Abstract
ISLAM IN YAOUNDE: A HISTORICAL STUDY OF ETHNIC TENSION AND STATE CONTROL
Jabiru Muhammadou Amadou (PhD)*
ABSTRACT
The Islamic faith was spread in Northern Cameroon by Fulani clerics and Hausa traders from Northern Nigeria following the 19th century Islamic Jihad organized by Uthman Dan Fodio.[1] Modibo Adama extended the Jihad to Fombina, (Old Adamawa) after him. From the Adamawa, Islam spread to the south and it finally reached Yaounde in the early 20th century. Yaounde being the capital city of Cameroon welcomes Muslims of various nationalities and different ethnic backgrounds. As a result, Yaounde gradually changes to be a veritable center of Islamic effervescence. Nonetheless, Islam in Yaounde appears to have constantly lost ground due to ethnic tension and confrontation with the state. As a matter of fact, relationship between Islam and the state had always alternated between collaboration and confrontation, suspicion and intimidation, negotiation and containment of Islam. This couple with ethnic tension had triggered bitterness and sowed division in the Muslim community. To bring the situation under control, the conference of Imams and dignitaries of Cameroon convened a conference in 2009 aimed at restoring peace and unity among Muslim faithful in Yaounde.
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