A Socio-Historical Survey of The Practice of Islam Among the Muslim Minorities In Ekitiland, Southwestern Nigeria

Abstract

Kamal-deen Olawale Sulaiman (PhD) [1]

Oladiti Abiodun Akeem (PhD) [2]

Abstract

This paper discusses the practice of Islam among the people of Ekiti State to show their faith in Allah and their way of worship. The discussion will be done in the following three stages: the period before 1940, the period between 1940 to1996 and the period after 1996 until the present. For the purpose of this study, an oral source approach, written sources in the form of books from public and private libraries as well as materials from archives, museums and` artifacts were used. The paper reveals that, in the period before 1940, the Muslims in Ekiti had to combine some non-Islāmic beliefs with their faith for various reasons. Also, during the period between 1940 to1996, the Muslims in Ekiti were heavily persecuted. The persecution of and challenges to Islam by the non-Muslims helped Muslims become steadfast and consolidate themselves in unison against their persecutors. The period after 1996 until the present is the stage when Ekiti State was created. In this period, the zeal for the spread of Islam as found in the two earlier stages began to dwindle. The paper recommends that the Muslims in Ekiti State should intensify their efforts to establish more schools. This would assist in accommodating the increasing population of the Muslim children of school age and would open up more opportunities for Muslim children to receive Islam-oriented Western education from childhood.

[1]    Department of Religious Studies, Ekiti State University, P.M.B 5363, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria, E-mail: drsulaimanko@yahoo.com, Tel: +2348068298472.

[2]    Department of General Studies, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, P.M.B 4000 Ogbomoso-Nigeria. aaoladiti@lautech.edu.ng Tel: +2348054402675.