Using Niger as a case study, this paper discusses Turkey's presence on African religious landscape. It analyses Turkish Islam as a new model in Africa supported by religious diplomacy and humanitarianism led by government agencies in a context of competition between foreign Muslim actors.
Paper long abstract:
Over the past two decades, Turkey has become involved in the African religious field, seeking to compete with Wahhabi and Salafi missionaries by promoting a Turkish model of Islam rooted in Sufism and Hanafi schools of thought (doctrine). Based on ethnographic research conducted in Niger, this paper addresses three dimensions of Turkey's new presence in the African religious landscape driven by government agencies: Turkish Islam as a new model in Africa, religious diplomacy in Africa around the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), and the role of the Diyanet Foundation's educational and humanitarian actions in a context of competition between Muslim foreign actors in Africa. The paper argues that Turkey's religious offensive in Africa under the discourse of the Global Ummah aims to introduce the Turkish religious model, which is a means of increasing its influence over Muslim communities.