Planting Islam in Ghana: A Critical Review of the Approaches

The unique features that a missionary religious tradition exhibits in the receiving land cannot be fully understood until the methods involved in its planting are critically scrutinized. This essay examines the various approaches which have played a crucial role in the planting of Islam in Ghana. Muslim agents during the 14th and 15th centuries started the dissemination of Islam with a largely effective accommodating, flexible approach and attitude to traditional culture and life. Later, certain Islamic elements introduced puritan, reformist approaches with the view of cleansing Islam of 'perceived' indigenous influences. By means of information derived from historico-theological methods, the essay concludes that indigenous Ghanaian life has played a significant role in molding and shaping Islamic beliefs and practices into their unique forms as they are in Ghana today.