ABSTRACT
The irruption of the European colonial order into Africa had a deep and long-lasting effect on the Muslim religious elite. One reason is the assertive and dramatic nature of the colonial order, the sudden way in which it arrived and expected local populations, without much warning or preparation, to fall into line. The effect of the sudden colonial order becomes clear in the example. But first, a little background may be in order. The French reasoned that Islam had proved an unreliable ally and that it was time to reverse their position and secure the traditional non-Muslim rulers in a strategy of encirclement of Muslim power. Two concluding notes: One is how the hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage, the most characteristic form of religious mobility in Islam and a most potent canonical source of barakah, has restored townspeople to some of the advantages that naturally devolve on those living in the countryside.
