Africa was the first continent, outside of Arabia that
Islam spread into in the early 7th century. Almost one-third of the world's Muslim population resides in the continent. Muslims crossed current
Djibouti,
Somalia and
Eritrea to seek refuge in present-day
Ethiopia during the
Hijarat. Most Muslims in Africa are
Sunni; the complexity of
Islam in Africa is revealed in the various schools of thought, traditions, and voices in many African countries. African Islam is not static and is constantly being reshaped by prevalent social, economic, and political conditions. Generally Islam in Africa often adapted to
African cultural contexts and belief systems forming Africa's own orthodoxies.