Islam is a minor religion in Angola. There are Islamic organizations that run mosques, schools and community centres which represent the Muslims living in Angola. Although Islam’s religious freedom has been already established in Angola, it is not legally recognized as a state religion. A post circulates on social media in Sri Lanka stating that Islam has been banned in Angola and that all mosques have been shut, and that Islam religion is a threat to their state religion. In addition, the post mentions that Islamic extremism should be eradicated from Sri Lanka and a Muslim birth control system should be introduced for future generations.
On March 23, 2005, the governor at that time in Luanda, had instructed to halt the constructions of two mosques in Luanda and banned the Angolan Muslims from worshipping. But the decision was reversed later and the mosque construction resumed. The temporary closure of the “Nurr Al Islamia” Mosque, the largest mosque in the capital of Angola, Lunda, on January 29, 2014, due to a clash between two Imams, is another incident. According to foreign media reports, other Angolan territories such as Lunda Norte, Zaire, Bie and Malanje have also reported such incidents. The international Muslim community was outraged in 2013 due to reportings from the “International Business Times” website and other sources, that mosques in South Africa had been demolished and Islam had been banned in Angola. Although videos of alleged demolition of mosques in Angola have been released on social media, their authenticity has not yet been confirmed. The “Daily Maverick”, a South African news website, announced on November 26, 2013, that no legal actions had been taken to ban Islam in Angola which even confused the country’s human rights organizations. Manuel Fernando, director of the National Institute for Religious Affairs at Angola’s Ministry of Culture, even made the same announcement. The Ministry of Culture also stated to “Al Jazeera” that some mosques in Angola had to be evicted as they are illegal and unlicensed constructions. However, although Islam has not yet been officially declared a recognized religion in Angola, there has been no official ban on Islam in Angola, despite the occasional removal and closure of mosques for a number of reasons.
Conclusion
Just as the news that Islam is spreading as a forbidden religion in Angola may have been a result of superstition, it also seems to have had a somewhat advantageous effect on those who held anti-Islamic views. It is a fact that during this period many difficult times have arisen for the Muslims living in Angola, but Islam has not yet been recognized as a state religion by the Angolan government. Therefore, this post is a false story circulating on social media as the Angolan government has not yet taken steps to enforce the law in a way that interferes with the religious freedom of Islamic devotees.