Usman dan Fodio and the Sokoto Caliphate

In the 1770s, Uthman dan Fodio, still in his early 20s, began preaching in his home state of Gobir in Western African. He was one of the many Fulani Islamic scholars pushing for the revitalization of Islam in the region and the rejection of allegedly pagan practices by Muslims. Within a few decades, dan Fodio would rise to become one of the most recognized names in nineteenth-century West Africa. Hijra and Jihad As a young man, dan Fodios reputation as a scholar grew quickly. His message of reform and his criticisms of the government found fertile ground in a period of growing dissent. Gobir was one of several Hausa states in what is now northern Nigeria. There was widespread dissatisfaction in these states, especially among the Fulani pastoralists from whom dan Fodio came. dan Fodios growing popularity soon led to persecution from the Gobir government, and he withdrew, performing the hijra—a migration from  Mecca to Yathrib—as the Prophet Muhammad had also done. After his hijra, dan Fodio launched a powerful jihad in 1804, and by 1809, he had established the Sokoto caliphate that would rule over much of northern Nigeria until it was conquered by the British in 1903. Sokoto Caliphate The Sokoto Caliphate was the largest state in West Africa in the nineteenth century, but it was really fifteen smaller states or emirates united under the authority of the Sultan of Sokoto. By 1809, leadership was already in the hands of one of dan Fodios sons, Muhammad Bello, who is credited with solidifying control and establishing much of the administrative structure of this large and powerful state. Under Bellos governance, the Caliphate followed a policy of religious tolerance, enabling non-Muslims to pay a tax rather than try to enforce conversions. The policy of relative tolerance as well as attempts to ensure impartial justice helped earn the state the support of the Hausa people within the region. The support of the populace was also achieved in part through the stability the state brought and the resulting expansion of trade. Policies toward Women Uthman dan Fodio followed a relatively conservative branch of Islam, but his adherence to Islamic law ensured that within the Sokoto Caliphate women enjoyed many legal rights. dan Fodio strongly believed that women too needed to be educated in the ways of Islam. This meant he wanted women in the mosques learning. For some women, this was an advance, but certainly not for all, as he also held that women should always obey their husbands, provided that the husbands will did not run counter to the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad or Islamic laws. Uthman dan Fodio also, however, advocated against female genital cutting, which had been gaining a hold in the region at the time, ensuring that he is remembered as an advocate for women.

Analysis of Kant Essay - 896 Words

Analysis of Kant The philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote this passage in hopes that we understand the world better. Kant is trying to tell us that there are many things that evolve around this world and that every little single detail that we do makes the world what it is. In this passage Kant uses the term enlightenment which basically means its a form of being informed spiritually to us as humans where we must release what the world has set in sight for us and go through our own knowledge to live through life. Its basically forgetting about what others teach us or had planned for us to do and make up our own path where we therefore have our own freedom to†¦show more content†¦Kant mentions external direction from which it was long gone. This might mean the free will that we all possess, I believe that the world is not intended to be a fixed society where God has already set a path for all beings since he created this earth of ours. I do however believe that God has probably made a path for all individuals but only a positive path since God is only made of goodness within himself. Its the evil that opens up the free will and thats why God created the devil. God has given humans a choice either to do well or follow the path thats intended to be in store for that particular individual or commit the evil. God created the world so that he can see with his own eyes what he had created, whether his creation was worthwhile or a disappointment in Gods mind. So the free will that God has given to us is what makes the world as interesting as it is. In this picture we can see a man separated from two zones where one part of the body is in one end and the other on the other dominant end. Theres a rainbow like layer blocking the man from entering into the other zone. To my belief, its the inability of humans giving an extra effort to pass through into the Promised Land. Ever since God created the first humans Adam and Eve, Adam ate theShow MoreRelatedKant s Philosophy Of The State And Analysis Of Historical Summit1312 Words   |  6 PagesCompromised largely in Kant s ideas, Hegel s systemic philosophy of the State and analysis of historical summit of the body politic provides the foundation of Marxism and alike. Hegel declares the concept of state as superior to the individual. In his book Philosophy of History, he establishes Reason as the rational manifestation of world history which subsists in both natural and spiritual realms; But the Spirit, and the course of its development, is the substance of history (20). Reason asR ead MoreAnalysis of Kant ´s Ethnics, Punishment, and Dealth Penalty Essay1585 Words   |  7 Pagesthe most important word with respect to the death penalty. We will be looking at Kant’s ethics and his placed values on individuals as well as Kant’s theory of punishment and death penalty. 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Why Foreign Aid Is Hurting Africa Free Essays

Benefield, Alicia February 14, 2013 INR3932-03 Paper 1 Why Foreign Aid is Hurting Africa In this article Dambisa Moyo, is arguing that money, in the form of aid given to African nations has not only trapped many of these nations in debt, but has started a cycle of corruption as well as slowed down economic growth and poverty. To solve this isuue Moyo suggests cutting off the flow of aid to these African nations. We will write a custom essay sample on Why Foreign Aid Is Hurting Africa or any similar topic only for you Order Now Many developed countries will gladly give aid to Africa, these countries do not give small donations they donate by the millions. This continued donation of aid has only been putting Africa further in debt. What many do not realize is that aid is not given to Africa freely, the African nations receiving aid must pay this money back plus interest. Moyo provided an example of this stating that â€Å"African countries still pay close to $20 billion in debt repayments per annum, a stark reminder that aid is not free. In order to keep the system going, debt is repaid at the expense of African education and healthcare† (Moyo, 2009). This is what is slowing down economic growth and keeping those countries in poverty. A country can not achieve econmic growth if its workforce is not educated, an uneducated workforce means the people in the country have little to no skills. Certain skills are required to get better jobs, if the people are not being adequately educated they will be forced to remain in a state of poverty. Healthcare is alo important, and the countries keep cutting the healthcare budget. If your workforce is not healthy enough to go out and work to spark the economy you can never expect to achieve economic growth. Education and healthcare budget cuts are not the only problems Moyo discussed that are keeping African nations from developing. Other issues include corruption in the government and developed nations supplying resources for free keeping African producers out of the market. According to the African Union, an organization of African nations â€Å"In 2002, it was estimated that corruption was costing the continent $150 billion a year, as international donors were apparently turning a blind eye to the simple fact that aid money was inadvertently fueling graft† (Moyo, 2009). This is because the donations are being given with â€Å"no strings attached† so the funds are being used for everything except what they were meant for, development. Political elites are using these funds to finace their own expidentures as well as financing their families and home life. The other problem is countries like the U. S. Implementing programs like the U. S. Food for Peace program, which buys American food and ships it overseas to African nations. This program is not helpful, it is a hinderance to Africas economic growth. By supplying American food for free, the U. S. is putting African farmers out of business. Moyo suggests that instead of purchasing American food, they U. S. ould purchase food from the African farmers to distribute to the African nations. Done this way the African farmers are benefitting from the program and are able to compete in the market. The opinions presented in this article relate to many of the concepts we have touched on in this course; views on poverty, the development, as well as the international aid system. The article opens up stating â€Å"A month ago I visited Kiberam the larget slum in Africa† (Moyo, 2009). When we hear the word slum, we perceive a negative connotation and relate this term with a place in poverty. We can see the inequalities between developed and undeveloped nations, according to the article â€Å"a mere 2% of the country’s population has access to mobile phones compared to a wireless survey that found 91% of Americans have access to cellphones (Moyo, 2009) (Forseman, 2010). This is a huge inequality African citizens are not even close to being equal to the technology avaliable to American citizens. Another concept this article discussed is development, Africa has been trying to become a developed nation for years and after receiveing billions in aid this country has yet to become a developed nation. The contry remaing in poverty is mainly because if the international aid system. This system continues to allow African nations to receive donations without the country even showing any signs of growth or development. This continuous acceptance of aid is keeping African nations in poverty. ‘ I agree with the author of this article in all of the arguments he gave on why foreign aid is hurting Africa. Developed countries are continously give large donations to the country year after year and there is no progress being made. However, I do not fault Africa for this lack of progress, they are only doing what any nation in their situation would do. They are continuously being given money and not required to put the money towards efforts to achieve economic growth, they know that the aid is not going to stop being donated so it is in their best interest to remain in a state of poverty and continue receiving aid. The countries donating to Africa are not providing the country with opportunitites to become a pro-market governnment because they are donating goods for free and taking African producers out of business. The politicians in Africa are not being closely watched and are not looking out for the social welfare of the country, but are looking out for themselves. Africa needs a more accountable government that is concerned about the people and the future of the country as well as their economy. Once these nations stop receiving aid, get better leaders, and African producers are able to tap into the market the country will be on the way to achieveing economic growth. Works Cited Foresman, C. (2010)Wireless survey: 91% of Americans use cell phones. [online] Available at: http://arstechnica. com/tech-policy/2010/03/wireless-survey-91-of-americans-have-cell-phones/ [Accessed: 15 Feb 2013]. Moyo, D. (2009) Why Foreign Aid is Hurting Africa . The Wall Street Journal, p. W1. How to cite Why Foreign Aid Is Hurting Africa, Essay examples