The Presence of Muslims and Its Impact on the Catholic Faith in Predominantly Christian Region
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2016
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Abstract
The universal dimension of both Islam and Christianity is their missionary nature: both have a vocation in which they are called to witness and spread their religion. In the gospel according to Mathew the mission of the church is well stipulated “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” . This verse has its parallel in the Qur’an where in it is stated that “Go then to all mankind”
The African continent was for a long time regarded as virgin land, a fertile soil waiting to receive the word of God. The reason being that after the wounds inflicted upon the African people by the slave trade, imperialism and colonialism there was a need for healing. More missionary activities were then focused in Africa and, in the Catholic Church, were given even greater emphasis through the Vatican II decree on Mission. African countries on the whole welcomed the missionaries in the hope of a better future and a time of healing. However, they still held on to their colonizers as their god fathers from whom they received development aid.
The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 changed a lot of things in the world. One change was to open Africa for Islamization. The super power countries, after the Berlin saga, no longer paid as much attention to Africa as they did before. At the same time, within the church, the zeal in which Vatican II was received was dying out. The landscape was changing from missio ad extra to missio ad intra.
The Catholic Church in Africa by this time was no longer a neophyte; it had local priests and most of the missionaries were going back to their homeland. As African Christians took ownership of their church and the number of foreign missionaries declined the question was, were the African Christians evangelized? Were they ready to continue with the mission of the Church? These questions are important because while the zeal for mission within the church seemed to be waning Islam, on the other hand, was just beginning to build up momentum in its Islamization spirit; it was in the wake of renaissance. This missionary drive of Islam was supported financially through the money generated from the oil wells that were being discovered in the Arab world.
A major setback to Christian evangelization was globalization, as it became an instrument through which Muslims used to seek for proselytes and to counteract the effort of evangelization in Africa. Globalization had opened up space for expression. This resulted in a cross border networking, a platform where opinions, desires, beliefs, values and aspirations were aired. There were, and are, many positive dimensions to globalization, like advancement in technology and science, communication and better heath care. However, the other side of the coin was that globalization equally had negative effects like an increase in drug abuse, prostitution, and corruption. The very unfortunate thing was that some Muslims attributed these to Western Christian Civilization and they created a mirage that without Christian civilization all would be well.
Kenya, a daughter of this global village and a mother to her citizens, has been struck with this globalization wave and compelled to open her doors. She has welcomed refugees and investors, and at the same time she has encouraged free movement of persons within the country in the hopes of creating a better nation. Article 32 of the Kenyan Constitution enshrines that “Every person has the right to freedom of conscience, religion, thought, belief and opinion.” The next section of the same article promotes public worship or manifestation of these religions through practice, observance and even teaching. This freedom, however, has brought challenges.
Kenya as a nation has had to deal with Islamic radicalization in the name of Islamization. Islamization in Christian territories may not be a new phenomenon since its effects are evident in Europe, the Middle East and northern Africa. Conversely, what sends a cold chill in the communities of Homa Bay Diocese is the fact that it is at their door steps. This has led to stereotyping both at a national and local level and consequently poses a threat to peaceful and positive co-existence.
It is undeniable that there has been a number of incidents of terrorist attacks in various parts of Kenya. Some of them being: Mwaura’s bar along Mfangano streetin Nairobi, Machakos bus terminal, a church at Ngara estate in nairobi, Westgate shopping mall, miners in Wajir, Mpeketoni, Garissa University and the most recent attack being masterminded by women dressed in hijab(a dress used by Muslim women) who ambushed a police station. These sporadic attacks have caused panic nationwide; citizens fear for their lives and at the same time fear for their children being recruited to these terror cells. It has even at times, disrupted the learning process in institutions. For instance, last year Migori Teachers Training Collage was closed for security reasons for fear of an Alshabab Attack. Hence in a country with porous borders, wallowing in an economic limbo because of the cancerous tumour of corruption eating its governing system, there are the inevitable concerns for security. Most communities in this regard have become cautious of any new denomination and religion creeping into their environs. A case of interest is the mushrooming of Muslims in places which were formerly termed as Christian territories.
The presence of Muslims in Homa-Bay Diocese poses serious concerns and questions among Christian in regard to matters of evangelization and faith. An increase in the number of Muslims is perceived by some as a threat to the local indigenous Christians and to those practising African Traditional religion whose religiosity is undisputed. This rise in the number of Muslims has created a conflict since both the Catholic faithful, who are the majority, and the Muslims regard religion as a way of life.
In such a situation of religious plurality there is a dire need for dialogue. It could be as suggested by the document of the Pontifical Council for Inter religious dialogue in 1984 that stated these forms as: the dialogue of life, the dialogue of theological exchange, the dialogue of action and the dialogue of religious experience .This could be the best way to cultivate an integral development and a lasting peace.
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Muslim, Catholic Faith, Christian Region