Source: Mission Network News, February 11, 2020
In West Africa, a region plagued by military coups and Islamic terrorism, Senegal stands as a pillar of peace and stability.
Some analysts attribute these traits to the widespread influence of Sufi Islam; Muslims comprise 90 to 95 percent of the country’s population. Among the Wolof people, one of Senegal’s largest ethnic groups, that percentage is even higher.
While these factors support stability, they also challenge gospel growth.
“The literature really is the major way of sharing the gospel individually,” Helen Williams of World Missionary Press says about New Testaments and Scripture booklets in widely-used languages.
“[However], one of the things about Senegal—because it is so closely tied to Islam and the Muslim culture—you have to develop relationships with people before they will trust you to accept something,” she explains.
“Much of it has to do with people not wanting to be seen with a Christian.”
» Read full story and watch the Prayercast video on praying for Muslims of West Africa.
» See also a related story about a Senegalese man from a Muslim background who shares the gospel with his own people.