Grassroots Perceptions of Islamic Extremism and Muslim-Christian Relations in Mali

Recent studies of Christian-Muslim encounters in West Africa underlines their complexity and warn against reducing them to either peaceful coexistence or conflict. Yet the question whether the recent resurgence of religious extremism the Sahel is recasting interfaith relations in the region requires scholarly attention. This paper investigates the perceptions of religious extremism in Mali from a Christian-Muslim perspective. The paper is based on a qualitative study carried out in Bamako in 2016 among Christians and Muslims. These perceptions mirror the ways in which Christians and Muslims represent and misrepresent each other in the context of the threat of the “islamist take over”. I argue that the resurgence of religious extremism has not significantly impacted Christians-Muslims relations in Mali for three main reasons. The first is that religious extremism is largely perceived as imported from outside; second, targets and victims of Jihadist attacks in Mali have been both Christians and Sufi Muslims. Thirdly the management of religious differences is subordinated to broader social processes of conviviality.