Rural madrasas of the Southern Kenya Coast, 1971-92

Abstract

The past two decades in Kenya have witnessed the opening of a large number of new Muslim educational institutions (madrasas), in rural as well as urban areas, in places where Muslim communities predominate and in places where they are a minority. In spite of sectarian differences, the madrasas display marked similarities of style and structure. Nevertheless, they address a wide range of particular problems and goals. Nowhere are specific needs and objectives more apparent than in rural village madrasas. Though village madrasas possess many of the characteristics of their urban counterparts, they have distinct features that set them apart. This essay examines some aspects of madrasa education among rural Muslim communities of the southern coast of Kenya