Voici un papier que j'ai mis au point pour le projet sur lequel je travaille. Je me suis dit que certains pourraient etre intéressés par ce sujet. Je tiens à dire que j'ai juste recollé plusieurs articles parlant de ce sujet, donc que ce n'est pas de moi.
ISLAM IN RWANDA
The introduction of Islamic faith in Rwanda is relatively modern, approximately in the beginning of the twentieth century. Since then Muslims have progressively settled in Rwanda, mostly in urban areas like in Nyamirambo (Kigali). The long marginalized Muslim community in Rwanda on the last statistics (2004 Washington Post) to represent some 16% of the Rwandan population with a gradually increasing growth rate.
History
Compared to east African countries like Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda, the history of Islam in Rwanda is relatively modern. While a few written sources are available regarding its origins, it is claimed that Islam was first introduced into Rwanda around 1900 by Muslim traders and translators from the East Coast of Africa working with the German military. Islam was also bolstered by Muslim merchants from India, who married local Rwandans. Rwandans built their first mosque in 1913. This mosque is known as the al-Fatah mosque.
During its history, many efforts were made to impede the spread of Islam in Rwanda. These efforts generally exploited anti-Arab sentiment, and presented Muslims as foreigners. Catholic missionaries often went to great lengths to counter what they perceived influence of rival religions, such as Islam and Protestantism. Under the Belgian administration, Muslims in Rwanda were to some extent marginalized. Since Muslims had no place in the Catholic Church, which maintained great influence over the state, Muslims were often excluded from education and important jobs in the government. As a result Muslim employment was largely confined to engaging in petty trade, and taking up jobs as drivers.
Muslims were further marginalized by the fact that most Muslims settled in urban areas, whereas 90 percent of the population was rural. As neither Arab nor Indian merchants ever attempted to further their faith, there was little spirit of preaching amongst Muslims. Only a few conversions took place, mostly amongst the marginalized urban population: women who had married foreigners, illegitimate children and orphans. Even these conversions were sometimes superficial, motivated by desire for social and economic security that Muslims provided, than for religious conviction in the Islamic faith.
In 1960, the former government minister Sebazungu ordered the burning of the Muslim quarter and the mosque in Rwamagana. Following this event, Muslims were terrified and many of them fled to neighboring countries. It is alleged that the Catholic Church was involved in these events, which aggravated the bitterness between Muslims and Christians.
Before the 1994 Genocide, Muslims were held in low regard, because they were seen as traders, in a land where farmers are highly regarded. The Muslim population before the genocide was unusually low compared to that of neighboring countries. Last statistics put the number of Muslims in Rwanda around 15% of the Rwandan population.
Islam and Genocide
Many journalists have led some researches about the atypical behavior of Muslims during genocide, as Hutu Muslims did not cooperate with Hutu killers. They explained that they felt far more connected through religion and their Islamic faith than through ethnicity. Because of this tradition of multiple “inter-ethnicity,” Rwandan Muslims tended to draw their identity through their religion rather than through their ethnicity. So that many Tutsi Muslims have been saved during genocide. It is said the safest place in Rwanda during the genocide was a Muslim neighborhood. While some Hutu Muslims saved most Muslim Tutsis, they also saved the lives of thousands of Christian Tutsis as well. Most Imams spoke out publicly against the killings, urging their congregations to not partake in the massacres. Nevertheless, there are allegations against one Muslim, Hassan Ngeze, that he incited Hutus to violence against Tutsis. One Tutsi testifies: "If a Hutu Muslim tried to kill someone hidden in our neighborhoods, he would first be asked to take the Qur'an and tear it apart to renounce his faith. No Muslim dared to violate the Holy Book and that saved a lot of us." (Kubai, Anne (April 2007). "Walking a Tightrope: Christians and Muslims in Post-Genocide Rwanda". Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations 18 (2): 219–235. Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group.)
Of course they were some incidents in which Tutsis could not be protected: Hutu soldiers and Interahamwe attacked some mosque to kill the refugees gathering inside of the buildings. The most widely known example occurred at Nyamirambo main mosque where hundred of Tutsis had entered to take refuge. Nevertheless the killers succeeded in reaching them and killing them all.
Islam in the post-genocide Rwanda
The number of Muslims increased a lot after 1994. There are several reasons explaining this phenomenon: first of all, this shift can be attributed to the sheltering of refugees, both Hutu and Tutsi in Muslim villages and suburbs, as compared to the alleged flight of Catholic priests from their parishes and in some cases their involvement into the killings. Furthermore many people felt insecure and lost faith in their religion (most Catholics). Some of them decided to turn to Islam because Muslims were seen to have acted differently and to be able to protect them. Finally for many people, Islam was seen as the safest option in the post-genocide time. It was not only Islam that disillusioned Catholics turned to after the genocide. Evangelical churches have also flooded into the country in the past 10 years, and found many new recruits.
There are so many converts that there has been a crash campaign to build new mosques, 500 of which are scattered throughout Rwanda - about double the number of a decade ago. As a result of Islam’s brave performance during the genocide, it is now the fastest growing religion in Rwanda. In 1994, there were perhaps 300,000 to 500,000 Muslims in Rwanda—or roughly five percent of the population. Today, at least eight and as much as fifteen percent of the population is Muslim—a doubling or tripling of their number within a decade.
For the first time in its history in Rwanda, Islam accorded the same rights and freedoms as Christianity. The Muslim religious holiday Eid al-Fitr I observed by the government as one of the four religious official holidays. There are also some Islamic schools in the country where Muslims are operating. Furthermore they have reached out to the Rwandans in many ways, including forming women’s groups that provide education on child care and being a mother. There is little sign of militancy. "We have our own jihad, and that is our war against ignorance between Hutu and Tutsi. It is our struggle to heal," said Saleh Habimana, the head mufti of Rwanda. "Our jihad is to start respecting each other and living as Rwandans and as Muslims."
Sources
· “Islam in Rwanda” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Rwanda
· “More Rwandans embrace Islam after Genocide” November 2003 http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2003-11/09/article05.shtml
· “Rwanda’s religious reflections” April 2004 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3561365.stm
· “Rwandans rejecting Catholicism for Islam” April 2004 http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/04/07/1081326787630.html
· Klusener, Rainer (May 2005). "Islam in Rwanda". United States Institute of Peace
· Kubai, Anne (April 2007). "Walking a Tightrope: Christians and Muslims in Post-Genocide Rwanda". Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations 18 (2): 219–235. Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group.
· Wax, Emily (September 2002) “Islam attracting many survivors of Rwanda Genocide” Washington - Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53018-2002Sep22.html
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