The Conversion of Igbo Christians to Islam


Book Description

Often considered a Christian heartland in Nigeria, Igboland has recently seen a dramatic increase in Igbo Christians converting to Islam. Yet, despite this rapid change, there has been minimal research into the growth of Islam in the area and the implications this has for Christianity in the region. Addressing this need, Dr Chinyere Felicia Priest provides a detailed exploration of Igbo converts’ reasons for conversion through skilful analysis of in-depth ethnographic interviews with thirty converts, considering their social, religious, and familial backgrounds. This unique study sheds much-needed light on the role of intellectual factors in the conversion experiences of many newly Muslim Igbos and challenges previous ideas of monetary and social influences as primary motivations for conversion. As a result of her examination of these conversion experiences, Dr Priest calls for serious intellectual engagement of biblical doctrine within the Igbo church and highlights the need for ministers and missiologists to better disciple and equip Christians to adequately engage with Muslim objections to the gospel and give a reasoned defence of their faith. The vulnerability of many Igbo Christians will continue to result in converts to Islam unless the church heeds the lessons learned from this research and outlined in this book.




Dawn for Islam in Eastern Nigeria


Book Description

Die Reihe Islamkundliche Untersuchungen wurde 1969 im Klaus Schwarz Verlag begründet und hat sich zu einem der wichtigsten Publikationsorgane der Islamwissenschaft in Deutschland entwickelt. Die über 330 Bände widmen sich der Geschichte, Kultur und den Gesellschaften Nordafrikas, des Nahen und Mittleren Ostens sowie Zentral-, Süd- und Südost-Asiens.




The Oxford Handbook of Mission Studies


Book Description

The Oxford Handbook of Mission Studies represents more than a century of scholarship related to the theology, history, and methodology of the propagation of Christian faith and the engagement of Christians with cultures, religions, and societies worldwide. It contains more than 40 articles by experts from different disciplinary and ecclesial perspectives, who are from all continents. It not only offers a broad overview of key approaches and issues in mission studies but it also highlights current trends and suggests future developments. The Handbook builds on renewed interest in mission studies this century generated by recent key statements on mission from ecumenical, evangelical, Catholic, and Orthodox sources, and by a spate of academic works on the topic. Western church leaders now apply insights from foreign missions (such as, inculturation, liberation, interfaith work, and power encounter) to today's multicultural societies. Meanwhile, there are new initiatives in mission from the Majority World, where most Christians live, so that sending is not only 'from the west to the rest' but 'from everywhere to everywhere'. Therefore, this volume aims to reflect the voices of the receivers of mission as well as its protagonists and to raise awareness of new movements. In a time of growing recognition of 'religions' more generally, this work examines and theorizes the missional dimensions of the world's largest religion: its agendas, growth, outreach, role in public life, effect on cultures, relevance for development, and its approaches to other communities.




Islam in the Niger Delta 1890-2017


Book Description

The series Studies on Modern Orient provides an overview of religious, political and social phenomena in modern and contemporary Muslim societies. The volumes do not only take into account Near and Middle Eastern countries, but also explore Islam and Muslim culture in other regions of the world, for example, in Europe and the US. The series Studies on Modern Orient was founded in 2010 by Klaus Schwarz Verlag.




Together as One: Interfaith Relationships Between African Traditional Religion, Islam, and Christianity in Nigeria.


Book Description

The Nigerian religious landscape is characterized by series of violence leading to bloodshed, loss of thousands of life and property worth billions of Naira. This unfortunate situation raises much concern in the minds of well-meaning Nigerians. Hence, this book raises such crucial questions as: How can Nigeria remain a secular state, and still maintain its plurality of religion and at same time survive disintegration because of religious violence, conflict and intolerance? How can followers of these different religions maintain their religious identity, while at the same time co-operating with one another in making Nigeria a home for all, where all can worship God in freedom and peace? This book offers hope in the midst of hopelessness, it underscores the fact that, though tribe and tongue may differ, though religious differences exist, Nigeria is still one sovereign nation. Consequently, the opening title: Together as One resonates with the opening statements of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that professes unity, harmony and peace as one indivisible and indissoluble sovereign nation under God. This book finds the hope of reclaiming and rebuilding this unity and harmony, threatened by religious violence, in Interfaith Relationships between African Traditional Religion, Islam, and Christianity.




Nigerian Gods


Book Description

Nigerian Gods is an enlightening and sobering review of the impact of the introduction of the three main Abrahamic religions on Nigeria's traditional religions, culture and way of life, viewed through the prism of its eleven largest and two of the smallest ethnic groups. Kome Otobo, gives here a factual and acute description and presentation of the main characteristics of the major ethnic groups in Nigeria - historical background and socio-political structures, demography, traditional religions, differing impacts of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and major occupations and modes of existence - which should serve to propel all to a fuller assessment of the complexities of the directions which a Post-Covid-19 World is tending rapidly, ethnically and racially exploited differences jumping to the fore to question erstwhile dominant political ideologies and political arrangements based on them.




The Igbo of Southeast Nigeria


Book Description

"Examines the Igbo social system and view of the world. Covers their contact with European culture and the warfare that raged within the Igbo borders."--Textbooks.com viewed Dec. 8, 2020.




Crossing Religious Boundaries


Book Description

A rich ethnography of lived religious experiences in Lagos, offering a unique look at religious pluralism in Nigeria's biggest city.




Routledge Handbook of Islam in Africa


Book Description

Bringing together cutting-edge research from a range of disciplines, this handbook argues that despite often being overlooked or treated as marginal, the study of Islam from an African context is integral to the broader Muslim world. Challenging the portrayal of African Muslims as passive recipients of religious impetuses arriving from the outside, this book shows how the continent has been a site for the development of rich Islamic scholarship and religious discourses. Over the course of the book, the contributors reflect on: The history and infrastructure of Islam in Africa Politics and Islamic reform Gender, youth, and everyday life for African Muslims New technologies, media, and popular culture. Written by leading scholars in the field, the contributions examine the connections between Islam and broader sociopolitical developments across the continent, demonstrating the important role of religion in the everyday lives of Africans. This book is an important and timely contribution to a subject that is often diffusely studied, and will be of interest to researchers across religious studies, African studies, politics, and sociology.




Poverty and the Church in Igboland, Nigeria


Book Description

The main objective of this book is to re-evaluate the true meaning of the term poverty' in the world as a whole and in Nigeria in particular. From a sociological point of view, poverty is the natural consequence of economic inequity amongst social groups, a type of inequity often generated by the inability of the political class to provide and maintain basic amenities in the society. This book highlights so many complex reasons that are responsible for this type of inability, prominent amongst them being mismanagement of funds in most political setups. Our investigation from this book shows that there's a great difference between the various forms of poverty in western countries and in other countries of the world. Poverty may be caused by individual, social, cultural, ethical and moral issues. These various causes of poverty are often correlated. In Nigeria, poverty is mainly caused by lack of moral sensitivities amongst political leaders and by lack of initiatives for cultural, social and economic empowerment of the less privileged. Most striking is the fact that there is no basic well-established governmental structure meant to assist those who languish in poverty. This book discusses the real-life situation of those who suffer and are living in abject poverty. The book also discusses proposals that can help improve their condition. In line with this, the effective contributions the church can make in order to fight poverty will be taken into consideration. In fact, it is not enough for the church to know that the situation of long-term injustice in Nigeria is crippling the country; rather, she has also to live up to her mission vis-à-vis the poor and the marginalised who are living in the country.