Figure 1.--This photo postcard was taken at Djenné in central Mali. The building is the palace of the Qadi. A Qadi (قاضٍ‎) is the magistrate or judge of a Shariʿa court, who also exercised various extrajudicial functions, such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and minors, as well as supervision and auditing of public works We see the traditional sub-Saharan Muslim life with men wearing tunics and boys and even younger tenagers unclothed. Put your cirsor on the image for a closer view.

Trade with the Arab north through caravan trails across the Sahasra brought Islam (13th century). Islam was thus introduced by Arab traders who brought not only trade goods, but their religion. Sundjata founded the Mali Empire and from that point most of the rulers in Mali were Muslim. Gradually Ialamization filtered down to the common people as they accepted the new faith, although they never entirely gave up their traditional animist faith. And trafitional rlements have sirviced, much as the same phenonemon is observable in African Christianity. Slowly and gradually, Islam became the dominant religion of the country. Important Islamic universities were established in Mali. This included renowned Islamic universities in Timbuktu, close to the Niger River, and Djenne on the Bani river, a tributary of the Niger. This was just as Renaisance was beginning in Europe and great universities were founded which eventually addressed other sub\jects besides religion. The universuties in Mali never evolved beyond Islamic studies. Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta describes his travels through the Mali Empire (1351-52). He tells that the Malian are very devote Muslims, reading the Koran and prayong. Ibn Battuta was, however, shocked by their custom: "The servant and slave woman, and young girls go about in front of all men full naked, with genitals exposed� All the women go into the sultan's presence naked and without coverings, and his daughters also go about naked." Ibn Battuta was disturbed that the slave women went "in front of all men full naked, with genitals exposed". According the Muslim scholars the 'awarah' of a slave woman in front of men outside the household are only the pelvis. He was also surprised that little girls went completely naked. Surely little boys also went naked, but that was not a problem in Mali or in other Muslim countries at the time. Ibn Battuta was scandalized when he saw that free women went naked in Sultan's presence. This presumably was the result of pre-islamic traditions. Islam is now dominant religion of the country. Something like 95 percent of the populastion is Muslim. This strong Islamic faith has a major impact on the country's culture. Especially as Islam is much more thana relgion in Westerb terns, with spill overs into culture, government, law, and politics.

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Created: 10:50 AM 1/22/2011
Last updated: 2:29 AM 4/2/2020