Holy Scriptures and their Use by Christians and Muslims in East Africa

Abstract

Muslims and Christians have used the Bible and the Qur’an in their preaching and writing in order to convince each other of the unique truth of their own faith. Much of the writing has been produced in inexpensive booklets (tracts), whilst preaching takes place in public meetings using each others’ scripture. This paper examines the different Swahili versions of the Bible and the Qur’an and their reception. It then examines the use of the sacred texts of two world faiths, Christianity and Islam, using the local vernacular, Swahili, in East Africa.