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The article deals with concerns and hopes regarding something commonly known as Christian missionary activity, which in Africa has tended to see Muslims as rivals in a race for the souls of the adherents of African indigenous religions. After explaining the meaning of a dialogue-based approach to missionary work, the focus is on matters concerning the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) and its new involvement in Chad. Such an analysis is essential if the SVD is going to change the perception of Christian mission from an exercise in religious imperialism to a dialogical way of searching together for the signs of God's presence. The latter will involve closer contact with Muslims and hopefully will incline SVD missionaries to a more thorough adoption and implementation of a dialogical way of carrying out their ministry, one based on profound and conscious respect for others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Socio-economic developments in Africa in an era of globalization, the rise of charismatic and evangelical Christianity, and the call for Islamization and application of the Sharica in parts of Africa are in danger of creating tension and destroying the apparently peaceful co-existence between the two faith communities. The article offers a conceptual basis for the relationship between Christians and Muslims from the Islamic perspective, addressing the need for Christians and Muslims to work in concert and the inherent problems that must be faced, and makes recommendations to foster a better relationship. Since any discussion of the contemporary is rooted in the past, reference is made to historical situations in order that Muslims and Christians may learn from history. Examples from Nigeria and the Sudan, where there has been polarization of Muslims and Christians, and where the problem is endemic, seek to illustrate the point, together with personal experiences and observations from Ghana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Christian-Muslim relations, even at the best of times, have always been disturbingly marred by suspicion, accusations and counter-accusations over interpretations of history and experiences. This has been further confounded by the very complex nature of the colonial histories on the African continent, where the destruction of existing civilizations, empires and emperors provided the foundation stones for the establishment of the colonial states that later emerged. The article provides insights into some of the major issues that serve as constraints in Christian-Muslim relations in some of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa. It reviews issues of Christian-Muslim relations against the backdrop of the return of democracy in most of sub-Saharan Africa in the last ten or fifteen years and points out some policy issues that African states will need to address to lay a foundation for dialogue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking into consideration that Christians and Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa live intermingled in family, clan or ethnic groups, this article takes cognizance of the effect of the teachings of each tradition about their own identity and their perception of the other. It also seeks to take into account the Roman Catholic principles of inter-religious dialogue as enunciated by the Second Vatican Council in the documents Nostra Aetate and the Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christians, as well as Unitatis Reintegratio, the Decree on Ecumenism, and Dominus Iesus. In view of the fact that these are seen as a source of tension, the question arises as to whether they are being interpreted correctly or applied in the spirit intended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]