Change Over Time Essay From 800 C. E. to 1500 C. E. the changes over time in Africa as a result of Islam were they changed in that Islam linked Africa even closer to the outside world, increasing trade and long distance commerce, Islam also changed Africa in that it caused reformist groups to form which resulted in serious wars in Africa, and Africa continued to believe in animism and supernatural spirits. When Islam spread into Africa it changed Africa in that it was more closely linked to the world.
Although Africa was never completely isolated from Asia or other global contacts, the spread of Islam brought big chunks of Africa into more intensive contact with the other civilizations. They were especially linked with Asia and Egypt because both had been influenced by Islam. These places kept in contact because of one thing in common: Islam, and with that greater contact caused more trade and spread of ideas to Africa, specifically Sub-Saharan Africa.
Also in the African Indian Coast region stretching from the horn of Africa to modern-day Mozambique, a string of Islamicized trading cities developed that reflected their contacts with trading partners such as Arabia, Persia, India, and China. This is because Islam provided people of these areas a universal set of beliefs and ethics that made maritime contacts much easier, people who have something in common will be more willing to communicate and like each other than those who have nothing in common.
Also, Islam’s spread to Africa changed in that Islam caused reformist groups to form over disagreements of religion and it led to war and chaos throughout Africa between the 1 lth and 12th centuries. By the 1 lth century, with pressure from invaders who were Muslim, caused a reformist group called the Almoravids to form, they grew among the “Berbers” of Western Sahara. The Almoravids eventually started a Jihad, a holy war meant to spread, protect against faith, or purify the opponent, and they move south against the African Kingdoms of the savanna and west into Spain.
In 1130, another reformist group, the Almohadis, followed a similar pattern. The goal of these reformist groups was to by way of force spread Islam into Sub-Saharan Africa. These North African and Spanish groups were a key background to penetrating Islam into the Sub-Saharan region. This happened because many African people wanted to remain animistic and not be forced to convert to Islam, and the reformist groups attempted to unify Sub-Saharan Africa to one religion. The two sides portrayed a parasitic relationship, eventually causing the reformist groups to harm the people of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Although Islam changed very many lives of Africans, the people of Africa continued to follow an animistic religion, believing in the power of supernatural spirits. Even with the spread of Islam the majority of people still believed in the power of natural forces personified as gods and holy spirits and the role of worship and ritual was often in the form of drumming, dancing, sacrifice, or divination. Africans also believed that ome evil, illnesses and natural disasters were caused by witches.
They continued to believe their first ancestors as “owners” of the land and the local resources and through ancestry fertility of land, herds, game, and people could be guaranteed. African people continued to follow an animistic religion instead of converting to Islam Decause Islam’s roots a a not Olg deep enougn Into central ATrlca, ana still many people were not convinced that Islam was going to help African society. So, from 800 C. E. to 1500 C. E. the changes over time in Africa through the impact of Islam were continued to believe in animism and supernatural spirits.
