Af. Rel. Practices

African Religious Practices

(The Spread of Islam in Africa)

Multiple Choice

Traditional African religious practices were based on the idea of...

• Spiritualism

• Paganism

• Animism

Multiple Choice

Traditional African religions believed in a single ______________ god.

• Creator

• Destroyer

• Savior

Multiple Choice

Many elements of the traditional African belief system were brought to the America's as a result of the slave trade.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

The ___________ people (of Ghana) believed in a Supreme God who was linked to a group of "lesser gods"

• Ashanti

• Benin

• Berber

Multiple Choice

The Ashanti people believed that the Creator God had once lived on the Earth but left in anger over the humans' ________________

• Behavior

• Beliefs

• Laws

• Languages

Multiple Choice

West Africans believed their god was _________________ if the people learned to correct their ways/behavior.

• Generous

• Unforgiving

• Forgiving

• Angry

Multiple Select

Overall, the Africans believed that their religion served the following purposes... (check all that apply)

• Helped them honor their history and ancestors

• Provided rules/structure for daily living

• Protected them from harm and guaranteed success with their crops

• Ensured they would always be wealthy and powerful

Multiple Choice

Diviners were people who were believed to have the power to...

• Guarantee wealth at all times

• Protect against outside invasion

• Predict future events

• Resurrect (bring to life) their ancestors

Multiple Choice

Kings often hired these diviners to help guarantee good harvests and to protect their kingdoms.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

The modern-day practices of ______________ come from these African religious practices.

• Ancestor worship

• Voodoo

• Sorcery

• Witchcraft

Multiple Choice

Today's voodoo practices are a by-product of the African slave trade and is mainly practiced in the modern-day country of _____________ (as well as certain U.S. states like Louisiana).

• Puerto Rico

• Bermuda

• Haiti

• Dominican Republic

Multiple Choice

Voodoo šblends the African beliefs in spirits/animism with Christian ideas/traditions--was often practiced among the enslaved populations who were brought to the America's.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Beginning in the mid-700s A.D. traditional African religions were confronted/challenged by the arrival of which religion?

• Islam

• Christianity

• Judaism

• Hinduism

Multiple Choice

Berber and Arab traders eventually introduced Muslim beliefs to West Africa.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Ibn Battuta was a...

• Merchant

• Priest

• Christian lawyer and scholar

• Muslim lawyer and scholar

Multiple Choice

During his travels, Ibn Battuta found that most Muslims lived in the cities while people in the countryside had more traditional religious practices

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Some West African rulers and traders accepted Islam only because it helped them _____________ with the Muslim Arabs

• communicate

• trade

• govern

• farm

Multiple Choice

Ibn Battuta observed that a lot of West African Muslim women did not follow which traditional Muslim custom (for women)?

• Did not pray 5x a day while facing Mecca

• Did not go on a hajj (pilgrimage) to the holy city of Mecca

• Did not cover their face with a veil

• Did not visit the mosque (the Muslim place of worship)

Multiple Choice

Ibn Battuta found that most West African Muslims faithfully performed their religious duties and were eager to learn the ____________ (the Muslim holy text) by heart

• Bible

• Quran

• Book of the Dead

• the Vedas

Multiple Choice

The Great Mosque of Djenne is a West African building that is the oldest ________________ structure in the world

• Marble

• Mud-brick

• Granite

• Brick

Multiple Choice

Architecture refers to the design and construction of....

• Buildings

• Artwork

• Irrigation canals

• Machines

Multiple Choice

This picture is an example of Muslim architecture. This tower is called a....

• Steeple

• Minaret

• Column

• Balcony

Multiple Select

Mansa Musa accumulated a lot of wealth for the Mali empire. He used this wealth to... (check all that apply)

• Set up Muslim libraries

• Give away some of this wealth to the people

• Build a larger army to conquer other Arab territories

• Build mosques

Multiple Choice

Mansa Musa was Mali's most famous ruler. He let his people practice their own religions but was devoted to the spread of...

• Christianity

• Islam

• Animism

Multiple Choice

In 1324, Mansa Musa (a West African ruler) to the Muslim holy city of...

• Medina (Saudi Arabia)

• Mecca (Saudi Arabia)

• Cairo (Egypt)

• Baghdad (Iraq)

Multiple Choice

The capital city of the Mali empire was...

• Gao

• Timbuktu

• Niger

• Mecca

Multiple Choice

Mansa Musa's travels to the Arab world helped to...

• Spread West African religious practices

• Bring awareness to the resources/riches of Africa

• Bring awareness to the African languages

• Spread West African farming practices

Multiple Choice

Mansa Musa met with Islamic scholars in the Arab world and _______________ them to travel back to West Africa in order to promote Islam

• ordered

• convinced

Multiple Choice

Mansa Musa was not successful in setting up trade connections between Mali (in W. Africa) and the Arab lands.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Sunni Ali was the ruler of the ________________ people

• Mali

• Ghana

• Songhai

Multiple Choice

Sunni Ali converted to Islam mainly to keep the loyalty of the merchants.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Sunni Ali's successor (his son) refused to accept Islam. How did his people feel about that?

• They were pleased with it

• They were upset about it

• They didn't care either way

Multiple Choice

A military general named Muhammad Ture took over the government and drove out Sunni Ali's family. He then changed his name to...

• Muhammad Ali

• Muhammad the Prophet

• Muhammad Askia

• Muhammad Musa

Multiple Select

Askia Muhammad took which actions as a ruler... (check all that apply)

• Made the city of Timbuktu an important center for Islamic learning (opened a university there)

• Gave away gold and camels to everyone in the Songhai empire

• Ordered the local courts to follow Muslim laws

• Opened up religious schools to teach the Quran

Multiple Choice

The Songhai empire was the _____________ of the West African empires.

• largest

• smallest

Multiple Choice

The Songhai empire was brought down in 1591 A.D. by northern invaders from which African country?

• Libya

• Somalia

• Morocco

• Tanzania

Open Ended

Listen to this audio clip to hear what Swahili sounds like today. How would you describe the Swahili language?

Multiple Choice

In East Africa, a new culture and language arose (the Swahili). Swahili is a blend of African and _____________ cultures.

• Christian

• Muslim

• Buddhist

• Hindu

Multiple Choice

Swahili is an Arabic word which means "people of the desert"

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

In EAST Africa, Islam spread....

• quickly

• slowly

• at about the same rate as it spread in West Africa