How Islam intersects ethnicity and social status in the Sahel

Abstract

Groups, movements and political parties that directly invoke Islam as their raison d'être constitute key players in the Sahel. Analysts rightfully take this Islamic dimension quite seriously as they try to understand the dynamics of security in the region. In doing so, however, it is important not to forget other forms of solidarity which intersect with Islam. Ethnicity and social status ('caste') are categories that impact in various ways the mobilisation efforts made on behalf of Islam. Drawing examples from Mali, Senegal, Mauritania and Nigeria, this paper presents three configurations in which these identities intersect: representations of untrustworthy 'ethnic others'; the ethnicization of Islam; and intra-ethnic debates.