Togo - West Africa - page 887

The schism between Sunnis and Shiites dates back to the first Islamic century and to a dispute over who
should rule over the Muslim world as caliph. Beyond this early dynastic rivalry, there is little doctrinal
difference between Shiite Islam and Sunni Islam. Sunnis comprise some 90% of the world's Muslims.
Islam in Morocco
As in many Muslim countries, most Moroccans follow the orthodox Sunni (as opposed to
Shia) strain of Islam. There are four main schools of thought among the Sunnis emphas-
ising different aspects of doctrine, and today the one most commonly followed in Mo-
rocco is the Maliki school. Historically this school has been less strict than others, with
Maliki qaids (judges) applying the sharia law, or religious code, according to local custom
rather than the absolute letter of the law.
One local tradition to emerge over centuries of Islamic practice in Morocco is the cus-
tom of venerating marabouts , or saints. Marabouts are devout Muslims whose acts of de-
votion and professions of faith were so profound that their very presence is considered to
confer baraka , or grace, even after their death. Moroccans go out of their way to visit
marabouts ' tombs and zaouias (shrines) - and many claim that like a spa for the soul, the
right zaouia can fix anything from a broken heart to arthritis.
This practice of honouring marabouts is more in line with ancient Berber beliefs and
Sufi mysticism than orthodox Islam, which generally discourages anything resembling
idol worship. But visits to zaouias are side trips for the many devout Moroccans who
spend a lifetime preparing and planning for the haj. Moroccans do not necessarily see a
conflict between baraka and belief, or between local customs and universal understand-
ing.
The Lost Kingdoms of Africa , by Jeffrey Tayler, is an engagingly told journey through the stories and terrain
of the ancient Islamic kingdoms of West Africa's Sahel and southern Sahara.
Islam South of the Sahara
Islamic practice in sub-Saharan West Africa is extremely varied and perhaps more than
anywhere else in the Islamic world, traditional animist beliefs are often fused with more
orthodox doctrinal tenets.
In some countries, especially Senegal, marabouts wield considerable political power.
Sufism, which emphasises mystical and spiritual attributes, was one of the more popular
Islamic forms in West Africa; some scholars speculate that the importance that Sufis
ascribe to religious teachers may have found favour in West Africa as it mirrored existing
hierarchical social structures.