1.
Islam by country
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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 another 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. Large communities of Muslims are also found in China, the Balkans, India, historically, Islam was divided into three major 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
2.
Islam in Africa
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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
3.
Islam in Algeria
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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
4.
Islam in Angola
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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
5.
Religion in Benin
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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
6.
Islam in Burkina Faso
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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
7.
Islam in Burundi
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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
8.
Islam in Cameroon
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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
