The Edge of Islam: Personhood, and Ethnoreligious Boundaries on the Kenya Coast by Janet McIntosh (review)

This book was written at the height of the ethnic clashes following the disputed December 2007 Kenyan General elections. In the Epilogue the author has observed, “Kenya at that time, was on fire with politically motivated violence, expressed through an ethnic idiom “(257). The tragic events following the elections and what has been written in this book share a common theme. They both manifest problems and issues associated with ethnic identity. As I write this review, the Kenyan coast is in turmoil due to sporadic terrorist attacks and what has been termed as radicalization of Muslim youth. The insecurity being experienced at the region has adversely affected the growth of coastal economy which relies heavily on tourism . Kenya is searching for solutions to the problems affecting the coast. I was attracted to the book by curiosity to find out the insight the author gives to our understanding of the Communities at the Kenyan Coast.

Apart from the introduction and epilogue, the book has five chapters. In the first chapter, (p.45–87) the author traces the origins of ethnic boundaries at the coast from precolonial, colonial to the present. The focus throughout the book is on the Giriama and Swahili ethnic groups. Here the author shows how divisions between the two communities have widened throughout the historical epochs. Their divisions are attributed to distribution of resources. The Giriama, in this context, have tended to see themselves disadvantaged in comparison to the Swahili. The author observes that “this divisiveness lives on in the tribalist of today’s politician and has been heated to the boiling point by politicized ethno- territorial contests over land and resources that blight most of Kenya “. (p.41). Religion is the other source of divide between the two communities discussed in this chapter.

In chapter two (p.89–125), the author discusses the current economic discrepancies between the Giriama and the Swahili. An interesting aspect of this discussion is how the Giriama perceive the source of Swahili wealth. The Giriama narratives about Muslim jini spirits explain the source of Swahili wealth and economic success. The popular belief among the Giriama is that Muslim jini spirits live off the blood of innocents, including Giriama, so that they may fly to Arabia to bring money to their Swahili and Arab owners (p.41). The Giriama narratives about Muslim jini spirits are difficult to understand especially for Christians and Kenyans who do not come from the coast. Could the narratives explain some aspects of underdevelopment observed among the Giriama and other coastal indigenous communities?

Chapter three (pp. 127–175), discusses the Giriama attitudes toward Islam Here the author contrasts the religious differences between the Swahili and the Giriama. In the contrast, she notes that religious differences among the Swahili and Giriama hinge on the different notions of personhood that prevail in these communities. Swahili notions of ideal conversion target inner states such as rationality, free choice, and intention. The Giriama, in contrast, tend not to focus on these mentalistic notions; their model of personhood privileges practice and embodied experience as crucial components of religiosity. (p..42). A question that arises from the discussion in this chapter is whether a Giriama even after conversion to Islam can be “truly” assimilated to the religion without attracting some discrimination from the Swahili.

In chapter four (pp. 177–220) the author discusses the Giriama healing ritual. In ritual practices, especially those involving healing, the Giriama use both traditional and Islamic powers. In this respect the author has argued that religious and linguistic pluralism in such rituals is grounded in Giriama model of religious personhood in which the mental states such as belief are neither scrutinized nor discussed, and hence consistency of belief is not particularly important (p.42) There is also a discussion on the source and healing powers of various practitioners (waganga)

In chapter five (pp. 221–255), titled “Divination and Madness” (The Powers and Dangers of Arabic), the author...