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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Strategies of Minority Survival: The Case of the Gambaga Imams
Author:Davis, David C.
Year:1986
Periodical:Journal of the Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs
Volume:7
Issue:1
Period:January
Pages:232-246
Language:English
Geographic terms:Ghana
Togo
Subjects:Islamic history
Mamprusi polity
Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups)
Religion and Witchcraft
External link:https://doi.org/10.1080/13602008608715977
Abstract:The focus of this study is on the relationship between the imams and the secular rulers of the pre-colonial state of Mampurugu, the Nayiris. This association was a manifestation of the accommodationist ideology and was fundamental to the survival of the Muslim minority within the pre-colonial state. Mampurugu lies in the Northern region of modern Ghana and in Togo. The first imams were members of a Hausa family, who settled in the area in the first half of the 18th century. The imam served at court as peacemaker, he offered prayers and interpreted dreams, he was a scribe and played an important role in the selection and installation of the Nayiri and other chiefs. The accommodationist stance enabled the Muslim community to thrive for over two hundred years. Yet, the ideology which allowed access to the material resources of this world seems to have inhibited the diffusion of Islam beyond the 'urban' market centres. Notes.
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