Page 50 - 2020 SoMJ Vol 73 No 2_Neat

The Establishment of Islam in Malawi 41

encouraging Muslims in the national education system to learn about their beliefs
and practices of their faith and to retain their religious identity in what was a
predominantly Christian environment.
These developments, and the speed with which they were taking place,
within a section of society which had previously had a low profile and was widely
perceived to be non-progressive, brought a variety of responses. President
Banda’s government, while emphasising its commitment to a policy of freedom
of worship, was wary of any links being formed with Islamic countries, especially
those with a record of exporting Islamic revolution. It consequently imposed some
restrictions on travel and also kept developments within Malawi’s Muslim
communities under close watch. Some leaders of Christian churches interpreted
the new assertiveness among Muslims as aggressive and expressed an anxiety,
shared by some sections of the wider society, that activism might eventually lead
to militancy.
Perhaps the most determined opposition to some of the efforts of the
reformist Muslims was led by a section of the traditional ulama, especially from
the Qadiriyya Brotherhood. The traditional ulama had up till then been regarded
as the religious leaders of the Muslim community and the authorities on matters
of religious belief and practice. They felt challenged the teaching of the reformers
about what they claimed was proper Islam and the reformers criticism that some
of the practices that were part of the Yao Muslim tradition and way of life were
un-Islamic innovations. Consequently, they put up a spirited resistance and
defended their own position vigorously. One way they did this was to turn the
charge of innovation against the reformers. They did this by claiming that it was
the reformers who were putting aside long-established Islamic practices and by so
doing were destabilising the Muslim communities.
How multi-party democracy, and the election in 1994 of a President of Malawi
who was a Muslim, brought about a new era for Muslims as for the rest of the
nation will be the subject of a further article.

Glossary
Eid-ul-Adha Arabic Feast of Sacrifice
Eid-ul-Fitr Arabic Feast ending the month of fasting
Ijaza Arabic Certificate of competence
Jando chiYao Yao boys’ Islamised initiation ceremony
Jumbe Kiswahili Governor/sultan
Lupanda chiYao Yao boys’ traditional initiation ceremony
Madrassa Arabic Qur’anic school
Mwalimu Kiswahili Teacher
Sadaka Arabic Charity, in Chiyao a meal connected with funerary rites
Shaykh Arabic In the Malawian context, learned teacher