrary, it could serve as an antidote to anarchy. Notes, ref. |