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Ibadi Muslim schools in post-revolutionary Zanzibar

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 March 2022

Kimberly T. Wortmann
Kimberly T. Wortmann*
Affiliation:
Wake Forest University, USA
*
Email: wortmakt@wfu.edu
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Abstract

This article examines how the schools of the Ibadi-Omani diaspora have had an impact on religious education and Afro-Arab relations in post-revolutionary Zanzibar. Much of the existing literature about Ibadism and the Omani diaspora in Zanzibar centres on the island’s economic history, stories of Arab elites under sultanate rule and the politics of the 1964 revolution. Little work explores how Ibadis in Zanzibar today distinguish themselves from other Muslims by marrying within the Omani community, running religious charities, wearing Omani clothing, attending Ibadi mosques, and enrolling their children in Ibadi schools. This research offers a fresh perspective on Ibadism and Oman–Zanzibar relations under neoliberalism through an examination of the lived experiences of Ibadis and non-Ibadis affiliated with the schools of the Istiqama Muslim community and organization.

Résumé

Résumé

Cet article examine comment les écoles de la diaspora ibadite omanaise ont eu un impact sur l’éducation religieuse et les relations afro-arabes dans le Zanzibar post-révolutionnaire. L’essentiel de la littérature existante consacrée à l’ibadisme et à la diaspora omanaise à Zanzibar est axé sur l’histoire économique de l’île, sur les histoires des élites arabes sous le sultanat et sur la politique de la révolution de 1964. Peu de travaux explorent comment les ibadites à Zanzibar aujourd’hui se distinguent d’autres musulmans en se mariant au sein de la communauté omanaise, en servant de leaders d’Istiqama, en portant des vêtements omanais, en fréquentant des mosquées ibadites et en inscrivant leurs enfants dans des écoles ibadites. Cette étude offre une nouvelle perspective sur l’ibadisme et les relations entre Oman et Zanzibar sous le néolibéralisme à travers les expériences vécues d’ibadites et non-ibadites affiliés aux écoles de la communauté musulmane Istiqama.

Type
Ibadi Muslim schools in Zanzibar
Information
Africa , Volume 92 , Issue 2 , February 2022 , pp. 249 - 264
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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