Angola Denies Banning Islam by
AbuHanifa: 2:08pm
Angola's government on Tuesday denied it
had banned Islam and closed mosques in the
country, after 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.
"There is no official position that targets the
destruction or closure of places of worship,
whichever they are," Fernando told AFP.
Reports that Angola, a traditionally devout
Catholic nation, would crack down on
Muslims had drawn condemnation from the
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and
others.
In Egypt, mufti Shawqi Allam said such a
move would be "a provocation not only to
Angolan Muslims but to more than 1.5
billion Muslims all over the world".
The oil-rich southern African nation has a
population of about 18 million people,
several hundred thousand of whom are
Muslim.
Religious organisations are required to apply
for accreditation in Angola, which currently
recognises 83, all of them Christian.
In October the justice ministry rejected the
applications of 194 organisations, including
one from an umbrella Islamic community
group.
David Ja, a spokesperson for local Muslims,
challenged the government's account and
said that a number of mosques had already
been closed.
Ja condemned what he described as
"political persecution" and "religious
intolerance".
"A mosque was closed last week in Huambo
(in the south) and we have been subjected to
pressure this week regarding a mosque in
Luanda," he said.
According to the ministry of culture, these
closures were related to a lack of necessary
land titles, building licenses or other official
documents.
Analyst Alex Vines said the rumours followed
Culture Minister Rosa Cruz e Silva's
announcement last week that the
government would crack down on "sects".
The measure "was targeting mostly Brazil-
style evangelical groups that have
mushroomed across Angola", according to
Vines, Africa programme head at UK-based
think-tank Chatham House.
Brazilian religious groups "have particularly
worried establishment churches that have
seen their congregations dwindle", he wrote
on Chatham's website.
The headlines were the result of the
government's "clumsy policy" and "poor
communication", he said, warning they
"might not only radicalise Muslim
communities in Angola but could make
Angola a legitimate target for jihadists".
Source: http://news.ng.msn.com/africa-
news/angola-denies-banning-islam-after-
outcry-1

Na who i go ask.
Wetin i wan believe
Angolans, una dey fear?
Ee b like say na egypt go 1st descend on una if una tryam.. Una come change mouth say na lack of landed document to prove ownership...
Make we start am 4 Naija? B/c some mosque no get documents.. Na where dem gather dem go build mosque & govt no go intervene.. It isnt fair