Page 178 - The Winter of Islam and the Spring to Come

THE WINTER OF ISLAM AND THE SPRING TO COME
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The History of Colonialism in Chad
Chad became Muslim when the King of Kanem turned to Islam in
1086, and by the sixteenth century it was one of the wealthiest and most
powerful countries in the region. However, the kingdom was weak-
ened by internal divisions in the nineteenth century, was occupied by
the French in 1900, and became tied to France's other colonies.
From that moment on, colonialist French forces waged war against
the Muslim people and the religion of Islam. The war witnessed the use
of the full battery of inhumane practices, cruelty, oppression and vio-
lence. The first aim was to destroy the Islamic identity of the people of
Chad and replace it with a more materialist and non-religious one. To
that end all mosques, Qur'anic courses, centers of religious education
and libraries were either closed down or demolished. The occupying
French forces prevented Muslims from learning about their religion by
banning Islamic education. They closed down all religious foundations
and associations. Most teachers, imams and student were convicted of
crimes. Some were killed in the ongoing oppression, and others were
forced to flee to the deserts or mountains. Those religious figures who
were detained were either strangled or tortured to death. Only the chil-
dren of French soldiers were able to study in the schools that were
opened, and health and recreation centers were also established for
them. Nobody was interested in the slightest in the local population's
health problems.

The French occupation, which lasted from 1900 to 1960, witnessed inhumane policies of all
kinds, cruelty, oppression and violence. French forces waged war on the people of Chad and
Islam using tanks, rifles and bombs. After independence, the pro-French regime continued the
oppression.