Islam in Zambia: Its Perspective and Contribution to Socio-Economic Development

Abstract

This article focuses on the aspect of Socio-economic empowerment from the Islamic point of view and assesses the contribution of Islam to the national development in Zambia. The socio-economic contribution of Islam seems not to have been adequately highlighted in Zambia. Against this backdrop, there seems to have been more publicity emphasizing the role of Christianity in national development, focusing less on Islam. This, in the researcher’s view, undermines the presence, significance and contribution of the Muslims present in the nation. The rationale behind the article, therefore, was to provide a critical review of the Muslim presence in Zambia and their proportional contribution to the nation socio-economically. The paper brings to light what Islam, as a religious tradition, stands for in terms of community empowerment, and how it has contextualized it through its practical contribution to the nation. The study is essentially a desk review, utilising the document analysis method in drawing upon secondary data to justify the given objectives. A systematic search of online databases such as Google Scholar, EBSCOhost, JSTOR, and ProQuest was conducted to identify relevant literature on the Muslim stance on socio-economic empowerment and its contribution to national development. Data were analysed thematically using descriptive and analytical skills. It is apparent from the analysis that Islam has made some significant contributions to the national development in many countries and Zambia in particular, such as through the formation of institutions targeting the youth and through donations to poverty and/or disaster-stricken communities.