So, before when I mentioned the fact that I didn’t think the Muslims and Christians got along, I failed to qualify that statement. In the grand scheme of things, the two religions live together in perfect harmony. It’s the complete opposite of the Palestine/Israel situation. Here, mosques and churches are on the same street, and sometimes Christians and Muslims even live in the same homes. There is no spoken conflict whatsoever. No name-calling, no violence. I think that the reason I said that the Muslims and Christians didn’t get along is because there is perhaps some unspoken tension or lack of understanding. Since religion here is a huge social facet that completely defines who people are, it makes sense that a Muslim would feel he has less in common with a Christian than, say, another Muslim.
A friend sent me an email, explaining his thoughts on the question I had as to why the Senegalese, who so fully hate their colonial past, embrace religions that are so foreign to them.
“I was thinking of your question about the colonizer’s religion. I can speculate a little bit here I guess. I will preface by saying that both Catholicism and Islam are unique religions compared to the native religion: the prior, ultimately focus on the individual’s relationship to god and address important personal questions/issues. As I write that though, I am torn because of the heavy emphasis on community you mentioned–but I continue. Native religions, on the other hand, are maximally intertwined with the community as a whole–so religous thoughts and rituals are directed toward larger community aims(no drought, fertile wives, etc), rather than personal concerns. I would say with the increasing societal/economic individualism imposed (not sure on verb here) on the Senalagese over the last century or so by the West(etc) have forced the people to look at themselves more as individuals and less as a whole. Cath. and Islam help facilitate such a move and give comfort. But I can only say this seems to have occured to a degree and maybe now is a dynamic mix of individual/community.”
