Christian-Muslim relations in Sub-Saharan Africa : a comparative analysis of Ghana and Nigeria
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Date
2017
Authors
Obeng-Mireku, Emmanuel
University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science
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Publisher
Lethbridge, Alta : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Sociology
Abstract
Contrary to the claims of secularization proponents, religion’s influence remains pervasive today. However, it is frequently associated with conflict around the world, with that conflict often involving Christians and Muslims. Hence, there is reason to ask if religion itself is actually the cause of such conflict. Building on the thinking of Kazemipur (2014), Putnam and Campbell (2012), and Huntington (1993), this research investigates the role of structural factors in understanding the relatively peaceful relations between Christians and Muslims in Ghana versus conflict in Nigeria. An examination of national survey data and interviews with Christians and Muslims from both countries underlines the importance of social, economic institutional, and media factors in accounting for the dominant kind of relations that characterize Christian-Muslims relations in the two settings. The findings have potentially important implications for religious harmony and conflict well beyond only Ghana and Nigeria.
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Keywords
Christian-Muslim relationship , co-existence , religious conflict , religious fanaticism , religious harmony , structural factors