West Africans, most of whom call themselves Muslims, know two general types of Islam: “normative
” and “popular
” (Levtzion 1979:215). The former type, the more orthodox and conservative, derives all social and moral codes from strict Islamic law, as perceived by local Muslims. The latter, the more marginal, tolerates variant practices: “For most people … acceptance of Islam meant no more than memorising a few Arabic formulae and using talismen sold by Muslim doctors. Of the...
