Religion in the Comoros: Difference between revisions

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The predominant religion in the Comoros is Islam, with a small Christian minority. Although the constitution, as revised in 2018, removed the reference to a state religion in the 2009 constitution, stating simply that Sunni Islam is the source of national identity, a 2008 law promulgated in January 2013 outlawed the practice of other forms of Islam in the country.^[1]^[2] Propagation of non-Islamic religions is prohibited.^[3]

Overview

A mosque in Moroni, Comoros (left), and in Mutsamudu.

Islam is followed by over 98 percent of nearly 800,000 Comorians, almost all of whom belong to the Shafi'i madhhab of Sunni Islam.^[4] Following a 1999 military coup, the new constitution of Comoros that was ratified in December 2001 provided for "the equality of all concerning rights and duties without distinctions based on sex, origin, race, religion or belief".^[5]^[3] The Article 41 of the new constitution also set up the Council of Ulemas (Islamic scholars) to assist the Government of Comoros in their decisions affecting the religious life in Comoros.^[5] The Comoros' constitution states that the "Islamic nature of the state" can not be changed, and makes Islamic law binding on all citizens of Comoros.^[3]

Abandoning Islam and converting to another religion is a crime, and like in Mauritania, Saudi Arabia and Iran, this can lead to capital punishment.^[6] The study of Islamic scriptures is mandatory in public schools, even for children of those who are not Muslims; however, the minorities have a right to operate their own school without the use of Islamic scriptures.^[3]^[7]

Islam

According to local legend, Islam was brought to Comoros in the 7th century by Mtswa Mwindza, ruler of Mbude on Ngazidja, and Muhammad ibn Uthman, son of Uthman ibn Affan.^[8] Their tombs are to be found in Ntsaweni, capital of Mbude.^[8]

About 98% of the population in the Comoros are Sunni Muslim.^[3] Islam and its institutions have helped to integrate Comorian society and provide identification with a world beyond the islands' shores. Most adherents are of Arab, African or Malagasy origin, but there are also people of Indian and European descent.

Comorians follow religious observances conscientiously and strictly adhere to religious orthodoxy.^[9] During colonization, the French did not attempt to supplant Islamic practices and were careful to respect the precedents of sharia as interpreted by the Shafi'i school of thought.^[9] All Muslim holidays are observed, including Id al-Adha, Muharram, Ashura, Mawlid, Laylat al-Mi'raj and Ramadan. Mawlid is marked by celebrations culminating in a feast prepared for the ulama. Comorians often consult mwalimus or fundi and marabouts for healing and protection from jinn. Mwalimus activate jinn to determine propitious days for feasts, a successful marriage, conduct healing ceremonies and prepare amulets containing Quranic ayat.^[10]

Christianity

In 2009, approximately 2% of the Comoros population practiced Christianity; these are generally Roman Catholics.^[11]^[3] In 2020, the figure was 0.5%.^[12]

Proselytizing of Christianity or any other non-Islamic religion is prohibited.^[3]

References

^ "Projet de révision de la Constitution de l'Union des Comores" (PDF). Gouvernement de l'Union des Comores. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
^ Loi n° 08-011/AU du 24 juin 2008, portant reglementation generale de pratiques religieuses en Union des Comores
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Scott A. Merriman (2009). Religion and the State: An International Analysis of Roles and Relationships. ABC-CLIO. pp. 145–146. ISBN 978-1-59884-134-3.
^ Martin Ottenheimer; Harriet Ottenheimer (1994). Historical Dictionary of the Comoro Islands. Scarecrow. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-8108-2819-3.
^ ^a ^b "Comoros 2001 (rev. 2009)" (PDF). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
^ Erwin Fahlbusch (2005). The Encyclopedia of Christianity. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 163. ISBN 978-0-8028-2416-5.
^ Martin Ottenheimer; Harriet Ottenheimer (1994). Historical Dictionary of the Comoro Islands. Scarecrow. pp. 47–48. ISBN 978-0-8108-2819-3.
^ ^a ^b Martin Ottenheimer; Harriet Ottenheimer (1994). Historical Dictionary of the Comoro Islands. Scarecrow. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-8108-2819-3., Quote: "Islam - the official and predominant religion of the Comoros, (...) According to local legend, Islam was first introduced to the islands in 650 AD (...)".
^ ^a ^b Ercolano, Vincent (1995). "Comoros". In Metz, Helen Chapin (ed.). Indian Ocean: five island countries (3rd ed.). Washington, D.C.: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. p. 177. ISBN 0-8444-0857-3. OCLC 32508646. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
^ "marriage feast - Translation into Arabic - examples English | Reverso Context". context.reverso.net. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
^ Catholic Hierarchy - Vicariate Apostolic of Archipelago of the Comores
^ The ARDA website, retrieved 2023-08-01

This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook. CIA.

[comorosconstitution2018-1] "Projet de révision de la Constitution de l'Union des Comores" (PDF). Gouvernement de l'Union des Comores. Retrieved 27 March 2019.

[2] Loi n° 08-011/AU du 24 juin 2008, portant reglementation generale de pratiques religieuses en Union des Comores

[merriman134-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Scott A. Merriman (2009). Religion and the State: An International Analysis of Roles and Relationships. ABC-CLIO. pp. 145–146. ISBN 978-1-59884-134-3.

[4] Martin Ottenheimer; Harriet Ottenheimer (1994). Historical Dictionary of the Comoro Islands. Scarecrow. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-8108-2819-3.

[comorosconst-5] "Comoros 2001 (rev. 2009)" (PDF). Retrieved 27 March 2019.

[6] Erwin Fahlbusch (2005). The Encyclopedia of Christianity. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 163. ISBN 978-0-8028-2416-5.

[7] Martin Ottenheimer; Harriet Ottenheimer (1994). Historical Dictionary of the Comoro Islands. Scarecrow. pp. 47–48. ISBN 978-0-8108-2819-3.

[ottenheimer46-8] Martin Ottenheimer; Harriet Ottenheimer (1994). Historical Dictionary of the Comoro Islands. Scarecrow. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-8108-2819-3., Quote: "Islam - the official and predominant religion of the Comoros, (...) According to local legend, Islam was first introduced to the islands in 650 AD (...)".

[:0-9] Ercolano, Vincent (1995). "Comoros". In Metz, Helen Chapin (ed.). Indian Ocean: five island countries (3rd ed.). Washington, D.C.: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. p. 177. ISBN 0-8444-0857-3. OCLC 32508646. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)

[10] "marriage feast - Translation into Arabic - examples English | Reverso Context". context.reverso.net. Retrieved 2020-05-30.

[11] Catholic Hierarchy - Vicariate Apostolic of Archipelago of the Comores

[12] The ARDA website, retrieved 2023-08-01

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is a legitimate description when the title is already adequate; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
 {{Culture of Comoros}}
+The predominant '''[[religion]] in the [[Comoros]]''' is [[Islam]], with a small [[Christian]] minority. Although the constitution, as revised in 2018, removed the reference to a state religion in the 2009 constitution, stating simply that [[Sunni Islam]] is the source of national identity, a 2008 law promulgated in January 2013 outlawed the practice of other forms of Islam in the country.<ref name="comorosconstitution2018">{{cite web|title=Projet de révision de la Constitution de l'Union des Comores|url=https://www.gouvernement.km/assets/pdf/Projet%20re%CC%81fe%CC%81rendaire%202018%20(1).pdf|website=Gouvernement de l'Union des Comores|access-date=27 March 2019}}</ref><ref>Loi n° 08-011/AU du 24 juin 2008, portant reglementation generale de pratiques religieuses en Union des Comores</ref> Propagation of non-Islamic religions is prohibited.<ref name=merriman134/>
-{{USgovtPOV|date=May 2010}}
-'''[[Religion]]''' in the '''[[Comoros]]''' is dominated by those of the [[Islamic]] faith.
 ==Overview==
+{{multiple image
-[[Image:Moroni Mosque Photo by Sascha Grabow.jpg|right|A [[mosque]] in [[Moroni, Comoros]]|thumb|180px]]
+| align = right
+| image1 = Mosque in Moroni, Comoros (3923026238).jpg
+| width1 = 160
+| alt1 =
+| caption1 =
+| image2 = Mutsamudu Friday Mosque (9983245486).jpg
+| width2 = 160
+| alt2 =
+| caption2 =
+| footer = A [[mosque]] in [[Moroni, Comoros]] (left), and in [[Mutsamudu]].
+}}
+Islam is followed by over 98 percent of nearly 800,000 [[Comorian people|Comorians]], almost all of whom belong to the [[Shafi'i]] [[madhhab]] of [[Sunni Islam]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Martin Ottenheimer|author2=Harriet Ottenheimer|title=Historical Dictionary of the Comoro Islands|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ruu0JZGFcXAC |year=1994|publisher=Scarecrow|isbn=978-0-8108-2819-3|page=73}}</ref> Following a 1999 military coup, the new constitution of Comoros that was ratified in December 2001 provided for "the equality of all concerning rights and duties without distinctions based on sex, origin, race, religion or belief".<ref name=comorosconst>{{cite web|title=Comoros 2001 (rev. 2009)|url=http://droit-afrique.com/upload/doc/comores/Comores-Constitution-revisee-2009.pdf|access-date=27 March 2019}}</ref><ref name=merriman134/> The Article 41 of the new constitution also set up the Council of Ulemas (Islamic scholars) to assist the Government of Comoros in their decisions affecting the religious life in Comoros.<ref name=comorosconst/> The Comoros' constitution states that the "Islamic nature of the state" can not be changed, and makes Islamic law binding on all citizens of Comoros.<ref name=merriman134>{{cite book|author=Scott A. Merriman|title=Religion and the State: An International Analysis of Roles and Relationships|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cf3WCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA145 |year=2009|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-59884-134-3|pages=145–146}}</ref>
+Abandoning Islam and converting to another religion is a crime, and like in [[Mauritania]], [[Saudi Arabia]] and [[Iran]], this can lead to capital punishment.<ref>{{cite book|author=Erwin Fahlbusch|title=The Encyclopedia of Christianity|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C5V7oyy69zgC&pg=PA163|year=2005|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing|isbn=978-0-8028-2416-5|page=163}}</ref> The study of Islamic scriptures is mandatory in public schools, even for children of those who are not Muslims; however, the minorities have a right to operate their own school without the use of Islamic scriptures.<ref name=merriman134/><ref>{{cite book|author1=Martin Ottenheimer|author2=Harriet Ottenheimer|title=Historical Dictionary of the Comoro Islands|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ruu0JZGFcXAC |year=1994|publisher=Scarecrow|isbn=978-0-8108-2819-3|pages=47–48}}</ref>
-Islam is followed by about 99 percent of Comorians, almost all of whom are [[Sunni Muslim]]s. Fewer than 400 citizens—approximately 1 percent of the population—are Christian, all of whom reportedly converted to [[Christianity]] within the last half of the 1990s. Small groups of foreigners are [[Hindu]]s or Christians. Following a 1999 military coup, the May 2000 constitution did not allow for [[Freedom of religion in the Comoros|freedom of religion]]. The December 2001 [[Constitution of Comoros]] does provide for this freedom, however, and also makes Islam the state religion.<ref>{{cite web|title=Comoros 2001 (rev. 2009)|url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Comoros_2009?lang=en#1|website=Constitute|accessdate=23 April 2015}}</ref> The government tends to discourage the practice of other faiths. The practice of Christianity is particularly
-restricted. There are two [[Roman Catholic]] churches and one [[Protestant]] church. Since before the 1999 coup, the government has restricted the use of these churches to noncitizens only. Harassment and social discrimination of Christians is widespread. Proselytizing of Christianity is prohibited. The [[Grand Mufti]], who is nominated by the president to serve in the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, serves as the government counsel on Islamic faith and law.
 ==Islam==
 {{further|Islam in the Comoros}}
+[[File:Grande Comore-Man.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|A Comorian in traditional Muslim dress.]]
-According to the 2006 estimate by the [[U.S. Department of State]], roughly 98% of the population in the [[Comoros]] are [[Muslim]]. Islam and its institutions have helped to integrate Comorian society and provide identification with a world beyond the islands' shores. Most adherents are [[Arab]]-[[Swahili people|Swahili]] or [[Persian people|Persian]], but there are also people of [[Demographics of India|Indian]] descent.
+According to local legend, Islam was brought to Comoros in the 7th century by Mtswa Mwindza, ruler of Mbude on Ngazidja, and Muhammad ibn Uthman, son of [[Uthman ibn Affan]].<ref name=ottenheimer46>{{cite book|author1=Martin Ottenheimer|author2=Harriet Ottenheimer|title=Historical Dictionary of the Comoro Islands|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ruu0JZGFcXAC |year=1994|publisher=Scarecrow|isbn=978-0-8108-2819-3|page=46}}, Quote: "Islam - the official and predominant religion of the Comoros, (...) According to local legend, Islam was first introduced to the islands in 650 AD (...)".</ref> Their tombs are to be found in Ntsaweni, capital of Mbude.<ref name=ottenheimer46/>
+About 98% of the population in the [[Comoros]] are Sunni [[Muslim]].<ref name=merriman134/> Islam and its institutions have helped to integrate Comorian society and provide identification with a world beyond the islands' shores. Most adherents are of [[Arab]], [[Ethnic groups of Africa|African]] or [[Malagasy people|Malagasy]] origin, but there are also people of [[Demographics of India|Indian]] and [[Demographics of Europe|European]] descent.
-Comorians follow religious observances conscientiously and strictly adhere to religious orthodoxy. During colonization, the [[France|French]] did not attempt to supplant Islamic practices and were careful to respect the precedents of ''[[sharia]]'' as interpreted by the [[Shafi'i]] school of thought. All Muslim holidays are observed, including ''[[Id al-Adha]], [[Muharram]], [[Day of Ashura|Ashura]], [[Mawlid]], Laylat al-Mi'raj'' and [[Ramadan]]. Mawlid is marked by celebrations culminating in a feast prepared for the ulama. Many women wear the ''shiromani'', a printed 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, a successful marriage, conduct healing ceremonies and prepare amulets containing Quranic ''[[ayat]]''.
+Comorians follow religious observances conscientiously and strictly adhere to religious orthodoxy.<ref name=":0">{{cite encyclopedia|title=Indian Ocean: five island countries |publisher=[[Federal Research Division]], [[Library of Congress]] |location=Washington, D.C. |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/95016570/ |last=Ercolano |first=Vincent |date=1995 |editor-last=Metz |editor-first=Helen Chapin |editor-link=Helen Chapin Metz |edition=3rd |pages=177 |isbn=0-8444-0857-3 |oclc=32508646 |postscript=. {{PD-notice}}|entry=Comoros}}</ref> During colonization, the [[France|French]] did not attempt to supplant Islamic practices and were careful to respect the precedents of ''[[sharia]]'' as interpreted by the [[Shafi'i]] school of thought.<ref name=":0" /> All Muslim holidays are observed, including ''[[Id al-Adha]], [[Muharram]], [[Day of Ashura|Ashura]], [[Mawlid]], Laylat al-Mi'raj'' and [[Ramadan]]. Mawlid is marked by celebrations culminating in a feast prepared for the ulama. Comorians often consult mwalimus or [[wikt:fundi|fundi]] and [[marabouts]] for healing and protection from ''jinn''. ''Mwalimus'' activate ''[[jinn]]'' to determine propitious days for feasts, a successful marriage, conduct healing ceremonies and prepare amulets containing Quranic ''[[ayat]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=marriage feast - Translation into Arabic - examples English {{!}} Reverso Context|url=https://context.reverso.net/translation/english-arabic/marriage+feast|website=context.reverso.net|access-date=2020-05-30}}</ref>
 ==Christianity==
+{{further|Christianity in the Comoros}}
-[[Christianity in the Comoros]] is a minority religion. Roman Catholics in the [[Comoros]] are about 6000 (0.8% of the population).<ref>[http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dcmrs.html Catholic Hierarchy – Vicariate Apostolic of Archipelago of the Comores]</ref>
+In 2009, approximately 2% of the Comoros population practiced [[Christianity]]; these are generally [[Roman Catholic]]s.<ref>[http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dcmrs.html Catholic Hierarchy - Vicariate Apostolic of Archipelago of the Comores]</ref><ref name=merriman134/> In 2020, the figure was 0.5%.<ref>[https://www.thearda.com/world-religion/national-profiles?u=56c The ARDA website, retrieved 2023-08-01]</ref>
-Protestants are about 1,678 persons (about 0.25% of the population). In 2006 four persons were detained in the town of Moroni in the Comoros. The constitution guarantees religious liberty.
+[[Proselytism|Proselytizing]] of Christianity or any other non-Islamic religion is prohibited.<ref name=merriman134/>
-Christians are not allowed to witness publicly. They are subject to the denial of many civil rights. Christians are subject to societal disadvantage. There are foreign religious groups, that give humanitarian action. They do not engage in prozeliytizing however. Religious groups do not have the duty to register. A law states that who preaches another religion to Muslims, is subject to both a prison sentence and a fine. On Ngazidja Christian liberty is greater than in other parts of the Comoros. There is a Roman Catholic church in [[Moroni, Comoros|Moroni]], on the island of [[Ngazidja]]. Another Roman Catholic church is in [[Mutsamudu]]. There is a Protestant church in Moroni.
-According to the [[World Christian Encyclopedia]] (2nd edition), Volume 1, p.&nbsp;208 there is at least one congregation of Seventh Day Adventists and the reformed Eglise de Jésus Christ aux Comores.{{Verify source|date=November 2014}}
-==Hinduism==
+==See also==
+* [[Islam in Comoros]]
-A small number of [[Indian people|Indians]] in the [[Comoros]] are Hindu. Hinduism in both the independent Comoros and [[Mayotte]] plays a very small part in the islands' cultures, which are based on Islamic principles and local custom. However, Indian Hindus have contributed to the economy of the islands, most of them working as jewellers.{{cn|date=June 2015}} According to the PEW Research Centre,the Hindu population is 700 adherents.
+* [[Christianity in Comoros]]
+* [[Roman Catholicism in Comoros]]
+* [[Freedom of religion in the Comoros]]
 ==References==

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