Re-writing the wrong about Islam in South-Eastern Nigeria

The tendency to lump Muslims together as Hausas among Igbo people is a common misconception.This is usually done out of contempt to sustain the prevalent assumption that there are no Igbo Muslims.The Igbo Muslim minority has been overwhelmed by the Christian majority without regard to the ever-growing indigenous Muslim community. It is a concerted regional effort to maintain the claim of Christian homogeneity, although most outside researchers have contradicted such propaganda. Islam in southeastern Nigeria has suffered a series of defamation s, largely because of the unavailability of reputable academic investigation on the Islamic history of the region. The little available literature is smeared with misinformation, myths and errors. This article reviews some of this literature, shows two major routes of infiltration and submits that Islam has been consolidated in the region. It analyses major misconceptions about Islam in south-eastern Nigeria with a rejoinder to some misguiding proclamations. It concludes by identifying 11th September setbacks to its advancement and the turnaround trend of Igbo elite conversions.