In West Africa, Muslim learning has historically been shaped by two key engagements: the participation in wider Islamic debates and the co-existence with non-Muslims. In the twentieth and twenty-first century, Islamic education in West Africa was transformed by the imposition of the secular state and Western education. But as Muslims encountered secularism and Christianity, they also increasingly drew on pedagogies that emanated from Middle Eastern and Asian Islam. The articles in this Special Issue illustrate that as Islamic scholars and leaders from different backgrounds engaged simultaneously with the diversity of global Islam and the growing presence of secular and Christian institutions, they developed a multiplicity of educational practices and visions. Thus learning to be Muslim in West Africa reflects both the engagement with Islamic discourse and debates about the boundaries of Islam.

在西非，穆斯林的学习历来是由两个主要活动决定的：参与更广泛的伊斯兰辩论以及与非穆斯林的共存。在20世纪和21世纪，由于世俗国家和西方教育的实施，西非的伊斯兰教育发生了变化。但是，随着穆斯林遇到世俗主义和基督教，他们也越来越多地借鉴中东和亚洲伊斯兰教派的教学法。本期特刊中的文章表明，随着来自不同背景的伊斯兰学者和领导人与全球伊斯兰的多样性以及世俗和基督教机构的日益增多同时参与，他们发展了多种教育实践和愿景。