'Plus rien ne sera jamais comme avant'? Young Muslims' new forms of civic engagement in Burkina Faso (2014-2017)

The growing security threats hanging over Burkina Faso with the surge of jihadi attacks have suggested a recent Islamic radicalization in the country. However, these concerns conveyed by the media and an increasing number of studies have overshadowed the significant changes that have been taking place in the Muslim community since the departure of President Blaise Compaoré in October 2014. While intergenerational tensions have remained latent throughout the 1990s and 2000s, many young Muslims, following the uprising, have openly criticized their elders for their collaboration with the former regime. Youth’s contestation of the established hierarchy and leadership thereby led to major transformations in the Federation of Islamic Associations of Burkina Faso (Fédération des Associations Islamiques du Burkina [FAIB]). Young French-speaking Muslims have been at the forefront by promoting Islam as a civil religion through new forms of civic engagement and entrepreneurial actions.