Many people assume Islam is an Arab religion, that Africa encountered it late, borrowed it, or reshaped it incorrectly. In this episode of They Lied About Africa, we challenge that assumption by tracing how Islam actually came to the African continent and why Africa was never on the margins of its history. From the first Hijra to the Kingdom of Axum, to the growth of Islamic scholarship, institutions, and societies across Africa, this episode explores how African Muslims helped protect, shape, and spread Islam from its earliest days. We also confront the uncomfortable realities of power, Arabization, slavery, and colonialism, and how these forces distorted how African Islam is understood today. If you’ve ever wondered why African Muslims are treated like outsiders in their own faith, this episode provides the historical context behind that question. This is not a simplified or romanticized story — it’s the one most people were never taught.