Christianity, not Islam, was spreading in West Africa’s forest belt before colonization.

Evidence

Islam was not an important force in the forest belt; indeed, if any outside religion was making inroads it was Christianity, thanks to the presence of missionaries and traders on the coast. — Alice L. Conklin, A Mission to Civilize_ The Republican…, 108

Categorization

• QUESTION: How did coastal Christianization affect French reception and missionary policy relative to the Islamic Sahel?