[color=#006600][/color][b][/b] Government statement says there is " no war"
against religion following allegations authorities
had destroyed mosques.


Angola 's government has denied it had banned
Islam and closed mosques in the country , after
media speculation that sparked outrage among
Muslims worldwide .
" There is no war in Angola against Islam or any
other religion," said Manuel Fernando, director
of the National Institute for Religious Affairs ,
part of the ministry of culture, onTuesday.
" There is no official position that targets the
destruction or closure of places of worship,
whichever they are . " Fernando told AFP news
agency .
David Ja, a spokesman for local Muslims,
challenged the government 's account and said
that a number of mosques had already been
closed .
But according to the ministry of culture, those
closures were related to a lack of necessary
land titles , building licenses or other official
documents.
A witness in the province of Uige (Carmona)
told Al Jazeera that the closed mosques were
hastility built by expatriate communities from
west and north Africa who needed a place to
perform Friday prayers .
“ It ’s true that several mosques have been
destroyed and others simply shut down in the
last few months. Most of the mosques that were
destroyed were built without government
permission. Two authorised mosques in Luanda
are still operating without a problem . I have
not heard of any official decision to ban Islam
or prohibit Muslim prayers in mosques.” Ahmed
ould Taher told Al Jazeera.