Kenyan Muslims’ Minority Status: Theological Divisions, Ethno-Racial Competition and Ambiguous Relations with the State

Abstract

On the surface, Islam in Kenya presents a continued competition between Sufi-oriented orders and the Salafi-minded Muslims. This article argues that the controversies between “traditional” and “modern” forms of Islam in the country is an indication of the plurality of ways in which Muslims, in a minority context, makes sense of their religious identities. Changing political circumstances in Kenya in the colonial and the post-colonial eras changed the conditions of Muslims in Kenya, thereby explaining their present attitude towards the state. Since the commencement of the war on terror in 2001, Kenyan Muslims have been confronted with rising radicalization amongst certain members of the community and increasing cases of kidnapping and extra judicial killing targeting members of the Muslim population. The result is a complex and problematic relationship with the state, characterised by Muslims’ continuous demands for justice and equal treatment as citizens by the state.