Islam in Mozambique is the religion of between 17. 8% and 20% of the population, around 4 million people. This figure is disputed by some Muslim clerics, who say Islam is practiced by a much larger number of people. The vast majority of Mozambican Muslims are Sunni, although Ismaili Muslims are also registered. Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique (Moçambique or República de Moçambique, ʁɛ'publikɐ d musɐ̃'bik is a country in southeastern Africa Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic For the Egyptian city see Ismaïlia. The Ismāʿīlī ( Urdu: إسماعیلی Ismāʿīlī, Arabic: الإسماعيليون
Contents |
Pre-colonial history
Mozambique has historic ties with the Muslim world, mostly by way of coastal trading cities, which served as the most southern part of the Indian Ocean trade. The term Muslim world (or Islamic world) has several meanings The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's Oceanic divisions covering about 20% of the water on the Earth 's surface The former port city of Sofala, once famous for its trade in gold (by way of Great Zimbabwe) with the Islamic Middle East and India, is a testament to this. There is also Sofala New South Wales Sofala, at present known as Nova Sofala, used to be the chief seaport of the Monomotapa The Great Zimbabwe, or "stone buildings" is the name given to hundreds of great stone Ruins spread out over a 500 km² (200 square mile area within the modern-day The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country It is believed that nearly all the cities inhabitants had been Muslim before the arrival of the Portuguese in 1505. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. [1]. Sofala and much of the rest of coastal Mozambique was part of the Kilwa Sultanate from Arab arrival (believed to be the 12th century) until it's conquest in the 16th century. Kilwa was a Sultanate in East Africa. See also Kilwa Kisiwani Sultan al-Hasan ibn Sulaiman
Colonial history
Islam faced serious challenges in Mozambique during the colonial era. During the Estado Novo period (1926-1974), Roman Catholicism was the dominant religion with a formal alliance (Concordat) with the state. Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. The colonial administration opposed Islam in many ways. Only with the start of the liberation war did the state lower its opposition and try to coopt Islam - to avoid dissidence and an alliance between Muslims and the liberation movement.
Modern Mozambique
As is true in much of Africa, Islam is growing in Mozambique today. Since the end of the Socialist period (1989 onwards), Muslims have been able to proselytise freely and build new mosques - even in the capital city center. Muslims have also made their way into parliament. Several South African, Kuwaiti and other Muslim agencies are active in Mozambique, with one important one being the African Muslim Agency. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa The State of Kuwait ( دولة الكويت IPA [dawlatt̪ alkuwajt̪]) is a sovereign Arab Emirate on the coast of the Persian Gulf, enclosed The African Muslim Agency is a primarily Kuwait -sponsored aid and Dawah organization based in Luanda, Angola. An Islamic University has been set up in Nampula, with a branch in Inhambane. Nampula is the capital city of Nampula Province in Mozambique. Inhambane is a town located in southern Mozambique, lying on Inhambane Bay 470 km northeast of Maputo. Also, Mozambique is an active member of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC). The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC is an International organization with a permanent delegation to the United Nations.
Prominent Mozambican Muslims
- Amade Camal, MP from Nampula Province
- Shaykh Aminuddin Mohamad, head of the Islamic Council
References
- Liazzat Bonate, « Dispute over Islamic funeral rites in Mozambique. Amade Camal (born 1956 is a Mozambican politician and Muslim activist A Demolidora dos Prazeres by Shaykh Aminuddin Mohamad », LFM. Social sciences & missions, no. 17, Dec. 2005, pp. 41-59
- Liazzat Bonate, « Matriliny, Islam and Gender in Northern Mozambique », Journal of Religion in Africa, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 2006, pp. 139-166
- Lorenzo, Macagno, Outros muçulmanos : Islão e narrativas coloniais, Lisbon (Portugal) : Imprensa de Ciências Sociais, 2006
- Eric Morier-Genoud, « L’islam au Mozambique après l’indépendance. Histoire d’une montée en puissance », L’Afrique Politique 2002, Paris: Karthala, 2002, pp. 123-146
- Eric Morier-Genoud, « The 1996 ‘Muslim holiday’ affair. Religious competition and state mediation in contemporary Mozambique », Journal of Southern African Studies, Oxford, vol. 26, n°3, Sept. 2000, pp. 409 – 427.
- Eric Morier-Genoud, “A Prospect of Secularization? Muslims and Political Power in Mozambique Today”, Journal for Islamic Studies (Cape Town), no. 27, 2007, pp. 233-266
External links
- Sofala in the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
- 2003 Mozambique International Religious Freedom Report
- Religion in Mozambique
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic