Lloyd International Honors College

Dean of Lloyd International Honors College and Professor of Comparative African Diaspora History, Dr. Omar Ali, speaks to  Emeritus Society on “Africa and Islam in World History.” Africa is the most diverse continent, in terms of people and cultures. Over 1,200 distinct languages are spoken on the continent and our variation at the level of DNA is greatest in Africa. We begin our journey as humans somewhere in eastern or southern Africa. Ancient civilizations thrived, philosophies and religions were born, technologies were created, and scientific developments were made in Africa. Islam first arrived in the year 615 C.E. in Ethiopia with Muslims fleeing persecution in Arabia. Over the coming centuries, Muslim societies developed along the Swahili coast, across North Africa, and into West Africa, with centers of learning and trade across the continent that included Timbuktu, Gao, Marrakesh, and Cairo.