En réponse au message de félicitations que le président Eyadèma lui avait adressé lors de la célébration de la fête nationale de son pays, l’émir Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah du Koweit écrit :

The islamized societies of subsaharan Africa combine ethnicity, Islam and modem political and économie factors into a variety of local situations, as demonstrated hère by the case-studies of three Moslem groups of the Western Sudan, the Hausa, Soninke and Wolof. While it is impossible to dissociate Islam from ethnicity, it would be a mistake to overstress the latter so as to draw an artificial distinction between 'real' or 'pure' Islam and 'déviant' local varieties. Arabicization is but one factor among many others and does not suffice by itself to characterize the depth and extent of islamization.

Ces dernières années, le problème de l'enseignement arabe au Burkina Faso, notamment celui des Médersas et écoles franco-arabes, est devenu un problème d'actualité. La question de l'organisation de ces établissements, étant donné leur nombre croissant, continue à faire l'objet de beaucoup de débats. Le service de l'enseignement arabe de la direction de l'Enseignement de base est partie prenante dans ces débats, de par les responsabilités qui lui sont confiées par le ministère de l'Enseignement de base et de l'Alphabétisation de masse. Le présent article, présenté sous forme de questions et réponses, est notre contribution à ce débat national. Nous lançons un appel à toutes les parties concernées : communautés religieuses, fondateurs, enseignants, élèves et parents d'élèves de Médersas à se joindre à nous dans la recherche des meilleures voies à suivre afin que, dans un avenir proche, les Médersas ne soient plus en marge de notre société et de notre système éducatif.

This thesis is the study of arab and islamic culture in moogo country (moosi country) and is composed of four parts : the agents and factors of the introduction of arab and islamic culture in moosi country in the past and today : artisans, shopkeepers from foreign countries as well as pilgrims from mecca, the brotherhoods and islamic associations make up the first part. In the second part the teaching delivered in schools, the curriculum and the contents of the reading and religious materials are examined. The third part concerns the founders of the schools, the social and religious origins of the teachers and pupils, the textbooks, the establishments' resources, the recruiting of the teachers and the students, their didactics, the exams, and the future opportunities open to the students. Finally, the last part is a study of arab and islamic culture, that of the moosi (burkina-faso) as they apply to borrowings, beliefs, marriage, baptism, funerals and inheritance customs.

Arab and Islamic culture is made available to students in several venues. In the Soaw district, there are, on the one hand, the Coranic school which was introduced back in the 16th century by Yarse Muslims, and, on the other hand, the medersa which was founded as late as 2001. Both systems teach Arab and Islamic culture. The difference between the two, however, is that the objective of the former is not to teach Arabic, but to transmit religious knowledge; it does not help learners to find jobs after the completion of their studies. The medersa, on the other hand, teaches how to read and write Arabic with a view to engage in a professional activity. In other words, the Coranic school teaches only religion, and Arabic is translated into and explained in the vernacular teaching language. The medersa teaches religion, Arabic, French and a number of scientific disciplines, which are explained either in Arabic or in French.

The landscape of Education in Côte d'Ivoire is strongly marked by the existence of two types of training, one formal and one informal. Islamic education, one of the last mentioned, is also one of the forerunners of educational institutions in the country. Under the authority of an individual, or a community, not of the State, Koranic training institutions have eventually finished over time by spreading all over the Ivorian territorial space. Different from each other by the organization of the administration and the curricula, these institutions offer training programs out of step with the national education system. This raises the issue of the credibility of this training and of the future of graduates who are not recognized by the State. Arrangements were made by the State and the National Islamic Council (CNI) at the end of 1993 to allow these institutions to enjoy the same status as the Catholic and Protestant denominational schools. This initiative, bound as it was to get the Koranic educational system out of a rut, still meets difficulties on the ground. Through a historical study of Koranic education in Côte d'Ivoire, this study will analyse the dynamics of evolution of this educational system over the past two decades.

La proximité de pays étrangers a fait de la région de Bawku au Ghana une zone propice aux échanges d'idées, de techniques, de produits. On y voit coexister plusieurs religions, et, pour ce qui est de l'islam, plusieurs tendances comme des sunnites, des adeptes de la confrérie tidjane, mais aussi des Wahhabites. L'auteur a cherché à comprendre comment s'est propagé l'islam dans la région de Bawku, où vit un rameau de la famille maraboutique, et à quel point l'enseignement coranique a été un agent important à cet égard. L'étude est fondée sur les données d'enquêtes de terrain menées sur place et d'entretiens avec des musulmans appartenant à la plupart des groupes de population présents dans la ville, dont des descendants des premiers enseignants venus au cours de la période coloniale. Elle évoque les liens entre le Ghana et la Haute-Volta d'alors (Burkina Faso). L'auteur a observé l'évolution de l'instruction musulmane de chaque côté de la frontière et les répercussions survenues à Bawku après l'indépendance (1957), quand une certaine orientation politique, au Ghana puis au Burkina Faso, a favorisé la modernisation des méthodes pédagogiques et des enseignements.

Whilst religious radicalism is at the heart of media and scientific preoccupations, this study shows that, in Burkina Faso, Muslim authority has experienced a steady regression in the urban environment of Ouagadougou. On the basis of interviews conducted with young Muslims at the University of Ouagadougou, the article proposes a reflection on the factors that are causing such an erosion of authority. If the spiritual dimension of this authority is not being called into question, the temporal dimension is undergoing a process of de-legitimisation, which is increasing in line with the interpenetration of the religious and political spheres as well as the discrediting of the semi-authoritarian regime of Blaise Compaoré. In addition to highlighting the fragmentation of the sectors of authority, the study allows for better identification of the position of youths ("cadets sociaux") in the religious field.

Les fidèles musulmans réunis au sein de la communauté Jama’at islamique Ahmadiyya du Mono n’étaient pas, hier jeudi 13 mai, en marge de la célébration de l’Aïd el-Fitr. Sous l’égide du missionnaire départemental Arif Mahmood, ils ont célébré le Ramadan sous le signe de la solidarité.

Elle voulait profiter du carême musulman pour faire des affaires. Elle était sans doute un peu gourmande et s'est retrouvée avec un surplus de produits dans les bras. C'est le début d'une longue et belle histoire d'une femme de foyer qui va de la débrouille manuelle à l'innovation attestée.