ABSTRACT
Muslims in Africa south of the Sahara have been both among those who have been relatively suspicious of the English language as a factor in cultural transformation and among those who have shown an aptitude for speaking it well. The equation of the English language with missionary education was a major factor in conditioning Islamic attitudes towards it. And yet, in spite of some distrust of the English language by colonial administrators, and in spite of the effect of missionary promotion of African vernacular languages, the English language assumed a vital role in education above the primary level in both East and West African British colonies. Islamic distrust of the English language and the civilization it represented in Mombasa and its vicinity began to crack after the Second World War, but it still remains true that Muslims in Kenya are among the least educated of the communities.
