1.
Islam by country
–
Adherents of Islam constitute the worlds second largest religious group. According to a 2010 study that was released in January 2011, Islam has 1.6 billion adherents, according to more recent study in 2015 Islam has 1.7 billion adherents. Most Muslims are either of two denominations, Sunni or Shia, Islam is the dominant religion in the Middle East, North Africa, the Sahel, Central Asia and some other parts of Asia. Sizable Muslim communities are found in Horn of Africa, Europe, China, Russia, Mainland Southeast Asia, Philippines, Northern Borneo, Caucasus. Western Europe host large Muslim immigrant communities where Islam is the second largest religion after Christianity, converts and immigrant communities are found in almost every part of the world. Historically, Islam was divided into three religious denominations well known as Sunni, Khawarij and Shī‘ah. In the modern era, Sunnis constitute more than 70% of the overall Muslim population while the Shias are slightly more than 20%, today, many of the Shia sects are extinct. The major surviving Imamah-Muslim Sects are Usulism, Nizari Ismailism and Alevism, on the other hand, new Muslim sects like the Nation of Islam, Ahmadi Muslims, non-denominational Muslims, Quranist Muslims and Wahhabis were later independently developed. According to the Pew Research Center in 2010, there were 50 Muslim-majority countries, around 62% of the worlds Muslims live in the Asia-Pacific region, with over 1 billion adherents. The largest Muslim population in a country is in Indonesia, a home to 12. 7% of the worlds Muslims, followed by Pakistan. About 20% of Muslims live in Arab countries, in the Middle East, the non-Arab countries of Turkey, Pakistan and Iran are the largest Muslim-majority countries, in Africa, Egypt and Nigeria have the most populous Muslim communities. The study found more Muslims in the United Kingdom than in Lebanon, other studies show variance with Pew figures. The percentage of Muslims in Egypt is given as 93. 7%, however, the figure for Christians in Egypt is usually estimated at 12-15%, but in truth nobody knows since there has been no religious census
Islam by country
–
World Muslim population by percentage (Pew Research Center, 2014).
2.
Islam in Africa
–
Africa was the first continent into which Islam spread from Asia in the early 7th century. Almost one-third of the worlds Muslim population resides in the continent, Muslims crossed current Djibouti, Somalia and Eritrea to seek refuge in present-day Ethiopia during the Hijarat. Most Muslims in Africa are Sunni, the complexity of Islam in Africa is revealed in the schools of thought, traditions. African Islam is not static and is constantly being reshaped by prevalent social, economic, generally Islam in Africa often adapted to African cultural contexts and belief systems forming Africas own orthodoxies. It was estimated in 2002 that Muslims constitute 48% of the population of Africa, Islam has a large presence in North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Swahili Coast, and much of West Africa, with minority but significant immigrant populations in South Africa. However, Islam has encountered criticism and resistance in several nations of Sub-Saharan Africa, on the advice of Muhammad, in Rajab 8BH, or May 614AD, twenty three Muslims migrated to Abyssinia where they were protected by its king, Al-Najashi, who may have accepted Islam later. They were followed by 101 Muslims later in the same year, most of those Muslims returned to Medina in 7H/628AD but some settled in the neighboring Zeila which was at that time part of Bilad al-Barbar. Those that settled there later built Masjid al-Qiblatayn, in 20H/641AD during the reign of Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab, Muslim troops took over current Egypt and conquered current Libya the following year. Muslims then expanded to current Tunisia in 27H/647AD during the reign of the third Muslim Caliph, the conquest of North Africa continued under the Umayyad dynasty, taking Algeria by 61H/680AD, and Morocco the following year. From the latter Muslim troops crossed the Strait of Gibraltar to Europe in 92H/711AD, Islam gained momentum during the 10th century in West Africa with the start of the Almoravids movement on the Senegal River and as rulers and kings embraced Islam. Islam then spread slowly in much of the continent through trade, by the 9th century Muslim Sultanates started being established in the Horn of Africa, and by the 12th century the Kilwa Sultanate had spread as far south as Mozambique. Islam only crossed deeper into Malawi and Congo in the half of the 19th century under the Zanzibar Sultanate. Then the British brought their labor force from India, including some Muslim-Indian nationals, to their African colonies towards the end of the nineteenth, in the Muslim tradition, this event is known as the first hijrah, or migration. During this first Hijra some Muslims settled in the city of Zeila and this mosque has two Qiblas because it was built before the Prophet switched the Qibla from Jerusalem to Mecca. The coastline of The Horn of Africa became the first safe haven for Muslims, seven years after the death of Muhammad, the Arabs advanced toward Africa and within two generations, Islam had expanded across the Horn of Africa and North Africa. During the reign of Umar II, the governor of Africa. Other early notable missionaries include Abdallah ibn Yasin, who started a movement which caused thousands of Berbers to accept Islam, similarly, in the Swahili coast, Islam made its way inland - spreading at the expense of traditional African religions. This expansion of Islam in Africa not only led to the formation of new communities in Africa, indeed, in the middle of the 11th century, the Kanem Empire, whose influence extended into Sudan, converted to Islam
Islam in Africa
–
The
Abuja National Mosque in
Abuja,
Nigeria.
Islam in Africa
–
The
Great Mosque of Djenne, Mali, originally built in the reign of King
Mansa Musa of the
Mali Empire in the 13th century. A prime example of the
Sudano-Sahelian architectural style of
West Africa.
Islam in Africa
–
The
Great Mosque of Kairouan (also known as the Mosque of Uqba), founded in 670 by the Arab general and conqueror Uqba Ibn Nafi, is the oldest and most prestigious mosque in North Africa, located in the city of
Kairouan,
Tunisia.
Islam in Africa
–
The 13th century
Larabanga Mosque of
Ghana, one of the oldest surviving mosques in
West Africa.
3.
Islam in Algeria
–
Islam is the majority religion in Algeria. The vast majority of citizens are Sunni Muslims belonging to Maliki school of jurisprudence, with a minority of Ibadi, Islam provides the society with its central social and cultural identity and gives most individuals their basic ethical and attitudinal orientation. Orthodox observance of the faith is much less widespread and steadfast than is identification with Islam, there are also Sufi philosophies which arose as a reaction to theoretical perspectives of some scholars. The native Berbers were rapidly converted in large numbers, although some Christian, however, as in the Middle East itself, they sought to combine their new Islam with resistance to the Caliphates foreign rule - a niche which the Kharijite and Shiite heresies filled perfectly. By the late 8th century, most of Algeria was ruled by the Rustamids, with the political threat of the Abbasid Caliphate gone, these soon reverted to Sunni Islam - specifically, the Maliki branch, whose popularity had spread widely in the Maghreb. The Almohads were zealously orthodox, and under their rule Algeria gradually acquired its notable religious homogeneity, Sunni Islam and the Maliki madhhab became virtually universal, apart from the Ibadhis of the Mzab and small Jewish communities. When the Ottomans ruled Algeria, they brought the Hanafi madhhab with them, however, they accepted the local custom of Maliki law, during these centuries Sufi brotherhoods were widespread, and marabouts and saint cults - still testified to by the many Algerian towns named Sidi. Islam took longer to spread to the far south of Algeria, whose history is to a large extent separate, in 1830, the French conquered Algiers. Their attempts to rule the rest of the country met stiff opposition, often religiously inspired, the Sufi warrior Amir Abd al-Qadir was particularly notable for his campaign to keep the French out. Even after his defeat, rebellions continued to be mounted until at least 1870, notably that of Cheikh Mokrani, again, soon after arriving in Algeria, the French colonial regime set about undermining traditional Muslim Algerian culture. By French law Muslims could not hold meetings, carry firearms. Legally, they were French subjects, but to become French citizens, with full rights, the land of Islamic charitable trusts was regarded as government property and confiscated. Much of the network of traditional Quranic schools and zaouias - regarded with suspicion as centers of potential resistance - collapsed, however, the emergence of the religious scholar and reformer Abdelhamid Ben Badis would go some way to reversing these trends. After independence the Algerian government asserted state control over religious activities for purposes of national consolidation, Islam became the religion of the state in the new constitution, and was the religion of its leaders. The state monopolized the building of mosques, and the Ministry of Religious Affairs controlled an estimated 5,000 public mosques by the mid-1980s. Imams were trained, appointed, and paid by the state, and that ministry also administered religious property, provided for religious education and training in schools, and created special institutes for Islamic learning. Those measures, however, did not satisfy everyone, as early as 1964 a militant Islamic movement, called Al Qiyam, emerged and became the precursor of the Islamic Salvation Front of the 1990s. Al Qiyam called for a dominant role for Islam in Algerias legal and political systems
Islam in Algeria
–
Ketchaoua Mosque in capital
Algiers.
Islam in Algeria
–
Islam by country
4.
Islam in Angola
–
Islam in Angola is a minority religion. Most sources estimate the population at 90,000, although some give a higher figure, most Muslims in Angola are Sunni. They are generally migrants from West Africa and the Middle East. There exist several Islamic organizations that run mosques, schools and community centers, the Association of the Development of Islam in Angola is the primary proselytizing organization. Muslim Angolans are represented by the Supreme Council of Angolan Muslims of Luanda, the government requires religious groups to petition for legal status. Upon recognition, these groups are allowed to build schools and places of worship, in order to be recognized, a group must have more than 100,000 and be present in 12 out of 18 provinces. The population of Muslims, however, is estimated at only 90,000, while the government has given legal status to 83 religious groups, it has not given legal status to any Muslim groups. The president of the Islamic Community of Angola has criticized Angolas threshold for recognition by stating, the US State Department reports that the government often permits non-registered groups to exist and function, but notes of instances of Angolan authorities shutting down mosques. Chikoti states that some Muslim groups had not registered their mosques officially, historically, Angola did not have a significant Muslim population. During the 21st century, Angolas Muslim community has grown, most Muslims in Angola are businessmen and migrants from West Africa and the Middle East, especially Lebanon. Very few Angolans have converted to Islam as a result of Muslim missionary activity in Angola, most of these conversions occurred during the Angolan Civil War, when many Angolans fled to countries with a significant Muslim presence and came into contact with Islam there. Adebayo Oyebade estimates that Muslims make up 1 to 2.5 percent of Angolas population, the US State Department states that the estimated Muslim population is 80, 000-90,000, but notes that some sources put the population size closer to 500,000. Which appears to be highly unrealistic, around 1% of the Muslim population of Angola adheres to Shia Islam. The International Religious Freedom Report stated that the Angolan government selectively shut down mosques, schools, Angolan officials denied that a government had a policy to close mosques, there were reports of local authorities closing mosques or preventing their construction on several occasions. In July 2010, unidentified arsonists set fire to a mosque in Huambo, a Muslim leader later said the mosque was burned a day after authorities had warned us that we should not have built the mosque where we had and that it had to be built somewhere else. On September 4,2010, authorities closed a mosque in Cazenga without prior notice or justification, the mosque reopened a month later. In November 2011, Angolan authorities tore down a structure being used as a mosque in Cacuaco without notice, in December 2011, a Muslim group in the Malanje Province purchased some land, and applied to obtain permission to build a mosque. The Muslim group repeatedly asked the authorities to grant or deny the application
Islam in Angola
–
Islam by country
5.
Religion in Benin
–
Christianity is the most widely professed religion in Benin, with 42. 8% of the nations total population being members of various Christian denominations. According to the 2002 census, the population of Benin is 27. 1% Catholic,24. 4% Muslim,17. 3% Vodoun,10. 4% Protestant,5. 3% of other Christian denominations, and 15. 5% of other religions. There are Christians, Muslims, and adherents of African Traditional Religion throughout the country, however, most adherents of the traditional Yoruba religious group are in the south, while other African Traditional Religion beliefs are followed in the north. Muslims are represented most heavily in the north and southeast, Christians are prevalent in the south, particularly in Cotonou, the economic capital. It is not unusual for members of the family to practice Christianity, Islam, African Traditional Religion. Among the most practiced African Traditional Religions in Benin is the Vodun system of belief which originated in this area of Africa. Other African Traditional Religions are practiced in the Atakora and Vodun and Orisha or Orisa veneration among the Yoruba and Tado peoples is prevalent in the center, the town of Ouidah on the central coast is the spiritual center of Beninese Vodun. The deity of thunder and lightning, known as Shango, can also be spelt as Sango, also known as Jakuta, Chango, the deity of war and iron, known as Ogun, also known as Ogoun or Gu. Christianity first reached Benin in 1680, gaining more permanent footing in the 19th century, english Methodists arrived in 1843, operating amongst the coastal Gun people. More than half of all Christians in Benin are Roman Catholic, the Catholic hierarchy in Benin consists of the Archdiocese of Cotonou and the Parakou. There are 440 priests and 900 men and women in religious orders, many nominal Christians also practice traditional local religious beliefs. Islam, which accounts for more than 24. 4% of the population, was brought to Benin from the north by Hausa. Nearly all Muslims adhere to the Sunni branch of Islam, the few Shia Muslims are primarily Middle Eastern expatriates. Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is also present, who inaugurated a mosque in Benin. Many nominal Muslims also practice traditional religious beliefs. Other religious groups in Benin include Eckankar and Bahais, the Constitution of Benin provides for freedom of religion, and the government generally respects this right in practice
Religion in Benin
–
Baptism ceremony of the
Celestial Church of Christ in
Cotonou,
Benin.
Religion in Benin
–
The
cathedral of Notre Dame des Apotres in
Cotonou
Religion in Benin
–
Mosque in
Porto-Novo
6.
Islam in Burkina Faso
–
Islam in Burkina Faso has a long and varied history. According to the 2006 census, the population of the country is 60. 53% Muslim, although the vast majority of Muslims are Sunni belonging to Maliki madhhab, Shia Islam and Ahmadiyya movement also have some following. Until the end of the 19th century, the Upper Volta was dominated by the Mossi Kingdoms, the Mossi initially defended their religious beliefs and social structure against Islamic influences from Muslims from the northwest. In the 15th century the Upper Volta region attracted Muslim merchants and settlements by the opening of the Akan gold fields, and the opportunity to trade in gold, kola nuts, and salt. Some of these merchants were Soninke-speaking peoples from Timbuktu and Djenné who later adopted Malinke dialect and they settled in the towns of Bobo-Dyulasso, Kong, Bunduku, and other places leading to the goldfields. Other traders came from Kanem, Bornu, and the Hausa city-states and moved into Gonja, Dagomba, Muslims married local women and raised families, which were tied to the Muslim community through the father and to the local pagan community through the mother. The offspring of these marriages often inherited chieftainships and brought about the conversion of local peoples and they organized festivals, offered prayers and divination at local courts, distributed talismans, and participated in anti-witchcraft rituals. As a result, Muslims in the region were not a language group. Throughout the region, the Dyula communities maintained a standard of Muslim education. A Dyula family enterprise based on the lu, a unit consisting of a father, his sons. Thus there emerged a class known as karamokos, who were educated in Quran, tafsir, hadith. A student read these works with a teacher over a period varying from five to thirty years. Having completed his studies, a karamoko obtained a turban and an ijazah, his license to teach, certain families provided scholars generation after generation. During the great Senegambian jihad led by Ma Ba Islam spread in the region of the Upper Volta. French colonial rule was imposed on Upper Volta in 1919, but it was divided among the Ivory Coast, Niger, and the Sudan, french rule was characterized by a promotion of secular elites selected from the indigenous population, but it also aided the peaceful spread of Islam. Colonial administration indirectly favored the spread of Islam by creating peace and order and they also tended to regard Muslims as culturally and educationally more advanced than non-Muslim Africans, and appointed Muslim chiefs and clerks as administrators in non-Muslim areas. In Upper Volta at the end of the 19th century there were only some 30,000 Muslims, in 1984, Upper Volta was renamed Burkina Faso. After a succession of coups, a constitutional republic was established in 1991
Islam in Burkina Faso
–
Grand Mosque in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Islam in Burkina Faso
–
Islam by country
7.
Islam in Burundi
–
Islam is a minority religion in Burundi. According to a 2010 United States Department of State estimate, between 2–5 percent of the population identifies as Muslim. Islam first arrived in Burundi from East African coast as part of the Arab slave trade in the late 19th century, resistance by the Kingdom of Burundi, led by mwami Mwezi IV Gisabo, succeeded in preventing the country from being occupied. The Arabs did, however, establish settlements at Ujiji and Uvira close to the current borders. The number of Muslims is Burundi increased under German colonial rule, by the outbreak of World War I, Bujumbura was a majority Muslim city. The religion declined under Belgian colonial rule as a result of the spread of Catholicism, today the Muslim population is strongly urbanised and focused in the cities of Bujumbura, Gitega, Rumonge, Nyanza, Muyinga, and Makamba. The great majority are Sunni while a minority are Shia. Most are Swahili speakers although they may speak other national languages, a significant proportion of the Muslim community are recent immigrants to the country from West Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Middle East, and Pakistan. Native Burundian Muslims belong to both of the ethnic groups and successfully managed to avoid become involved in the Burundian genocides. The Republic of Burundi is officially secular but several Muslim festivals, including Eid ul-Fitr, despite being only a small proportion of the national population, Muslims are represented in senior positions in Burundian politics and society, especially since the end of the Burundian Civil War. Religion in Burundi Islam in Africa Union for Peace and Democracy Luffin, Muslims in Burundi, Discretion and Neutrality. Media related to Islam in Burundi at Wikimedia Commons
Islam in Burundi
–
Bujumbura Mosque
Islam in Burundi
–
Islam by country
8.
Islam in Cameroon
–
Muslims comprise roughly 24 percent of the 21 million inhabitants in Cameroon. Approximately 27% identify themselves as Sunni, 12% Ahmadi and 3% Shia while the majority of the rest do not associate themselves with a particular group, in Cameroon, 48% of Muslims belong to a Sufi Tariqah. The Fulani, a nomadic group, spread Islam in early 19th century West Africa largely through commercial activity. In the northern provinces, the locally dominant Fulani overwhelmingly is Muslim, other ethnic groups, known collectively as the Kirdi, generally practice some form of Islam. The Bamoun ethnic group of the West Province is also largely Muslim, in the rush to claim African territories Germany first entered Cameroon in 1884 and established rule in northern Cameroon by 1902. Throughout the German colonial period, the Adamawa and Lake Chad regions were governed by combining heavy military presence with indirect rule, existing political and legal institutions, together with Muslim and native law and customs, were kept intact. Contrary to British rule in Northern Nigeria, German indirect rule did not involve immediate taxes or land reforms before 1913, when such reforms were proposed but, due to the war, never implemented
Islam in Cameroon
–
The palace of the sultan of the
Bamun people at
Foumban, West Province
9.
Islam in the Central African Republic
–
Islam accounts for approximately 10% of the population of the Central African Republic, making it the second most followed organized religion in the country after Christianity. The vast majority of Muslims are Sunni of Maliki school of jurisprudence, most Central African Muslims live in the north-east, near the border with predominantly Muslim Chad and Sudan. Islam arrived in Central African Republic in the 17th Century as part of the expansion of the Saharan, in February 2014, tens of thousands of Muslims fled the Central African Republic for Chad as they felt they were no longer safe in the country
Islam in the Central African Republic
–
Islam by country
10.
Islam in Chad
–
The earliest presence of Islam in Chad can be traced back to the legendary Uqba ibn Nafi, whose descendants can be found settled in the Lake Chad region to this day. By the time Arab migrants began arriving from the east in the century in sizeable numbers. Islamization in Chad was gradual, the effect of the spread of Islamic civilization beyond its political frontiers. Today the majority of Chadians are Muslims, the vast majority of whom are Sunni of Maliki madhhab, in Chad, 55% of Muslims belong to a Sufi Tariqah. Islam in Chad was not influenced much by the great movements of the Islamic Middle Ages. Consistent contact with West African Muslim traders and pilgrims may be the reason Chadian Muslims identify with the Tijaniyya order, similarly, in the mid-nineteenth century, the Sanusiyya brotherhood was founded in Libya, which benefited from economic and political influence in the Lake Chad Basin around 1900. An Islamic revival movement, feared by some French, led by Sanusi fanatics, Chadian adherents, limited to the Awlad Sulayman Arabs, higher Islamic education in Chad is sparse, thus, serious Islamic students and scholars must travel to other countries. Scholars travel abroad to such as Khartoum and Cairo, where Chadians attend Al Azhar. Chadians observe the five pillars of the faith differently than the orthodox version, prayer, both public and communal, occur more than once a week, but often not in a mosque. Chadian Muslims likely make the pilgrimage less often than Hausans in northern Nigeria, some Chadian Muslims follow the Ramadan fast stricter than typical, with some refusing to swallow their saliva during the day. Islam by country Religion in Chad This article incorporates public domain material from the Library of Congress Country Studies website http, //lcweb2. loc. gov/frd/cs/
Islam in Chad
–
A
mosque in
Abéché,
Chad
11.
Islam in Comoros
–
According to the 2006 estimate by the U. S. Department of State, roughly 98% of the population in the Comoros are Muslim. Virtually all Muslims in the Comoros are Sunni belonging to Shafii school of jurisprudence, most adherents are Arab-Swahili, but there are also people of Indian, largely Gujarati, descent. Local legend claims Islam was brought to the islands during Muhammad’s lifetime, historical evidence suggests Arab merchants and exiled Zayidi Persian Shirazi princes first introduced the religion. Islam has long played a role in the Comoros. Ruling families learned Arabic, performed Hajj, and maintained ties with other Muslim communities, such as Kilwa, Zanzibar, several Sufi tariqa, including the Shadhili, the Qadiriya, and the Rifai, are also active. Hassan ibn Issa, a 16th-century Shirazi chief who claimed descent from the Islamic prophet Muhammad, encouraged conversion, in the 19th century, Sheikh Abdalah Darwesh initiated the Shadiliya tariqa in the Comoros. Born in Grande Comore, Sheikh Darwesh traveled throughout the Middle East and later converted Said Muhammad Al-Maarouf, Sheikh Al-Ami ibn Ali al-Mazruwi was the first of the regions ulama to author Islamic literature in Swahili. Ahmed Bin Sumeit studied in Arab countries before serving as teacher and qadi in Madagascar, Zanzibar, and, after 1967, hundreds of mosques are scattered throughout the islands, as well as numerous madrassah. Practically all children attend Quranic School for two or three years, usually starting around the age of five, there they learn the rudiments of Islam, when rural children attend these schools, they sometimes move away from home and assist their teacher in working his land. In 1998, a new Grand Mosque, financed by the emir of Sharjah, was inaugurated in Moroni, the tombs of Islamic holy men and founders of ṭarīqah are frequently visited on religious occasions. Comorians follow religious observances conscientiously and strictly adhere to religious orthodoxy, during colonization, the French did not attempt to supplant Islamic practices and were careful to respect the precedents of sharia as interpreted by the Shafii school of thought. All Muslim holidays are observed, including Id al-Adha, Muharram, Ashura, Mawlid, Laylat al-Miraj, Mawlid is marked by celebrations culminating in a feast prepared for the ulama. Many women wear the chirumani, a cloth worn around the body. Comorians often consult mwalimus or fundi and marabouts for healing and protection from jinn, mwalimus activate jinn to determine propitious days for feasts, have a successful marriage, conduct healing ceremonies, and prepare amulets containing Quranic ayat. The chaotic economic and political climate since independence in 1975 has been detrimental to the development of human rights, rival factions have sought to mobilize religious support both to uphold and contest political power and social inequality. Political opponents have relied on their own interpretation of the Quran and hadith, competing Islamic views have entered politics, both to justify and challenge the government. European trained government officials have adopted Western political ideologies and secularism while continuing to support leaders of Islamic brotherhoods, islamism and Wahhabism has become increasingly as students returned from Islamic studies abroad. In response to perceived injustice and chaos within the Comorian government, suspected al-Qaeda member Fazul Abdullah Mohammed was born in Moroni in the Comoros and has Kenyan as well as Comorian citizenship
Islam in Comoros
–
Islam by country
12.
Islam in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
–
Islam is a major religion within the Democratic Republic of the Congo where it is estimated that around 10 percent of the national population identifies as Muslim. In 2012, the Pew Research Center estimated the figure at 12 percent, one 2007 estimate put the figure at just 1.4 percent. Islam is particularly prominent in the east of the country where it has been present since the 18th century, the highest concentration of Muslims is in the Province of Maniema and especially the cities of Kasongo and Kindu where they represent 80–90 percent and 25 percent of the population respectively. Islam was spread to the Congo by Arab traders of Swahili origin, such as Tippo Tip, drawn into the Congo from the east-coast of Africa, although the Arabs did not expressly intend to spread religion or culture, many African peoples adopted the ideas they brought. With the expansion of European colonial rule into the eastern Congo under the auspices of the Congo Free State, European colonists came into conflict, under Belgian colonial rule, Muslims were distrusted and considered a potential source of sedition. The arrival of Qadiriyya, a branch of Sufism, from Tanganyika in the 1920s was particularly repressed by the colonial government, the independence of the Congo in 1960 brought legal freedom of religion and allowed the Muslim community to publicly organise for the first time. Since the end of the Second Congo War, the Congos Muslim community has been united with the emergence of a national leadership. The vast majority of Muslims in the country identify themselves as Sunni, following the Maliki school of jurisprudence,10 percent are Shia, congolese Muslims are frequently divided between conservative Sufis and Reformists as well as along local ethnic, geographical, and generational lines. Islam in Africa Religion in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Christianity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Leinweber, the Muslim Minority of the Democratic Republic of Congo, From Historic Marginalization and Internal Division to Collective Action
Islam in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
–
A
Quran -stand from the DRC.
Islam in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
–
Islam by country
13.
Islam in the Republic of the Congo
–
Islam spread to the Republic of the Congo from North Africa in the mid-19th century. The Muslim community in the country is estimated at 1.3 percent of the population, in 2005 a large new mosque was constructed in Brazzaville. Most workers in the centers were immigrants from West Africa and Lebanon. The West African immigrants arrived mostly from Mali, Benin, Togo, Mauritania, the Lebanese were primarily Sunni Muslims. There was also a large Chadian Muslim population, Muslim holy days are not nationally observed, however, they are respected. Employers grant leave for those who wish to observe holy days not on the national calendar, religion in the Republic of the Congo
Islam in the Republic of the Congo
–
Islam by country
14.
Islam in Djibouti
–
Islam in Djibouti has a long history, first appearing in the Horn of Africa during the lifetime of Muhammad. Today, 94% of Djiboutis 490,000 inhabitants are Sunni Muslims, after independence, the nascent republic constructed a legal system based in part on Islamic law. Islam was introduced to the Horn region early on from the Arabian peninsula, zeila, in adjacent Somalias two-mihrab Masjid al-Qiblatayn, dates to the 7th century and is the oldest mosque in the city. In the late 9th century, Al-Yaqubi wrote that Muslims were living along the northern Somali seaboard and he also mentioned that the Adal kingdom had its capital in the city, suggesting that the Adal Sultanate dates back to at least the 9th or 10th century. According to I. M. Lewis, the polity was governed by local dynasties who ruled over the similarly-established Sultanate of Mogadishu in the Benadir region to the south. Adals history from this founding period forth would be characterized by a succession of battles with neighbouring Abyssinia, Djiboutis population is predominantly Sunni Muslim. The non-Muslim population consists generally of foreign-born citizens and mostly live in Djibouti City, Article 1 of the Constitution of Djibouti names Islam as the sole state religion, and Article 11 provides for the equality of citizens of all faiths and freedom of religious practice. Although Islam is the religion, the constitution does not allow for religious based political parties. Most local Muslims adhere to the Sunni denomination, following the Shafii school, the non-denominational Muslims largely belong to Sufi orders of varying schools. In 2012, a law was passed that grants the Ministry of Religious Affairs increased oversight of Djibouti’s mosques, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs reportedly used the new law that regulated mosques to replace imams and temporarily close some mosques. Some imams reported being questioned by security services following sermons with strong political and social justice themes, there were also reports of plainclothes officers monitoring the content of Friday sermons and the activities of people attending mosque services. Government officials also indicated the law was designed to counter perceived foreign influence in mosques, according to article 23 of the Family Code, a non-Muslim man may marry a Muslim woman only after converting to Islam. Non-Islamic marriages are not legally recognized by the government, which only recognizes marriages performed in accordance with the Ministry of Islamic Affairs or the Ministry of the Interior. There are approximately 40 private Islamic schools nationwide, which are managed by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, religion in Djibouti Christianity in Djibouti
Islam in Djibouti
–
The
Al Sada Mosque in
Djibouti City (1940s).
Islam in Djibouti
–
Islam by country
15.
Islam in Egypt
–
Islam in Egypt is the dominant religion with around an estimated 85% of the population. Almost the entirety of Egypts Muslims are Sunnis, with a minority of Shia. The latter, however, are not recognized by Egypt, Islam has been recognized as the state religion since 1980. Prior to Napoleons invasion in 1798, almost all of Egypts educational, legal, public health, during the 19th and 20th centuries, successive governments made extensive efforts to limit the role of the ulama in public life and to bring religious institutions under closer state control. After the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, the government assumed responsibility for appointing officials to mosques, the government mandated reform of Al-Azhar University beginning in 1961. These reforms permitted department heads to be drawn from outside the ranks of the traditionally trained orthodox ulama, in the late 10th century, the Shia Ismaili caliphate of the Fatimids made Egypt their center and Cairo their capital. Egypt flourished and the Fatimids developed a trade network in both the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean. Their trade and diplomatic ties extended all the way to China and its Song Dynasty, many traces of Fatimid architecture exist in Cairo today, the most defining examples include the Al Azhar University and the Al Hakim mosque. The Fatimid palace in Cairo had two parts and it stood in the Khan el-Khalili area at Bin El-Qasryn street. In the early 20th century, Egyptian Islam was a complex, although Muslims agreed on the faiths basic tenets, the countrys various social groups and classes applied Islam differently in their daily lives. The literate theologians of Al-Azhar University generally rejected the version of Islam practiced by illiterate religious preachers, most upper- and upper-middle-class Muslims believed either that religious expression was a private matter for each individual or that Islam should play a more dominant role in public life. Islamic religious revival movements, whose appeal cut across lines, were present in most cities. This put an end to the independence of the Ulama. Awqaf, traditionally independent endowments for mosques and Islamic schools, became a ministry of the government, in 1961, Gamal Abdel Nasser made Al Azhar part of the Ministry of Awqaf or Religious Endowments. He also made the appointment of the grand sheikh the prerogative of the Egyptian president, in time the school became responsible for assigning imams to all major mosques, and all these imams were required to be graduates of the school. Orthodox ulama or the establishment found themselves in a difficult position during the wave of Islamic activism that swept through Egypt in the 1970s and 1980s. Most Ulama, including those of Al-Azhar University, are employees of the Egyptian state who recognize the primacy, support its stability. Radical Islamists viewed them as puppets of the status quo, to maintain their influence in the country, the ulama espoused more conservative stances
Islam in Egypt
–
Al-Azhar Islamic university in
Cairo Egypt, connected to a mosque built around 971, is considered by some
Sunni Muslims as one of the world's highest Sunni Muslim authorities.
Islam in Egypt
–
Religion in Egypt
Islam in Egypt
–
Masjid
Hamza in Suez, Egypt
Islam in Egypt
–
Al-Azhar Mosque in
Cairo,
Egypt.
16.
Religion in Eritrea
–
Religion in Eritrea mainly consists of Abrahamic faiths. Since May 2002, the Eritrean government has recognized the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the Eritrean Catholic Church, the Evangelical Lutheran church. All other faiths and denominations are in principle required to undergo a registration process, among other things, the governments registration system requires religious groups to submit personal information on their membership to be allowed to worship. There are two religions in Eritrea, Christianity and Islam. However, the number of adherents is subject to debate, in 2010, the United States Department of State estimated that 50% of the population was Muslim and around 48% was Christian. According to the Pew Research Center, around 62. 9% of Eritreas population in 2010 adhered to Christianity, the remaining 0. 9% of residents practiced other religions, including traditional faiths and animism. The Kingdom of Aksum, covering much of modern-day Eritrea and northern Ethiopia, the Aksumites erected a number of large stelae, which served a religious purpose in pre-Christian times. Over 200 years after the formation, it adopted Christianity under King Ezana. Eritrea was also one of the first Islamic settlements in Africa, as a group of Muslims facing persecution in Mecca migrated to Abyssinia, the denominations of the religions in Eritrea also differ from source to source. Eritrea, Religious Distribution gives 58% Orthodox, 5% Roman Catholic, the United States Department of State indicates that 50% of the population are Sunni Muslims but gives no figures for Shias, while a 2009 Pew Research Center report says that less than 1% are Shia. Around 0. 9% of local residents follow traditional religions or other faiths, atheism is low, while participation in religion is high among all ethnicities. The government has refused to register any religious group despite some of them meeting the requirements, Judaism is thought to have existed as an important religion in Eritrea and Ethiopia before Christianity became the official religion of the Kingdom of Aksum in the early 4th century AD. Islam spread to Ethiopia and Eritrea around 615 AD with the arrival of Uthman ibn Affan, Uthman had been driven out of Saudi Arabia and found shelter at Axum in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia under the protection of the Axumite king, Aṣḥama ibn Abjar. Another great power came in the person of the Imam of Harar in Ethiopia, Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi, also known as Ahmad Gurey or Gragn. Al-Ghazi led Muslim forces consisting of Somali, Harari, Oromo, Afar, Saho, Argobba, Hadiya, Silte and Gurage soldiers from present-day Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, the Ethiopian Christians are the Tigray-Tigrinya and the Amhara, while the Eritrean Christians are the Tigray-Tigrinya. In 1530 he began to attack the plateau, within four years he laid waste to the majority of the Christian highlands, including the Tigray Region of Ethiopia and Eritrea. He converted hundreds of thousands of Christians to Islam by force, only by surrender and conversion could people save their lives. Only the intervention of the Portuguese transformed the flow of events and they landed at Massawa in 1541 and helped the Eritreans and Ethiopians to drive the Imams forces from the plateau
Religion in Eritrea
–
Enda Mariam Orthodox Church, St Joseph's Roman Catholic Cathedral and the Al Khulafa Al Rashiudin Mosque in the capital
Asmara.
Religion in Eritrea
–
St. George's Episcopal Church, Asmara, Eritrea
Religion in Eritrea
–
Madonna of the
Baobab. In 1941 Italian soldiers took refuge in the tree from British planes. The tree was hit but the Italians and the shrine survived.
Religion in Eritrea
–
The
St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Cathedral in Asmara.
17.
Islam in Ethiopia
–
Islam in Ethiopia is the second-most widely practised religion after Christianity. According to the latest 2007 national census, there are over 25 million Muslim adherents, the faith arrived in Ethiopia at an early date, shortly before the hijira. Muslims arrived in the Axumite Empire during the Hijarat as early disciples from Mecca and they were received by the Christian ruler of Axum, whom Arabic tradition has named Ashama ibn Abjar, and he settled them in Negash. On the other hand, the center of Islamic culture, learning. The Quraysh sent emissaries to bring back to Arabia. The Prophet himself instructed his followers who came to the Axumite empire, Islam developed more rapidly in the eastern part of the Horn region, particularly among the Somali and Harari. This was challenged by the mostly Christian northern people of Abyssinia, including Amhara, Tigray, however the north and northeastern expansion of the Oromo, who practiced mainstream traditional Waaqa, affected the growth of Islam in its early days. Historian Ulrich Braukamper says, the expansion of the non-Muslim Oromo people during subsequent centuries mostly eliminated Islam in those areas, however, following the centralization of some Oromo communities, some of them adopted Islam and today constitutes over 50% of their population. In the 16th century, Muslims from the Adal Sultanate embarked on a Conquest of Abyssinia under the command of Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi, however, many Muslims dealt with such matters in terms of customary law. For example, the Somali and other pastoralists tended not to follow the requirement that daughters inherit half as much property as sons, particularly when livestock was at issue. In parts of Eritrea, the tendency to land as the corporate property of a descent group precluded following the Islamic principle of division of property among ones heirs. It was the first hijra in Islam history, according to UNESCO, it is regarded as the fourth holy city of Islam. It has 82 mosques, three of which date from the 10th century, as well as 102 shrines, much as the rest of the Muslim world, the beliefs and practices of the Muslims in Ethiopia are basically the same, embodied in the Quran and the Sunnah. There are also Sufi brotherhoods present in Ethiopia such as the Qadiriyyah order in Wello, numerous Muslims in Ethiopia perform the pilgrimage to Mecca every year. In Ethiopias Muslim communities, as in neighboring Sudan and Somalia, many of the faithful are associated with, nevertheless, formal and informal attachment to Sufi practices is widespread. loc. gov/frd/cs/. 109–124 Dickson, David, Political Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa, The Need for a new Research and Diplomatic Agenda, United States Institute of Peace, Special Report 140, May 2005
Islam in Ethiopia
–
A
mosque in
Jimma.
Islam in Ethiopia
–
Islam by country
Islam in Ethiopia
–
A traditional home in
Harar with a niche adorned with
Islamic calligraphy.
Islam in Ethiopia
–
A mosque in
Degehabur.
18.
Islam in Gabon
–
Six percent of the population of Gabon practice Islam, according to a 2012 estimate. Eighty to ninety percent of the Muslims are foreigners, Islamic, Catholic and Protestant denominations operate primary and secondary schools in Gabon. These schools are required to register with the Ministry of Education, the government does not contribute funds to private schools, whether religious or secular. The Gabonese Government celebrates some Christian and Muslim holy days as national holidays and these include Easter Sunday and Monday, Ascension Day, Assumption Day, All Saints Day, Christmas, Eid al-Kebir, and Eid al-Fitr. The government television stations accorded free transmission time to the Catholic Church, some Protestant congregations, some Protestant denominations alleged that the government television station does not accord free airtime to minority religious groups. Protestants have alleged in the past that the armed forces favor Catholics and Muslims in hiring, gabons executive branch was controlled by a Muslim, Omar Bongo, from 1973 to 2009. Bongo converted to Islam in 1973 and changed his name from Albert-Bernard Bongo to its current form, Gabon is a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, having joined under Bongos leadership in 1974. In 2004 a first national conference for the Muslims of Gabon was held in the city of the country, Libreville, on the theme ‘United for the sake of a flourishing. During the conference, heads of some 34 Islamic societies of Gabon signed an agreement for undertaking coordinated Islamic works on the sidelines of the event
Islam in Gabon
–
Mosque in
Port-Gentil, Gabon
Islam in Gabon
–
Islam by country
19.
Islam in the Gambia
–
Islam is the majority religion of the Gambia, with around 90% of the population being Muslims. Other religious societies are made up of Catholics, Protestants, Islam in the Gambia is characterized by its coexistence with other religions. The majority of its Muslims are Sunni belonging to Maliki school of jurisprudence, the Ahmadiyya movement is also present. However, some religious and tribal practices diverge from mainstream Islam. Ahmadiyya in the Gambia Christianity in the Gambia Religion in the Gambia
Islam in the Gambia
–
A
mosque in
the Gambia
20.
Islam in Ghana
–
Islam is one of the major religions practiced widely in Ghana. Its presence in modern-day Ghana dates back to the 10th century to coincide with the demise of the Ghana Empire, the population of Muslims in Ghana is about 24%. The majority of Muslims in Ghana are followers of Sunni Islam, with approximately 16% belonging to the Ahmadiyya movement, the Maliki school of jurisprudence was the most common until Afa Ajuras reformist activities in the 1960s saw an overwhelming shift toward Hanbali doctrine. Sufism, once widespread, has waned considerably over the years, the Tijaniyah, despite tensions in the Middle East and North Africa since the mid-1970s, Muslims and Christians in Ghana have had excellent relations. Guided by the authority of the Muslim Representative Council, religious, social, the Muslim Council observes the responsibility of arranging pilgrimages to Mecca for believers who can afford the journey. The National Chief Imam of Ghana is the highest authority on Muslim affairs in Ghana, Islam made a momentous entry into the Northern Territories of Ghana at the beginning of the fifteenth century, mainly due to commercial activities of sahelian tribes of West Africa. Prior to that, Dawah workers had made contact and written extensively about the people including inhabitants of Bonoman states located in the hinterlands of contemporary Ghana, furthermore, the British colonial government in the nineteenth century enlisted people from various northern predominantly Muslim communities into the colonial army. Muslim population is concentrated in Northern Ghana and in Zongo communities scattered across the country, Zongo communities are settlements predominated by immigrants from Sahelian areas of West Africa who have adopted Hausa language as a lingua franca. Members of the Zongo community are mistakenly but commonly regarded as Northerners, however, the two communities are distinct, having different cultures and languages. The official Ghana Statistical Service census reports 30% as being Muslims although that figure is being protested by independent organizations, CIA statistics put the population of Muslims in Ghana at 30 percent. Other accounts place the figure at 45 percent, the government of Ghanas allocation of funds for national development is heavily influenced by population demographics. The Ahmadiyya Muslim community, formally established in 1921, is the oldest continuous Muslim community in Ghana, Ahmadi Muslims were among the earliest Muslim missionaries in Ghana, and by 1957, they had converted over 100,000 people to Islam. The first Ahmadi missionary to Ghana, Maulvi Abdul Rahim Nayyar, at 16%, Ghana hosts the largest proportion of Ahmadis to Muslims by major country. Prominent Sufi orders represented in Ghana are the Tijaniyya and Qadiriyya, sufism is common among the immigrant Muslim population of Ghana, also known as the Zongos. Sufis make up 27 percent of Muslims in Ghana, Sunni Islam was introduced into Ghana as part of the 1940s reformist activities of late Ghanaian Mujaddid, Afa Ajura, since the 1940s predate the tenth century. Afa Ajuras campaign challenged the status quo of the Sufi doctrine and it was not until the 1970s that his message gained wide acceptance, resulting in a majority of Muslims,51 percent, now affiliating with the Anbariyya Sunni Community. For most of its time in Ghana, Sunni Islam was propagated across the country in Dagbanli - the mother tongue of Afa Ajura. Recently Sunni adherents in Zongo communities in southern Ghana have formed the Ahlusunnah wal Jamaa organization in order to reach the Hausa-speaking population, aSWaJ still draws inspiration from their parent Anbariyya leadership, headed by Afa Seidu in Tamale
Islam in Ghana
–
Larabanga Mosque, built in the 15th century. Taken in March 2006.
Islam in Ghana
–
Islam by country
Islam in Ghana
–
Muslims in
Madina
21.
Islam in Guinea
–
Islam is the main religion in Guinea, followed by an estimated 85% of the population. Most are Sunnis who follow the Maliki legal tradition and Qadiri, Islam spread from its birthplace in the Arabian Peninsula to Africa. Sundiata Keita, the founder of the Mali Empire, was not a Muslim, the tenth ruler of the empire, Musa I, made it the state religion. Fouta Djallon, a region of Guinea, has been a stronghold of Islam since the late 17th century. The Imamate of Futa Jallon, a Muslim theocratic state ruled by the almami, was founded around 1725, eventually, the area of present-day Guinea came under colonial rule, and French Guinea was established in 1891, but that had little effect on the spread of the religion. In the 20th century, the Ahmadiyya movement was introduced into the country from Pakistan, touré had the Grand Mosque built in the capital city of Conakry, with funding from Saudi King Fahd, it opened in 1982. It is the largest mosque in West Africa, with a hall that can hold 10,000. The compulsory education curriculum does not include religious studies, but there are numerous Islamic schools throughout the country, some madrasas are financially supported by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other Gulf states
Islam in Guinea
–
The
Conakry Grand Mosque in Guinea, one of the largest mosques in
West Africa
Islam in Guinea
–
Islam by country
22.
Islam in Kenya
–
Islam is the religion of approximately 11.1 percent of the Kenyan population, or approximately 4.3 million people. The Kenyan coast is mostly populated by Muslims, Nairobi has several mosques and a notable Muslim population. The vast majority of Muslims in Kenya follow the Sunni Islam of Shafi school of jurisprudence, there are also sizeable populations of Shia and Ahmadi adherents. In large part, Shias are Ismailis descended from or influenced by oceanic traders from the Middle East and these Shia Muslims include the Dawoodi Bohra, who number some 6, 000-8,000 in the country. Pioneer Muslim traders arrived on the Swahili Coast around the eighth century, archaeological evidence attests to a thriving Muslim town on Manda Island by the Tenth Century AD. The Moroccan Muslim traveller, Ibn Battuta, visiting the Swahili Coast in 1331 AD, Ibn Battuta said, The inhabitants are pious, honourable, and upright, and they have well-built wooden mosques. On arrival, the Muslims settled along the coast, engaging in trade, the Shirazi intermarried with the local Bantu people resulting in the Swahili people, most of who converted to Islam. Swahili, structurally a Bantu Language with heavy borrowings from Arabic, was born, primarily, Islam spread through the interactions of individuals, with the Arab Muslims who had settled in small groups maintaining their culture, and religious practices. Despite encountering local communities, Islam was not ‘indigenized’ along the patterns of the local Bantu communities, nevertheless, Islam grew through absorption of individuals into the newly established Afro-Arabic Muslim communities. This resulted in more ‘Swahilization’ than Islamization, there was strong resistance toward Islam by the majority of communities living in the interior. The resistance was because conversion was an act, leading to detribalization and integration into the Muslim community going against the socially acceptable communal life. Islam on the Swahili Coast was different from the rest of Africa, unlike West Africa where Islam was integrated to the local communities, the local Islam was ‘foreign’, the Arab-Muslims lived as if they were in the Middle East. The primary concern for the early Muslims was trade with a few interested in propagating Islam, the arrival of the Portuguese in the 15th Century interrupted the small work in progress. On the other hand, the quarrels that ensued meant that much effort was now directed towards restoring normality. Islam remained an urban and coastal phenomenon, the Spread of Islam was low-keyed with no impact amongst the local non-Swahili African Community. There were no intermediary Africans to demonstrate that, adoption of a few Islamic institutions would not disrupt society, the spread of Islam to the interior was hampered by several factors, for instance, the nature of the Bantu society’s varied beliefs, and scattered settlements affected interior advancement. Other factors included, harsh conditions, the fierce tribes like the Maasai, tribal laws restricting passage through their land, health factors. For Trimingham, the brand of Islam introduced to the region was equally to blame, Muslim traders were not welcome in the social structures thereby impeding any meaningful progress until the beginning of European occupation
Islam in Kenya
–
The Great Mosque of Gedi.
Islam in Kenya
–
A Mosque, in
Lamu Island.
23.
Islam in Lesotho
–
The Muslim population of Lesotho in 2013 is about 3000 plus throughout the country. Most of the population are from South Asia, but there is also a significant population from the Middle East, South Asian Muslims, being a more prominent and established community, settled in the country to conduct business and trade. Their presence has been noted since the early 1900s, when a few families migrated from Durban. There are various mosques and prayer halls in Lesotho at the Capital City Maseru to Butha-Buthe, Jamaat Khana at Jackpot Market, Bus Stop Jamaat Khana and Thabong are the places where people offer their Friday Prayer in Maseru City. The vast majority of Muslims are Sunni, the Ahmadiyya Muslim community claims 350 members in the country
Islam in Lesotho
–
Islam by country
24.
Islam in Liberia
–
Islam in Liberia is practiced by an estimated 12. 2% of the population. The vast majority of Liberian Muslims are Malikite Sunni, with sizeable Shia, the primary Muslim ethnic groups are the Vai and Mandingo but also Gbandi, Kpelle and other ethnic groups. Islamic religious practices vary in cities and towns across the country, younger Liberian Muslims, particularly in the cities along the coast, tend to be more secular but still practice Islam in everyday life. In rural areas, Liberian Muslims are more conservative in dressing modestly, performing prayers, the practice of Islam in Liberia has been compared to Sufi Islam common in Senegal and Gambia. The major Islamic holidays, Eid el Fitr, Ramadan and Eid al Adha, people have begun to go on Hajj to Mecca in recent years. Joint English-Arabic language, Quranic, and Muslim universities and Islamic studies schools have opened and been rebuilt in the capital Monrovia, rural towns, Islam appears to be experiencing revival alongside Christianity in the country as a result of the Liberian Civil War. America-Liberian Methodists, the first Christians in Liberia, arrived on January 7,1822, President Charles Taylor promulgated Islam for political reasons. Taylor, an ally of Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi, trained in Libya before returning to Liberia, a consequence of the civil war in Liberia was destruction of religious buildings, schools and places of worship across the country. In both urban and rural areas, government and opposition rebel forces destroyed numerous mosques belonging to Liberian Muslims from what the government considered enemy ethnic groups, several massacres were also committed near mosques and schools. One of the most well known, barbaric and gruesome was the Bakerdu Massacre in the mainly Mandingo/Muslim Quardu Gboni District Lofa County on July 12,1990, over 400 civilians were killed by Charles Taylors National Patriotic Front of Liberia. Destroyed buildings still stand on foundations, raddled with bullet holes. Countries such as Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, etc. have created Diplomatic relations with Liberia, Islamic organizations provide help to Liberian Muslims wanting to go on Hajj to Mecca. Laurence K. Bropleh, Liberias Information Minister and a reverend, Minister Bropleh called on the nations legislature to designate non-Christian holidays as national holidays, specifically Hajj. He also suggested establishing an advisory board, representing all of the major religions practiced in Liberia. Methodist leaders condemned Broplehs comments and accused him of fueling inter-religious tension
Islam in Liberia
–
Mosque in
Voinjama
25.
Islam in Libya
–
Most Libyans adhere to the Sunni branch of Islam, which provides both a spiritual guide for individuals and a keystone for government policy. Libya has a presence of Ahmadis and Shias consisting of Pakistani immigrants. During the seventh century, Muslims, who were spreading their faith, a residue of pre-Islamic beliefs blended with the Islam of the Arabs. The educated of the cities and towns served as the primary bearers, Islam as practiced in North Africa is interlaced with indigenous Berber beliefs. The power is known as Barakah, a quality of personal blessedness. The true Islamic way of saints became widespread in areas, in urban localities. Saints were present in Tripolitania, but they were numerous in Cyrenaica. Their baraka continued to reside in their tombs after their deaths, the number of venerated tombs varied from tribe to tribe, although there tended to be fewer among the camel herders of the desert than among the sedentary and nomadic tribes of the plateau area. In one village, a visitor in the late 1960s counted sixteen still-venerated tombs, coteries of disciples frequently clustered around particular saints, especially those who preached an original tariqa. Brotherhoods of the followers of such mystical teachers appeared in North Africa at least as early as the eleventh century, the founder ruled an order of followers, who were organized under the frequently absolute authority of a leader, or shaykh. The brotherhood was centered on a zawiya, because of Islams austere rational and intellectual qualities, many people have felt drawn toward the more emotional and personal ways of knowing God practiced by mystical Islam, or Sufism. Found in many parts of the Muslim world, Sufism endeavored to produce a personal experience of the divine through mystic and ascetic discipline, Sufi adherents gathered into brotherhoods, and Sufi orders became extremely popular, particularly in rural areas. Sufi brotherhoods exercised great influence and ultimately played an important part in the revival that swept through North Africa during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In Libya, when the Ottoman Empire proved unable to mount effective resistance to the encroachment of Christian missionaries, among these, the most forceful and effective was that of the Senussi, which extended into numerous parts of North Africa. The Senussi movement was a religious revival adapted to desert life and its zawaayaa could be found in Tripolitania and Fezzan, but Senussi influence was strongest in Cyrenaica. The Senussis first theocracy was in the city of Bayda, located in Cyrenaica, the arrival of Muammar Gaddafis rule changed the course of the university. It is now known as the Omar Al-Mukhtar University, rescuing the region from unrest and anarchy, the Senussi movement gave the Cyrenaican tribal people a religious attachment and feelings of unity and purpose. The Senussis formed a nucleus of resistance to the Italian colonial regime, despite its momentary political prominence, the Senussi movement never regained its strength as a religious force after its zawaayaa were destroyed by the Italians
Islam in Libya
–
Mawlai Muhammad Mosque, Tripoli
Islam in Libya
–
Islam by country
Islam in Libya
–
Quran studying board shot in Almayyit Mosque Tripoli. Writing on wooden boards is the traditional method for memorizing Quran
Islam in Libya
–
Koran class in
Bayda
26.
Islam in Madagascar
–
Islam has been well established in what is now known as Madagascar for centuries and today Muslims represent 7% of the population. Almost all Muslims in Madagascar practice Sunni Islam of the Shafi school of jurisprudence, beginning in the 10th or 11th century, Arabic and Zanzibari ivory merchants working their way down the east coast of Africa in their dhows and established settlements on the west coast of Madagascar. The most noteworthy of these were the Zafiraminia, traditional ancestors of the Antemoro, Antanosy, the last wave of Arab immigrants would be the Antalaotra who immigrated from eastern African colonies. They settled the north-west of the island and were the first to actually bring Islam to the island, Arab immigrants were few in total number compared to the Indonesians and Bantus, but they left a lasting impression. The Malagasy names for seasons, months, days, and coins are Arabic in origin, as is the practice of circumcision, the communal grain pool, the Arab magicians, known as the ombiasy, established themselves in the courts of many Malagasy tribal kingdoms. Sorabe is an based on Arabic used to transcribe the Malagasy language. The Arabs were also the first to identify the origin of most Malagasy by suggesting that the island was colonized by the Indonesians. Upon independence from France in 1960, Madagascar began developing close ties with staunchly secular power the Soviet Union and this stifled the development of all religion in Madagascar. However, in the 1980s, Madagascar drifted away from the Soviet Union and back towards France
Islam in Madagascar
–
A mosque in
Antananarivo.
Islam in Madagascar
–
Antsirabe mosquee
27.
Islam in Malawi
–
Islam is the second largest religion in Malawi after Christianity. Nearly all of Malawis Muslims adhere to Sunni Islam, according to the Malawi Religion Project run by the University of Pennsylvania, in 2010 approximately 25% of the population was Muslim, concentrated mostly in the Southern Region. Islam arrived in Malawi with the Arab and Swahili traders who traded in ivory, gold and it is also argued that Islam first arrived in Malawi through traders from the Kilwa Sultanate. Two Muslim teachers, Shayhks Abdallah Mkwanda and Sabiti Ngaunje, also played an important role in the spread of Islam, according to UNESCO, the first mosque was built by Swahili-Arab ivory traders. During the colonial era, the authorities in the country feared that Islam posed the greatest threat, as an ideology of resistance and this view was shared by Christian missionaries, who greatly feared that Islam could unite Africans in hostilities and uprisings against colonial rule. The 1970s witnessed the start of an Islamic revival among Muslims in Malawi, recently, Muslim groups have engaged in missionary work in Malawi. Much of this is performed by the African Muslim Agency, based in Kuwait, the Kuwait-sponsored AMA has translated the Quran into Chichewa, one of the official languages of Malawi, and has engaged in other missionary work in the country. There are thought to be about 800 jumuah mosques in the country, there are also several Islamic schools and a broadcasting station called Radio Islam. A major Muslim center of learning exists in Mpemba, outside of Blantyre, funded mainly by money from Saudi Arabia, a large number of Muslims in Malawi come from the Yao people, who are described as the most important source of Islam in the country. Even before their conversion to Islam, many Yao chiefs used Swahili Muslims as scribes, as a result of their strong trading contacts with Swahili-Arabs, many Yao adopted Islam and the two groups often intermarried. The Yao form the largest majority south and east of Lake Malawi, Muslims can also be found among other groups, such as the lakeside Chewa people and Indian and other Asian Malawians. Muslims in the country have been described as a vocal and powerful community, an important Malawian Muslim is Bakili Muluzi, the first freely elected President of Malawi from 1994 to 2004. Islam in Africa Demographics of Malawi Ian D. Dicks, an African Worldview, The Muslim Amacinga Yawo of Southern Malaŵi
Islam in Malawi
–
A
mosque in
Zomba
28.
Islam in Mali
–
Muslims currently make up approximately 95 percent of the population of Mali. The majority of Muslims in Mali are Malikite Sunni, influenced with Sufism, ahmadiyya and Shia branches are also present. During the 9th century, Muslim Berber and Tuareg merchants brought Islam southward into West Africa, Islam also spread in the region by the founders of Sufi brotherhoods. Conversion to Islam linked the West African savannah through belief in one God and similar new forms of political, social, cities including Timbuktu, Gao and Kano soon became international centers of Islamic learning. The most significant of the Mali kings was Mansa Musa, who expanded Mali influence over the large Niger city-states of Timbuktu, Gao and it was under Mansa Musa that Timbuktu became one of Africas and the worlds major cultural centers. Islam as practiced in the country until recently was reported to be relatively tolerant, women participated in economic and political activity, engaged in social interaction, and generally did not wear veils. Islam in Mali has absorbed mystical elements, ancestor veneration and the African Traditional Religion that still thrive and it is relatively common to find adherents of a variety of faiths within the same family. Many followers of one religion usually attend religious ceremonies of other religions, especially weddings, baptisms, in 2012, several Islamic sites in Mali were destroyed or damaged by vigilante activists linked to Al Qaeda which claimed that the sites represented idol worship. There are foreign Islamic preachers that operate in the north of the country, while associated with Dawa are located in Kidal, Mopti. The organization Dawa has gained adherents among the Bellah, who were once the slaves of the Tuareg nobles, the interest these groups have in Dawa is based on a desire to dissociate themselves from their former masters, and to find a source of income for the youth. The Dawa sect has an influence in Kidal, while the Wahabi movement has been reported to be steadily growing in Timbuktu. The countrys traditional approach to Islam is relatively moderate, as reflected in the ancient manuscripts from the former University of Timbuktu. In August 2003, a conflict erupted in the village of Yerere in Western Mali when traditional Sunni practitioners attacked Wahhabi Sunnis, other foreign missionary groups are Christian groups that are based in Europe and engaged in development work, primarily the provision of health care and education. The constitution provides for freedom of religion and does not permit any form of discrimination or intolerance by the government or individual persons. There is no religion as the constitution defines the country as a secular state and allows for religious practices that do not pose a threat to social stability. The government requires all public associations, including religious associations. However, registration confers no tax preference and no other legal benefits, Traditional indigenous religions are not required to register. A number of missionary groups operate in the country without government interference
Islam in Mali
–
The
Great Mosque of Djenné, the largest
mud brick building in the world, is considered the greatest achievement of the
Sudano-Sahelian architectural style. The first
mosque on the site was built in the 13th century; the current structure dates from 1907. Along with the city of
Djenné, it was designated a
World Heritage site by
UNESCO
Islam in Mali
–
The
Bamako Grand Mosque.
29.
Islam in Mauritania
–
Virtually all Mauritanians are Sunni Muslims. They adhere to the Maliki madhhab, one of the four Sunni schools of law, since independence in 1960, Mauritania has been an Islamic republic. The Constitutional Charter of 1985 declares Islam the state religion and sharia the law of the land, Islam first spread southward into West Africa, including Mauritania, with the movement of Muslim traders and craftsmen and later with the founders of Islamic brotherhoods. The relative peace brought to the area by French administration and the resentment of colonial rule contributed to the rapid rise in the power. In recent decades, these orders have opposed tribalism and have been an element in the growth of nationalist sentiment. In the 1980s, two brotherhoods, the Qadiriyyah and the Tijaniyyah, accounted for all the brotherhood membership in Mauritania. The Qadiriyyah and Tijaniyyah were essentially parallel ways, differing primarily in their methods of reciting the litanies and their Islamic doctrines and their religious obligations were basically similar. Two smaller brotherhoods also existed — the Shadhiliyyah, centered in Boumdeït in Tagant Region, and the Goudfiya, found in the regions of Tagant, Adrar, Hodh ech Chargui, and Hodh el Gharbi. As Islam spread westward and southward in Africa, various elements of religious systems became absorbed into. For example, the Islamic tradition in Mauritania began to include a variety of spirits and supernatural beings, Muslims in Mauritania believe in various lesser spirits apparently transformed from pre-Islamic faiths into Islamic spirits. Islam by country This article incorporates public domain material from the Library of Congress Country Studies website http, //lcweb2. loc. gov/frd/cs/
Islam in Mauritania
–
Boys taking Qur'an lessons in Mauritania
30.
Islam in Mauritius
–
Muslims constitute over 17.3 per cent of Mauritius population. Muslims of Mauritius are mostly of Indian descent, Muslims arrived to Mauritius during the British regime starting from 1810 as large scale indentured slaves from India. Mauritius got independence during 1968 and there was no religion in Mauritius defined in the constitution. The largest group of Muslims are the Sunnis, comprising around 80 per cent of the population with sub-sect of Salafis, the Sufis, the Tawhidis and the Tabligh jamaat. Some scholars believed that Muslims arrived in Mauritius with Dutch from Arabia as slaves, Muslims arrived to Mauritius during the British regime starting from 1810. Large scale indentured slaves from India mostly from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Bengal, Mumbai, there were a total of 450,000 immigrants during the period of 1835 to 1907 and after 1909, the immigration was stopped. They were sent from India for a period of five years after which they were returned, till 1922, only 160,000 returned to India, while other settled down in Mauritius. There were wealthy Muslim traders from Gujarat and Chettiars from South India, the population of Muslims was 33% of the total population during 1835, 64% during 1861, but reduced to less than 25% by 1909. Traditionally Sunnis remained a majority, while groups like Sunni Shafia, Shia. Cocknies, Kodjas, Bohras and Aga-khanities are believed to have arrived in Maurtius during 1910 from East Africa, tawheed idealogy, which was commonly followed in Mauritius was replaced by Islamic Circle Religious Group which culled out religious practices from India. The trend was changed after the evolution of oil-rich Arab countries in 1970s, the largest group of Muslims are the Sunnis, comprising around 80 per cent of the population. Sunnis are divided among various factions such as the Salafis, the Sufis, the Tawhidis, while the majority adheres to the Hanafi school of thoughts, there are other factions that follow the Shafei school of thought. There are also Muslims who follow the Ahmadism or Shiism, meimons are a small aristocratic group, who control the Jummah Mosque in Port Louis. Shiaties form a community of around 3 per cent of the total population. One of the subgroups are called Cocknies, who are believed to have arrived as boat builders from Cochin in India, creole Lascars are a new subgroup, who have intermarried with Cocknies or other communities. Within the Muslim community, there are three ethnic groups that exist, notably the Memons and the Surtees, then the Hindi Calcattias who came to Mauritius as indentured labourer from Bihar. Creole is the most used language among Muslims other than Arabic and Urdu, while other languages spoken include Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Mauritius got independence during 1968 and there was no state religion in Mauritius defined in the constitution. The nation had no indigenous population nor any indigenous tribes or religion, the constitution and other laws protect freedom of religion
Islam in Mauritius
–
A
mosque in
Port Mathurin
31.
Islam in Morocco
–
Islam is the largest religion in Morocco, with more than 99% of the population adhering to it. The vast majority of Muslims in Morocco are Sunni belonging to the Maliki school of jurisprudence, Islam was first brought to Morocco in 680 by an Arab invasion under Uqba ibn Nafi, who was a general serving under the Umayyads of Damascus. In 788, The Zaydi Shia Idrisids ruled large parts of Morocco and their contemporaries included the heretical Barghawata state and the Khariji state of Sijilmasa. Later, several Berbers formed more powerful Islamic dynasties that reigned over the country, among them were the Almoravids, who were the first to unite Morocco, as well as significant regions in West Africa, Spain and Algeria. The Almoravids were responsible for making the Maliki school of Islamic jurisprudence the most prominent in Morocco and it was later under Almohad rule that smaller Muslim sects were persecuted and orthodox Sunni Islam became prevalent across the country. Muslims in Morocco are predominantly of the Maliki madhab, or school of thought, Morocco has a large Salafi movement, notable figures among it include Omar al-Haddouchi and Hassan Kettani. Islam by country Christianity in Morocco Baháí Faith in Morocco History of the Jews in Morocco
Islam in Morocco
–
A mosque in
Larache
32.
Islam in Mozambique
–
Islam in Mozambique is the religion of approximately 17. 9% of the total population. The vast majority of Mozambican Muslims are Sunni belonging to Shafi school of jurisprudence, the Muslims consists primarily of indigenous Mozambicans, citizens of South Asian descent, and a very small number of North African and Middle Eastern immigrants. Mozambique has long ties with the Muslim world. The arrival of the Arab trade in Mozambique dates to the fourth Hijri century when Muslims established small emirates on the coast of East Africa. Since the founding of the Kilwa Sultanate in the 10th CE century by Ali ibn al-Hassan Shirazi, Sofala and much of the rest of coastal Mozambique was part of the Kilwa Sultanate from Arab arrival until the Portuguese conquest in 1505. During the subsequent period of the Omani Al Bu Said dynasty and it is believed that nearly all of the cities inhabitants were Muslim before the arrival of the Portuguese in the 16th century. Islam faced serious challenges in Mozambique during the colonial era, during the Estado Novo period, Roman Catholicism became the dominant religion following a formal alliance between the Church and the government. Since the end of the socialist period, Muslims have been able to proselytise freely, Muslims have also made their way into the parliament. Several South African, Kuwaiti and other Muslim agencies are active in Mozambique, an Islamic University has been set up in Nampula, with a branch in Inhambane. Mozambique is also a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Realizing the social importance of group, FRELIMO gradually reinstated traditional authority. Because of this they are able to access benefits or gain socio-political influence through Islamic platforms or organizations. Whereas Sudan, for instance, has made sharia the law of the land, amade Camal, MP from Nampula Province Shaykh Aminuddin Mohamad, head of the Islamic Council Religion in Mozambique Bonate, Liazzat J. K. “Divergent Patterns of Islamic Education in Northern Mozambique, Qur’anic Schools of Angoche. ”In Robert Launay, ed. Islamic Education in Africa, bloomington and Indianapolis, Indiana University Press,2016, 95-118. Bonate, Liazzat J. K. “Islam and Literacy in Northern Mozambique, Historical Records on the Secular Uses of the Arabic Script. ”Islamic Africa, Vol.7,2016, “The Advent and Schisms of Sufi Orders in Mozambique, 1896–1964”. Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations, Vol.26, No, Bonate, Liazzat J. K. “Muslim Memories of the Liberation War in Cabo Delgado. ”Kronos, Southern African Histories, Vol.39, November 2013, 230-256. Bonate, Liazzat J. K. “Islam in Northern Mozambique, A Historical Overview. ”Bonate, Liazzat J. K. “Muslims of Northern Mozambique, social Dynamics, Vol.35, No 2, September,2009, 280-294. Bonate, Liazzat J. K. “L’Agence des musulmans d’Afrique, les transformations de l’islam à Pemba au Mozambique”
Islam in Mozambique
–
A
mosque in
Mozambique Island
Islam in Mozambique
–
Islam by country
Islam in Mozambique
–
A mosque in Mozambique
33.
Islam in Namibia
–
Namibia is home to a small but sizable Muslim community. Islam in Namibia constitutes of about 9,000 Muslims, many of whom are Nama, Islam along with Judaism, Buddhism, and the Bahai Faith who make up the largest minority religions in Namibia combined account less then 1% of the population of Namibia. Most of Namibias Muslim community are members of the Namaqua ethnic group and it is believed that this is mostly as a result of the efforts of a prominent politician among the Nama, Jacobs Salmaan Dhameer, who converted to Islam in 1980. The first mosque in the country, called the Soweto Islamic Centre, was established 1986 and is located in Katutura, as of May 2009, there were twelve mosques in the country, six of which were in Windhoek. Twenty-four Namibians are currently studying in Saudi Arabia while others have sent for long term Islamic training in institutions in South Africa. The Namibia Islamic Judicial Council is based on Ondobe, Ohangwena Region, NIHA is Namibias oldest and most well known Halaal Certifying body. Recognised by Halaal Certification body in South Africa and in many other Islamic states, NIHA established in 2001 and before known as the Namibia Halaal Slaughterers Association. NIHA is under the leadership of Faroek Nazier the founder of the organisation, NIHA certifies majority of Food outlets and is highly trusted for its quality assurance to the Halaal consumer
Islam in Namibia
–
Islam by country
34.
Islam in Niger
–
Islam in Niger accounts for the vast majority of the nations religious adherents. The faith is practiced by more than 94% of the population, although this varies by source. The vast majority of Muslims in Niger are Malikite Sunni with Sufi influences, many of the communities who continue to practice elements of traditional religions do so within a framework of syncretic Islamic belief, making agreed statistics difficult. Sufi brotherhoods have become the dominant Muslim organization, like much of West Africa, despite this, a variety of interpretations of Islam coexist—largely in peace—with one another as well as with minorities of other faiths. The government of Niger is secular in law while recognising the importance of Islam to the vast majority of its citizens, majority of Muslims are Sunni with many of those being linked to the Tijaniya Sufi brotherhoods. Approximately 7% are Shia and 6% Ahmadi, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is also present, established in the country in 1956. Tuareg expansion from the north, culminating in their seizure of the far eastern oases from the Kanem-Bornu Empire in the 17th centuries, both Zarma and Hausa areas were greatly influenced by the 18th and 19th century Fula led Sufi brotherhoods, most notably the Sokoto Caliphate. The region around Say, on the Niger River was a center of Sufi religious instruction and Maliki legal interpretation, imported by Fulani clerics in the 1800s. Militantly anti-colonial Hammallism spread from Mali in the northwest in the 1920s, the government has made three Muslim feasts national holidays, as well as two Christian holidays. Tensions culminated in a series of November 2000 riots surrounding a French run Niamey based fashion show which they deemed immoral, violence in Niamey and Maradi, the center for most fundamentalist groups, spread to attacks on government, western, and Christian missionaries. Niger maintains its status as a secular state enshrined in the constitution of the Fifth Republic, divorce and Polygyny are unremarkable, women are not secluded, and headcoverings are not mandatory—they are often a rarity in urban areas. Alcohol, such as the locally produced Bière Niger, is openly in most of the country. Despite a long history in what is today Niger, Islam did not become the dominant faith of many areas until the 20th century. The continuation of some elements of traditional beliefs continue both is small isolated pockets, and in practices of groups of nominal Muslim Nigeriens. Communities who continue to practice elements of religions are often marked out as ethnic sub groups of the Songhay. The distinction between groups and their Muslim neighbors is often a gradient. As well, elements of some Muslim communities continue to practice traditional spirit possession cults and these include the holey cults of the Djerma and the Bori cult of the Hausa. Scarecrow Press, Boston & Folkestone, ISBN 0-8108-3136-8 Islam and Niger
Islam in Niger
–
The Grand Mosque in
Niamey, Niger a country in which at least 94% of the population are Muslim.
35.
Islam in Nigeria
–
Nigeria has the largest Muslim population in West Africa, with the Pew Research Center estimating that it is between 48. 5% and 50. 4%. The CIA estimates 50% while the BBC estimates slightly over 50%, Muslims in Nigeria are predominantly Sunni in the Maliki school, which is also the governing Sharia law. However, there is a significant Shia minority, primarily in Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, a smaller minority follow the Ahmadiyya, a reformatory sect originating in 19th century India. In particular Pew Forum on religious diversity identifies 3% as Ahmadi Muslims and 12 percent as Shia Muslims, Islam was first documented in Nigeria in the 9th century. Alooma furthered the cause of Islam in the country by introducing Islamic courts, establishing mosques, and setting up a hostel in Makkah, the Islamic pilgrimage destination, for Kanuris. It had spread to the cities of the northern part of the country by the 16th century, later moving into the countryside. However, there are some claims for an earlier arrival, the Nigeria-born Muslim scholar Sheikh Dr. Islam also came to the southwestern Yoruba-speaking areas during the time of the Mali Empire. Large-scale conversion to Islam happened in the 17th century, Islam came to Yoruba land centuries before Christianity and before churches were built, Yoruba came in contact with Islam around the 14th century during the reign of Mansa Kankan Musa of Mali Empire. According to Al-Aluri, the first Mosque was built in Ọyọ-Ile in 1550 A. D. although, there were no Yoruba Muslims, the Mosque only served the spiritual needs of foreign Muslims living in Ọyọ. Progressively, Islam came to Yoruba land, and Muslims started building Mosques, Iwo town led, its first Mosque built in 1655 followed by Iṣẹyin, in 1760, Lagos,1774, Ṣaki,1790, and Oṣogbo,1889. In time, Islam spread to towns like Oyo, Ibadan, Abẹokuta, Ijẹbu-Ode, Ikirun. Several factors contributed to the rise of Islam in Yoruba land by mid 19th century, second, there was a mass movement of people at this time into Yoruba land, many of these immigrants were Muslims who introduced Islam to their host. Islam came to Lagos at about the time like other Yoruba towns, however, it received royal support from Ọba Kosọkọ. Islamic religion no doubt, impacted Yoruba culture significantly, according to Ahmad Faosy Ogunbado, celebration of oriṣa festival is transformed or replaced with celebrating eid-el-fitri and eid-el-kabir. Women and men outlook is modified as polygamy is curtailed or modified into four at a time while prefixed oriṣa names were changed to Olu plus Bunmi, traditional shrines and ritual sites were replaced with Central Mosques in major Yoruba town and cities. In the early 19th century, Islamic scholar Usman dan Fodio launched a jihad and he was victorious, and established the Fulani Empire with its capital at Sokoto. A fringe group, led by Mohammed Marwa Maitatsine, started in Kano in the late 1970s, Maitatsine was from Cameroon, and claimed to have had divine revelations superseding those of the Prophet Muhammad. These disaffected adherents ultimately lashed out at the traditional mosques and congregations
Islam in Nigeria
–
Abuja National Mosque, located in
Abuja
Islam in Nigeria
–
The national mosque during
Harmattan
36.
Islam in Rwanda
–
Islam is the largest minority religion in Rwanda, practiced by 4. 6% of the total population according to 2006 census. Virtually all Muslims in Rwanda are Sunni, Islam was first introduced into Rwanda by Muslim traders from the East Coast of Africa in the 18th century. For the first time in its history in Rwanda, Islam is accorded the same rights, estimates show that there are equal numbers of Muslims among the Hutus as there are among the Tutsis. The estimates cannot be verified since in the wake of the genocide, compared to east African countries like Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda, the history of Islam in Rwanda is relatively modern. While a few sources are available regarding its origins, it is claimed that Islam came through Arab merchants who first entered the country in 1901. Others say that Islam came when Europeans brought in Muslim clerks, administrative assistants, Islam was also bolstered by Muslim merchants from India, who married local Rwandans. Rwandans built their first mosque in 1913 and this mosque is known as the al-Fatah mosque. During its history, many efforts were made to impede the spread of Islam in Rwanda and these efforts generally exploited anti-Arab sentiment, and presented Muslims as foreigners. Catholic missionaries often went to lengths to counter what they perceived influence of rival religions, such as Islam. Muslims were further marginalized by the fact that most Muslims settled in areas, whereas 90 percent of the population was rural. As neither Arab nor Indian merchants ever attempted to further their faith, only a few conversions took place, mostly among the marginalized urban population, women who had married foreigners, illegitimate children and orphans. Even these conversion were sometimes superficial, motivated by desire for social and economic security that Muslims provided, under the Belgian administration, Muslims in Rwanda were to some extent marginalized. Since Muslims had no place in the Catholic church, which maintained great influence over the state, Muslims were often excluded from education, as a result, Muslim employment was largely confined to engaging in petty trade, and taking up jobs as drivers. In 1960, the government minister Sebazungu ordered the burning of the Muslim quarter. Following this event, Muslims were terrified and many of them fled to neighbouring countries and it is alleged that the Catholic Church was involved in these events, which aggravated the bitterness between Muslims and Christians. Before the 1994 Genocide, Muslims were held in low regard, because they were seen as traders, the Muslim population before the genocide was 4% which was unusually low compared to that of neighbouring countries. During the Rwandan genocide, Islam as a faith was not the target of the genocide. There were only a few incidents in which Tutsis in mosques were attacked, the most widely known example occurred at Nyamirambo Main Mosque, where hundreds of Tutsi had gathered to take refuge
Islam in Rwanda
–
Islam by country
37.
Islam in Senegal
–
Islam is the predominant religion in Senegal. 92 percent of the population is estimated to be Muslim. Islam has had a presence in Senegal since the 11th century, Sufi brotherhoods expanded with French colonization, as people turned to religious authority rather than the colonial administration. The main Sufi orders are the Tijaniyyah, the Muridiyyah or Mourides, and to an extent, the pan-Islamic Qadiriyyah. Approximately 1% of the Muslims follow the Ahmadiyya thought, for nearly a millennium, there has been an Islamic presence in Senegal. Islam’s influence in the area began with the conversion of King of Takrur, War Jabi in 1040, the King attempted to convert his subjects, who are now referred to as Tukulors or the Toucouleur people, in the first attempt to convert an entire region in this area. Other empires, such as the Jolof empire, were resistant to Islam in favor of their traditional religion. Even in areas where an Islamic presence was found, many continued traditional animist practices, during the 17th and 18th centuries, Islam was used as a structure of power and militarism. In the 17th century, Islam became the religion of the elite, in 1776, the Tukulors overthrew the Denianke Dynasty and constructed a theocratic ogliarchy. Influenced by other Islamic movements throughout West Africa, they worked militaristically to convert pagan regions and this expansion ceased temporarily when the Tukulors failed to convert the pagan state of Serer. One such movement from Western Sudan was the Qadiriyya Sufi brotherhood and this movement was eclipsed by the Tijaniyyah brotherhood. During the 18th century, the French began to colonize the nation, Senegalese Muslims took a variety of responses to French colonization. Especially in the countryside, the Senegalese joined Sufi brotherhoods to unite against colonization, the popularity of the Tijaniyyah brotherhood marks this shift, Islam became “a rallying point for African resistance to the French. El Hadj Umar Tall first created a Tijani brotherhood in West Africa after he was initiated into the Tijaniyya during his hajj to Mecca, in his attempt to create a Tijani Islamic empire in Senegal, Tall is described as the “most eminent of the Muslim clerical warriors. The marabouts, leaders and sources of guidance in Sufi brotherhoods, later, the Mouride brotherhood would serve this same role of resistance for the Senegalese. Many Mourides were former political authorities who lost their positions as the French took over, the French felt threatened and targeted the leaders of these movements. The founder of the Mourides, Cheikh Amadou Bamba was arrested twice by the colonial administration and this injustice only furthered his popularity and the Mourides’ extreme veneration of their leader. To this day, Cheikh Bamba is honored as an important leader of resistance in Senegal, other Muslims chose to cooperate with the French, and even gain positions of power within the French government
Islam in Senegal
–
The
Great Mosque of Touba, is one of the largest mosques in
Senegal.
Islam in Senegal
–
A mosque in
Ndar, Senegal.
Islam in Senegal
–
A mosque in
Kaolack, Senegal.
38.
Islam in Seychelles
–
Islam in the Indian Ocean was established by Muslim sea merchants well before the European discovery of Seychelles. However, unlike in other states including the Comoros and Maldives. Today, the Muslim population of the islands is reported to be only 1. 1%, mauritius also has a much higher Muslim population due to the importation of labour from British India on a scale not seen in Seychelles. The government of Seychelles allows 15 minutes of religious broadcasting every Friday for the Muslim community, US Government report in Religious Freedom in Seychelles
Islam in Seychelles
–
A mosque in Mahe
39.
Islam in Sierra Leone
–
Sierra Leone last conducted a census in 2009 and estimates there are 4,059,000 Muslims in Sierra Leone. This suggests 71. 3% of the total population is Muslim. There are 18 ethnic groups in Sierra Leone, the two largest being the Temne and Mende, the Temnes are the main tribe in the north and are predominantly Muslim. At least nine of Sierra Leones sixteen ethnic groups are predominantly Muslim, the vast majority of Sierra Leonean Muslims are Malikite Sunni, while small minorities are Shia and Ahmadiyya. Though small in numbers, the Ahmadiyya has one of the largest Islamic institutions across country, the majority of Sierra Leonean Muslims are adherent to Sunni Islam. Significant portions of Sierra Leonean Muslims are Ahmadis, Shia, most mosques in Sierra Leone are non-denominational. The largest mosque in Sierra Leone is the Freetown Central Mosque, sitting Sierra Leonean Heads of State, regardless of their religions, have traditionally made occasional visits to the Freetown Central Mosque, especially during Friday jummah prayer. The chief imam of the Freetown Central Mosque is Sheikh Ahmad Tejan Sillah, a Shia Muslim and this is an Islamic organisation made up of imams from across Sierra Leone The head of the Ahmadiyya branch of Islam in Sierra Leone is sheikh Mauvi Sadeeur Rahman. In the early 18th century Fulani and Mande-speaking tribesmen from the Fouta Djallon region of present-day Guinea converted many Temne of northern Sierra Leone to Islam, during the period of British colonization, attempts to spread Christianity were mostly ineffective. Islam continued to spread after independence in 1961, in 1960 the Muslim population was 35 percent and grew to 60 percent by 2000, the current Ebola crisis has also made it impossible for them to obtain Visas to Saudi Arabia. The recent Sierra Leone Civil War was secular in nature featuring members of Christian, Muslim, Ahmadiyya in Sierra Leone Christianity in Sierra Leone Hinduism in Sierra Leone
Islam in Sierra Leone
–
Islam by country
40.
Islam in Somalia
–
Nearly all people in Somalia are Sunni Muslims. For more than 1400 years, Islam made a part of Somali society. Practicing Islam reinforces distinctions that further set Somalis apart from their immediate neighbors, for generations, Islam in Somalia followed the Ash’ariyah theology, Shafi’i jurisprudence, and Sufism, until recent decades when Salafism has made inroads. Influence of Islamic religious leaders has varied by region, being greater in the north than some groups in the settled regions of the south. Among nomads, the exigencies of pastoral life gave greater weight to the warriors role, the role of religious functionaries began to shrink in the 1950s and 1960s as some of their legal and educational powers and responsibilities were transferred to secular authorities. The position of religious leaders changed substantially after the 1969 revolution, Siad Barre insisted that his version of socialism was compatible with Quranic principles, and he condemned atheism. Religious leaders, however, were warned not to meddle in politics, the new government instituted legal changes that some religious figures saw as contrary to Islamic precepts. The regime reacted sharply to criticism, executing some of the protesters, subsequently, religious leaders seemed to accommodate themselves to the government. Islam was introduced to the northern Somali coast early on from the Arabian peninsula, zeilas two-mihrab Masjid al-Qiblatayn although not dated, is said to have been built back in the 7th century, and is the oldest mosque in the city. In the late 9th century, Al-Yaqubi wrote that Muslims were living along the northern Somali seaboard. He also mentioned that the Adal kingdom had its capital in the city, according to I. M. Lewis, the polity was governed by local dynasties, who also ruled over the similarly-established Sultanate of Mogadishu in the littoral Benadir region to the south. Adals history from this founding period forth would be characterized by a succession of battles with neighbouring Abyssinia, in 1332, the Zeila-based King of Adal was slain in a military campaign aimed at halting the Abyssinian Emperor Amda Seyon Is march toward the city. When the last Sultan of Ifat, Saad ad-Din II, was killed by Emperor Dawit I in Zeila in 1410, his children escaped to Yemen. In the early 15th century, Adals capital was moved inland to the town of Dakkar, where Sabr ad-Din II. Adals headquarters were relocated the following century, this time to Harar. From this new capital, Adal organised an army led by Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi that invaded the Abyssinian empire. This 16th century campaign is known as the Conquest of Abyssinia. Some scholars argue that this conflict proved, through their use on both sides, the value of firearms like the musket, cannons and the arquebus over traditional weapons
Islam in Somalia
–
Ruins of the Muslim
Adal Sultanate in
Zeila.
Islam in Somalia
–
Islam by country
Islam in Somalia
–
The
Mosque of Islamic Solidarity in Mogadishu is the largest masjid in the Horn region.
41.
Islam in South Africa
–
Islam in South Africa is a minority religion, practised by less than 1. 5% of the total population, according to estimates. Islam in South Africa has grown in three phases, the second phase was the arrival of Indians as indentured labourers to work in the sugar-cane fields in Natal between 1860 and 1868, and again from 1874 to 1911. Of the approximately 176,000 Indians of all faiths who were transported to the Natal province, the third phase has been marked - post apartheid – by the wave of African Muslims that have arrived on the shores and borders of South Africa. Recent figures put the number at approximately at 75-100000, added to this are a considerable number of Muslims from the Indo-Pak subcontinent that have arrived as economic migrants. Although, the majority of Muslims are Sunni, smaller numbers are Ahmadi, in the 17th century the Dutch controlled East Indies and the Cape. Muslims were brought from Dutch East Indies, etc. as slaves including those who waged Jihad in the Dutch colonies, the first recorded arrival of free Muslims known as Mardyckers is in 1658. Jan Van Riebeeck had requested that the Mardyckers be sent to the Cape as a labour force, the Mardyckers were prohibited from openly practising their religion, Islam. Offenders to be punished with death, but should there be amongst them those who had drawn to God to become Christians. The same Placaat was re-issued on 23 August 1657 by Governor John Maetsuycker probably in anticipation of the advent of the Mardyckers to the Cape of Good Hope, the Placaat governed the Cape as part of the Dutch Colonial Empire. During the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century the Dutch continued to exile Muslim leaders from Dutch East Indies to the Cape,1667 saw the arrival of first Muslim political exiles banished by the Dutch to the Cape. The first political exiles were the rulers of Sumatra and they were Sheikh Abdurahman Matabe Shah and Sheikh Mahmood. From the very outset the Cape authorities accommodated the exiles away from Cape Town as they feared the exiles would escape, a tomb for these political exiles has been erected on Islam Hill in Constantia in the Cape. Sheikh Abdurahman Matebe Shah used his exile to consolidate the teaching of Islam among slaves in the Cape, the next Orang Cayen was Sheikh Yusuf of Bantam who arrived on board De Voetboog on 2 April 1694 along with his family and followers. They were housed on a farm in Zandvleit, near the mouth of the Eerste River in the Cape, far from Cape Town, the Companys attempt to isolate Shaykh Yusuf at Zandvleit did not succeed. On the contrary, Zandvleit turned out to be the point for fugitive slaves. It was here that the first cohesive Muslim community in South Africa was established, since the Sheikh and his followers hailed from Macassar, the district around Zandvleit is still known today as Macassar. Sa‘id Alowie, popularly known as Tuan Sa‘id, of Mocca in Yemen, Arabia and they were banished to the Cape by the Dutch and were incarcerated on Robben Island. On his release from Robben Island Tuan Said settled at the Cape where he worked as a police constable - an occupation which gave him opportunities for visiting slave quarters at night to teach
Islam in South Africa
–
Mosque in Cape Town.
Islam in South Africa
–
Islam by country
Islam in South Africa
–
Sufi Mosque -
KwaZulu-Natal
Islam in South Africa
–
Hashim Amla, captain of South African Cricket Team
42.
Islam in Sudan
–
Islam is the largest religion in Sudan, and Muslims have dominated national government institutions since independence in 1956. According to UNDP Sudan, the Muslim population is 97%, including numerous Arab and non-Arab groups, the remaining 3% ascribe to either Christianity or traditional animist religions. Muslims predominate in all but Nuba Mountains region, there are also some Shia communities in Khartoum, the capital. The most significant divisions occur along the lines of the Sufi brotherhoods, two popular brotherhoods, the Ansar and the Khatmia, are associated with the opposition Umma and Democratic Unionist Parties respectively. Only the Darfur region is lacking the presence of Sufi brotherhoods found in the rest of the country. In states or regions where a majority hold different religious or customary beliefs than those on which the system is based. Sudan has had three democratic governments since 1956, all of which abolished Sharia law, there had been cultural contact between Nubians and Arabs long before the rise of Islam. Islam spread to Sudan from the north, after the Islamic conquest of Egypt, nubia had already been Christianized, also from Egypt, hence the old Nubian church followed Coptic Christianity. The Nubian Christian kingdoms of Nobatia, Makuria and Alodia fell to the Islamic invasions in 650,1312 and 1504, from 1504, northern Sudan was ruled by the Muslim Funj Sultanate. South Kordofan and what is now South Sudan, is part of Sub-Saharan Africa and was neither Christianized nor Islamized until the 19th century, in the early 1990s, the largest single category among the Muslim peoples of Sudan consisted of those speaking some form of Arabic. Excluded were a number of Arabic speakers originating in Egypt. In 1983 the people identified as Arabs constituted nearly 70% of the total Sudanese population, in some of these provinces, they were overwhelmingly dominant. In others, they were less so but made up a majority, by 1990 Ash Sharqi State was probably largely Arab. It should be emphasized, however, that the acquisition of Arabic as a second language did not necessarily lead to the assumption of Arab identity, despite common language, religion, and self-identification, Arabs did not constitute a cohesive group. They were highly differentiated in their modes of livelihood and ways of life, besides the major distinction dividing Arabs into sedentary and nomadic, there was an old tradition that assigned them to tribes, each said to have a common ancestor. The two largest of the categories in the early 1990s were the Juhayna and the Jaali. The Juhayna category consisted of tribes considered nomadic, although many had become fully settled, the Jaali encompassed the riverine, sedentary peoples from Dunqulah to just north of Khartoum and members of this group who had moved elsewhere. Some of its groups had become sedentary only in the twentieth century, Sudanese saw the Jaali as primarily indigenous peoples who were gradually arabized
Islam in Sudan
–
Sufi ritual being performed in Sudan.
Islam in Sudan
–
Islam by country
Islam in Sudan
–
Tomb of al-Mahdi in Omdurman, Sudan
Islam in Sudan
–
A mosque near a rest stop between Khartoum and Karima.
43.
Islam in Tanzania
–
Islam is the religion of about 15% of the people of Tanzania. On the mainland, Muslim communities are concentrated in areas, with some large Muslim majorities also in inland urban areas especially. More than 99% of the population of the Zanzibar archipelago is Muslim, the majority of Muslims in Tanzania are Sunni of Shafi school of jurisprudence, with unusually significant Shia and Ahmadi minorities in sub-Saharan Africa. According to Pew research center, two-thirds of the Muslim population of Tanzania is Sunni, Islam arrived to Tanzania with the Arab slave traders. The route from Ujiji at the shore of Lake Tanganyika to Bagamoyo, the history of Islam in the country can be traced to the establishment of the Kilwa Sultanate in the 10th century by Ali ibn al-Hassan Shirazi, a Persian prince of Shiraz. Religion in Tanzania Islam in Zanzibar Islamic family law in Tanzania
Islam in Tanzania
–
Gaddafi Mosque in
Dodoma
Islam in Tanzania
–
The
Great Mosque of Kilwa is one of the earliest surviving mosques in the
African Great Lakes.
44.
Islam in Togo
–
Muslims in Togo represent between 12 and 20% of the national population. Islam came to Togo about the time as it did much of West Africa. The vast majority of Muslims in Togo are Sunni of Maliki school of jurisprudence, islam was first introduced into West Africa south of the Sahara, across the salt and gold trade routes. Islamicized Berber and Tuareg merchants traveled the trans-Saharan trade routes, as time passed, Muslim clerics and scholars — teaching their beliefs and setting up places of worship along the routes — accompanied traders on their journeys. The Hausa and the Fulani, a nomadic group, traveled all over West Africa, taking their Muslim beliefs to places such as present-day Guinea, Sierra Leone. Estimates on the number of Muslims in Togo vary depending on the source, the CIA World Factbook puts the figure is 20%. A survey by the Pew Research Center gives an estimate of 12. 2% of the population or 809,000 individuals as of 2009, mohamed Kader, first Togolese player to score in Fifa World Cup
Islam in Togo
–
Mosque in northern Togo
Islam in Togo
–
Islam by country
45.
Islam in Tunisia
–
Islam is the official state religion in Tunisia. Approximately 99 percent of the population of the country is Sunni, the constitution of Tunisia states that the country’s “religion is Islam”, the government is the “guardian of religion”, and requires that the president be Muslim. The predominant madhhab in the country is the Malaki school, most Sunni Muslims in Tunisia belonging to the Malikite madhhab, but a small number of Ibadhi Muslims still exist among the Berber-speakers of Jerba Island. There is no data on the number of practicing Muslims. There is a small indigenous Sufi Muslim community, but no statistics regarding its size, reliable sources report that many Sufis left the country shortly after independence when their religious buildings and land reverted to the Government. Although the Sufi community is small, its tradition of mysticism permeates the practice of Islam throughout the country, during annual Ramadan festivals, Sufis provide public cultural entertainment by performing religious dances. The January 2014 Constitution states the country’s “religion is Islam. ”It designates the government as the “guardian of religion”, the constitution guarantees freedom of belief, conscience, and exercise of religious practices, and the neutrality of mosques and houses of worship from partisan exploitation. It stipulates the state’s commitment to disseminate the values of moderation and tolerance, protect holy sites, the government controls and subsidizes mosques and pays the salaries of prayer leaders. The President appoints the Grand Mufti of the Republic, four religious holidays are included among the national holidays in Tunisia, Eid al-Adha, Eid al-Fitr, Muharram, and Mawlid. The Zeitouna Koranic School is part of the Governments national university system, generally, Sharia-based interpretation of civil law is applied only in some family cases. Some families avoid the effects of Sharia on inheritance by executing sales contracts between parents and children to ensure that sons and daughters receive equal shares of property, the area that is now Tunisia came under the rule of Islam during the Umayyad Caliphate. The Umayyads founded the first Islamic city in North Africa, Kairouan where in 670 AD that the Mosque of Uqba, or the Great Mosque of Kairouan, was constructed. This mosque is the oldest and most prestigious sanctuary in the Muslim West with the oldest standing minaret in the world, it is considered a masterpiece of Islamic art. Zitouna mosque-university, was created around 703 AD, and became the center of Tunisia’s Islamic scholarship, the Muslim Arab governors of Tunis founded the Aghlabid Dynasty, which ruled Tunisia, Tripolitania and eastern Algeria from 800 to 909. Its capital Kairuan became the most important centre of learning in the Maghreb, most notably in the field of Theology, Tunisia was influenced more heavily by Europe during the colonial era and is considered the most westernized of Muslim North African states. He also named a Grand Mufti of the Republic and his successor, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, created a Higher Islamic Council. He required that imams of mosques be appointed by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the ministry often appointed members of the ruling Democratic Constitutional Rally party, which also controlled the content of prayer services. A law passed in 1988 forbid all activities and meetings in mosques by people other than those appointed by the state, in 2004, the US State Department reported that people were sometimes interrogated just for associating or being seen in the street with practising Muslims
Islam in Tunisia
–
Tunis Zitouna Great Mosque
Islam in Tunisia
–
The Mosquée Ennasr mosque in
Ariana has a futurist architecture
46.
Islam in Uganda
–
According to the 2002 National Census, Islam in Uganda was practiced by 12.1 percent of the population. The vast majority of Muslims in Uganda are Sunni, small Shia and Ahmadi minorities are also present. The Iganga District in the east of Uganda had the highest percentage of Muslims according to a 2009 published report, Islam had arrived in Uganda from the north and through inland networks of the East African coastal trade by the mid-nineteenth century. Some Baganda Muslims trace their familys conversion to the period in which Kabaka Mutesa I converted to Islam in the nineteenth century, when Idi Amin, a Ugandan Muslim, became president in 1971, his presidency seemed to be a victory for Ugandas Muslim community. Then in 1972, Amins expulsion of Asians from Uganda reduced the Muslim population significantly, as his administration deteriorated into a brutal and unsuccessful regime, Ugandas Muslims began to distance themselves from those in power. After Amins overthrow in 1979, Muslims became the victims of the backlash that was directed primarily against the Kakwa, yusuf Lule, who served a brief term as president from 1979 to 1980, was also a Muslim. He was not a politician, but he was successful in reducing the public stigma attached to Islam. In 1989, President Yoweri Museveni appealed to Ugandas Muslim community to contribute to national reconstruction, but at the same time, Museveni admonished Ugandans to avoid sectarian allegiances, and this warning was directed at the Islamic community as well as other ethnic and religious groups. The Islamic University in Uganda is one of Ugandas institutes of Islamic teaching and it is located in Mbale in the foothills of Mount Elgon. In June 2016, at least six Muslim villagers murdered a Christian woman in the Naigobya village of the Luuka District after she refused to apportion her land for the building of a Muslim mosque. The Muslim in-laws of a Christian woman in Busandha village also in Luuka District poisoned to death her infant daughter for eating in the daytime of Ramadan and he escaped after hearing their plans to end his life. The 2002 national census recorded that Muslims represented 12.1 percent of the population, Islam by country This article incorporates public domain material from the Library of Congress Country Studies website http, //lcweb2. loc. gov/frd/cs/. Muslim population estimates on islamicweb. com Muslim population estimates on Islamicpopulation. com
Islam in Uganda
–
The
Gaddafi National Mosque is one of the largest mosques in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Islam in Uganda
–
A rural mosque in Uganda
47.
Islam in Zambia
–
The arrival of Islam in Zambia dates to the fourth Hijri century when Muslims established emirates on the coast of East Africa. During that period Muslim slave merchants extended their business to the interior regions reaching Zambia in the period of the Omani dynasty Al Bu Said, Arab slave traders entered Zambia from their trading bases on the coast of Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique. Over a period of hundreds of more than four million slaves were stolen from Zambia and surrounding countries. Muslims account for less than 1% of the population of 11.26 million. Although Zambia is officially a Christian Nation there is freedom of religion, the vast majority of Muslims in Zambia are Sunni. A small Ismaili Shia community is also present, there are about 500 people belonging to the Ahmadiyya sect in Islam. Muslim Population Population of Muslims around the world
Islam in Zambia
–
Islam by country
48.
Islam in Zimbabwe
–
The arrival of Islam in Zimbabwe dates to the fourth Hijri century when Muslims established emirates on the coast of East Africa. During that period slave merchants extended their business to the interior regions reaching Zimbabwe, over a period of hundreds of years more than four million slaves were stolen from Zimbabwe and surrounding countries and exported from Swahili ports by traders to India. Many Muslims entered Zimbabwe during the period, primarily from the Indian subcontinent. There are many Muslims in Zimbabwe who are considered to be people of mixed race, estimates on the number of Muslims in Zimbabwe vary from as low as 50.000 to as many as 120.000, according to the United States State Department. There have been rumours that say that Arab traders played a role in the construction of Great Zimbabwe. The proof given for this is there are a number of indigenous people, in the city of Masvingo who have Muslim names. A great number of Muslims have also arrived since the discovery of diamonds in the Manicaland area from north, the Islamic migrants are largely coming from the Yao tribe of neighboring Malawi
Islam in Zimbabwe
–
Islam by country
49.
Islam in Asia
–
Islam began in Asia in the 7th century during the lifetime of Muhammad. A number of adherents of Islam have lived in Asia & specially West Asia, the Barmakid family was an early supporter of the Abbasid Revolution against the Umayyads and of As-Saffah. This gave Khalid ibn Barmak considerable influence, and his son Yaḥyā ibn Khālid was the vizier of the caliph al-Mahdi, yaḥyās sons al-Faḍl and Jafar both occupied high offices under Harun. Many Barmakids were patrons of the sciences, which helped the propagation of Indian science. They patronized scholars such as Gebir and Jabril ibn Bukhtishu and they are also credited with the establishment of the first paper mill in Baghdad. We know of Yaḥyā ibn Khālid al-Barmakī as a patron of physicians and, specifically, in all likelihood however, his activity took place in the orbit of the caliphal court in Iraq, where at the behest of Hārūn ar-Rashīd, such books were translated into Arabic. Many of the governors of the Caliphate were Barmakids. Khalid ibn Barmak built Mansura, Sindh and later Baghdad and his son was the governor of what is now Azerbaijan. Islam is currently the largest religion in Asia followed by Hinduism The total number of Muslims in Asia in 2010 was about 1.1 billion. Asia is home to the largest Muslim population, with West Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, 62% of the worlds Muslims live in Asia, with Indonesia, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh having the four largest Muslim populations in the world. The spread of Islam outside of the Arabian peninsula and into parts of the continent can be linked to the extensive trade routes connecting West Asia to China. Islam in South Asia Islam in Asia at the Open Directory Project
Islam in Asia
–
Islam by country
50.
Islam in Afghanistan
–
Islam in Afghanistan began to be practiced after the Arab Islamic conquest of Afghanistan from the 7th to the 10th centuries, with the last holdouts to conversion submitting in the late 19th century. Today, Islam is the state religion of Afghanistan, with approximately 99. 8% of the Afghan population being Muslim. About 80-90% practice Sunni Islam, belonging to the Hanafi Islamic law school, most Shias belong to the Twelver branch and only a smaller number follow Ismailism. During the 7th century, the Rashidun Caliphate Arabs entered modern-day Afghanistan after decisively defeating the Sassanian Persians in Nihawand, following this colossal defeat, the last Sassanid Emperor, Yazdegerd III, who became a hunted fugitive, fled eastward deep into Central Asia. A large number of the inhabitants of northern Afghanistan accepted Islam through Umayyad missionary efforts, particularly under the reign of Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik, in south, Abdur Rahman bin Samara introduced Islam to the natives of Zabulistan which was ruled by the Zunbils. The father of Abu Hanifa, Thabit bin Zuta, was a native from modern-day Afghanistan and he immigrated to Kufa, where Hanifa was born. Later, the Samanids propagated Sunni Islam deep into the heart of Central Asia, since then, Islam has dominated the countrys religious landscape. Islamic leaders have entered the sphere at various times of crisis. The remnants of a Shahi presence in Peshawar were expelled by Mahmud of Ghazni during 998 and 1030, the Ghaznavids were replaced by the Ghurid Dynasty who expanded the already powerful Islamic empire. Believed to be first built during the Ghurids in the 12th century, during this period, known as the Islamic Golden Age, Afghanistan became the second major learning center in the Muslim world after Baghdad. After the Mongol invasion and destruction, the Timurids rebuilt the area, Shia Islam made its way to southern Afghanistan during the Safavid rule in the 16th century. Until Mir Wais Hotak liberated the Afghans in 1709, the Kandahar region of Afghanistan was often a battleground between the Shia Safavids and the Sunni Mughals, the first systematic employment of Islam as an instrument for state-building was introduced by King Abdur Rahman Khan during his drive toward centralization. He decreed that all laws must comply with Islamic law and thus elevated the Shariah over customary laws embodied in the Pashtunwali, the ulama were enlisted to legitimize and sanction his state efforts as well as his central authority. This enhanced the community on the one hand, but as they were increasingly inducted into the bureaucracy as servants of the state. His successors continued and expanded King Abdur Rahman Khans policies as they increased the momentum of secularization, Islam remained central to interactions, but the religious establishment remained essentially non-political, functioning as a moral rather than a political influence. Nevertheless, Islam asserted itself in times of national crisis, and, when the religious leadership considered themselves severely threatened, charismatic religious personalities periodically employed Islam to rally disparate groups in opposition to the state. They rose up on several occasions against King Amanullah Shah, for example, subsequent rulers, mindful of traditional attitudes antithetical to secularization were careful to underline the compatibility of Islam with modernization. Even so, and despite its position within the society which continued to draw no distinction between religion and state, the role of religion in state affairs continued to decline
Islam in Afghanistan
–
Built during the
Ghurids in the 12th century, the
Friday Mosque of Herat is one of the oldest mosques in
Afghanistan.
Islam in Afghanistan
–
Islam by country
Islam in Afghanistan
–
A
miniature from
Padshahnama depicting the surrender of the
Shia Safavid at
Kandahar in 1638 to the
Sunni Mughal army commanded by Kilij Khan.
Islam in Afghanistan
–
The Friday Mosque in
Kandahar. Adjacent to it is the
Shrine of the Cloak and the tomb of
Ahmad Shah Durrani.
51.
Islam in Armenia
–
Islam began to make inroads into the Armenian Plateau during the seventh century. Arab, and later Kurdish, tribes began to settle in Armenia following the first Arab invasions, with the Seljuk invasions of the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the Turkic element eventually superseded that of the Arab and Kurdish. Many Armenians were also forced to convert to Islam, on the penalty of death, the Muslim Arabs first invaded Armenia in 639, under the leadership of Abd ar-Rahman ibn Rabiah,18,000 Arabs penetrated the district of Taron and the region of the Lake of Van. Prince Theodoros Rshtuni led the Armenian defense, in about 652, a peace agreement was made, allowing Armenians freedom of religion. Prince Theodoros traveled to Damascus, where he was recognized by the Arabs as the ruler of Armenia, Georgia, by the end of the seventh century, the Caliphates policy toward Armenia and the Christian faith hardened. Special representatives of the Caliph called ostikans were sent to govern Armenia, the governors made the city of Dvin their residence. Although Armenia was declared the domain of the Caliph, almost all Armenians, although not all, the Muslim element in Armenia grew progressively stronger during the medieval period. The Ottoman Empire ruled in accordance to Islamic law, as such, the People of the Book had to pay a tax to fulfill their status as dhimmi and in return were guaranteed religious autonomy. While the Armenians of Constantinople benefitted from the Sultans support and grew to be a prospering community, during times of crisis the ones in the remote regions of mountainous Western Armenia were mistreated by local Kurdish chiefs and feudal lords. They often also had to suffer raids by nomadic Kurdish tribes, Armenians, like the other Ottoman Christians, had to transfer some of their healthy male children to the Sultans government due to the devşirme policies in place. The boys were converted to Islam and educated to be warriors in times of war, the Persians Safavids, established definite control over Armenia and far beyond since the time of Shah Ismail I in the early 16th century. Many Armenians joined the Safavid functions, in the civil administration, especially amongst these elite soldier units, the ghulams, many of them were converted Armenians, alongside the masses of Circassians and Georgians. His successors continued to do more of these deportations and replacements with Turcomans, by the time the Persians had to cede their centuries long suzerainty over Armenia, the majority of the population in what is now Armenia were Muslims. With the historical provinces being subsumed within the borders of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, since Armenia gained its independence in 1991, the majority of Muslims still living in the country are temporary residents from Iran and other countries. In 2009, the Pew Research Center estimated that less than 0. 1% of the population, in the territory of the modern Armenian republic, only a single mosque, that of the Blue Mosque, has survived to the present-day. The first printed version of the Quran translated into the Armenian language from Arabic appeared in 1910, in 1912 a translation from a French version was published. Both were in the Western Armenian dialect, a new translation of the Quran in the Eastern Armenian dialect was started with the help of the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran located in Yerevan. The translation was done by Edward Hakhverdyan from Persian in three years, a group of Arabologists have been helping with the translation
Islam in Armenia
–
The
Seljuk era
Çifte Minareli Medrese (Twin
Minaret Madrasa) in the city of
Erzurum.
Islam in Armenia
–
The
Blue Mosque, Yerevan.
52.
Islam in Bahrain
–
Islam is the state religion in Bahrain. Bahrains 2010 census indicated that 70. 2% of the population is Muslim, although the country is majority-Shiite, the al-Khalifa monarchy is Sunni. Prior to Islam, the inhabitants of Qatar and Bahrain practiced Arabian paganism, Islam swept the entire Arabian region in the 7th century. The Ismaili Shia sect known at the Qarmatians seized Bahrain in 899 CE, making it their stronghold, the Qarmatians were eventually defeated by their Ismaili counterparts, the Abbasids in 976 and afterwards their power waned. The defeat of the Qarmatian state saw the gradual wane of their brand of Ismaili Islam. Instead, under a process encouraged by Sunni rulers over the four hundred years. According to historian Juan Cole, Sunnis favoured the quietist Twelver branch of Shiism over the Qarmatians, in the 13th Century, there arose what was termed the Bahrain School, which integrated themes of philosophy and mysticism into orthodox Twelver practise. The school produced theologians such as Sheikh Kamal al-Din Ibn Sa’adah al Bahrani, Sheikh Jamal al-Din ‘Ali --- ibn Sulayman al-Bahrani, and perhaps most famously Sheikh Maitham Al Bahrani. There are no figures, but it is estimated that 60-70% of the Bahrainis follow the Shia Jafari school. There is also a population of the South Asian Sunni Muslim residents who follow the Hanafi school. The country observes the Muslim feasts of Eid al-Adha, Eid al-Fitr, the Prophet Muhammads birthday, political liberalisation under King Hamad has seen Islamist parties contest Bahrains elections and become a dominant force in parliament. In the 2006 election Wefaq received the backing of the Islamic Scholars Council which helped it seventeen of the eighteen seats it contested. In the 2010 election, they increased their representation by one seat, winning all the constituencies they contested, to take 18 of the 40 available parliamentary seats
Islam in Bahrain
–
Gudaibiya mosque, in
Manama.
Islam in Bahrain
–
Islam by country
53.
Islam in Bangladesh
–
Religion has always been a strong part of identity, but this has varied at different times. A survey in late 2003 confirmed that religion is the first choice by a citizen for self-identification, the constitution makes Bangladesh a secular state and guarantees freedom of religion, however the United Nations has recognised the country as moderate Muslim democratic country. Arab navigation in the region was the result of the Muslim reign over the Indus delta, the activities of the Muslims were expanded along the entire coast of South Asia including the coasts of Bengal. The religion of Islam entered the region in different ways, the Muslim traders, the Turkic conquest and. One of the authentications of the Arab traders present in the region was the writings of Arab geographers and this evidence suggests that the Arab traders had arrived along the Bengal coast long before the Turkic conquest. The Arab writers also knew about the kingdoms of Samrup and Ruhmi, between the 8th century and 12th century, the Buddhist dynasty known as the Pala Empire ruled Bengal. During that time, the majority of the population in Bengal were thought to be Buddhists, after the decline of the Pala dynasty, the Sena dynasty came to power. The large scale conversion to Islam began in the 13th century, conversion was generally collective rather than individual. Islam attracted numerous Buddhists and Hindus, Sufis were responsible for most conversions. The mass conversion resulted in a religion where Hindu deities begin to be venerated as Muslim pirs. One of the notable Muslim pirs was Shah Jalal and he arrived in the region of Sylhet in 1303 with many other disciples to preach the religion to the people. According to legend, Shah Jalal, came to Sylhet from Delhi with a band of 360 disciples to preach Islam, Shah Jalal journeyed eastward and reached India in 1300, where he met with many great scholars and mystics. He arrived at Ajmer, where he met the great Sufi mystic and scholar, Khawaja Gharibnawaz Muinuddin Hasan Chisty, in Delhi, he purportedly met with Nizamuddin Auliya, another major Sufi mystic and scholar. During the later stages of his life, Shah Jalal devoted himself to propagating Islam to the masses, under his guidance, many thousands of Hindus and Buddhists converted to Islam. Shah Jalal become so renowned that even the famed Ibn Battuta, whilst in Chittagong, was asked to change his plans and go to Sylhet to visit him. On his way to Sylhet, Ibn Battuta was greeted by several of Shah Jalals disciples who had come to assist him on his journey many days before he had arrived and he observed that the companions of Shah Jalal were foreigners and known for their strength and bravery. Ibn Battuta also mentioned many people would visit him and seek guidance. Shah Jalal was therefore instrumental in the spread of Islam throughout north east India including Assam, during the Sultanate period, a syncrestic belief system arose due to mass conversions
Islam in Bangladesh
Islam in Bangladesh
–
Khan Mohammad Mirdha's Mosque in Dhaka, built in 1706 (18th century old mosque).
Islam in Bangladesh
–
Muslim women, wearing
hijab which is a version of
modest Islamic clothing, can be seen shopping at a department store in
Comilla,
Bangladesh.
Islam in Bangladesh
–
Entrance of the Shah Jalal Mazar in
Sylhet
54.
Islam in Brunei
–
Islam is Bruneis official religion,67 percent of the population is Muslim, mostly Sunnis of Malay origin who follow the Shafi school of Islamic law. Most of the other Muslim groups are Malay Brunei, Malay Kedayans, Islam was adopted in the 15th century when a Malay Muslim was installed as sultan. The sultan traditionally was responsible for upholding Islamic traditions, although the responsibility was delegated to appointed officials. With the constitution in 1959, Islam became the religion of the country. On 30 April 2014, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah announced the implementation, Malay Islamic identity Mosques in Brunei
Islam in Brunei
–
The Great Mosque in Brunei
55.
Islam in Burma
–
Islam is a religion in Myanmar, practised by 4% of the population, according to the Myanmar official statistics. In early Bagan era Arab Muslim merchants landed at the ports such as Thaton, Arab Muslim ships sailed from Madagascan island to China and they used to go in and out of Burma. Arab travellers visited the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal south of Burma, at first Muslims arrived on the Arakan coast and moved into the upward hinterland to Maungdaw. The time when the Muslims arrived in Burma and in Arakan and these early Muslim settlements and the propagation of Islam were documented by Arab, Persian, European and Chinese travelers of the 9th century. Burmese Muslims are the descendants of Muslim peoples who settled and intermarried with the local Burmese ethnic groups, Muslims arrived in Burma as traders or settlers, military personnel, and prisoners of war, refugees, and as victims of slavery. However, many early Muslims also as saying goes held positions of status as royal advisers, royal administrators, port authorities, mayors, the broadminded King Mindon of Mandalay, Burma permitted the Chinese Muslims known as Panthays to build a mosque in the capital, Mandalay. The Panthays of Mandalay requested donations from the Sultan Sulaiman of Yunnan, the Sultan agreed to finance the Mosque and sent his Colonel Mah Too-tu in 1868 to supervise the project. The Mosque, which is standing, constitutes a historic landmark. It signifies the beginning of the first Panthay Jamaat in Mandalay Ratanabon Naypyidaw, Persian Muslims arrived in northern Burma on the border with the Chinese region of Yunnan as recorded in the Chronicles of China in 860 AD. Burmas contacts with Islam via Yunnan thus go back to Sai-tien-chth, State councillor of Yunnan and his son Na-su-la-ting was the commander of first Mongol invasion of Burma. Burmese Muslims were sometimes called Pathi, a name believed to be derived from Persian, many settlements in the southern region near present-day Thailand were noted for the Muslim populations, in which Muslims often outnumbered the local Buddhists. In one record, Pathein was said to be populated with Pathis, Arab merchants also arrived in Martaban, Mergui, and there were Arab settlements in the present Myeik archipelagos mid-western quarters. The dawn of the Muslim settlements and the propagation of Islam was widely documented by the Arab, Persian, European, the kingdom of Ava attacked Arakan in 1404 A. D. Burmese General Minyekyawswa ousted the Arakin king Narameikhla. This attack paved the way for the Muslim domination of Arakan for a century, Narameikhla fled to Bengal and took asylum at the court of the Sultan of Gayr. He was reinstated as King of Arakan with the assistance of the Sultan. The king founded the new capital, Myauk-U, the Muslim army who helped him retake the kingdom settled down there. They built the Sandi Khan mosque at the village of Kawalaung, with the return of Naramitlha began the Muslim domination of Arakan. Arakan thus remained to be a state of Bengal for a century
Islam in Burma
–
Mosque in Burma.
Islam in Burma
–
Islam by country
Islam in Burma
–
A Mosque in
Mandalay
Islam in Burma
–
A Burmese-style mosque with an elaborately carved minaret in Amarapura during the Konbaung dynasty
56.
Islam in Cambodia
–
Islam is the religion of a majority of the Cham and Malay minorities in Cambodia. According to Po Dharma, there were 150,000 to 200,000 Muslims in Cambodia as late as 1975, persecution under the Khmer Rouge eroded their numbers, however, and by the late 1980s they probably had not regained their former strength. In 2009, the Pew Research Center estimated that 1. 6% of the population, the Chams originated from the Kingdom of Champa. After Vietnam invaded and conquered Champa, Cambodia granted refuge to Cham Muslims escaping from Vietnamese conquest, according to some accounts the Chams first contact with Islam was with one of the father-in-laws of Prophet Muhammad, who is Jahsh, the father of Zaynab bint Jahsh. It was in the wake of many Sahabas who arrived in Indo-China in 617-18 from Abyssinia by sea route, the Cham have their own mosques. In 1962 there were about 100 mosques in the country, at the end of the nineteenth century, the Muslims in Cambodia formed a unified community under the authority of four religious dignitaries—mupti, tuk kalih, raja kalik, and tvan pake. A council of notables in Cham villages consisted of one hakem and several katip, bilal, the four high dignitaries and the hakem were exempt from personal taxes, and they were invited to take part in major national ceremonies at the royal court. Each Muslim community has a hakem who leads the community and the mosque, an imam who leads the prayers, the peninsula of Chrouy Changvar near Phnom Penh is considered the spiritual center of the Cham, and several high Muslim officials reside there. Each year some of the Cham go to study the Quran at Kelantan in Malaysia, according to figures from the late 1950s, about 7 percent of the Cham had completed the pilgrimage and could wear the fez or turban as a sign of their accomplishment. The traditional Cham retain many ancient Muslim or pre-Muslim traditions and rites and they consider Allah as the all-powerful God, but they also recognize other non-Islamic practices. They are closer, in respects, to the Cham of coastal Vietnam than they are to other Muslims. The religious dignitaries of the traditional Cham dress completely in white and these Cham believe in the power of magic and sorcery, and they attach great importance to magical practices in order to avoid sickness or slow or violent death. They believe in supernatural powers. Although they show little interest in the pilgrimage to Mecca and in the five daily prayers, the orthodox Cham have adopted a more conformist religion largely because of their close contacts with, and intermarriages with, the Malay community. In fact, the orthodox Cham have adopted Malay customs and family organization and they send pilgrims to Mecca, and they attend international Islamic conferences. Conflicts between the traditional and the orthodox Cham increased between 1954 and 1975, for example, the two groups polarized the population of one village, and each group eventually had its own mosque and separate religious organization. During the Khmer Rouge era, all religions, including both Buddhism and Islam were persecuted, according to Cham sources,132 mosques were destroyed during the Khmer Rouge era, many others were desecrated, and Muslims were not allowed to worship. Muslims were forced to eat pork and were murdered when they refused, Chams were not permitted to speak their language
Islam in Cambodia
–
Al-Serkal Mosque in
Phnom Penh
Islam in Cambodia
–
Skulls of
Khmer Rouge victims.
57.
Islam in Central Asia
–
Islam is the most widely practiced religion in Central Asia. Islam came to Central Asia in the part of the 8th century as part of the Muslim conquest of the region. Many well-known Islamic scientists and philosophers came from Central Asia, and several major Muslim empires, including the Timurid Empire, in the 20th century, severe restrictions on religious practice were enacted by the Soviet Union in Soviet Central Asia and the Peoples Republic of China in Xinjiang. Concerns about Islamic radicalism and religious freedom in the region persist to this day, the Battle of Talas in 751 between the Abbasid Caliphate and the Chinese Tang dynasty for control of Central Asia was the turning point initiating mass conversion into Islam in the region. Most of the Turkic khanates were converted to Islam in the 10th century, the arrival in Volga Bulgaria of Ahmad ibn Fadlan, ambassador of the caliph of Baghdad, on 12 May 922 is celebrated as a holiday in modern-day Tatarstan. Islamisation of the region has had impact on the native cultures in the region moulding them as a part of Islamic civilization. Some have proclaimed that Yassawi was a Khwajagan, however some scholars insist that his influence on the Shia Alevi, until the Mongol invasion of Central Asia in the 13th century, Samarkand, Bukhara and Urgench flourished as centers of Islamic learning, culture and art in the region. Mongol invasion halted the process for a half century, other areas such as Turkistan became more strongly influenced by Shamanist elements which can still be found today. Turko-Mongolian tribes almost as whole were slow to accept certain Islamic tenets and this is, however believed to relate more directly to their nomadic lifestyle and local tradition than their faith in God and devotion to Islamic law and text. Russian authorities debated what position they should take on Islam in the conquered territories. Some advocated a policy of repression, citing the ongoing Dungan Revolt in the neighboring Qing Empire as proof of the potential threat of Islam. Others, such as General Kaufman and his superior Dmitry Milyutin, Kaufman was nevertheless concerned about pan-Islam movements that would cause the Muslims of Russian Turkistan to view anyone other than the czar as their ruler. During the first few years of Bolshevik rule in the early 1920s, during this time, the Bolsheviks cooperated with the Jadids to accomplish their goals. In 1926, the Soviet government decided it had consolidated control over Central Asia sufficiently to shift official policy from toleration of Islam to condemnation, the government closed private religious schools in favor of state-run public ones. Between 1927 and 1929, the state ran a campaign to shut down mosques in Central Asia, despite these assaults, Islam in Central Asia survived Soviet rule in the following decades. However, it was transformed in the process, instead of part of the sphere, Islam became family-oriented, localized and rendered synonymous with custom. This led to a homogenization of practice, as religious authorities could not publish treatises or often even communicate with one another, additionally, Islam was largely removed from the public discourse, especially in terms of its influence on morals and ethical values. What religious practice that was permitted by the Soviet government was regulated by the Spiritual Administration of the Muslims of Central Asia, the policy of glasnost put into practice by Mikhail Gorbachev in the mid-1980s meant that by 1988 the Soviet government relaxed its controls on Islam
Islam in Central Asia
–
Madrassa in
Samarkand.
Islam in Central Asia
–
Muslim family in
Tajikistan celebrating Eid-i Fatr
Islam in Central Asia
–
The
Ertugrul Gazi Mosque in
Ashgabat named after the founder of the
Ottoman Empire.
58.
Islam in China
–
Islam in China has existed through 1,400 years of continuous interaction with Chinese society. Currently, Muslims are a significant minority group in China, Hui Muslims are the majority Muslim group in China. The greatest concentration is in Xinjiang, with a significant Uyghur population, lesser but significant populations reside in the regions of Ningxia, Gansu, and Qinghai. Various sources estimate different numbers of adherents with some indicating that 1. 5-4% of the total population in China are Muslims. Of Chinas 55 officially recognized minority peoples, ten groups are predominantly Sunni Muslim, Chinese Muslims have been in China for the last 1,400 years of continuous interaction with Chinese society. Islam expanded gradually across the maritime and inland routes from the 7th to the 10th centuries through trade. Wahab ibn abu Kabcha may have been be a son of al-Harth ibn Abdul Uzza and it is noted in other accounts that Wahab Abu Kabcha reached Canton by sea in 629 CE. Some sources date the introduction of Islam in China to 650 AD, the sojourn of Saad ibn abi Waqqas. Earlier visits of Saad ibn abi Waqqas were noted in Arab accounts since it was a period of nascent Islam mixed with events of many hectic preaching and they were more concerned with writings of verses of the Koran as revealed to Muhammad, and his sayings and ways of life. The embassy was led by Saad ibn Abī Waqqās, the cousin of Muhammad. Emperor Gaozong, the Tang emperor who received the envoy then ordered the construction of the Memorial mosque in Canton, the first major Muslim settlements in China consisted of Arab and Persian merchants. After critical analysis, it is evident that Saad ibn abi Waqqas, Guangzhou is home to four mosques, including the famous Huaisheng Mosque believed to have been built by Saad ibn Abi Waqqas, the second cousin of Muhammad. The city also has a grave believed to be that of ibn Abi Waqqas, Islam was brought to China during the Tang dynasty by Arab traders, who were primarily concerned with trading and commerce. It was because of low profile that the 845 anti-Buddhist edict during the Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution said absolutely nothing about Islam. It seems that trade occupied the attention of the early Muslim settlers, by the time of the Song Dynasty, Muslims had come to play a major role in the import/export industry. The office of Director General of Shipping was consistently held by a Muslim during this period. In 1070, the Song emperor Shenzong invited 5,300 Muslim men from Bukhara, later on these men were settled between the Sung capital of Kaifeng and Yenching. They were led by Prince Amir Sayyid So-fei-er who was called the father of the Muslim community in China, prior to him Islam was named by the Tang and Song Chinese as Dashi fa
Islam in China
–
The
Sufi mausoleum (
gongbei) of
Ma Laichi in
Linxia City, China.
Islam in China
Islam in China
–
The
Great Mosque of Xi'an, one of China's oldest
mosques
Islam in China
59.
Islam in Hong Kong
–
Islam is practised in Hong Kong by about 300,000 Muslims. In the new millennium, the largest number of Muslims in the territory are Indonesian and they account for over 120,000 of Hong Kongs Muslim population. The vast majority of Muslims in Hong Kong are Sunni, the history of Muslims in Hong Kong started since the British Hong Kong government period. The first Muslim settlers in Hong Kong were of Indian origin, in some of them were soldiers. From the mid 19th century onwards, more and more soldiers and businessmen arrived in Hong Kong from South Asia, as the number of them increased, the British Hong Kong government allocated land for them to build their communities and facilities, such as mosques and cemeteries. The British government respected the rights of those Muslim communities by giving them aid, Chinese Muslims first arrived in Hong Kong in the late 19th and early 20th century, coming from southern Chinese coastal areas, where they had lived for centuries prior. They established their community around Wan Chai District, later Chinese Muslim influxes occurred following episodes of unrest on the mainland. Some Chinese are also more recent converts to Islam, as of 2004, the Chinese Muslims account for over 50% of the Muslim resident population of Hong Kong, and they play an important role in the Islamic organisations of Hong Kong. Over the past few years, there has been a number of Halal restaurants to cater for Muslim dietary needs. In 2010, there were only 14 Halal restaurants, but after a year the number had jumped three times, there has been a plan by HSBC to implement the Islamic finance system in Hong Kong, although the realisation has yet to be waited. In 2007, the HK Islamic Index was established by Arab Chamber of Commerce, in the same year, Financial Secretary John Tsang announced a plan to capture part of the worlds Islamic finance pie, which is worth around US$1.3 trillion. Hang Seng Bank has issued a retail Islamic fund in November 2007, until January 2010, Hong Kong has 29 Islamic schools, scattered around Kowloon and New Territories. The development of schools have been remarkably fast. Muslims may also find difficulties in finding suitable place to pray at work or in school. Due to the absence of mosques in New Territories, Muslims living there may find it hard to go to Hong Kongs current six mosques due to their location in Kowloon or Hong Kong Island. Some of them rent flats and turn them into prayer rooms to serve Muslims living around the area, there are currently eight flats in Hong Kong being turned into prayer rooms. There are currently six mosques in Hong Kong that are used daily for prayers. Hong Kongs 7th mosque, the Sheung Shui Mosque is currently under construction in New Territories, beside mosques, there are many Muslim prayer halls scattered around Hong Kong
Islam in Hong Kong
–
Jamia Mosque, the first mosque in Hong Kong
Islam in Hong Kong
Islam in Hong Kong
–
Hong Kong Halal restaurant
Islam in Hong Kong
–
Islamic Dharwood Pau Memorial Primary School
60.
Islam in Macau
–
Islam in Macau is a minority religion in the region. Currently there are more than 400 Muslims in Macau in which they call themselves as The Macau Islamic Society. According to the Islamic Union of Hong Kong, together all of the foreign Muslim workers combined. Islam has been present in Macau since the Yuan Dynasty and it is generally accepted that Islam were brought to Macau by traders from Middle East and Persia during that time until Qing Dynasty era. Some of this evidence can be found at the Muslim Cemetery nearby Macau Mosque where some of the tombs dated back to hundreds of years ago, during the Portuguese rule of Macau, many Muslims came from South Asia with the Portuguese Army. In the 1880s, they founded a Mosque for their prayer place, during the World War II, many Hui people escaped to then-Portuguese Macau from the Republic of China to avoid the devastation from the war. Many of them are from Zhaoqing in Kwangtung province, however, many of them moved to Hong Kong after the end of world war. Some Muslim also came to Macau from Northwest China after the end of Chinese Civil War in 1949, before the Macau handover from Portugal to China in 1999, the Islamic Union of Hong Kong used to provide about HK$150,000 to support the Muslim community in Macau. Macau currently has one mosque, which is the Macau Mosque, the mosque was built in the 1980s by the Muslim people from the second wave of generation during the Portuguese-ruled of Macau. This mosque is specially crowded during Sunday where most of the employees are having their work break days, every year during Eid al-Adha, Muslims in Macau gather at Macau Mosque to celebrate the Muslim festivity by performing prayer and animal slaughtering for the needy and poor. The same thing also happen during the annual Eid al-Fitr celebration which is held at the mosque, built in 1854, it located within the same area as Macau Mosque. Some of their style are of Persian origin with writing in Farsi, Arabic, Chinese, English, some of the tombs dated hundreds of years ago. The cemetery consists of around 120 graves, there are some Halal restaurants and shops selling Halal food in Macau, both in Macau Peninsula and Taipa. Macaus first Halal restaurant was launched in 2012, which is called the Taste of India at Macau Fishermans Wharf, serving Halal Indian and it took them 3 years to obtain the Halal certification. Macau Muslim people usually have typical name such as Fatimah, Soraya, the Islamic Association of Macau is an Islamic organization in Macau founded in 1935. The headquarters of the organization is at the Macau Mosque, the current President of IAM is Ahmed Din Khan and the Vice President is Fazal Dad. The Peduli Indonesian Migrant Workers Concern Group was established in 2009 in Macau, the group assists the Indonesian workers in Macau, such as explaining about Macau immigration law, employment documents translation etc. The group currently has around 350 members and it offers English classes, computer courses and holds many activities, such as visits to elderly homes, AIDS campaigns, hip-hop competitions etc
Islam in Macau
–
Macau Mosque
Islam in Macau
Islam in Macau
–
Macau Muslim Cemetery
Islam in Macau
–
Macau first Halal restaurant
61.
Islam in Tibet
–
The Tibetan Muslims, also known as the Kachee, form a small minority in Tibet. Despite being Muslim, they are recognized as Tibetans by the government of the Peoples Republic of China, unlike the Hui Muslims. The Tibetan word Kachee literally means Kashmiri and Kashmir was known as Kachee Yul, thus, many of them display a mixture of Indo-Iranian and indigenous Tibetan facial features. The appearance of the first Muslims in Tibet has been lost in the mists of time, between the eighth and ninth centuries, the Abbasid rulers of Baghdad maintained relations with Tibet. However, there was little proselytisation among the missionaries at first, although many of them decided to settle in Tibet and marry Tibetan women. In 710-720, during the reign of Me Agtsom, the Arabs, during the reign of Sadnalegs, there was a protracted war with Arab powers to the West. It appears that Tibetans captured a number of Arab troops and pressed them into service on the Eastern frontier in 801, Tibetans were active as far west as Samarkand and Kabul. Some Tibetans in Qinghai who converted to Islam are now considered Hui people, the Balti people of Baltistan in Pakistan and Kargil are descendants of Tibetan Buddhists who mostly converted to Shia Islam, with a Sunni minority. Their Balti language is archaic and conservative and closer to Classical Tibetan than other Tibetan languages. Islam in China Uyghurs Hui people Dungan people Salar people Balti people Nepalese Muslims Akasoy, Anna, Burnett, Charles, Yoeli-Tlalim, Islam and Tibet, interactions along the musk routes
Islam in Tibet
–
Entrance to old mosque in Lhasa - 1993.
Islam in Tibet
–
Lasha Great Mosque
62.
Religion in East Timor
–
The majority of the population of East Timor is Catholic, and the Catholic Church is the dominant religious institution. There are also small Protestant and Sunni Muslim communities, according to a 2005 World Bank report,98 percent of the population is Catholic,1 percent Protestant, and less than 1 percent Muslim. Most citizens also retain vestiges of animistic beliefs and practices. East Timorese animist belief systems did not fit with Indonesias constitutional monotheism, Portuguese clergy were replaced with Indonesian priests and Latin and Portuguese mass was replaced by Indonesian mass. Before the invasion, only 20 percent of East Timorese were Roman Catholics, with over 90 percent Catholic population, East Timor is currently one of the most densely Catholic countries in the world. The Indonesian military forces stationed in the country included a significant number of Protestants. Fewer than half of those congregations existed after September 1999, the Assemblies of God is the largest and most active of the Protestant denominations. The country had a significant Muslim population during the Indonesian occupation, there were also a few ethnic East Timorese converts to Islam, as well as a small number descended from Arab Muslims living in the country while it was under Portuguese authority. The latter group was integrated into society, but ethnic Malay Muslims at times were not. Only a small number of ethnic Malay Muslims remained, domestic and foreign missionary groups operated freely. The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice, societal abuses or discrimination based on religious belief or practice occur, but they are relatively infrequent. The Roman Catholic Church in East Timor is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, there are over 900,000 Catholics in East Timor, a legacy of its status as a former Portuguese colony. Since its independence from Indonesia, East Timor became only the second predominantly Catholic country in Asia - approximately 96% of the population is Roman Catholic, the country is divided into three dioceses, Dili, Maliana and Baucau, all of which are immediately subject to the Holy See. The Apostolic Nuncio to East Timor is concurrently the nuncio to Malaysia, the current nuncio is the US archbishop Joseph Salvador Marino, and the nunciature is located in Kuala Lumpur. In the early 16th century, Portuguese and Dutch traders made contact with East Timor, missionaries maintained a sporadic contact until 1642 when Portugal took over and maintained control until 1974, with a brief occupation by Japan during World War II. Pope John Paul II visited East Timor in October 1989, Pope John Paul II had spoken out against violence in East Timor, and called for both sides to show restraint, imploring the East Timorese to love and pray for their enemies. Retired bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo is a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize along with José Ramos-Horta in 1996 for their attempts to free East Timor from Indonesia and they have also endorsed the new Prime Minister in his efforts to promote national reconciliation. In June 2006 Catholic Relief Services received aid from the United States to help victims of months of unrest in the country, Islam is a minority religion in East Timor
Religion in East Timor
–
Church of Saint Matthew,
Maubisse,
East Timor
Religion in East Timor
–
Statue of
Saint Mary outside Balide church, East Timor
Religion in East Timor
–
St. Mary column in
Dili
63.
Islam in Georgia (country)
–
Islam in Georgia was introduced in 654 when an army sent by the Third Caliph of Islam, Uthman, conquered Eastern Georgia and established Muslim rule in Tbilisi. Currently, Muslims constitute approximately 9. 9% of the Georgian population, according to other sources, Muslims constitute 10-13% of Georgias population. In July 2011, Parliament of Georgia passed new law allowing religious minority groups with ties to Georgia” to register. The draft of the law specifically mentions Islam and four religious communities. Mosques in Georgia operate under the supervision of the Georgian Muslim Department, until then the affairs of Georgias Muslims had been governed from abroad by the Baku-based Caucasus Muslims Department. In 2010, Turkey and Georgia signed an agreement by which Turkey will provide funding, while Georgia will rehabilitate four Georgian monasteries in Turkey. The Georgia-Turkey agreement will allow the reconstruction of the historical Azize mosque in Batumi, Turkey will rehabilitate the mosques at Samtskhe-Javakheti and Akhaltsikhe regions, Kobuleti District, build the Azize mosque burned down in 1940 and restore the Turkish bathhouse in Batumi. The Arabs first appeared in Georgia in 645 and it was not, however, until 735, when they succeeded in establishing their firm control over a large portion of the country. During the Arab period, Tbilisi grew into a center of trade between the Islamic world and northern Europe, beyond that, it functioned as a key Arab outpost and a buffer province facing the Byzantine and Khazar dominions. Over time, Tbilisi became largely Muslim, between 1386 and 1404, Georgia was subjected to invasions by the armies of Turco-Mongol conqueror Timur, whose vast empire stretched, at its greatest extent, from Central Asia into Anatolia. In the first of at least seven invasions, Timur sacked Georgias capital, Tbilisi, in late 1401, Timur invaded the Caucasus once again. The King of Georgia had to sue for peace, and sent his brother with the contributions, thus, he made peace with George on condition that the king of Georgia supply him with troops. The Safavid dynasty was in constant conflict with the Ottomans over full control and influence in the Caucasus. From the early 16th to the course of the half of the 18th century. These entities often followed divergent political courses, Safavid interests were largely directed at Eastern and Southern Georgia while Western Georgia came under Ottoman influence. These independent kingdoms became vassals of Persia as early as in 1503, on May 29,1555, the Safavids and the Ottoman Empire concluded a treaty at Amasya following the Ottoman–Safavid War by which the Caucasus was divided between the two. Western Georgia and the part of southern Georgia fell to The Ottomans, while Eastern Georgia. The bulk of Georgia and the region which had always been the most dominant stayed therefore in the Iranian sphere
Islam in Georgia (country)
–
The Kartvelian people
Islam in Georgia (country)
–
Islam by country
Islam in Georgia (country)
–
Central Mosque in
Tblisi.
Islam in Georgia (country)
–
Rostom of Kartli, a Muslim Georgian ruler of the 17th century appointed by the Iranian Safavids.
64.
Islam in India
–
Islam is the second largest religion in India, with 14. 2% of the countrys population or roughly 172 million people identifying as adherents of Islam. Islam first came to the western coast of India when Arab traders as early as the 7th century AD came to coastal Malabar, Cheraman Juma Masjid in Kerala is thought to be the first mosque in India, built in 629 AD by Malik lbn Dinar. Ismaili Shia Islam was introduced to Gujarat in the half of the 11th century. Islam arrived in North India in the 12th century via the Turkic invasions and has become a part of Indias religious. Over the centuries, there has been significant integration of Hindu and Muslim cultures across India and Muslims have played a prominent role in Indias economic rise, trade relations have existed between Arabia and the Indian subcontinent since ancient times. Even in the era, Arab traders used to visit the Konkan-Gujarat coast and Malabar region. Newly Islamised Arabs were Islams first contact with India, Historians Elliot and Dowson say in their book, The History of India as told by its own Historians, that the first ship bearing Muslim travellers was seen on the Indian coast as early as 630 AD. H. G. Rawlinson in his book Ancient and Medieval History of India claims that the first Arab Muslims settled on the Indian coast in the last part of the 7th century AD. This fact is corroborated by J. Sturrock in his South Kanara and Madras Districts Manuals and it was with the advent of Islam that the Arabs became a prominent cultural force in the world. Arab merchants and traders became the carriers of the new religion, the first Indian mosque, Cheraman Juma Masjid, is thought to have been built in 629 AD by Malik Bin Deenar. In Malabar, the Mappilas may have been the first community to convert to Islam, intensive missionary activities were carried out along the coast and many other natives embraced Islam. These new converts were now added to the Mappila community, thus, among the Mappilas we find both the descendants of the Arabs through local women and converts from among the local people. In the 8th century, the province of Sindh was conquered by an Arab army led by Muhammad bin Qasim, Sindh became the easternmost province of the Umayyad Caliphate. In the first half of the 10th century, Mahmud of Ghazni added the Punjab to the Ghaznavid Empire, in the 11th century, Ghazi Saiyyad Salar Masud played a significant role in the conversion of locals to Islam. A more successful invasion came at the end of the 12th century from Muhammad of Ghor and this eventually led to the formation of the Delhi Sultanate. He came across a couple named Kaka Akela and Kaki Akela who became his first converts in the Taiyabi community. There is much evidence to show that Arabs and Muslims interacted with India. Arab traders transmitted the numeral system developed by Indians to the Middle East, many Sanskrit books were translated into Arabic as early as the 8th century
Islam in India
–
Islam in India
Islam in India
–
Cheraman Perumal Juma Masjid on the Malabar Coast, probably the first Mosque in India
Islam in India
–
Muslim neighbourhood in Delhi circa 1852.
Islam in India
–
Pencil and wash drawing of a mosque at Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh by Thomas(1749-1840) and William (1769-1837) Daniell, 24 March 1789
65.
Islam in Indonesia
–
Indonesia is constitutionally a secular state, with Islam being the dominant religion in the country. Indonesia also has a larger Muslim population than any country in the world. Based on demographic statistics, 99% of Indonesian Muslims mainly follow the Shafii school of Sunni jurisprudence, although when asked, there are around one million Shias, who are concentrated around Jakarta, and about 400,000 Ahmadi Muslims. There is evidence of Arab Muslim traders entering Indonesia as early as the 8th century, Indonesias historical inhabitants were animists, Hindus and Buddhists. However, it was not until the end of the 13th century that the spread of Islam began, the spread of Islam continued as Muslim traders married the local women, with some of the wealthier traders marrying into the families of the ruling elite. In general, traders and the royalty of major kingdoms were the first to adopt the new religion, dominant kingdoms included Samudra Pasai in northern Sumatra, Demak Sultanate and Mataram in Central Java, and the sultanates of Ternate and Tidore in the Maluku Islands to the east. Through assimilation related to trade, royal conversion, and conquest, Islam had supplanted Hinduism and Buddhism as the dominant religion of Java, the eastern islands remained largely animist until adopting Islam and Christianity in the 17th and 18th centuries, whereas Bali still retains a Hindu majority. During this process cultural influences from the Hindu-Buddhist era were mostly tolerated or incorporated into Islamic rituals and this evidence cannot explain more complicated matters such as how lifestyles were affected by the new religion or how deeply it affected societies. By the late century, the Majapahit Empire in Java had begun its decline. Islam in Java then began to spread formally, building on the influences of the Wali Songo. The Dutch entered the region in the 17th century due to its lucrative wealth established through the natural resources. The Maluku Islands in the Indonesian archipelago were known as the spice islands, the countrys natural spices, including nutmeg, pepper, clove, were highly prized. Other popular trade items of the area include sandalwood, rubber, the movement built schools that combined an Islamic and secular curriculum and was unique in that it trained women as preachers for women. The activities of the reformers and the reactions of their opponents, the Minangkabau ulema played an important role in the early reform movement. In 1906, Tahir bin Jalaluddin published al-Iman, the Malay newspaper in Singapore, five years later followed publication of al-Munir newspaper in Padang. In the first 20th century, Muslim modernist school arose in West Sumatra, such as Adabiah, Diniyah Putri, later, Islamic movement also developed in Java with the birth of the NU and Muhammadiyah. Today about 88% of Indonesias 235 million people is Muslim, upon independence there was significant controversy surrounding the role of Islam in politics, this caused enormous tensions. Eventually, Indonesia adopted a civil code instead of an Islamic one, in the New Order years, there was an intensification of religious belief amongst Muslims
Islam in Indonesia
–
Map showing religious composition of Indonesia. Islam is shown in light and dark Green. Islam commands the loyalty of 87.18% of
Indonesians.
Islam in Indonesia
–
Islam by country
Islam in Indonesia
–
Indonesian Muslim recite Al Quran in
Masjid Istiqlal, Jakarta, Indonesia
Islam in Indonesia
–
Banda Aceh 's
Grand Mosque,
Aceh province.
66.
Islam in Iran
–
The Islamic conquest of Persia led to the end of the Sasanian Empire and the eventual decline of the Zoroastrian religion in Persia. However, the achievements of the previous Persian civilizations were not lost, Islam has been the official religion of Iran since then, except for a short duration after the Mongol raids and establishment of Ilkhanate. Iran became an Islamic republic after the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Eastern Sassanian Iran, what is now solely composed of Afghanistan and Central Asia, was predominantly Buddhist. There was a slow but steady movement of the population toward Islam, when Islam was introduced to Iranians, the nobility and city-dwellers were the first to convert, Islam spread more slowly among the peasantry and the dehqans, or landed gentry. By the late 11th century, the majority of Persians had become Muslim, Islam is the religion of 99. 4% of Iranians. 90-95% of Iranians are Shia and 5-10% are Sunni, most Sunnis in Iran are Kurds, Larestani people, Turkomen, and Baluchs, living in the northwest, northeast, south, and southeast. Almost all of Iranian Shias are Twelvers, though Iran is known today as a stronghold of the Shia Muslim faith, it did not become so until much later, around the 15th century. The Safavid dynasty made Shia Islam the official religion in the early sixteenth century. Muslims invaded Iran in the time of Umar and conquered it after several great battles, yazdegerd III fled from one district to another Merv in 651. By 674, Muslims had conquered Greater Khorasan, both perceptions are of course valid, depending on ones angle of vision. Under Umar and his successors, the Arab conquerors attempted to maintain their political and cultural cohesion despite the attractions of the civilizations they had conquered. The Arabs were to settle in the towns rather than on scattered estates. The new non-Muslim subjects, or dhimmi, were to pay a tax, the jizya or poll tax. Iranians were among the very earliest converts to Islam, and their conversion in significant numbers began as soon as the Arab armies reached, today perhaps 98 percent of ethnic Iranians, including the population of Persia, are at least nominal Muslims. For such a fundamental, pervasive, and enduring cultural transformation, recent research has established a general chronological framework for the process of conversion of Iranians to Islam. The data on which Bulliet’s study was based limited the validity of this paradigm to generalizations about full, the situation in rural areas and individual regions may have been quite different, but the overall pattern is consistent with what can be deduced from traditional historical sources. Following the Abbasid revolution of 749-51, in which Iranian converts played a major role, accordingly, the Muslim population of Iran rose from approx. 40% in the mid 9th century to close to 100% by the end of 11th century, moreover, Muslim missionaries did not encounter difficulty in explaining Islamic tenants to Zoroastrians, as there were many similarities between the faiths
Islam in Iran
–
Photo taken from medieval manuscript by
Qotbeddin Shirazi (1236–1311), a Persian Astronomer. The image depicts an epicyclic planetary model.
Islam in Iran
Islam in Iran
–
Imam Reza shrine, the holiest religious site in Iran,
Mashhad
67.
Islam in Iraq
–
The history of Islam in Iraq goes back almost 1,400 years to the lifetime of Muhammad. Iraqs Muslims follow two traditions, Shia and Sunni Islam. Arabic-speaking Shias are known as Iraqiyyuns, and Arabic-speaking Sunnis are known as Jaziran Arabs, Iraq is home to many religious cities important for both Shia and Sunni Muslims. Baghdad was a hub of Islamic learning and scholarship for centuries, the city of Karbala has substantial prominence in Shia Islam as a result of the Battle of Karbala, fought in October 10,680. Similarly, Najaf is renowned as the site of the tomb of Alī ibn Abī Tālib, the city is now a great center of pilgrimage from throughout the Shia Islamic world and it is estimated that only Mecca and Medina receive more Muslim pilgrims. The city of Kufa was home to the famed scholar Abu Hanifah and this has made it an important pilgrimage centre for Jafarī Shia Muslims. In addition, some relatives of Muhammad are buried in Samarra, making the city one of the most significant sites of worship for Shia. Smaller sects of Islam exist in the country, such as the small Shaykhist community concentrated in Basra, the Muslim population of Iraq is approximately Shia 60%-65% and Sunni 32%-37%. Iraqi Kurds are mostly Sunni, with about 10% being Shia Faili Kurds, most Kurds are located in the northern areas of the country, with most following the Shafi school of Islamic law but with some being members of either the Qadiri or the Naqshbandi Sufi tariqah. List of mosques in Baghdad Shia Islam in Iraq
Islam in Iraq
–
Abu Hanifa Mosque
68.
Islam in Israel
–
Islam is a major religion in Israel. Muslims, who are mostly Arab citizens of Israel, constitute 17. 4% of the Israelis, Jerusalem is Islams third holiest city after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. The Haram al Sharif of Jerusalem is believed by Muslims to be the location from which Muhammad ascended to Jannah and this widely accepted Islamic belief raises the religious and spiritual importance to them of the Dome of the Rock and the adjacent al-Aqsa Mosque. During the Middle Ages, the region became increasingly Islamized and this tendency was temporarily reversed during the 2 centuries of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, a Christian state established by European Crusaders. As a result of the rise of the Ottoman Empire, from 1516 to 1917, in Ottoman Palestine, Islam was the state religion, while Christians, Jews, and Samaritans were mostly tolerated as dhimmi. The conquest of Palestine by British forces in 1917 and the subsequent Balfour Declaration opened the gates for the arrival of large numbers of Jews and Arabs and in to the Mandatory Palestine. However, the British transferred the symbolic Islamic governance of the land to the Hashemites based in Jordan, the Hashemites thus became the official guardians of the Islamic holy places of Jerusalem and the areas around it, particularly strong when Jordan controlled the West Bank. In 1922, the British created the Supreme Muslim Council in the Mandatory Palestine, the council was abolished in 1948. Muslims comprise 17% of the Israeli population, the majority of Muslims in Israel are Sunni Arabs, with an Ahmadiyya minority. The Bedouin in Israel are also Arab Muslims, with some Bedouin clans participating in the Israeli army, the small Circassian community is composed of Sunni Muslims uprooted from the Caucasus in the late 19th century. In addition, smaller populations of Kurdish, Romani and Turkish Muslims also live in Israel, the city of Haifa in Israel acts as the Middle East headquarters of the reformist Ahmadiyya Islamic movement. Kababir, a neighbourhood of Jews and Ahmadi Arabs is the only one of its kind in the country. There are about 2,200 Ahmadis in Kababir, 15% of Muslims in Israel have a college degree, which was lower than the amount of Jews, but similar to the amount of Christians and Druze with a degree. The overwhelming majority of Muslims believe that giving their children a good education is very/somewhat important. 53% of Muslims say “science and religion are in conflict, ” which was lower than the amount of Jews agree with that statement, on the particular topic of evolution, 38% of Muslims believe humans and other living things have evolved over time. More Muslims in Israel believe in evolution than Christians and Druze, while Muslims living in Israel, overall, are more religious than Israeli Jews, they are less religious than Muslims living in many other countries in the middle east. Israeli Muslims nearly universally say they believe in Allah and his Prophet Muhammad, a majority of Muslims say they pray daily and roughly half report that they go to a mosque at least once a week. Muslim women are likely to say that religion has high importance in their lives
Islam in Israel
–
Dome of the Rock on the
Temple Mount, Jerusalem.
Islam in Israel
–
Islam by country
Islam in Israel
–
Sidna Ali Mosque.
69.
Islam in Japan
–
The history of Islam in Japan is relatively brief in relation to the religions longstanding presence in other nearby countries. Islam is one of the smallest minority faiths in Japan, having more adherents in the country than the Baháí faith, there were isolated occasions of Muslims in Japan before the 19th century. Today, Muslims are made up of immigrant communities, as well as ethnic Japanese. They manufacture tunics woven with gold, excellent ebony wood is found there. ”And, “Gold and ebony are exported from Waqwaq. Mahmud Kashgaris 11th century atlas indicates the land routes of the Silk Road, within Kublais court, his most trusted governors and advisers appointed by meritocracy with the essence of multiculturalism were, Semu, Hui, Koreans and Chinese. Because the Wokou extended support to the crumbling Song dynasty, Kublai Khan initiated the Mongol invasions of Japan, the court of the Goryeo supplied Korean troops and an ocean-going naval force for the Mongol campaigns. Despite the opposition of some of his Confucian-trained advisers, Kublai decided to invade Japan, Burma, Vietnam and he also attempted to subjugate peripheral lands such as Sakhalin, where its indigenous people eventually submitted to the Mongols by 1308, after Kublais death. During the 14th century, Hongwu Emperor of the Ming dynasty made Ryukyu Kingdom a tributary vassal, during that period there was contact between the Hui, general Lan Yu of the Ming dynasty and the swordsmiths of Japan. He had sailed to the islands in Malacca in 1555, the first modern Muslim contacts were with Indonesians who served aboard British and Dutch ships in the late 19th century. In the late 1870s, the biography of Muhammad was translated into Japanese and this helped Islam spread and reach the Japanese people, but only as a part of the history of cultures. This frigate was called the Ertugrul, and was destroyed in a storm along the coast of Wakayama Prefecture on September 16,1890, some Japanese converted to Islam through contact with these Muslims. Historian Caeser E. Yamaoka became the first Japanese to go on the Hajj, Yamaoka and Ibrahim were traveling with the support of nationalistic Japanese groups like Black Dragon Society. Yamaoka in fact had been with the service in Manchuria since the Russo-Japanese war. His official reason for traveling was to seek the Sultans approval for building a mosque in Tokyo and this approval was granted in 1910, and on 12 May 1938, the Tokyo Mosque, was finally completed, with generous financial support from the zaibatsu. Its first imams were Abdul-Rashid Ibrahim and Abdulhay Qorbangali, however, Japan’s first mosque, the Kobe Mosque was built in 1935, with the support of the Turko-Tatar community of traders there. On 12 May 1938, a Mosque was dedicated in Tokyo, yamada Toajiro was for almost 20 years from 1892 the only resident Japanese trader in Constantinople. During this time he served unofficially as consul and he converted to Islam, and took the name Abdul Khalil, and made a pilgrimage to Mecca on his way home. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was established in 1935 in Japan, the Greater Japan Muslim League founded in 1930, was the first official Islamic organisation in Japan
Islam in Japan
–
Map of Japan appears in the Cihannuma by
Ibrahim Muteferrika and
Katip Çelebi.
Islam in Japan
–
Tokyo Jama Masjid
70.
Islam in Jordan
–
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a majority Muslim country with 95% of the population following Sunni Islam while a small minority follow Salafi and Shiite branches. There are also about 20,000 to 32,000 Druze living mostly in the north of Jordan, the 1952 Constitution grants freedom of religion while stipulating that the king and his successors must be Muslims and sons of Muslim parents. Religious minorities include Christians of various denominations and even fewer adherents of other faiths, Jordan is a religious and conservative country. Despite a strong identification with and loyalty to Islam, religious practices varied among segments of Jordans population and this unevenness in practice did not necessarily correlate with a rural-urban division or differing levels of education. The religious observance of some Jordanians was marked by beliefs and practices that were sometimes antithetical to the teachings of Islam, authorities attributed at least some of these elements to pre-Islamic beliefs and customs common to the area. In daily life, neither rural dwellers nor urbanites were overly fatalistic and they did not directly hold God responsible for all occurrences, rather, they placed events in a religious context that imbued them with meaning. The expression inshallah often accompanied statements of intention, and the term bismallah accompanied the performance of most important actions, such pronouncements did not indicate a ceding of control over ones life or events. Jordanian Muslims generally believed that in matters that they could control, Muslims have other ways of invoking Gods presence in daily life. The intercession of these beings was believed to help in all manner of trouble, devotees often visited the shrine of their patron, especially seeking relief from illness or inability to have children. Numerous spiritual creatures were believed to inhabit the world, evil spirits known as jinn — fiery, intelligent beings that are capable of appearing in human and other forms — could cause all sorts of malicious mischief. For protection, villagers carried in their clothing bits of paper inscribed with Quranic verses, a copy of the Quran was said to keep a house safe from jinn. The evil eye also could be foiled by the same means, although any literate Muslim was able to prepare amulets, some persons gained reputations as being particularly skilled in prescribing and preparing them. Their reverence for Islam notwithstanding, Muslims did not always practice strict adherence to the five pillars, although most people tried to give the impression that they fulfilled their religious duties, many people did not fast during Ramadan. They generally avoided breaking the fast in public, however, in addition, most people did not contribute the required proportion of alms to support religious institutions, nor was pilgrimage to Mecca common. Attendance at public prayers and prayer in general increased during the 1980s as part of a concern with strengthening Islamic values. Traditionally, social segregation of the sexes prevented women from participating in much of the religious life of the community. The 1980s brought several changes in religious practices. Younger women, particularly university students, were more often praying in the mosques
Islam in Jordan
–
King Abdullah I Mosque at night in capital
Amman. The royal family of
Jordan adheres to
Sunni branch of
Islamic religion.
71.
Islam in Kazakhstan
–
Islam is the largest religion practiced in Kazakhstan, as 70. 2% of the countrys population is Muslim according to a 2009 national census. Ethnic Kazakhs are predominantly Sunni Muslims of the Hanafi school, there are also small number of Shia and few Ahmadi Muslims. Geographically speaking, Kazakhstan is the northernmost Muslim-majority country in the world, Kazakhs make up over half of the total population, and other ethnic groups of Muslim background include Uzbeks, Uyghurs and Tatars. Islam first arrived on the edges of the region in the 8th century from Arabs. Islam was brought to the Kazakhs during the 8th century when the Arabs arrived in Central Asia, Islam initially took hold in the southern portions of Turkestan and thereafter gradually spread northward. Islam also took root due to the missionary work of Samanid rulers. Additionally, in the late 14th century, the Golden Horde propagated Islam amongst the Kazakhs, during the 18th century, Russian influence rapidly increased toward the region. Russian policy gradually changed toward weakening Islam by introducing elements of collective consciousness. Such attempts included methods of eulogizing pre-Islamic historical figures and imposing a sense of inferiority by sending Kazakhs to highly elite Russian military institutions, in response, Kazakh religious leaders attempted to bring religious fervor by espousing pan-Turkism, though many were persecuted as a result. During the Soviet era, Muslim institutions survived only in areas where Kazakhs significantly outnumbered non-Muslims due to everyday Muslim practices, in an attempt to conform Kazakhs into Communist ideologies, gender relations and other aspects of the Kazakh culture were key targets of social change. In more recent times, Kazakhs have gradually employed determined effort in revitalizing Islamic religious institutions after the fall of the Soviet Union, while not strongly fundamentalist, Kazakhs continue to identify with their Islamic faith, and even more devotedly in the countryside. Those who claim descent from the original Muslim warriors and missionaries of the 8th century, Kazakh political figures have also stressed the need to sponsor Islamic awareness. Since independence, religious activity has increased significantly, construction of mosques and religious schools accelerated in the 1990s, with financial help from Turkey, Egypt, and, primarily, Saudi Arabia. In 1991170 mosques were operating, more than half of them newly built, at that time an estimated 230 Muslim communities were active in Kazakhstan. Instead, Nazarbayev created a separate muftiate, or religious authority, with an eye toward the Islamic governments of nearby Iran and Afghanistan, the writers of the 1993 constitution specifically forbade religious political parties. The 1995 constitution forbids organizations that seek to stimulate racial, political, or religious discord, though, Kazakhstan joined the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in the same year. This position was based on the Nazarbayev governments foreign policy as much as on domestic considerations, for example, he initially accepted only observer status in the Economic Cooperation Organization, all of whose member nations are predominantly Muslim. The presidents first trip to the Muslim holy city of Mecca, religion in Kazakhstan Islam in Central Asia Islam in the Soviet Union Khoja Karagiannis, Emmanuel
Islam in Kazakhstan
–
Mosque in Semey
Islam in Kazakhstan
–
Mashkhur Jusup central mosque, Pavlodar
Islam in Kazakhstan
–
Central Mosque, Almaty
72.
Islam in Korea
–
In South Korea, Islam is a minority religion. The Muslim community is centered on Seoul and there are a few mosques around the country, according to the Korea Muslim Federation, there are about 120,000 to 130,000 Muslims living in South Korea, both Koreans and foreigners. During the middle to late 7th century, Muslim traders had traversed from the Caliphate to Tang China and established contact with Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. In 751, a Chinese general of Goguryeo descent, Gao Xianzhi, the earliest reference to Korea in a non-East Asian geographical work appears in the General Survey of Roads and Kingdoms by Estakhri in the mid-9th century. The first verifiable presence of Islam in Korea dates back to the 9th century during the Unified Silla period with the arrival of Persian, some records indicate that many of these settlers were from Iraq. In turn, later many Muslims intermarried with Korean women, some assimilation into Buddhism and Shamanism took place owing to Koreas geographical isolation from the Muslim world. In 1154, Korea was included in the Arab geographer Muhammad al-Idrisis world atlas, the oldest surviving Korean world map, Kangnido, drew its knowledge of the Western Regions from the work of Islamic geographers. Trading relations between the Islamic world and the Korean peninsula continued with the succeeding Goryeo kingdom through to the 15th century, as a result, a number of Muslim traders from the Near East and Central Asia settled down in Korea and established families there. Some Muslim Hui people from China also appear to have lived in the Goryeo kingdom, with the Mongol armies came the so-called Saengmokin, or colored-eye people, this group consisted of Muslims from Central Asia. In the Mongol social order, the Saengmokin occupied a position just below the Mongols themselves, during the Yuan dynasty Korean women married Indian, Uyghur, and Turkic Semu men. A rich merchant from the Mabar Sultanate, Abu Ali 孛哈里, was associated closely with the Mabar royal family, small-scale contact with predominantly Muslim peoples continued on and off. During the late Goryeo period, there were mosques in the capital Kaesong, called Ye-Kung, one of those Central Asian immigrants to Korea originally came to Korea as an aide to a Mongol princess who had been sent to marry King Chungnyeol of Goryeo. Goryeo documents say that his name was Samga but, after he decided to make Korea his permanent home. Jang married a Korean and became the ancestor of the Deoksu Jang clan. His clan produced many officials and respected Confucian scholars over the centuries. Twenty-five generations later, around 30,000 Koreans look back to Jang Sunnyong as the grandfather of their clan, the same is true of the descendants of another Central Asian who settled down in Korea. A Central Asian named Seol Son fled to Korea when the Red Turban Rebellion erupted near the end of the Mongol’s Yuan dynasty and he, too, married a Korean, originating a lineage called the Gyeongju Seol that claims at least 2,000 members in Korea. Soju was first distilled around the 13th century, during the Mongol invasions of Korea, indeed, in the area surrounding Kaesong, Soju is known as Arak-ju
Islam in Korea
–
Seoul Central Mosque.
Islam in Korea
–
Kangnido reflects the
geographic knowledge of China during the
Mongol Empire when geographical information about Western countries became available via
Islamic geographers.
Islam in Korea
–
Korean celestial globe based on the
Huihui Lifa.
73.
Islam in Kyrgyzstan
–
The vast majority of people in Kyrgyzstan are Muslims, as 86. 3% of the countrys population are followers of Islam. Muslims in Kyrgyzstan are generally of the Sunni branch, which entered the region during the eighth century, most of Kyrgyz Muslims practice their religion in a specific way influenced by shamanic tribal customs. There has been a revival of Islamic practices since independence in Kyrgyzstan, for the most part religious leaders deal only with issues of religion and do not reach out to communities, but rather offer services to those who come to the mosque. There are regional differences, with the part of the country being more religious. And the northern part being more secular, Kyrgyzstan remained a secular state after the fall of communism, which had only superficial influence on religious practice when Kyrgyzstan was a Soviet republic, despite the policy of state atheism. Most of the Russian population of Kyrgyzstan is atheist or Russian Orthodox, the Uzbeks, who make up 12.9 percent of the population, are generally Sunni Muslims. The share of the Muslim population is increasing in Kyrgyzstan while the populations are decreasing. For example, Russians, Ukrainians, and Germans made-up 31.9 percent of Kyrgyzstzan’s population in 1979, Islam was introduced to the Kyrgyz tribes between the eighth and twelfth centuries. More recent exposure to Islam occurred in the century, when the Jungars drove the Kyrgyz of the Tian Shan region into the Fergana Valley. However, as the danger from the Jungars subsided, a few elements of the Kyrgyz population returned to some of their tribal customs. When the Quqon Khanate advanced into northern Kyrgyzistan in the eighteenth century, by the end of the nineteenth century, however, the entire Kyrgyz population, including the tribes in the north, had converted to Sunni Islam. Each of the Muslim ethnic groups has a deep and long tradition of customary law, the ethnic Kyrgyz have also preserved pre-Islamic traditions and customs which are not contrary to the Islamic teachings, which is similar to what happened in Indonesia. Alongside Islam, some Kyrgyz practice Tengriism, the recognition of spiritual kinship with a type of animal and reverence for the Spirits of nature, ancestors. Under this belief system, which predates their contact with Islam, Kyrgyz tribes traditionally adopted reindeer, camels, snakes, owls, the sky, earth, sun, moon, and stars also play an important religious role. The strong dependence of the nomads on the forces of nature reinforced such connections, traces of such beliefs remain in the religious practice of many of todays Kyrgyz residing in the north. Knowledge of and interest in Islam is said to be stronger in the south, especially around Osh. Religious practice in the north is more mixed with animism and shamanist practices, Akayev paid public visits to Bishkeks main Russian Orthodox church and directed one million rubles from the state treasury toward that faiths church-building fund. He also appropriated funds and other support for a German cultural center, nevertheless, there has been support from local government to build bigger mosques and religious schools
Islam in Kyrgyzstan
–
Remains of the eleventh-century
Burana minaret in the ruined town of
Balasagun, capital of the Islamic
Kara-Khanid Khanate (934-1212)
Islam in Kyrgyzstan
–
Islam by country
Islam in Kyrgyzstan
–
Karakol Dungan Mosque
Islam in Kyrgyzstan
–
Muslim cemetery in
Kosh Köl,
Issyk Kul Province
74.
Islam in Laos
–
Muslims are a small minority in Buddhist-majority Laos and constitute about 0. 01% of the population. Muslims are visible in the capital, Vientiane, which has a mosque, the Muslim population is mostly engaged in trade and manage meat shops. A small community of Cham Muslims from Cambodia who escaped the Khmer Rouge is also found, Muslims live primarily in urban areas. A new mosque was built in Oudomxay in June 2016
Islam in Laos
–
Mosque in
Vientiane
75.
Islam in Lebanon
–
Islam in Lebanon is followed by 59. 5% of the countrys total population, Shias make up 27%, Twelvers are the predominant Shia group, followed by Alawites and Ismailis. Sunnis make up also 27%, Sunnis are mainly of the Shafii madhhab with pockets of Hanafi, several large Sufi orders are active in the country, including the Naqshbandi tariqa, and Qadiriyya. The number of Muslims in Lebanon has been disputed for many years, there has been no official census in Lebanon since 1932. The last census in Lebanon in 1932 put the numbers of Muslims at 49% of the population, a study done by the Central Intelligence Agency in 1985 put the numbers of Muslims at 75% of the population. Lebanese Muslims are divided into many branches like Shiites, Sunnites, Druze, Alawites, the Lebanese Shia Muslims are around 27%–29% of the total population. Twelvers are the predominant Shia group, followed by Alawites and Ismailis, the Speaker of Parliament is always a Shia Muslim, as it is the only high post that Shias are eligible for. The Shiites are largely concentrated in northern and western Beqaa, Southern Lebanon, in south Beirut, Tripoli, the Lebanese Sunni Muslims constitute also about 27%–29% of the total population. The Lebanese Druze constitute 5% of the population and can be primarily in Mount Lebanon. Which under the Lebanese political division the Druze community is designated as one of the five Lebanese Muslim communities, religion in Lebanon Secularism in Lebanon Christianity in Lebanon Shia Islam in Lebanon Sunni Islam in Lebanon Druze in Lebanon
Islam in Lebanon
–
Distribution of Lebanon's religious groups according to 2009 municipal election data.
Islam in Lebanon
–
An estimate of the area distribution of Lebanon's main religious groups.
76.
Islam in the Maldives
–
The islands converted from Buddhism in the 12th century. According to Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta, the responsible for this conversion was a Sunni Berber-Muslim visitor named Abu al Barakat sailing from Morocco. In the late 1990s Wahhabism challenged more tradition moderate practices, after the 2004 tsunami, Saudi funded preachers gained influence. Within a short period of a decade fundamentalist practices dominated the culture, the Guardian estimates that 50-100 fighters have joined ISIS and al Qaeda from the Maldives. The Financial Times puts the number at 200, radicalization often happens in jail where the only thing to read is the Qur’an or religious literature. There are also lots of older militants and young guys look up to them, on the inhabited islands, the miski, or mosque, forms the central place where Islam is practiced. Because Friday is the most important day for Muslims to attend mosque, shops and offices in towns and villages close around 11 a. m. most inhabited islands have several mosques, Malé has more than thirty. Most mosques are whitewashed buildings constructed of stone with corrugated iron or thatched roofs. In Malé, the Islamic Center and the Grand Friday Mosque, built in 1984 with funding from the Persian Gulf states, Pakistan, Brunei, the gold-colored dome of this mosque is the first structure sighted when approaching Malé. In mid-1991 Maldives had a total of 725 mosques and 266 womens mosques, prayer sessions are held five times daily. Mudimu, the caretakers, make the call. Most shops and offices close for fifteen minutes after each call, during the ninth Muslim month of Ramadan, cafés and restaurants are closed during the day, and working hours are limited. Rasheed, a self-professed Sufi Muslim, had argued for religious tolerance. The blog closing was condemned by Reporters Without Borders and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay as representing a rise in religious intolerance, when Rasheed organized a rally in favor of greater religious freedom on 10 December, the rally was attacked and Rasheeds skull fractured. He was subsequently arrested at the urging of the Salafi Adhaalath Party, one website associated with these demonstrations also advocated strongly in favour of his murder. Rasheed was released on 10 January following protests by groups such as Amnesty International, Islam by country Gemmiskiy This article incorporates public domain material from the Library of Congress Country Studies website http, //lcweb2. loc. gov/frd/cs/
Islam in the Maldives
–
Mosque in
Hulhumalé
Islam in the Maldives
–
Islam by country
Islam in the Maldives
–
The
Islamic Centre, housing the mosque Masjid-al-Sultan
Mohammed Thakurufaanu-al-A'z'am.
77.
Islam in Mongolia
–
Islam in Mongolia is practiced by approximately 3 to 5% of the population. It is practised by the ethnic Kazakhs of Bayan-Ölgii Province and Khovd Province aimag in western Mongolia, in addition, a number of small Kazakh communities can be found in various cities and towns spread throughout the country. The earliest evidence of Islam in Mongolia is dated to 1254 and he celebrated Easter at a Nestorian Christian church but also noted seven temples of the idolators and two mosques. Therefore, historians date the arrival of Islam to Mongolia to between 1222 and 1254, Islam also gained the notice of the Mongols after Genghis Khan invaded Afghanistan. In 1222, on his way back to Mongolia, he visited Bukhara in Transoxiana and it was believed he inquired about Islam, and subsequently approved of Muslim tenets except the Hajj, considering it unnecessary. Nevertheless, he continued his worship of Tengri as his ancestors had done, Genghis Khan and the following Yuan emperors forbade Islamic practices like Halal butchering, forcing Mongol methods of butchering animals on Muslims, and other restrictive degrees continued. Muslims had to slaughter sheep in secret, Genghis Khan directly called Muslims and Jews slaves and demanded that they follow the Mongol method of eating rather than the halal method. Jews were also affected, and forbidden by the Mongols to eat Kosher, among all the alien peoples only the Hui-hui say “we do not eat Mongol food”. “By the aid of heaven we have pacified you, you are our slaves, yet you do not eat our food or drink. “If you slaughter sheep, you will be considered guilty of a crime. ”He issued a regulation to that effect, all the Muslims say, “if someone else slaughters we do not eat”. Genghis Khans grandson Berke converted to Islam due to the efforts of Saif ud-Din Dervish, other Mongol leaders owed their conversion to Islam due to the influence of a Muslim wife. Later, it was the Mamluk ruler Baibars who played an important role in bringing many Golden Horde Mongols to Islam, Baibars developed strong ties with the Mongols of the Golden Horde and took steps for the Golden Horde Mongols to travel to Egypt. The arrival of the Golden Horde Mongols to Egypt resulted in a significant number of Mongols accepting Islam, by the 1330s, three of the four major khanates of the Mongol Empire had become Muslim. These were the Golden Horde, Hulagus Ulus and Chagatais Ulus, the Yuan Empire also embraced Muslim peoples such as the Persians. After the decline of the Yuan Dynasty, Shamanism once again became the dominant religion, to varying degrees, political and economic relations with Muslim nations such as Moghulistan continued. The Muslim Kazakhs began to settle in the Jungaria and Altai regions in the nineteenth century. The majority of these Kazakhs were the Kerei and Naiman clans, when Bogdo Khan assumed power in Mongolia on December 29,1911, the Kazakhs in Xinjian and Altai regions sought the patronage of the restored Khanate. The government of Bogdo Khan admitted them and allowed them to settle in the region of Mongolias Kobdo territory
Islam in Mongolia
–
A Mongol prince,
Ghazan, studying the
Quran
Islam in Mongolia
–
Islam by country
Islam in Mongolia
–
The Main Mosque in Ölgii
Islam in Mongolia
–
Mosque in
Tolbo village in Bayan-Ölgii aimag
78.
Islam in Nepal
–
Islam is a minority religion in Nepal. According to the 2011 Nepal census,4. 4% of the population are Muslim, islam is thought to have been introduced by the Indian Muslims settling in Nepal. Ahmadis maintain a presence in Nepal. How the crescent fares in Nepal, islamic Revival in Nepal, Religion and a New Nation. New York and London, Routledge Press,2011, Muslim Population in the Kingdom of Nepal, Some Outstanding Features
Islam in Nepal
–
Mosque in Kathmandu, Nepal
79.
Islam in Pakistan
–
Islam is the largest and the state religion of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan has been called a center for political Islam. About 97. 0% of Pakistanis are Muslims, Pakistan has the second largest number of Muslims in the world after Indonesia. The majority are Sunni while Shias and Ahmadis make up between 5–20% and 1–2% respectively, following the rule of various Islamic empires, including the Ghaznavid Empire, the Ghorid kingdom, and the Delhi Sultanate, the Mughals controlled the region from 1526 until 1739. Many Sufi missionaries from Middle East and Central Asia migrated and settled in South Asia, sufism in Pakistan plays an important role in the country. The Delhi Sultanate and later Mughal Empire ruled the northern India region, in 711 CE, when the Umayyad dynasty sent a Muslim Arab army led by Muhammad bin Qasim against the ruler of Sindh, Raja Dahir. Following the birth of Islam in Arabia in the early 7th century, hinduism, Buddhism, and Shamanism were the prominent religions in the region until Muslim Arabs and Turks conquered the area during the 7th century AD. Over the centuries migration took place by the population consisting majorly of Hindus, while local Pashtuns brought in Islam, introducing some of the local traditions such as Pashtunwali or the Pashtun code of honor. The Muslim poet-philosopher Sir Allama Muhammad Iqbal first proposed the idea of a Muslim state in northwestern South Asia in his address to the Muslim League at Allahabad in 1930. His proposal referred to the four provinces of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, iqbals idea gave concrete form to two distinct nations in the South Asia based on religion and with different historical backgrounds, social customs, cultures, and social mores. Islam was thus the basis for the creation and the unification of a separate state, but the enforcement and development of the Shariat of Islam is impossible in this country without a free Muslim state or states. This has been my honest conviction for many years and I still believe this to be the way to solve the problem of bread for Muslims as well as to secure a peaceful India. This statement of Jinnah is an object of great controversy especially amongst secular Pakistani intellectuals, there is no available audio or video recording of this statement. Moreover, the statement is viewed differently by two major camps, some Pakistanis try to deduce that secularism is what Jinnah wanted based on his statement. Others claim that the statement is not contrary to Islams injunctions since all citizens have rights in an Islamic state. They also claim that Jinnah never used the secular, even though he could have. Those who argue that Mohammad Ali Jinnah wanted an Islamic Pakistan and he said, Pakistan is the premier Islamic State and the fifth largest in the world. The constitution of Pakistan has yet to be framed by the Pakistan Constituent Assembly, I do not know what the ultimate shape of this constitution is going to be, but I am sure that it will be of a democratic type, embodying the essential principles of Islam
Islam in Pakistan
–
Islam in Pakistan
Islam in Pakistan
–
Faisal Mosque in
Islamabad, which is the largest mosque of Pakistan and is also one of the
largest in the world, was financed by
Saudi Arabia and built in the non-ornate
Wahhabi style.
Islam in Pakistan
–
The conservative convention in Lahore, Pakistan, 2009.
Islam in Pakistan
–
Tomb of Syed Abdul Rahim Shah Bukhari constructed by the
Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.
80.
Islam in Palestine
–
Not all Palestinians are Muslim, a small percentage of the population are Christian. Islam is a religion in Palestinian Territories. Palestinian Muslims primarily practice Shafii Islam, which is a branch of Sunni Islam, as a result of the rise of the Ottoman Empire, from 1516 to 1917, the Sunni Ottoman Turks ruled the historic Palestine. Their leadership reinforced and ensured the centrality and importance of Islam as the dominant religion in the region, Jerusalem is Islams third holiest city after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. The Haram al Sharif of Jerusalem is believed by Muslims to be the location from which Muhammad ascended to Jannah and this widely accepted Islamic belief raises the religious and spiritual importance to them of the Dome of the Rock and the adjacent al-Aqsa Mosque. In 1922, the British created the Supreme Muslim Council in the Mandatory Palestine, the council was abolished in 1948. The British transferred the symbolic Islamic governance of the land to the Hashemites based in Jordan, the Hashemites thus became the official guardians of the Islamic holy places of Jerusalem and the areas around it, particularly strong when Jordan controlled the West Bank and East Jerusalem. State of Palestine – West Bank – 75%, Gaza Strip – 99% Palestinian Muslims primarily practice Shafii Islam, Ahmadiyya is a small sect of Islam in Palestine. The community, which is not recognized as genuine Islamic by mainstream Muslims, faces persecution, although no estimates are available, reports suggest that there may be dozens of Palestinian Ahmadi Muslims in the West Bank. Muslim conquest of the Levant Ahmadiyya in Palestine
Islam in Palestine
–
Mosque in
Ramallah.
Islam in Palestine
–
Islam by country
81.
Islam in the Philippines
–
Islam is the oldest recorded monotheistic religion in the Philippines. The Muslim population of the Philippines has been reported as about 5% of the population as of a census in 2000. According to a 2015 report of Philippine Statistics Authority,5. 6% of Filipinos are Muslims, while the majority of the population are Roman Catholic, some ethnic groups are Protestant, Hindu, Buddhist, Animist, Sikh, or non-religious. Islam was first brought over by Arab traders in the late 13th and early 14th centuries and these Muslim merchants originally came from present-day Malaysia and Indonesia to the southernmost points in the Philippines, namely the Sulu islands and Mindanao. At the time, the inhabitants there were Hindus and Buddhist, the Arab newcomers preached Islam to the indigenous population and build the first mosque in the Philippines at town of Simunul in the mid-14th century. The Muslim conquest reached as far as the Kingdom of Tondo which was supplanted by Bruneis vassal-state the Kingdom of Maynila, in 1380 Karim ul Makhdum the first Arabian trader reached the Sulu Archipelago and Jolo in the Philippines and through trade throughout the island established Islam in the country. In 1390 the Minangkabaus Prince Rajah Baguinda and his followers preached Islam on the islands, the Sheik Karimal Makdum Mosque was the first mosque established in the Philippines on Simunul in Mindanao in the 14th century. Subsequent settlements by Arab missionaries traveling to Malaysia and Indonesia helped strengthen Islam in the Philippines and each settlement was governed by a Datu, Rajah, Islam was introduced by Chinese Muslims, Indian Muslims, and Persians. Islamic provinces founded in the Philippines included the Sultanate of Maguindanao, Sultanate of Sulu, Sultanate of Lanao, when the Spanish fleet led by Miguel López de Legazpi arrived in the Philippines in 1565, they were met by local datus as they traveled in the islands. Arriving in the Kingdom of Maynila, a vassal-state of the Sultanate of Brunei, however, the Visayas was largely dominated by Hindu-Buddhist societies led by rajahs and datus who strongly resisted Islam. One reason could be due to the economic and political disasters prehispanic Muslim pirates from the Mindanao region bring during raids. These frequent attacks gave way to naming present-day Cebu as then-Sugbo or scorched earth which was a technique implemented by the Visayans so the pirates have nothing much to loot. The Muslim conquest reached as far as the Kingdom of Tondo which was supplanted by Bruneis vassal-state the Kingdom of Maynila, the Muslim Bruneian Empire under the rule of Sultan Bolkiah, who is an ancestor of the current Sultan of Brunei. He subjugated the Kingdom of Tondo which is ruled by Rajah Sukwu during 1500, a new dynasty under the a local Lumad leader who accepted Islam and became Rajah Salalila or Rajah Sulayman I. He also started to established a trading challenge the already rich House of Rajah Lakandula in Tondo, Islam was further strengthened by the arrival of Muslim traders and from Jolo, Mindanao, Malaysia and Indonesia. Note, Rajah is a Hindu title and Sultan is an Islamic title for that era, Chinese mariner Zheng He is credited to have settled Chinese Muslim communities in Palembang and along the shores of Java, the Malay Peninsula, and the Philippines during Chinas early Ming dynasty. These Muslims allegedly followed the Hanafi school in the Chinese language and this Chinese Muslim community was led by Hajji Yan Ying Yu, who urged his followers to assimilate and take local names. Rajah Sulayman was the Muslim Rajah of Maynila, a kingdom at the mouth of the Pasig River where it meets Manila Bay, Moro is the appellation inherited from the Spaniards, for Filipino Muslims of Mindanao
Islam in the Philippines
–
Mosque in Marawi City in the Philippines.
Islam in the Philippines
–
Islam by country
Islam in the Philippines
–
Mosque in
Isabela City.
Islam in the Philippines
–
A Chest made of wood and bone inlay.
82.
Islam in Qatar
–
Qatar is a Muslim-majority country with Islam as the state religion. Salafi version of Sunni Islam is the state sponsored brand of Islam in the country, the local population, made up of Qataris, are all Muslims although there are high numbers of foreign workers in Qatar which varies the Muslim population. According to the CIA World Factbook,77. 5% of the population is Muslim, foreign workers are well noted in the country, mainly from South Asia and Americans which constitute most of the population of Qatar. At the end of 2013, there were a total of 1,848 mosques recorded in the country, Islam spread over the entire Arabian region in the 7th century in a string of widespread conflicts resulting in the Islamization of the native Arabian pagans. Mundhir, responding to Muhammad, announced his acceptance of Islam and it is likely that some settled populations in Qatar did not immediately convert to Islam. Isaac of Nineveh, a 7th-century Syriac Christian bishop regarded as a saint in churches, was born in Qatar. Other notable Christian scholars dating to this period who hailed from Beth Qatraye include Dadisho Qatraya, Gabriel of Qatar, by the end of the 7th century, however, most of the Christians had either converted to Islam or migrated elsewhere. During Islams early years, Qatars inhabitants are thought to have subscribed to the radical Khawarij ideology and he held the title of Amir al-Muminin and ruled over the radical Azariqa movement for more than 10 years. Born in Al Khuwayr in Qatar, he also minted the first known Kharjite coins, the historic flag flown by Qatar was plain red, in correspondence with the red banner traditionally used by the Kharjite Muslims. At a tertiary level of education Islamic Studies is taught at Qatar University, sheikha Moza bint Nasser, the consort of the Father Emir and mother of current Emir, is the most notable graduate. Education City is also home to the Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics, islam’s role in scientific discovery has also been an area of interest for the Qatar Foundation, and recently, the Society for Muslim Scientists was established with prominent members. In 2010, the joint venture between Bloomsbury Publishing and Qatar Foundation began, which saw them publish the book, ‘Science in Islam’, Qatars religious ministry uses the Fanar, Qatar Islamic Cultural Center as an outreach center for Islam. Fanar Culture Center is involved in social, religious and educational activities. In addition to housing one of the largest mosques in Qatar, among Fanars facilities is a library with Islamic literature and manuscripts. Sunnis account for the majority of Qatars Muslim population at upwards of 90%, most Sunnis adhere to the Salafi interpretation of Islam. The countrys state mosque is Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Mosque, Shiites comprise around 10% of Qatars Muslim population. Several of Qatars most notable merchant families have historically been Shia, Qatari Shiites are granted religious liberty and some have held government positions. In contrast to the Shiites in nearby Bahrain, the Qatari Shiites have a dress, dialect and culture to Qatari Sunnis
Islam in Qatar
–
Hamza Mosque in Wakrah.
83.
Islam in Saudi Arabia
–
Islam is the state religion of Saudi Arabia. The connection between Islam and Saudi Arabia is uniquely strong, whether Salafis/Wahhabis are a majority in Saudi Arabia is disputed, with one estimate putting their number at only 22. 9% of the native population. The Wahhabi mission has been dominant in Najd for two hundred years, but in most other parts of the country—Hejaz, the Eastern Province, Najran—it has dominated only since 1913-1925. Most of the 15 to 20 million Saudi citizens are Sunni Muslims, while the regions are populated mostly by Twelver Shia. Proselytizing by non-Muslims in Saudi Arabia, including the distribution of religious materials, is illegal. The Islamic prophet, Muhammad, was born in Mecca in about 571, from the early 7th century, Muhammad united the various tribes of the peninsula and created a single Islamic religious polity. Following his death in 632, his followers rapidly expanded the territory under Muslim rule beyond Arabia, from the 9th century, a number of Shia sects developed particularly in the eastern part of Arabia. These included the Qarmatians, a millenarian Ismaili sect led by Abū-Tāhir Al-Jannābī who attacked and sacked Mecca in 930 and this alliance formed in the 18th century provided the ideological impetus to Saudi expansion and remains the basis of Saudi Arabian dynastic rule today. In 1824, a smaller second Saudi state, located mainly in Nejd, was established in 1824. With the aid of the Ikhwan, Ibn Saud captured Hasa from the Ottoman Empire in 1913, Ibn Saud defeated a rival ruling family and took the title Sultan of Nejd in 1921. By this time the Ottomans had been defeated in World War I, with the help of the Ikhwan, the Hejaz was conquered in 1924–25. Following this victory however the Ikhwan clashed with Ibn Saud, the Ikhwan were defeated and their leaders executed in 1930 after a two-year struggle. In 1932 the two kingdoms of the Hejaz and Nejd were united as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, oil was discovered in the Persian Gulf region of Saudi Arabia in 1938, and oil wells eventually revealing the largest source of crude oil in the world. For the king, oil became a crucial source of wealth since he no longer had to rely on receipts from pilgrimages to Mecca. This discovery would alter Middle Eastern political relations forever, during the 1960s and 70s, religious authorities allowed some practices that had previously been forbidden. By 1976 Saudi Arabia had become the largest oil producer in the world, the power of the ulema was in decline. However, in the 1980s and 1990s, this trend was reversed, in 1979, the modernizing, monarch of Iran, despite his oil revenues and apparently formidable security apparatus, was overthrown by an Islamic revolution. There were several anti-government uprisings in the region in 1979 and 1980, also alarming to the government was the seizure of the Grand Mosque in Mecca by Islamist extremists
Islam in Saudi Arabia
–
The
Qu'ran, declared by the country's
Basic Law to be Saudi Arabia's constitution
Islam in Saudi Arabia
–
Islam by country
Islam in Saudi Arabia
–
Pilgrims in the annual Hajj at the
Kaaba in
Mecca.
84.
Islam in Singapore
–
According to statistics from 2010, about 15% of Singapores resident population aged 15 years and over are Muslims. A majority of Malays are Sunni Muslims,17 per cent of Muslims in Singapore are of South Asian origin. Other adherents include those from the Chinese, Arab and Eurasian communities, while the majority of Muslims in Singapore are traditionally Sunni Muslims who follow the Shafii school of thought or the Hanafi school of thought, there are also Shia and Ahmadi Muslims. Islamic bureaucracy long formed a part of Malay Sultanates - since the advent of Islam in the region. The Malacca Sultanate of the 1500s was recorded to have practiced syariah law, when the British started governing Singapore, syariah law was relegated to the realm of personal law. In 1915 the British colonial authorities established the Mohammedan Advisory Board, the Board was tasked to advise the colonial authorities on matters connected with the Islamic religion and custom. Singapura or Singapore became part of Malaysia in 1963, before being expelled in 1965, the constitution of the newly independent Republic of Singapore included two provisions relating to the special position of the Malays and the Muslim religion - Articles 152 and 153. Article 152 states, It shall be the responsibility of the Government constantly to care for the interests of the racial, in 1966 the Singaporean Parliament passed the Administration of the Muslim Law Act. The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore or Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura is a board which plays an important role in the administration of Muslim affairs. Section 7 of AMLA lists the membership of the majlis, under section 14 of AMLA, the President of Muis is also the Chairman of the Majlis and shall preside at all meetings of the Majlis. The President of Muis also has control of all deliberations. While AMLA provides for the post of Vice-President, Muis does not have a Vice-President, the Secretary of Muis also attend the meetings of Majlis but does not have the right to vote under section 8 of AMLA. The duties and powers of the Secretary is delineated in section 20 of AMLA, apart from the President and Secretary of Muis, another important office is that of the Mufti. Under section 30, the Mufti shall be ex-officio a member of the Majlis, section 30 authorises the President of Singapore to appoint a fit and proper person to be the Mufti after consultation with the Majlis. In 1967, Mohamed Sanusi Mahmood was appointed as Singapores first Mufti and he was succeeded by Syed Isa Semait in 1972. The President of Singapore also appoints the members of the Legal Committee, the members of the Legal Committee, other than the Mufti, shall be appointed by the President of Singapore on the advice of the Majlis for such period as he thinks fit. A notification of such appointment shall be published in the Gazette. The Mufti shall be chairman of the Legal Committee, under section 33, the Legal Committee is authorised to follow the tenets of the Shafii school of thought
Islam in Singapore
–
Masjid Hajjah Fatimah
Islam in Singapore
–
The
Masjid Sultan (
Sultan Mosque) in
Singapore was built in 1824 and declared a national monument in 1973. The building is very popular among visitors to Singapore as well as the local
Malay community.
85.
Islam in South Asia
–
A number of adherents of Islam have lived in South Asia since the beginning of Islamic history. About 30.6 percent of Muslims live in South Asia which is the largest population of Muslims in the world, there are 507 million Muslims or 31.4 percent of South Asia population which are mostly known as Desi Muslims. Islam first came to the western coast of India when Arab traders as early as the 7th century AD came to coastal Malabar, Cheraman Juma Masjid in Kerala is thought to be the first mosque in India, built in 629 AD by Malik ibn Dinar. Sindh became the easternmost province of the Umayyad Caliphate, there was gradual conversion to Islam in the south, especially amongst the native Hindu and Buddhist majority, but in areas north of Multan, Hindus and Buddhists remained numerous. By the end of the 10th century CE, the region was ruled by several Hindu Shahi kings who would be subdued by the Ghaznavids. Dawoodi Bohra Ismailli Shia was established in Gujarat in the half of the 11th century. Islam arrived in North India in the 12th century via the Turkic invasions and has become a part of Indias religious. Muslims have played a prominent role in Indias economic rise and cultural influence, trade relations have existed between Arabia and the Indian subcontinent since ancient times. Even in the era, Arab traders used to visit the Konkan-Gujarat coast and Malabar region. Newly Islamised Arabs were Islams first contact with India, Historians Elliot and Dowson say in their book, The History of India as told by its own Historians, that the first ship bearing Muslim travellers was seen on the Indian coast as early as 630 AD. H. G. Rawlinson in his book Ancient and Medieval History of India claims that the first Arab Muslims settled on the Indian coast in the last part of the 7th century AD. This fact is corroborated by J. Sturrock in his South Kanara and Madras Districts Manuals and it was with the advent of Islam that the Arabs became a prominent cultural force in the world. Arab merchants and traders became the carriers of the new religion, the first Indian mosque, Cheraman Juma Masjid, is thought to have been built in 629 AD by Malik Bin Deenar. In Malabar, the Mappilas may have been the first community to convert to Islam, intensive missionary activities were carried out along the coast and many other natives embraced Islam. These new converts were now added to the Mappila community, thus, among the Mappilas we find both the descendants of the Arabs through local women and converts from among the local people. Sindh became the easternmost province of the Umayyad Caliphate, there was gradual conversion to Islam in the south, especially amongst the native Hindu and Buddhist majority, but in areas north of Multan, Hindus and Buddhists remained numerous. By the end of the 10th century CE, the region was ruled by several Hindu Shahi kings who would be subdued by the Ghaznavids. In the first half of the 10th century, Mahmud of Ghazni added the Punjab to the Ghaznavid Empire, in the 11th century, Ghazi Saiyyad Salar Masud played a significant role in the conversion of locals to Islam
Islam in South Asia
–
Islam by country
86.
Islam in Southeast Asia
–
Significant minorities are located in the other Southeast Asian states. Most Muslims in Southeast Asia are Sunni and follow the Shafii school of fiqh and it is the official religion in Malaysia and Brunei while it is one of the six official faiths in Indonesia. Islam in Southeast Asia is heterogeneous and is manifested in different ways. Some places in Southeast Asia, Islam is adapted to coexist with already existent local traditions, mysticism is a defining characteristic of Islam in Southeast Asia, with a large following of Sufism. Mystic forms of Islam fit in well with already established traditions, the adaptation of Islam to local traditions is seen as a positive thing by Muslims in Southeast Asia. Islam is part of life in Southeast Asia and is not separated from non-religious realms. Southeast Asia contains the highest number of Muslims in the world, easily surpassing the Middle East, Islam in Southeast Asia is neglected in Western study of Islam which centers around the Middle East. Southeast Asia is a region made up of nations sharing little more than geographical proximity with one another. The Abangan are the dominant group of Muslims in Indonesia, the practices of the Abangan are heavily influenced by mysticism and embody a unique form of Islamic practice that incorporates rituals inherited from their pre Islamic ancestors. According to the Islamic Council of Victoria, historians argue that Arab merchants dominated trade in Southeast Asia in the ninth century. There existed a colony of foreign Muslims on the west coast of Sumatra by 674 CE, however, little remains from these early communities, and the religion did not spread to significant parts of the population until the 12th century. The first written sources of Islam in Southeast Asia in 916 AD from a merchant describing his experience in 1.851 on the Island of Sumatra, over time a series of Muslim port villages emerged on the scarcely populated coast. Islamic teachers from these port villages ventured to the interior of Sumatra, over time these ports attracted Muslims from India, China, and the Arabian peninsula. These communities surpassed their utilitarian functions for trade and were integrated into the network of Islam. Islam was popular in Southeast Asia because it, unlike previous belief systems could be used to validate a rulers power through the divine, Islam spread throughout the Indonesian archipelago slowly and with force. In the 12th century, the Indian Chola navy crossed the ocean, the capital of the powerful maritime kingdom was sacked and the king was taken captive. Along with Kadaram, Pannai in present-day Sumatra and Malaiyur and the Malayan peninsula were attacked, soon after, the King of Kedah Phra Ong Mahawangsa became the first ruler to abandon the traditional Hindu faith and converted to Islam with the Sultanate of Kedah established in year 1136. Samudera Pasai converted to Islam in the year 1267, the King of Malacca Parameswara married the princess of Pasai, and their son became the first sultan of Malacca
Islam in Southeast Asia
–
A Muslim "Food jar" from the
Philippines, also known as gadur, well known for its
brass with
silver inlay.
.jpg)
.jpg)
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small}
