Located in the Koudoukou neighborhood of the Central African Republic capital, the Grande Mosquée de Bangui is a white and green stucco building with three minarets and gold-painted star-and-crescents adorning its roofline. Large fans cool the interior and loudspeakers mounted onto the minarets announce the call to prayer five times a day. During particularly large gatherings, worshippers will overflow into the dirt path in front of the mosque arranging their prayer mats in neat rows. The spread of Islam in Africa spans more than a millennium. Beginning in the seventh…
