Is the author of the article suggesting that the spread of Islam was in some ways beneficial to Africa?
Which selection from the article supports your response?

A. No: The religion arrived in East Africa when Arab traders crossed the Red Sea and settled along the
Swahili coast. In the 14th century, Muslims launched military campaigns against the Christian kingdoms
of Nubia. There was also sometimes violent resistance by supporters of traditional African beliefs such
as animism and spirit worship.
B. Yes; As Muslim traders reached deeper into Africa, the religion spread from one empire to another,
taking hold first at Gao and then within the Ghana Empire. From there, the religion spread eastward to
the Mali Empire and the Songhai Empire. With the adoption of Islam by the rulers of the Kingdom of
Kanem between the 11th and 13th centuries and Hausaland in the late 14th century, the religion's
encirclement of Africa below the Sahara Desert was complete.
C. No; The coming of Islam saw a general decline in the status of certain groups in ancient African
communities. One of the chief losers were the metalworkers who had always enjoyed a mystical
reverence from ordinary people because of their skills in forging metal. The same applies to those who
mined such precious metals as gold and iron.
D. Yes; There were several technical innovations that came with Islam such as writing, numbers,
mathematics, measurements and weights. Muslim travelers and writers made valuable records of
African life in the medieval period. These writers, along with archaeology, have helped enormously in
the reconstruction of ancient Africa following the European colonial period.