This unusual book records the proceedings of a seminar featuring papers by several eminent African intellectuals including Abdallahi An-Na'im, Francis Deng and Ibrahim Gambari. Focusing on the Sudanese civil war and religious tensions in Nigeria, the participants explore the political and sociological pressures fueling Islamic fundamentalism, the philosophical dilemmas associated with Sharia law and, to a lesser extent, the efforts of Middle Eastern states to play an influential role in Africa.