Religious ideology and the power of the state in African past Essay

Religious ideology and the power of the state in African past - Essay Example mid Caliphate came to existence in 909 AD; the Fatimids ruled following the Berber revolt, and later on, attempted to acquire morocco and Egypt as well from the Mamluks who were in control (Islam in North Africa, N.d, slide 7). The Arab leadership was evident, which subjected people to pay taxes and conversion to Islam, failure to which they would be killed. With time, Arabic became the main language, which displaced other languages, and as a result, by the 14century, Christianity had been reduced to the ration of 1 in 10 Egyptians. Islam also spread among the Berber community, mainly through army membership; the Berber captives were converted to Islam once recruited to the army (Islam in North Africa, N.d, slide 12). Despite the Berbers’ resistance, when the Muslim army conquered Morocco and Algeria, the Berbers had to convert to Islam. Arabs had succeeded in conquering the Berber territories, forcing the Berbers to be slaves. This Arab rule introduced multi–cropping, aimed at increasing the state revenue. However, the severe famine of 1062-73 influenced the decline of Fatimid rule, which was overthrown later on by the Mamluk troops, and thereafter, Mamluks took over leadership in Egypt. It is rather evident that the Arab leadership influenced the spread of Islam all over North Africa. The Ptolemaic rule existed between 332-30BC; Ptolemaists succeeded Alexander the great. They focused on advancing Egypt, with port of Alexandria being their main achievement. As a result, Alexandria became the biggest city in Egypt, therefore attracting many people from different races (Greek conquest, N.d, slide 3). The Ptolemaists aimed at expanding trade from Europe to red sea and Indian Ocean, with the Greeks introducing camels. Aksum was one of the regions involved in trade; it was ruled by king Zoscales who was of Greek origin. In 146 BC, Rome had conquered Carthage, creating a new province, Ifrikiya. As a result, Rome exploited the agriculture sector in North Africa,