The International Forum for Democratic Studies
at the National Endowment for Democracy
Thursday, January 26, 2006
A luncheon presentation entitled
The Secular State and Citizenship in Muslim Countries:
Bringing Africa into the Debate
featuring
Dr. Penda Mbow
Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow
with comments by
Ambassador George Moose
George Washington University
and
Professor Sulayman Nyang
Howard University
Although sub-Saharan Africa is home to over a quarter of the world’s Muslim population, the region has remained on the periphery of discussions concerning Islam’s compatibility with democracy. While Islam and secularism have coexisted for centuries in much of Africa, recent moves toward the politicization of Islam, notably in Senegal and elsewhere, are a cause for concern. What do these developments portend for the future of democracy in sub-Saharan Africa? Should religious identity remain separate from the political domain, or should an alternative model of citizenship be forged in which political Islam plays a significant role? What are the implications of political Islam for women and minorities? In her presentation, Senegalese historian Dr. Penda Mbow will explore these questions and ponder the prospects for secularism and democratic citizenship in Muslim Africa. Her presentation will be followed by comments by Amb. George Moose and Dr. Sulayman Nyang.
Dr. Penda Mbow is an associate professor of history at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar. She has served as Senegal’s minister of culture and as cultural advisor to the Senegalese department of ethnography and historical heritage. Her many areas of interest include African intellectual history, Islam, and gender studies. Dr. Mbow is spending her fellowship researching the evolution of Islam’s relationship with democracy in Senegal, as well as the interplay between women, human rights, and religion in Islamic societies. Amb. George Moose is former assistant secretary of state for African affairs and an adjunct professor at George Washington University. He has also served as U.S. ambassador to Senegal and Benin. Dr. Sulayman Nyang is professor of African studies at Howard University.