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580 NYANKOLE
government service than the mostly Catholic Iru. This situation changed only
after Uganda achieved its independence.
Islam was first brought to Ankole in the late 1880s by Arab and Swahili traders
coming from the coast of East Africa. They entered the region via the caravan
routes across Tanganyika and along the western shores of Lake Victoria. The
Muslim traders' main interest was Buganda, but some of them went north and
reached Ankole. Here they sold their merchandise, consisting of cloth, beads,
guns, gunpowder and magical fetishes and bought mainly ivory. Although some
of those traders stayed in Ankole for long periods, they did not leave any
significant Islamic impression. Usually they lived alone and did not mix with
the local population. Unlike Mutesa I of Buganda, the Mugabe of Ankole did
not show any interest in the traders' religion (see Ganda).
As happened with other Interlacustrine Bantu, the main Islamic influence came
from Buganda and by Ganda shaikhs and walimu (teachers). The first Ganda
Muslims arrived as refugees during the religious wars of the 1880s and 1890s
in Buganda, after being defeated by the Christians. Among those Ganda Muslims
was Shaikh Kauzi, who reached Bukanga in Ankole during this period and
established the first Muslim community there. Other Ganda refugees who befriended
the Mugabe were given posts of chiefs and subchiefs, and in their
position they could convert some of their servants and other dependents. After
the British incorporated Ankole into the protectorate of Uganda, they used to
send Ganda administrators to act as chiefs and help in the organization of the
new district. Among these were some Ganda Muslims like Abdul Affendi, who
arrived in 1900 and later became the chief of the Bukanga area. Another was
Abdul Aziz Bulwada, who arrived in Ankole in 1905 as interpreter to the British
officials and then was made chief of Mitoma. He became known for his efforts
to eliminate witchcraft and other traditional beliefs among the local Muslims.
The expansion of Islam in Ankole was rather slow in comparison to Buganda
or Busoga (see Soga). Today only about 2 percent of the population of the district
are Muslims, and this percentage has not changed since the beginning of the
present century. The actual number of the Muslims increased only in proportion
to the general increase of the population. On the other hand, the percentage of
Christians has grown gradually, and today they constitute 55 percent of the
population. The rest observe the traditional religion. The number of Asians who
profess Islam and other Asian faiths is insignificant.
The difficulties which Islam encounters in Ankole stem from various causes.
The Nyankole have traditionally abhorred circumcision, a rite obligatory among
most Muslims. While in Buganda and Busogo some of the converts became
leaders of the Muslim community, no prominent member of the Nyankole royal
clan has been converted. Muslims are opposed to the use of alcohol, while for
the Nyankole, drinking beer is important in their social life. For a long time
nearly all Muslim leaders in Ankole were foreigners from Buganda. They spoke
Luganda and continued to keep their Kiganda customs and ways of life in their