Shock as Angola bans Islam, razes mosques Last updated: Monday, November 25, 2013 10:50 PM
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country in Southern Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east. Capital: Luanda Currency: Angolan kwanza President: JosĂŠ Eduardo dos Santos Population: 20.82 million (2012) World Bank Official language: Portuguese Language Government: Unitary state, Presidential system, Republic Saudi Gazette report
JEDDAH – Muslims in the Kingdom and across the world expressed shock at the reported decision of Angola to ban Islam and demolish mosques. According to several Angolan newspapers, the southern African country has become the first country in the world to ban Islam and Muslims, taking first measures by destroying mosques.
“The process of legalization of Islam has not been approved by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, their mosques would be closed until further notice,” Rosa Cruz de Silva, the Angolan Minister of Culture, was quoted by African economic news agency Agence Ecofin. Silva comments were given during her visit last Tuesday to the 6th Commission of the National Assembly. She asserted that the decision was the latest is a series of efforts to ban ‘illegal’ religious sects. “It is shocking, to say the least,” said Abdul Rauf, a resident in Jeddah. Abdullah Al-Bakri, a Saudi citizen, called Silva’s views “parochial.” “Islam is not a sect. It’s a religion followed by more than a billion people all over the world,” AlBakri said. “It is a pity that terrorists killing innocent people in the name of Islam are being considered as representatives of Muslims. They don’t represent Islam,” said an angry resident in Riyadh, questioning the Angolan decision. Same as Islam, Silva announced that there are at least 194 religious sects that were not authorized to have their activities. “All sects on the list published by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights in the Angolan newspaper ‘Jornal de Angola’ are prohibited to conduct worship, so they should keep their doors closed,” she was quoted by Cameroon Voice. Even Angola President José Eduardo dos Santos has weighed in on the controversy, as he was quoted in Nigeria’s Osun Defender newspaper on Sunday as saying, “This is the final end of Islamic influence in our country,” according to the OnIslam.net report. In a physical extension of the officials’ sentiments about Islam’s place in Angola, La Nouvelle Tribune said that a minaret of an Angolan mosque was dismantled last October, and that the city of Zango “has gone further by destroying the only mosque in the city.” The provincial governor of Luanda, Bento Bento, has also said on the airwaves of a local radio that Muslims were not welcome in Angola and that the government would not legalize the presence of mosques in the country. According to CIA Factbook, 47% of Angolans practice indigenous beliefs, 38% are Roman Catholics and 15% are Protestants.