Summary: Islam spread into North Africa in the late 600rsquo;s and made its way into sub-Saharan Africa two centuries later. One of the places that adopted Islam early was Zanzibar, an island grouping that is now semi-autonomous region of Tanzania. While about 35 percent of people in Tanzania practice Islam, in Zanzibar, Muslims make up about 97 percent of the population. The country is incredibly diverse with more than 140 different ethnic groups speaking more than 140 languages. As you might imagine, there are also a number of mixed ethnic groups. ldquo;My father is from Yemen, he came from Yemen to Zanzibar,rdquo; says Alwiya Omar, a linguistics professor at Indiana University and a native of Zanzibar. ldquo;[He] married my mother who was born and raised in Zanzibar, but had grandparents -- paternal and maternal -- from the Comoro Islands; so they were also of mixed descent.rdquo; Memory Of The Call To Prayer Omar has been in the United States for quite a long time now, although she does visit her native country whenever she can. During her travels back and forth, she is often struck by the differences in how Islam is practiced between the United States and Zanzibar. ldquo;Here in America, there is not call to prayer,rdquo; Omar says, ldquo;Back in Zanzibar, I just came back, at 4 or 5 a.m. in the morning there is a call for prayer. Reminding people itrsquo;s better to go and pray; prayer is better than sleeping.rdquo; Another difference is in mosque attendance; in Zanzibar, Omar says, women donrsquo;t go to mosque. ldquo;We pray at home,rdquo; Omar says. ldquo;Itrsquo;s the men and the boys who go to mosque. So I havenrsquo;t had the experience of going to the mosque in Zanzibar. My first experience of going to mosque was here, in Bloomington, Indiana.rdquo; A Woman's Life In Zanzibar When asked about the place of women in Islam, Omar is adamant they can do or be whatever they want as long as they remain observant of their faith. ldquo;Some people just say women should be at home and not go to school and not continue with their education,rdquo; she says. ldquo;But thatrsquo;s not how it is. My mother didnrsquo;t have opportunity the way I had. But she, indirectly wanted me, wanted all of us to continue. So thatrsquo;s what I want Muslim women to just say, lsquo;We are not going to be staying at home, we can be hellip; the skyrsquo;s the limit. We can do whatever we want given we also observe our teachings of Islam.rdquo;
