ABSTRACT
The present paper is a preliminary study of the impact of slavery on the spread of Islam in different parts of Africa. It is part of an extended comparative study of Islamization in Africa and across the Muslim world which seeks to discern patterns in the expansion of Islam which have evolved in different geographical regions and historical circumstances, among peoples of diverse religious systems, cultural values and social structures. 1 Whereas most studies of the spread of Islam are on a regional basis, here I attempt a thematic approach, and will present some general thoughts on the relationship between slavery and Islamization. I wish again to stress the preliminary nature of the study and its need of elaboration and refinement by additional research.
