Islamic Cultural Heritage at the Coast of Kenya: Focus on the Digo Community of Mtongwe

Abstract

Given the evidence pointing to early Islamization of the coast of Kenya, the Digo Muslims of Mtongwe still remain attached to witchcraft- a practice that Islam is opposed to. It’s paramount that we locate the phenomenon of witchcraft within the broader history of Islamization, specifically at Mtongwe. In the research review, authors of history of Islam at the Coast, including Sperling, Trimigharm, and Lewis among others, have written extensively on factors that facilitated Islamization without focusing on witchcraft. The paper other than identifying factors for Islamization, it also brings out reasons for not accommodating Islam wholesomely. Through personal interviews and questionnaires, the research confirmed that witchcraft is one of the factors of Islamization among Digo community of Mtongwe. It also confirmed that trade, intermarriage, celebrations were the main factors that led to the Islamization of the Digo community of Mtongwe.