Why would non-Muslim Africans be more willing to convert than Muslims, according to Diouf?
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According to Diouf, Muslims were less willing to convert to Christianity due to the centrality of the Five Pillars of Islam. In her work, Diouf states that many Muslims were steadfast in their refusal to convert, as they had deep faith to hold on to, particularly the shahada, the First Pillar. Affirming one’s Islamic faith and withholding from conversion was an essential aspect of this pillar.Many of them came from places where Christianity was not accepted, enforcing the rejection of this conversion. Their religious beliefs could not easily be reconciled with Christianity, therefore many Muslim Africans actively resisted or maintained a pseudoconversion, preserving their Islamic practices secretly such as some Moriscos in New Spain.
“Psedoconversion” to Christianity were outwardly conformed to Christian practices while secretly maintaining their Islamic faith. This can be seen through written testimonies, such as those of Omar ibn Said, who was baptized as a Christian and continued invoking Allah and Muhammad in his writings, indicating his true religious identity. Observers like Count de Gobineau noted that many enslaved Africans, though baptized as Christians, secretly practiced Islam, often learning Arabic to read the Qur'an, whilst also retaining Islamic practices, such as praying and fasting in secret, while adopting Christian appearances for survival.