Decolonizing African Citizenship Education: Islamic Epistemology and the Quest for Religious Moderation

Abstract

This study investigates the enduring colonial underpinnings of citizenship education curricula in West Africa and proposes a transformative decolonial framework that synthesizes Islamic epistemologies with indigenous knowledge systems. The primary purpose is to address the crisis of relevance in postcolonial schooling by fostering a culturally rooted communitarian citizenship. Employing a qualitative historical-comparative design, the research utilizes a systematic literature review and critical document analysis of educational policies across Nigeria, Senegal, and Mali. The findings reveal that inherited Eurocentric curricula perpetuate epistemic violence, secular alienation, and identity fragmentation by systematically marginalizing local religious and cultural realities. Conversely, the study demonstrates that integrating the Islamic pedagogical triad of Ilm (meaningful knowledge), Adab (social ethics), and Maslahah (public interest) alongside indigenous solidarity provides a highly resonant educational alternative. The research concludes that achieving authentic civic engagement, social harmony, and religious moderation in plural societies requires a profound epistemological balance. Policymakers must transition from exclusionary, state-centric models to inclusive educational frameworks that structurally validate and empower African-Islamic moral authorities within the formal curriculum