Islam

Islam arrived in 647 and challenged the domination of Christianity. The first permanent foothold of Islam
was the founding in 667 of the city of Kairouan, in present-day Tunisia. Carthage fell to Muslims in 698
and the remainder of the region fell by 709. Islamization proceeded slowly.

From the end of the 7th century, over a period of more than 400 years, the region's peoples converted to
Islam. Many left during this time for Italy, although surviving letters showed correspondence from
regional Christians to Rome up until the 12th century. Christianity was still a living faith. Although there
were numerous conversions after the conquest, Muslims did not become a majority until some time late in
the 9th century. During the 10th century, Islam became by far the dominant religion in the region.[30]
Christian bishoprics and dioceses continued to be active and continued their relations with the Christian
Church of Rome. As late as the reign of Pope Benedict VII (974–983), a new Archbishop of Carthage
was consecrated. From the 10th century, Christianity declined in the region.[31] By the end of the 11th
century, only two bishops were left in Carthage and Hippo Regius. Pope Gregory VII (1073–85)
consecrated a new bishop for Hippo. Christianity seems to have suffered several shocks that led to its
demise. First, many upper-class, urban-dwelling, Latin-speaking Christians left for Europe after the
Muslim conquest. The second major influence was the large-scale conversions to Islam from the end of
the 9th century. Many Christians of a much reduced community departed in the mid-11th century, and
remnants were evacuated in the 12th by the Norman rulers of Sicily. The Latin-African language lingered
a while longer.

There was a small but thriving Jewish community, as well as a small Christian community. Most Muslims
follow the Sunni Maliki school. Small Ibadi communities remain in some areas. A strong tradition of
venerating marabouts and saints' tombs is found throughout regions inhabited by Berbers. This practice
was also common among the Jews of the region. Any map of the region demonstrates the tradition by the
proliferation of "Sidi"s, showing places named after the marabouts. This tradition has declined through
the 20th century. A network of zaouias traditionally helped teach basic literacy and knowledge of Islam in
rural regions.