The use of sacred texts by Islamic public preachers in Mumias, Western Kenya

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Periodical article

Title:	The use of sacred texts by Islamic public preachers in Mumias, Western Kenya
Author:	Wandera, Joseph
Year:	2015
Periodical:	Africa Today (ISSN 1527-1978)
Volume:	61
Issue:	3
Pages:	17-42
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Kenya
Subjects:	Islamic movements religious conversion sermons Islam
External link:	https://muse.jhu.edu/journals/africa_today/v061/61.3.wandera.pdf
Abstract:	The public visibility of Islamic free preachers points to the development of religious leaders whose claim to authority is based on extensive knowledge of the Bible, not on traditional Islamic learning. Unlike traditional 'ulama', these preachers specialize in inviting non-Muslims to embrace Islam. They claim that compared to Christianity, Islam is a more rational and biblical tradition. They call on Christians to debate with them, based mainly on biblical texts. They approach their activities as an exercise of Da'wah, a debate staged in the public square, where the truth of Islam against the Christian tradition is proclaimed by preachers who engage in discursive battles. Such discussions usually take on an essentialist character, reshaping religious boundaries between Muslims and Christians and between religious communities and the state. The nature of the engagement is largely polemic and tends to fuel interreligious tensions and challenge the political domain and the secular order. Bibliogr., sum. [Journal abstract]