Przestrzeń religijna w Afryce. Islam - pomiędzy religią a ruchem spoęcznym - praktyka dnia codziennego

Islam as a religious term is quite unclear when we talk about its principles in Western Africa. This region is a specific example of overlapping influences, religions, cultures and ideas. Potentially, in the context of New York 2001 dramatic events, 'Africa should answer' as S. Huntington describes it in his famous work. African presence was completely surprising, when it showed its own way of treating Osama Bin-Laden and the Fundamentalist theory. Mixture of influences for ages gave this part of continent a special kind of tolerance and „ecumenical" co-existence of cultures and religions. In such conditions, Black Muslim, self-created by the natural fitting and the dialog with the local tradition, worked out its own rules and religious standards. The article tries to describe the designates of common Muslim behaviors in the context of contemporary African everyday life. As the support, the author uses the rules of five pillars of Islam: Shahada (Profession of Faith), Salat (prayers), Zakat (Giving of Alms), Sawm (Fasting during Ramadan) and Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca). These five practices are essential to Sunni Islam which is the base of Black Muslim. The result of the reflection is the statement of diversity and heterogeneity of the African Islam. Islam's rules, principles and duties were confronted with the power of traditional religions and cultures and this confrontation gave the African Islam a new face - totally inhomogeneous and full of local, specific solutions. While considering the character of Black Islam one should speak about its duality found between "bush" and "scholar" versions. Scientists talk about the exceptional, autonomic character of religious activities. The sources of observations and opinions are confirmed by the interviews collected during the scientific expeditions organized by Municipal Museum in Żory, where the author works.