Being a Muslim in Angola

Being Muslim in Angola

Some of us may have read recently that the country of Angola has outright banned Islam and that it is now illegal to be a Muslim in this Southern African nation.  

This is not true.

The news has been spreading fast, however, we need to not believe everything that is written or stated in the media.  We need to fact-check and confirm a news by means of further investigation.  

The story was printed days ago by a Moroccan newspaper called ‘La Nouvelle Tribune’.  The newspaper stated that the governor of Luanda had spoken against 'radical Muslims' and stated that they are not welcome in Angola.  It then quoted Angolan politician Roza Cruz de Silva, stating that Islam has not yet been approved by the Angolan Ministry of Justice and Human Rights. 

The statement about 'Islam' not being recognized is not something new but has always been the case.  This is an interesting fact that not many will know, but many European countries such as Italy, France and Belgium also do not recognize 'Islam' at an official level.  It does not mean that the religion is illegal or that it is banned.

What happened after the initial story broke out from Morocco, however is where we see the dangers of spreading unverified information.  Many articles in different papers around the world were claiming that Islam had been banned in Angola, and that mosques were ordered to be destroyed, and that being a Muslim was now illegal. 

After doing some checking, it has been made clear that Angolan politician Roza Cruz de Silva was speaking about a few Muslim groups who were on the list of proscribed religious groups that would not be allowed to operate mosques, some of which were built without permits.  The list contains 194 groups from all religions, yet only a few are Muslims.  So it was not true that all mosques would be closed, nor is Islam ‘illegal’ in Angola.

Just wanted to clarify this 'news' to people that want the 'truth'. 

Thank you for visiting, 

Ben here