Customer Reviews

Islam and the Prayer Economy: History and Authority in a Malian Town

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I served as US Ambassador to Mali fifteen years ago. I wish this book had existed then. It would have helped me enormously to understand the apparently mysterious world of Malian Islam. But Soares' book is even more valuable today, when US policy makers are grappling with the possibility that Islamic extremists could turn the Sahara, including Mali's northern region, into another Afghanistan, even (some would have it) threatening US oil interests in the Gulf of Guinea.

The author brings to this book not only first-rate scholarly credentials (he has lived with the people whereof he writes) but also a refreshingly level-headed approach to a subject which is often obscured by repetitive and alarmist group thought. According to most commentary, Malian (and West African)Islam is increasingly polarized between Islamist radicals on one side and so-called traditionalists, centered in and around the Sufi brotherhoods, on the other. Soares' careful, field-honed analysis demonstrates that in Mali there is a broad spectrum of Islamic belief that defies simplistic categorization. His insights help explain why Mali's diverse Islam has been a significant component of Mali's successful democratization based on a culture of tolerance.

Anyone interested in Mali, Islam or African politics will profit from reading this well written book.

Robert Pringle
Ambassador (retired)