One of my critiques of Africans who adopt Islam is my perception that there is an arabization of that person. That is, I see Islam as a vehicle for Arab nationalism both political and cultural. I don't begrudge the Arab for this as every culture's religion is tightly wound into the culture and habits of the people that make it up. The Pope makes a statement, quoted by the Times that says:
“The Muslims ... feel threatened not by the foundations
of our Christian morality but by the cynicism of a secularized
culture that denies its own foundations.”
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, “Christianity and the Crisis of Cultures,” 2005
Ratzinger can be forgiven for focusing so hard on Muslims, or his misunderstanding of secularism, but for those of us who are Pan-Africanists this statement is very important. Many Black people have left (forcibly or voluntarily) their foundations (their own religious thought) for either Islam or Christianity (some Buddhists as well). This is very important because just as Ratzinger sees a problem with a culture that denies it's own foundation, but we Pan-Africanists see it too.
Today I was at a birthday party where a book was given to the birthday girl on women in the Bible. I was struck at how one elderly black woman could list, off the top of her head various women in the Bible. I was instructive to me to see how a large number of Africans in America can identify with ancient Hebrews and commit to memory their history. Yet most of these individuals cannot recollect a single piece of folklore from any ethnic group in Africa (excepting Sheeba).
Indeed in parts of Africa, Nigeria for instance, communities will essentially go to war with each other over religions that are not of their making. It is a particularly sad state of affairs. Here in the states, not toeing the Judeo-Christian line will essentially get one ignored (on a good day).
Another quote:
Ratzinger’s theme was “the spiritual roots of Europe,” and he criticized a culture that gave value and protection to other religions — notably Judaism and Islam — but that denied the same to Christianity. With his trademark bite, he identified “a peculiar Western self-hatred that is nothing short of pathological.”
“I began to realize that if we cannot recognize the fact that Christianity shaped our culture, then we lose our identity,” Pera said. “And then how can we have a dialogue with other civilizations? That’s exactly what has happened with Islam. Europe is losing its soul. Not only are we no longer Christian; we’re anti-Christian. So we don’t know who we are.”
Let me restate that for the African using Ifa as an example, but could easily be any other indigenous religion:
“I began to realize that if we cannot recognize the fact that Ifa shaped our culture, then we lose our identity,” Pera said. “And then how can we have a dialogue with other civilizations? That’s exactly what has happened with Islam and Christianity. Africa is losing its soul. Not only are we no longer OmoOrisa; we’re anti-Orisa. So we don’t know who we are.”
If Europeans are pathologically self-hating simply because of a perceived denial of Christianity, then what of the African? There is only one African country in which the national religion is an indigenous one: Benin. So according to Ratzinger, the Bininis are the only sane African people on the continent. So if African people are reading Ratzinger's words, then what should they be thinking? If he believes that a people ought not to deny their religious heritage in order to not be in danger of disappearing, then what does that mean for the million of non-European Christians?
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